A man suffering from the effects of Covid long after catching the virus is warning others that it “may change your life forever”.
City of York Council has launched a campaign to share the experiences of Covid patients and the people looking after them.
Jon shared his story as part of the initiative – saying the long term effects of the virus mean he now faces a choice between taking pills for the rest of his life or having surgery.
He said: “To anyone thinking of breaking the rules innocently thinking that it can never happen to you, I would say don’t do it, it may mean that your life will change forever.
“Having been a pretty fit and healthy person, I managed to get away with a mild dose of the virus, back in March, but despite an initial recovery, a number of symptoms lingered for months afterwards.
“Debilitating fatigue, heart palpitations and memory loss (brain fog), have all meant that my day-to-day life has been changed.
“It has been extremely difficult to get any form of diagnosis, despite the best efforts of my doctor during a period of learning about the after-effects of the virus.”
Jon added: “I now have a definition of long Covid, but that is different things to different people.
“My heart palpitations have persisted and I am now facing either taking tablets for the rest of my life or having a surgical procedure to rectify the problem, not something I am particularly looking forward to.”