“After another relapse, I reached a point where the balancing act between the symptoms caused by Long COVID and my job, where my workload was already reduced, was no longer sustainable.” Esther Ebnöther explains why she organized a stay at the “Clinicum Alpinum” five months after she was infected with COVID, even though she has had to pay for it herself for the time being, as her health insurance had not authorized treatment in a Davos clinic. The impact of the suffering was too great. At the beginning of March, she was finally able to start a four-week treatment.
Great progress made
The stay in the clinic was like balm for Esther Ebnöther: conscious nutrition, phyto- and aromatherapeutics designed for COVID, inhalations, massages, plenty of exercise in the great outdoors and talking to other sufferers all had an impact, she says with relief. “Fatigue in particular has decreased dramatically,” says Esther Ebnöther. And she learned to find answers to “stupid questions”. Having to repeatedly explain or even justify your own situation adds to strain over the long term.
Flashback: at the end of September 2020, Switzerland was still enjoying the relaxed feeling of summer before the second wave hit in October. Esther Ebnöther, who is a passionate and ambitious accordion player, attended a yodeling concert. But some of the participants were sick, and many in the hall became infected – including Esther Ebnöther.
A whole bouquet of symptoms
Severe limb pain was replaced by a long-lasting fever, head and neck pain and a heavy fatigue that forced Esther Ebnöther to take to her bed. The next symptoms appeared and disappeared alternately: coughing, diarrhea, hair loss, a skin rash and oppressive exhaustion tormented the 52-year-old. Finally, eye problems and numbness in the left arm and hands came along.
“I could pinch my forearm all I wanted, I felt nothing at all. Even my fingertips were numb.”
Various medical evaluations followed. The neurological symptoms became more and more stressful. “After two to three hours of looking at a screen, my eyes hurt and the dizziness became more and more intense, so I couldn’t continue working,” explains Esther Ebnöther. Brain fog and difficulty finding words also made a normal workload impossible.
“When I’m tired, ‘bookshelves’ suddenly become ‘shelvesbook’.”
“In my immediate circle, there was a great deal of understanding for my condition,” says Esther Ebnöther. Nevertheless, some remarks from people with little knowledge of Long COVID hurt. “It makes me think,” says Ebnöther, “when someone says they also get tired sometimes, that it’s certainly because of your age or in the worst case, attribute it to burnout or blame the 5G network for my symptoms.”
Today, Esther Ebnöther’s biggest concern is that the neurological impairments could last even longer and that she could lose cognitive resilience. She fears that she will no longer be able to do her job as head of school administration, and her greatest hobby, the accordion, has also been affected.
“Today, I have to concentrate much harder to make my fingers do what I want,” explains Esther Ebnöther. “I can manage dances that I’ve been playing for 30 years quite well. But I need a lot of patience to learn new pieces of music. The interplay between head and finger requires much more concentration.”
“There is a glimmer of hope. Progress is made in small steps.”
Esther Ebnöther’s stay at the clinic was not only good because of the therapies. “It was very rewarding to talk to other people affected as well.” She is now able to accept the sobering realization that healing takes a very long time. “Now I can communicate my situation better, both at work and in my social circle.”
Hope from health insurance
As good as the stay in the clinic was, it has put a heavy strain on Esther Ebnöther’s household budget. She has therefore submitted a reconsideration request to her health insurer and is now hoping for a positive decision.
