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1. So today I got my first dose of COVID vaccine. I didn’t know until I got there that I’d be one of the first in Scotland to be given Moderna (woo!) But I’d have taken any one of the vaccines. Why? Because I had COVID just over a year ago. This thread is my story.
2. So, just over a year ago, in March 2020, I went to bed with a bit of a tickly cough. We were already self isolating as my partner had fallen ill the day before. Hmmm, I thought. This is probably “it” for me too. I went to sleep, not too worried, more resigned than anything.
3. I woke up the next morning feeling worse. Cough had deepened and now I felt tired and achy. It was my daughter’s birthday so I tried to power through. Got to the end of the day feeling about the same - pretty rubbish but able to function
4. And that was it for the next 8 days. Until day 10. On day 10 I fell down a black hole and lost a week of my life completely. I only moved from bed to crawl to the bathroom, I didn’t eat, I felt constantly nauseous and short of breath. I coughed a lot. I was scared.
5. By this time my partner was much improved. Thank goodness because otherwise my daughter would have been fending for herself for a week. We had the paramedics out on day 15 but they advised against hospital unless my breathing got even worse.
6. Fortunately it didn’t and the next day - at last - I started to feel a bit better. It was another week until I was out of bed but the worst was over. Recovery was underway. I developed a (short lived) obsession with “24 hours in A&E” - must have watched 30+ episodes 
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7. I felt so relieved and grateful at first that, well quite frankly, that I hadn’t died. I do still feel that I was lucky. But things are not great, a year on. My health is nowhere near back to normal and some days I wonder if it ever will be.
8. I am so tired, all the time. Some days I can power through it. Other days it is absolutely bone crushing exhaustion. I can sleep for 9-10 hours and still feel like I need more. I get short of breath from minor exertion.
9. And there’s weird random things too that my body never did before. My nose keeps running. Racing heartbeat. An ache in my chest. Indigestion. Brain fog. The only thing that tests have identified is raised inflammation levels - maybe that explains it all? Who knows?
10. I’ve seen a few people post about their COVID anniversary the last few weeks with similar stories. I don’t wish ill health on anyone, but it is so reassuring to know I’m not alone. The @royalsociety long COVID webinar was also helpful: https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2021/04/long-covid/">https://royalsociety.org/science-e...
11. There’s some anecdotal evidence that the vaccine might help with long COVID. Don’t want to get too hopeful but that would be pretty cool if it does. I shall watch and wait and report back.
12. Anyway ... I’m not quite sure why I’m putting all this out there. I’m not normally one to share my medical history with the world https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😳" title="Errötetes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Errötetes Gesicht">Partly the catharsis of writing it down but also because - as I say - I do feel reassured when I read other people’s stories.
13. And in part this is maybe a thread to be a bit more honest in response to people who ask how I’m doing. I dread that question as I always want to be positive and hate making people feel awkward so I usually say something like “much better than I was” or “getting there”.
14 The honest truth is that I’ve got a way to go yet. But looking back over the last year, I can see that I am much better than I was. Recovery is slow and not linear but it is happening. Sending love and support to all those in the same boat. We will get there. THE END
