Fighting for breath: Rakhee’s story

I contracted COVID-19 in May 2020 while working as a clinical pharmacist during the first lockdown.

I didn’t have the classic symptoms – I felt run down, nauseous and had swollen glands but my symptoms did not warrant hospital admission. A week later, I developed breathing problems which was very frightening. Although I have asthma, I was previously very fit and healthy.

My life has changed

More than a year and a half later, and my life has been turned upside down by Long COVID. The most debilitating symptoms are breathlessness and fatigue. Even hanging up my washing can leave me out of breath on a bad day.

I rely heavily on family and friends for support, and I’ve had to adapt my role at work because I can’t manage the walk between the pharmacy department and the ward more than once a day. My colleagues are understanding, but I feel guilty given how much pressure the NHS is under. I used to take classes in tap, Irish and Bollywood dancing but now I can’t even contemplate the walk from the car park to the venue, let alone completing a class.

No one knew how to help

Long COVID is such a new condition and I felt like I was going round in circles with doctors for a long time. Nobody knew how to manage the evolving symptoms and it was difficult to access specialist help.

One of the most helpful tools has been pulmonary rehabilitation, which a respiratory consultant suggested. The physiotherapist diagnosed a breathing pattern disorder and she taught me techniques for diaphragmatic breathing. Over the course of a few appointments, I saw a huge improvement. I wish I’d had access to this service three or four months earlier as it would have made a big difference.

At Asthma + Lung UK, we want no one who has difficulty breathing to look back and think that with better care they could have had a better life. Read our report to find out what we’re fighting for.