A half-hour walk to work, half an hour on the way back, and in between a full day spent caring for two toddlers – this is what Yvonne Faller’s daily life looked like until the end of last year. The infant educator was in the prime of her life and bursting with energy and creativity.
Fatigued? No, infected
But then, just before the turn of the year, she contracted COVID-19 despite all the precautions she had taken. While playing, she suddenly noticed that she had memory problems and began to suffer from headaches. Initially, she thought she was fatigued from the holiday season. When her cough started in early January, she took a test, and the result was positive.
“I’m an extremely creative person with endless ideas. But it's like that side of me is turned off at the moment.”
New symptoms appeared: increased temperature, chills, loss of taste and smell, headaches with increasing severity and heart palpitations that keep her awake at night. Yvonne Faller called her family doctor for advice. “She was overwhelmed by the situation,” Yvonne recalls and adds “she said there wasn’t much she could do, and that if I couldn’t take it anymore, I would have to go to the hospital.”
Paralysis in one side of the face
A few weeks later, Yvonne Faller suddenly became unable to get up. She thought it must be a stroke because one side of her face was paralyzed. Neurological tests revealed inflammation of the pituitary gland caused by herpes zoster. The herpes virus had activated in her body, which was weakened by Covid, causing shingles and nerve pain. These conditions were treated with antiviral and antiepileptic drugs to prevent chronification.
Overstimulation of the brain caused Yvonne to suddenly become hypersensitive to smells, sounds and light. Even minor triggers can throw her off balance. Meanwhile, she can no longer exercise her artistic flair, and reading a book is impossible. She feels like her energy reserves are at 30% in the morning. Showers and breakfasts use up half of that, and her battery runs out by lunchtime.
An exercise in composure
Yoga and breathing therapies help her. When her heart is racing, her body trembling or her legs give way, she tries to calm herself down using gentle stretches. “I try to accept the situation as calmly as possible or view trembling as something good or therapeutic, for example. That helps me,” explains Yvonne. She then adds: “You have to lower your expectations, celebrate small successes and focus on what you can do.”
“I want to get well, get back on my feet and be able to have a normal day.”
Faller is not only affected by her symptoms, but also by the way people have responded to her illness. Her employer has dismissed her, and her family doctor says she can’t continue to put her on sick leave. But working as a nanny is inconceivable at the moment; Faller doesn’t have nearly enough energy for a 12-hour day. The doctor suggested that a psychologist sign her off work. “But that’s out of the question for me. My condition is not psychological!” she emphasizes.
Neurology as a source of hope
Yvonne Faller feels well cared for by her neurologist, and she has an appointment with a chronic fatigue specialist soon. She hopes to finally feel that she is being taken seriously and to get answers to her questions. But she’s already worried about how she will get to Chur in the first place. “Longer journeys are a huge challenge,” says Faller. “However, I want to get well, get back on my feet and be able to have a normal day.”
