Support for symptoms
Vicky is on CARES team
NHS Tayside is seeing COVID-19 sufferers left with all manner of ongoing symptoms ranging from hair loss to phantom smells.
A new service to help Perth and Kinross residents feeling the after-effects of COVID-19 has had almost 100 referrals since it was set up.
NHS Tayside’s Assessment Rehabilitation Enablement and Support (CARES) service was launched at the start of July 2020.
The CARES team provides support to those suffering with ongoing symptoms after COVID-19 or who are struggling with their physical/mental health as a result of lockdown.
Appointments are held remotely over the telephone or via a video link.
Vicky Stodart is an occupational therapist in NHS Tayside’s CARES team.
Vicky said: “The most common postCOVID symptom is fatigue, with a large majority of people also experiencing breathlessness and chest pain.”
She added: “There are a whole range of symptoms people are experiencing including hair loss, phantom smells, forgetfulness, concentration difficulties, heart palpitations, tinnitus and weight loss.
“It is also really important to acknowledge the impact of ongoing issues from COVID-19 on people’s mental health.
“The majority of people we have seen are 16-20 weeks post initial infection and the symptoms are having a major impact on their day to day life. This in turn can affect a person’s mood because they aren’t able to do the things they want and need to do, including work, exercise and household tasks.”
While the team expected to see some postCOVID symptoms such as fatigue, they had not expected others.
Vicky said: “We had a rough idea of some of the effects we may see when the service was being set up. However we didn’t expect the huge variety and range of effects.
“Hair loss and a phantom smell, normally of nicotine, have been unexpected. People have also had voice changes as a result of the virus.”
Since the service was launched the team has had 94 referrals.
The team consists of allied health professionals - occupational therapists and physiotherapists with support from speech and language therapy and dietetics - who aim to promote recovery.
The Tayside team is able to offer practical advice and can also support people experiencing low mood, anxiety, poor sleep or concerns about being able to return to work or exercise.
Vicky and her team are keen to let people know they are not alone and not to be shy or embarrassed about their symptoms.
She said: “People think they are the only ones who are still experiencing ongoing symptoms. We are able to give reassurance that this is much more common than you think and it’s important to raise awareness that this is an ongoing problem for lots of individuals.”
As for the longer term health implications of the virus, that still remains unknown.
Vicky said: “Unfortunately it is all very much an unknown at the moment.”
She added: “Ultimately we want to help reduce the impact the virus has on a person’s day to day life and help them return to what they want to be able to do, for example work, exercise and socialising.”