Podcast about Long-Covid as an encourager
Before her illness, Lisa Huemer was in the middle of life and was considered to be extremely goal-oriented and hard-working. She was successful at work and an enthusiastic amateur athlete: mountaineering, running and climbing were part of her free time every weekend. Until the day she fell ill with Corona. Lisa Huemer fell ill with the virus right at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, the first vaccines were only available to vulnerable target groups.
Life has turned around completely
The 27-year-old had no concerns and said: “As a healthy and sporty person, I wasn’t afraid of Corona at all.” She didn’t have any severe symptoms at the beginning of the illness. She only became skeptical when she still wasn’t feeling better after a month: “If you have the flu, you notice an improvement from day to day. But that was not the case here.”
Physical and mental state of emergency
Pain in different areas of the body, breathing difficulties, exhaustion and many other symptoms made life difficult for Lisa Huemer. On some days she was so weak that she couldn’t do it without help, says Huemer: “For example, when I made myself, it was so exhausting that I couldn’t eat afterwards. Or hanging out the laundry – I needed three attempts and was really exhausted afterwards.”
family support
When Lisa Huemer talks about it, big tears keep rolling down her cheeks: “It’s so bad when you want to work, but you can’t because you can’t do it.” Her husband Daniel pulled her out of all areas of responsibility in the company and she was very supportive, says Huemer: “If you know me from before, it’s hard to imagine that a few hours at work weigh on me today. I’ve always enjoyed my job, but my energy is drained extremely quickly. That puts a lot of strain.”
She also visited her parents for several days when she was feeling mentally unwell: “Sometimes you think it’s going to get better again. Now it’s uphill. And the next day everything can be completely different again. It wears you down.”
Visited many doctors
In her podcast “Fuck you Long Covid” the long Covid patient talks about her many visits to the doctor and a lot of helplessness. So much is still not known or selected about the disease. A rehabilitation stay was a great help to her. There they did helpful exercises to strengthen their lungs and work on endurance. In the meantime, they can also cope with smaller inclines again. That wasn’t possible at all for months. She also got to know other people who were affected and the exchange was extremely important: “It helps so much to talk to people who know exactly what you’re talking about. There are sick people of all ages. I’ve learned a 17-year-old and an 80-year-old – and they’re all the same.”
Exchange with those affected and form a network
There is a group for those affected on Facebook – there is a lively exchange here about long-Covid symptoms and doctors with whom one has had good experiences are also exchanged here. It was important to Lisa Huemer to become a voice for Long-Covid herself. In her podcast “Fuck you Long Covid” she speaks openly about her physical and mental condition. About small successes and setbacks. Annoyed by people who do not understand the disease and utter sentences like: “But you are young and healthy anyway”.
“Long-Covid is invisible and is not taken seriously by many,” says Huemer. Relatives know what’s going on. How bad you are. And how difficult it is that you can handle these waves or these ups and downs. Humer adds: “My podcast is aimed at those affected but also at their relatives. But it’s also interesting for all those who can’t imagine anything at all.”
Podcast about Long-Covid as an encourager
From breathing difficulties to repeated states of exhaustion: Long-Covid has a number of symptoms. A 27-year-old affected person from Rußbach am Pass Gschütt (Tennengau) talks in her podcast about her experiences with Long-Covid and wants to encourage other sufferers.