Women with long Covid describe years of struggle

Amy Smith (left) and Christina Bachini were diagnosed with long Covid in 2021 and 2022 respectively

Two women living with long Covid have told the BBC how the illness has left them struggling to do ordinary tasks.

Amy Smith, 47, and Christina Bachini, 77, both from Berkshire, were diagnosed with the condition in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

They have described trying to cope with ongoing symptoms, including extreme fatigue, brain fog, pain, breathlessness and muscle damage.

The chronic condition affects an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK.

Ms Smith first caught Covid in 2020 and was diagnosed with long Covid in 2021

Ms Smith, from Woodley, said living with the illness was "debilitating”.

Before the pandemic, she said she was a healthy, active mum who worked as a florist for almost 30 years and enjoyed long walks and cycle rides.

But she has since given up that job, which she said “took a lot of energy and the work required me to be on my feet all the time".

She now runs her own business as an artist.

Ms Smith has started her own business as an artist

Ms Smith said: “I would feel pressure in my chest after doing too much, my legs would get heavy, I’d get a temperature which left me shaking and my body shut down.”

She said she needed help with tasks like getting her daughter ready for school, hanging washing and hoovering.

While short walks or cycle rides can take "two to three hours to recuperate" from.

“It is a strange and unwelcome illness,” she added.

Ms Bachini caught Covid on holiday in Italy in 2022

Ms Bachini, from Sindlesham, said she “still struggles with aspects of life that we take for granted".

She explained getting up, trying to get dressed, going to the bathroom, getting out of a chair “take a hell of a lot of energy” and it “feels ridiculous it makes you so tired”.

She continued: “The loss of mobility has greatly affected my daily life and sense of independence, I just try to keep my spirits up.”

Dr Deepak Ravindran is an expert in long Covid and runs a clinic at Royal Berkshire Hospital

Dr Deepak Ravindran, who heads up a long Covid clinic at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, said he believed there were many people unknowingly living with the illness who are yet to recognise the symptoms.

He explained there was a “huge gap in understanding the condition” amongst healthcare professionals.

“Sometimes patients with long Covid have not been supported or not recognised because of the similarities to other conditions such as chronic fatigue and ME,” he said.

In January, NHS long Covid clinics in England received 1,549 referrals.

The Department of Health and Social Care urged people who think they may have symptoms to seek medical advice from their GP.