Valérie feels that doctors are too quick to attribute symptoms to psychological rather than physical causes.
Written testimony
Quand tu tombes aussi malade du jour au lendemain, puis qu’il n’y a personne qui est capable de t’expliquer pourquoi, c’est sûr que ça génère énormément d’anxiété. Mais ce n’était pas l’anxiété qui générait mes symptômes, c’était le contraire. Fait que je pense que ça, c’est important que les médecins portent attention à ça, de ne pas tout de suite miser, on rentre ça dans la case de l’anxiété.
[When you get sick from one day to the next, and there is no one who can explain why, it certainly generates a lot of anxiety. But it wasn’t anxiety that generated my symptoms, it was the opposite. So I think it’s important for doctors to pay attention to this, not to immediately put it in the anxiety box.] Translation from original French.
More content
- Mental Health Support – ValérieValérie had limited mental health support because she had to pay out of pocket.
- Getting Care for Long COVID – ValérieValérie made repeat visits to ER because she couldn't get help elsewhere.
- Complementary and Alternative Care – ValérieValérie gained a sense of control over her symptoms with the help of her kinesiologist.
- Support From Family, Friends, Communities – ValérieValérie notices her supporters running out of steam.
- Impacts on Children and Parenting – ValérieValérie wishes her children didn't have so much responsibility.
- Loss of Income and Need for Financial Support – ValérieValérie is afraid of falling into the hole of an unrecognized illness.
- Loss of Income and Need for Financial Support – ValérieValérie was studying to become a teacher. There was no teaching during lockdown so she was not entitled to employment insurance.
- People with Long COVID Advocating for Themselves – ValérieValérie is fighting to get her disability recognized after her application for social assistance was refused.
- Advice to Others Living With Long COVID – ValérieValérie warns that pushing yourself too hard can have long-term negative consequences.
- Psychosocial Impacts – ValérieValérie hits the wall emotionally every time her symptoms flare up.