A woman who suffered with the coronavirus has spoken out about the long term effects from the disease which she says have changed her life.
Roweena Russell, from North Shields, started to show early symptoms of coronavirus on 9 April when she struggled to catch her breath and began to feel exhausted.
Over the next few days she began to suffer from memory loss, vomiting and felt constantly dizzy before she became so exhausted and had to ring an ambulance for help.
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Now, six months on despite having no underlying health conditions, Roweena is left suffering from long term symptoms of coronavirus which have changed her life.
This seems to be the case for more than just Roweena as tens of thousands have been left struggling with long term symptoms which still plague them months later.
From lasting fatigue, breathlessness, memory loss, a lack of concentration, to muscle, joint and chest pains - a study from King's College, London, has found that up to 60,000 people have been left suffering in the UK for over three months.
And while the medical condition known as 'long-Covid', may not be officially recognised it is gaining increasing recognition.
Roweena, 45, said: "Before Covid, I was really healthy. I used to be able to do handstands, cartwheels and I would regularly take bike rides over 60 miles and it would only take me 10 minutes to recover.
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"Last week I walked 6,000 steps, the most I have been able to do since having the virus, and it took me three days to recover. My brain has been badly affected and is barely functioning now.
"I find it really hard to concentrate and focus. I'm so depleted and just feel exhausted. Every day I suffer from chest and kidney pains, my heart rate is all over the place and I can constantly taste blood in my mouth which makes me feel nauseous all of the time.
"I've had inflammation in my hands and feet and my hands have now changed shape and I've had to completely change my diet as any white carbs now leave me in agony."
In September, Roweena woke up at 4am fearing for her life, as she was suffering from severe chest pains before being rushed to hospital showing symptoms of a heart attack.
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Since then she has been left in pain every day and she has recently undergone tests on her heart and lungs to determine the damage done by the virus.
Now nervously waiting for her results to come back and being unable to work due to her symptoms, Roweena alongside thousands of other sufferers has been left worrying about what the future holds.
She added: "I'm more worried that this might be my life now and I might die slowly from complications of sudden cardiac arrest. My bigger concern is what impact it has on the people around me."
Featured Image Credit: Roweena Russell/NCJ MEDIATopics: News, Coronavirus, UK