Violaine went from reading philosophy to being unable to place a grocery order.
Transcript
Avant de vous parler, il a fallu que je fasse une commande à l’épicerie, parce qu’il n’y a plus rien dans le frigo, mais juste faire ça là, l’énergie mentale que ça me demande être sur un écran, cliquer sur ce qu’il faut dans la maison pour nourrir mes enfants, c’est un effort là! Je ne sais pas! C’est comme dans mon ancienne vie, lire un ouvrage complet de philosophie, 8 heures de suite. Bien oui, après 8 heures, j’avais mal à la tête. Mais là ça fait la même chose, mais faire une commande de cinq minutes, une commande d’épicerie là. C’est devenu des efforts vraiment surhumains pour des tâches qui sont normalement des tâches du quotidien, des tâches normales. Donc ma fatigue cognitive est extrême.
[Before talking to you, I had to place an order at the grocery store, because there’s nothing left in the fridge. But just doing that right now, the mental energy it takes to be on a screen, clicking on what’s needed in the house to feed my kids, that’s quite an effort! I don’t know! It’s like in my old life, reading a complete work of philosophy for 8 hours straight. Of course, after 8 hours, I’d get a headache. But now it’s the same thing, but doing a five-minute order, a grocery order there. It’s become really superhuman effort for tasks that are normally everyday tasks, normal tasks. So my cognitive fatigue is extreme.] Translation from the original French.
More from: Violaine
More content
- Tests and Investigations – ViolaineViolaine feels "disoriented" because she has no idea what's causing her symptoms despite undergoing a battery of tests.
- Symptoms of Long COVID – ViolaineViolaine went from reading philosophy to being unable to place a grocery order.
- Complementary and Alternative Care – ViolaineViolaine got relief from some of her symptoms by stimulating her vagus nerve. She wished the health system would incorporate such treatments more routinely.
- Recovery and Thoughts About the Future – ViolaineViolaine finds it challenging to cope with both the present and an unknown future.
- Advice to Others Living With Long COVID – ViolaineViolaine encourages people to challenge healthcare providers giving inappropriate advice.
- Advice to Policy Makers – ViolaineViolaine feels that public health buried its head in the sand and that the lack of female decision makers is partly the reason.
- People with Long COVID Advocating for Themselves – ViolaineViolaine is involved in many forms of advocacy work despite having very little energy to spare.
- Impacts on Work and Career – ViolaineFor Violaine, the loss of her career is like a bereavement.
- Impacts on Work and Career – ViolaineViolaine badly wants to carry on teaching.
- Coping Strategies and Self Care – ViolaineViolaine finds that mediation allows her to switch off her brain.