Johns Hope Story

John, 55, first had Covid in November 2021, “From the minute I had the positive PCR I started feeling really fatigued and it's never gone away. It did improve a little bit, but then I got it again in April ‘22 and that knocked me back and I’ve not really had any improvement since unfortunately. 

“I’m a senior playground supervisor at the local school, working 3 hours a day. I was off for 10 days initially and probably went back to work a little sooner than I should have. They’ve been very understanding though, Covid has changed my ability to be as active and I have to sit down a lot more, rather than be walking around the whole time, as well as taking more breaks. 

“It took 4 months before my doctor would do any tests and then only the minimum: ECG and chest X-ray. Haven’t had a face-to-face meeting with my doctor, only phone consultations.  

I had an appointment about my Long COVID with the Diabetic and Endocrinology Dept at University Hospital Coventry in Aug ‘22 and they referred me to cardiology as my heart rate is so variable, it can go to 120 swiftly when doing anything active – even something like climbing the stairs. The cardiologist said, ‘Unfortunately your test results and symptoms are what we expect for Long Covid, it's not doing any damage to your heart - the high rate and variability doesn't harm your heart, there's nothing else we can do for it.’ 

Consequently, it becomes about self-management, which is where The Hope Programme helps.  

“I found out about it via my wife, investigated it and enrolled. The pacing information, the boom & bust cycle, and positivity information have been the most useful to me. Even at the Long Covid clinic they stressed the pacing detail, saying that I should think of my energy levels as a battery, don't go above 90% on any day – both in terms of physical and mental energy.” 

“I enjoyed the process and have been able to recommend it to a colleague at school. She was hospitalised in Northampton and has had long-term effects as well. Although she did seem to get more help from doctors than I did, I think Hope will be useful to her.”

Does John have longer-term goals, derived from Hope? 

“I used to average 15 to 20,000 steps, about five to seven miles a day of walking. Now it’s more like 5,000 and I can only reach around a mile with the aid of sticks and rest periods. If I push too far, I’ll end up crashing, but it would be great to get a little further. It’s all about pacing, that’s what I must keep in mind and continue to do.”