COVID-19 long-haulers: The pandemic's forgotten patients (Marketplace)

CBC Marketplace asked more than 1,000 Canadians with long COVID about their access to care. Over 60 per cent of COVID-19 long-haulers said in the questionnaire they aren’t getting the medical treatment they need and many others reported they are stuck paying hundreds of dollars — some spending $10,000 or more.

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[peforster]

Our sick care system can't cope with those of us already already suffering with disabilities.
They can't protect our seniors, either.
It's all so broken...

[carrieflamegurl]

Thank you CBC for taking the time to shed light on those of us who are left disabled, for who knows how long. We are unable to return to our normal lives and have no idea if or when we will be able to do so. I hope that your program is useful in getting some attention from the provincial health officers whose duty it is to all of us to help us through this time.

[johnwang]

Chronic illness has always been the forgotten patients due to the costs of addressing them being long term. In general everyone wants whatever problems there are to just reach the point where it's no longer their problem. You're not released from the hospital or a Doctor's care because you've healed but because it's the soonest that you may no longer be considered their problem. The COVID long haulers will just blend into the background of numerous chronically ill people.

[charh]

I have lived with most of these conditions for the last 25 + years of my life. Sorry for all who have entered the realm of chronic pain with NO answers.

[ericboily]

Welcome to the world of lyme disease patients, same symptoms as people in your video and same answers from doctors they don't know or it's all in your head, very frustating. Patients suffer a lot and they have no help.

[loganb.]

Hmm... this is the first I'm hearing about this... I caught covid at the very end of last year. Ever since I've been having to take a nap everyday when I get off work. I was starting to think it was something to do with my testosterone but I'm only 32. I'm shocked right now...

Now that I think about it I was one of those who got the negative test result. Since I had all the symptoms I was assumed covid and was forced to quarantine and forced me to miss 14 days of work. Ever since then I've hated my job, it just drains me totally. I've been depressed and wanting to quit but that's not an option, I have 3 kids and my wife just thinks I'm being lazy all of a sudden. I didn't even know this was a thing...

[loreeboydoriginativefilms]

Now people know how it feels to have FIBROMYALGIA, and how you're treated.

[jodiecarlson]

They would have spent 100x that much money here in the US.

[goodtimes]

Boy if a doctor can't get help would be harder for an average person.

[CrawfordPrime]

This is what scares me the most about Covid, it’s not getting sick but the possible aftermath. More people should be aware of this people who don’t wear masks or protest against physical distancing and masks... stuff like this can happen

[berniesander]

people with me/cfs have been dealing with something very similar to this for decades

[pinlight]

Hilariously I have fibromyalgia and my O/T program and water wellness at a hospital that I had access to both are shut down now. The water wellness may reopen once Covid ends but the comprehensive fibro program that included O/T is gone for good because of the pandemic and hospital reprioritizations. These folks are hitting the same walls! My kids describe me as “always tired”. It took me years to get believed and diagnosed...I still don’t have a rheumo as I’ve been told that “I don’t look like a fibro patient”. SO, the big issue is that our system does NOT support ANY chronic, life-long illness well, especially ones that impact the working age adults.

[leslie]

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and long haulers share similar disabling levels of symptoms, and we all. Need access to healthcare

[callieford]

$700 for an EEG? That is wonderful!!
From....United States of America 🇺🇸😢

[tinaparker]

This is so sad people need help for long term effects the government needs to invest more into this

[MichelleDespres]

I tested negative but my two other family members tested positive and I was sick right along with them

[theandonlytrav]

I contracted Covid in March of 2020. I went to the hospital for help, but they couldn't do anything for me. They were so overwhelmed with patients and I wasn't sick enough to be admitted. Sadly, they didn't even have testing available to diagnose me. Months later I got a Covid-19 antibody test and it came back positive. I'm now 18 months into the worst health I've ever been in. Everything the people in this video are going through I go through. No one can diagnose me or help me and I'm left to suffer. I hope and pray that the medical field starts to recognize us and will help us. I'm so far past my breaking point.

[TnaaT]

The same thing is happening here in the states and doctors here don’t know either.

[eoleqrs]

This is real And this is going to effect so many ppl!!
More ppl need to be talking about this!!!!

[sportgirl]

I was one of those people that thought covid was no big . I ended up bringing it home to my family . It was horrible . We all got past it except my mom who is now a long hauler . It has debilitated her . She hasn't gotten out of bed for months