‘It’s a complete upturn of the way you live’: Saskatchewan woman shares struggle to find long COVID supports

The COVID-19 pandemic is a thought of the past for many people, but for others, COVID forever altered their lives.

And in the province of Saskatchewan, there have been very limited resources available to these people.

“It’s a complete upturn of the way you live, the way you view yourself, the way you view mortality, for sure,” said Hunter Reavley.

For Reavley, she held many dreams for her future before she got COVID-19 and the infection changed her life, but not for the better.

“I was in the house for probably three months straight and was just so incredibly miserable,” said Reavley.

“Well, I’m only 22, and I had all these big hopes and dreams and aspirations, and everything is on hold. Even my wedding. I was supposed to be getting married this October, but since I got sick, I had to put that on the back burner for a little while. So, I feel a little stuck like I’m missing out on my young adulthood.”

Reavley struggles with many symptoms on the daily, including vertigo, nausea, stomach issues and even fainting.

“Long COVID has been a full-time job. It is not laying around. A lot of it is managing your symptoms. I have a million ice packs in the freezer, a million prescriptions,” said Reavley.

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“I’m always having to be on top of that. What doctor it’s coming from. What is it? What doses? When do I need to take it? Scheduling doctor’s appointments.”

Reavley has been turned away from ERs and specialists who don’t understand her condition and she is often left without resources for her symptoms that are very unpredictable and can change daily — if not even hourly.

“Some days there are days where I can go out fishing on the boat with my family. And then there’s other days where I can’t get out of bed, and that (is) actually crazy,” Reavley said. “You know, juxtaposition is really hard for people to wrap their head around.”

Reavley expressed that she often looks down on herself because of her disability.

“It’s almost like a punch in the gut,” said Reavley.  “There are days that it’s too hard for me to get up and shower or to eat.”

Reavley reminds herself and others going through similar struggles that a person’s worth is not determined by their productivity or their contributions.

“We need to not quantify a person’s value on what they can produce. You know, I know a lot of people who have like mental and brain issues that prevent them from doing a lot more than I can even do. And they still contribute by being a brother or a sister or a neighbour,” said Reavley.

She reminds people that grieving what you thought the future would be is OK and entirely valid.

“I still sometimes just allow myself to have a bubble bath and a good cry when I can,” said Reavley.

Reavley’s struggles are not unique and many in Saskatchewan, like her, are left without resources to manage their condition.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said in a statement to Global News that it was “not aware of any Long COVID clinics ever operating in this province” – unlike other Canadian provinces.

It added, “the Saskatchewan Health Authority does offer Long COVID  Self Management Resources online,” and for those experiencing symptoms to present them to their family doctor.

2:00 Report calls for more research and support for long COVID patients

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