Ilona Horváth (56) has been ill for four years. “It’s a misunderstood disease,” she says of her post-covid. Her world has become tiny, her vision of the future darkened. “It makes me despondent.”
Ilona worked in practical education in Waalwijk, where she stood in front of the class. And she loved her work, no matter how complicated it became during corona times. But it also became the place where the misery started. “That’s where I got sick, in March 2020,” she says. “And that didn’t go away after that.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so sick,” she says. She was not diagnosed with Covid the first time because there was no testing for it at the time. “But I’m actually sure that that was it.”
Once she was allowed to visit her GP, a few weeks after her infection, she left the consultation room disappointed. He didn’t believe her. “He said that if it was Covid, I should be better by now. Or that it would at least require hospitalization. While I was exhausted after walking 50 meters and had to recover for three days from a visit to the physio.”
“I stood at that counter begging.”
Things got heated. “I stood at that counter pleading. I was not allowed to go to a recovery center, because I had to go to the gym. And he was very difficult about drawing blood. Then I changed doctors.”
Whether you can call it luck is debatable. Ilona would have preferred never to be in that situation. But she got Covid again in 2021. “Even more intense than the first time,” she reflects. “But my advantage was that I had now been tested, so I had proof. Then I was allowed to go to a rehabilitation center.”
There she learned ways to cope post-covid. “There are no medicines yet, so they try to give you tools. That you should lie down when you are tired and listen to your body, that you should enjoy the little things in life,” she sums up. In between, Ilona sometimes needs to catch her breath, or she loses track. A conversation like this costs her a lot of energy.
“It is a very lonely disease, without any prospects.”
In fact, she longs for a decent form of medication. Guidance in her mentality is something. “But it does not make the complaints any less. It is a very lonely disease, without prospects. I have lost my job and my social life. My house is my world. People cannot see it in you, but if I looked at my body Listen, I wouldn’t get anywhere.”
“I really want there to be a solution,” Ilona says. “It is always confronting to participate in such a study, because you are very conscious of your illness. But I do it for a good cause and for people who are in the same boat.”
“There are now three expertise centers nationally, but that is far too few. At a certain point you are done with those questionnaires, you just want to get better. You want them to find out what is going on.”
YOU MAY ALSO FIND THIS INTERESTING:
Corona continues to affect the lives, work and studies of patients
The joys of post-Covid life. Because who doesn’t love being stuck in a never-ending cycle of fatigue, brain fog, and begging your doctor to take you seriously? (pauses for comedic effect) Ah, Ilona Horváth, 56, and still going strong… well, as strong as one can be when their world has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp.
Ilona’s story is a familiar one. She got Covid, or at least, she’s pretty sure she did, given the whole “no testing available at the time” thing. (chuckles) Yeah, those were the days, weren’t they? When we were all just winging it, hoping for the best, and praying that our symptoms weren’t, you know, the plague.
But Ilona’s experience is a stark reminder that Covid isn’t just a pesky cold that’ll clear up with some rest and a Lemsip. No, no, no. This is a disease that’ll leave you gasping for breath after a 50-meter stroll and begging your doctor to take you seriously. (in a mocking tone) Oh, come on, doc, just give me some meds, or better yet, a magic wand to make it all go away!
Now, I’m not saying Ilona’s doctor was entirely unsympathetic. I mean, who wouldn’t be charmed by a patient who’s pleading at the counter, exhausted from a visit to the physio? (drolly) It’s not like they had better things to do, like, say, actually helping people.
But in all seriousness, Ilona’s story highlights the struggles of living with post-Covid. The lack of understanding, the lack of treatment, the feeling of being stuck in limbo, unable to move forward. (in a more somber tone) It’s a lonely disease, indeed, one that’s often invisible to the outside world.
And yet, Ilona’s determination to find a solution is inspiring. She’s participating in studies, advocating for more expertise centers, and refusing to give up, even when the going gets tough. (smirking) I mean, who needs a social life when you can spend your days filling out questionnaires and attending rehabilitation centers?
In all seriousness, Ilona’s story is a wake-up call. We need to take post-Covid seriously, to acknowledge the impact it’s having on people’s lives, and to find solutions that go beyond just “lying down when you’re tired” and “enjoying the little things in life.” (with a hint of sarcasm) Oh, yeah, because that’s exactly what you want to hear when you’re stuck in a never-ending cycle of fatigue: “Just relax, and think of all the lovely sunsets you can watch from your bed.”
So, let’s get serious about post-Covid. Let’s find a way to make Ilona’s life, and the lives of countless others, a little bit easier. Because, as Ilona so eloquently put it, “I really want there to be a solution.” (with a dash of humor) And I’m sure she’s not the only one.
