I still can’t eat cornflakes, says woman with long Covid

Sarah Taylor said she learned she had long Covid in 2022

A lecturer at Keele University has spoken of how she had to throw out a box of cornflakes after long Covid left her with a number of unusual symptoms.

Sarah Taylor found out she had the condition after waking up on New Year’s Day in 2022, to discover she had "brain fog" and exhaustion.

Her symptoms left her unable to return to work.

“All my muscles were just rigid, so getting up the staircase was like a fight. I’d have to haul myself up,” she said.

When she had initially tried to return to her job, she said she was unable to last a full week and was forced to take sick leave.

She was then told she had to wait three months before the possibility of being referred to a long Covid clinic.

On finally attending the clinic, one of things that was assessed was how she swallowed.

Different textures

This involved a medical professional watching her while she ate, she said.

As a result, Ms Taylor established she was unable to swallow foods with different textures, such as cornflakes.

She said the difference between the crunchiness of the cereal and the liquidity of the milk would cause her to cough.

Another symptom of long Covid she experienced was difficulty recalling names – including those of her students.

“When you’re just looking at them and there’s a sea of faces, and you can’t match the names to the faces, I do think it impacts things there,” she said.

According to the NHS, most people with Covid-19 felt better within a few days or weeks of first experiencing symptoms and made a full recovery within 12 weeks.

For some people, however, symptoms last longer – and developing what has been diagnosed as long Covid.

Sufferers often experience extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, muscle aches and loss of smell.

The NHS says the range of symptoms experienced by people also include problems with memory and concentration, chest pains and difficulty sleeping.