‘Brain fog has wiped my memories’

Kirsten Opsahl, 33, talks about how she’s learning to live with Covid brain.

“I remember testing positive on 12 January 2021. I had a high fever for several weeks, along with extreme fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, a terrible sore throat and the worst headache I’ve ever felt in my life.

“The symptoms were intense but, luckily,

I didn’t have to go to hospital and I was spared any horrible breathing problems. I was sick for about three weeks, but it didn’t end there. A month later, I began suffering from brain fog and it never went away.

“Now, over a year on, my memory and shortterm recollection have degraded. People will reference things I’ve said, or memories we shared together, and it’s like they’re describing a movie I’ve never seen. I can’t even imagine what they’re talking about.

“I forget people I’ve met before so now instead of saying, ‘Nice to meet you,’ I say, ‘It’s good to see you’ – but sometimes I get called out.

It’s embarrassing.

“I’m pretty scared, but the damage is already done. I try to stay positive and have taught myself a few techniques to help find memories that no longer exist in my head. My phone is filled with notes and reminders. I even have a lengthy one labelled ‘Stuff I’ve Already Forgotten’ – that’s long.

“Along with mental symptoms, I’m still losing a lot of hair. And my taste is messed up – doctors call it parosmia. Foods I used to love now taste rancid. At first it was almost anything I put in my mouth, which made mealtimes challenging. It has got better, but I can’t handle the taste of plant-based fats now. So bye-bye avocado toast… What I once considered my favourite burrito topping and tortilla chip dip now tastes like bad oil mixed with wet garbage.

“I try not to worry about my future. There’s no telling if my brain will get worse over time, but I’m just grateful I survived Covid relatively unscathed. The virus has ruined the lives of so many – I can handle a little memory fog.”