When Roman Schöggl fell acutely ill with COVID-19 in March 2022, he had expected a normal infection: after five days of cold symptoms and nine days of quarantine, it was natural for him to continue with his normal routine. For Roman, this meant a 40-kilometer bike ride with his girlfriend Natalie and shortly afterward back to winter skiing trips. But even before he reached the first meters of altitude, the infection he thought he had overcome put a stop to his plan. Due to severe shortness of breath, Roman had to unbuckle his skis and head home.
“The second collapse was followed by the hardest days of my life”
Three weeks after the positive PCR test, he went to his GP. After a 750-meter walk to the practice, the 32-year-old collapsed there and was taken to the hospital. There, except for peripheral bronchospasm (a spasmodic narrowing of the bronchial branches), nothing was found in the CT.
Bild Reha Beginn ODER Reha Übungen: In June 2022, Roman Schöggl was able to start outpatient rehabilitation therapy in Innsbruck. (Picture: private)
He reported severe breathing difficulties, shortness of breath and weakness, which forced him to rest until he could even think about being fit enough to attend an appointment with his father. When he collapsed there again, he was returned to the hospital and treated in the intensive care unit. With the exception of the symptomatic and moderately successful treatment of acute respiratory distress, there was no long-term help for him. The following months Roman spent in his apartment. Phoning, talking, walking – any effort was impossible for him. This second collapse was followed by the hardest days of his life, says Roman.
Roman was supported by close caregivers
During this time his girlfriend Natalie and his friend Lukas affectionately looked after him. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” says Roman. Natalie took unpaid and care leave to stay with him. She handled correspondence with the outside world, researched and read a lot about Long COVID. With her help, Roman struggled for confidence every day and clung to the motto “it’ll go away at some point, it just takes time”. He found information and motivation on the Altea platform, among other things – the positive experiences of other patients gave him encouragement during difficult times, he says.
“The first drive to the rehabilitation clinic that I managed to do on my own again, was a highlight!”
With a change in diet, dietary supplements, breathing therapy, the Wim Hof method and structured pacing, Roman fought the days when even watching a football match on TV was too stressful. He continued this program when he was able to start an outpatient rehabilitation therapy in June. “It was a huge step when I was able to drive alone to the rehabilitation clinic two and a half kilometers away for the first time,” he says, smiling at the thought of the text message he sent to his girlfriend at the time: “I got there safely.” In the rehabilitation clinic, structured respiratory muscle training helped him – he was able to reach almost 95% of the initial 30% muscle capacity. “I can now hold my breath longer than ever before – up to four minutes,” says the architect.
Support for physical and mental health in the rehabilitation clinic
He also found support there in overcoming the mental consequences of the collapses. Together with psychologists, Roman was able to come to terms with what had happened to him. As a healthy young person who works, acts, likes to go out, is a member of clubs and, as a top sporting achievement, had contested an Ironman in 12 hours and 26 minutes just six months before, to have suddenly had his life snatched away from him: “Ironman is a piece of cake compared to that,’ he says.
Bild Ironman Klagenfurt: Roman Schöggl at the finish line of the Klagenfurt Ironman, which he completed in 12:26 hours six months before falling ill with Long COVID. (Picture: private)
Long COVID ruled his life for almost seven months, and Roman had to spend 250 days on sick leave in 2022. Although he enjoyed his profession as an architect, the 32-year-old decided to make a new start after his illness. He currently teaches at a high school. After Long COVID, he felt he needed to work with young people, be able to teach something and make a completely fresh start.
A bucket list for the future after the illness
During rehabilitation therapy, he set himself seven goals for the time after Long COVID, of which he has already achieved four. Although these endeavors seemed unattainable during his illness, they gave him strength and grit, says Roman. His first goal was a pilgrimage to Absam in Tyrol. This plan stemmed from his hobby of acting in the theater: the pilgrimage to Absam occurs in the play the group was performing at the time of its first collapse. In addition to his closest caregivers, the theater group also gave him courage and strength. According to Roman, they told him “we will perform this play with you or with no one”.
No. 1 on Roman Schöggl’s bucket list: go on a pilgrimage to Absam on your own after Long COVID. (Picture: private)
The seventh point on his bucket list is to successfully compete in another Ironman, for which he is currently training again. “Anyone and everyone can do it because I did it too,” Roman tells other Long COVID patients.
On 31 December, he said goodbye to 2022 and this chapter of his life. Today, he reports, he is as well as he was before the infection. He has learned a lot to take with him in his life after Long COVID. He now takes a more nuanced view of his performance and approaches boundaries differently. “Before Long COVID, my limit was the Ironman. During it, on some days, just taking a single glass out of the dishwasher was too much.” For both of these, recognizing and accepting this individual limit could be seen as an achievement. This is also a prerequisite for the pacing method: adjusting the strain on your current condition without going too far. This is exactly what Roman recommends to those suffering from Long COVID: accepting your own new boundaries in the moment and noticing the little achievements. “Look positively to the future and always stay hopeful. Confidence, belief in self-healing and constantly holding on to even the smallest of goals will help you progress: sometimes it’s slow, but always steady! After all, Long COVID is a real long-distance race.”
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