Coping with long COVID: How a pilot program aims to help Manitobans living with the illness

When MaryLynn McLeod first tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020, her focus was on staying alive. 

"It was very scary. I didn't know if I was suddenly going to get pneumonia, if I was going to die or if I was going to live," McLeod said.

More than a year later, that focus has shifted to learning how to live with and treat symptoms of long COVID.  

"It continues to be one day at a time," McLeod said. 

The World Health Organization explains post COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID, as "the illness that occurs in people who have a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection; usually within three months from the onset of COVID-19, with symptoms and effects that last for at least two months."

Fatigue, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction are among the list of common systems, the WHO says.

McLeod, 54, managed her COVID-19 infection at home and was never hospitalized. 

She had a cough, chills, fever and excruciating migraines. 

When public health called to let her know her isolation period was over and she was free to resume life as normal, she was still sick.  

"The fatigue was debilitating," McLeod said. "I literally could not do more than one thing around the house. I would get up to do the dishes or cook a meal and I'd have to rest after." 

Since then, her symptoms have included extreme fatigue, memory problems, headaches and increased heart rate.

Trying to find out what was making her feel the way she did and what treatment was available also presented challenges.

She saw her family doctor, who she said initially told her to rest, which she did.

But she also did her own research. She went online and asked other COVID-19 long-haulers what diagnostic tests they were getting and what specialists or rehabilitation programs they were being referred to.