The pandemic didn’t end for this P.E.I. woman, who wants more support for those with long COVID

A little over two years ago, Nikkie Gallant would never have imagined that simply sitting on the bed would be an exhausting task for her.

That has been the reality of the musician PEI since the fall of 2022, when she was diagnosed with a subsequent condition, more commonly known as “Long Covid.”

Now drain a lot of energy going to the sink for a glass of water or folding laundry. You often have to forget the plans to get out of the house.

“It’s as if you were a battery that does not charge all the way,” said Summerside resident.

“I am much better than I was … but I’m still very sick. When I was in my worst moment, I was flat and I could barely sit. I basically had a small window of the day where I could sit.”

While the thoughts of the Covid-19 pandemic are in the rearview mirror for most islanders, they are still part of daily life for others.

It is estimated that more than 1 million Canadians suffer from a long covid, a medically recognized as the persistence of Covid-19 symptoms for more than 12 weeks after a person initially infected the virus.

There is no known cure. However, personal care and some medications can help control some of the symptoms.

Fatigue, lack of breath and cerebral fog are common, but the condition is not always the same for everyone.

Gallant said it can be one of the luckiest, in fact. She has her mother to help, the benefits of insurance through her work to cover some of her medical costs and a personalized wheelchair that allows her some independence.

She thinks that her health is in a good trajectory and improves gradually, but said she knows patients whose symptoms have remained the same or worsened.

“There is not much that I can do to improve, but you don’t want to lose your current baseline. You don’t want to lose the quality of life you have,” Gallant said.

“I think we like to believe that medicine has all the answers … but for many conditions, it is not at all. We have no answers to them.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Welfare of PEI said in a statement sent by email to CBC News that neither the World Health Organization nor the Canada Public Health Agency classify Long Covid as a disease, “but as a condition that can vary in the severity and symptoms of person to person.”

The department said it does not track the exact number of patients with long COVID.

“For people who experience [post-COVID- condition]Health professionals provide care and management based on their specific symptoms and needs, “says the statement.

“At this time, there are no specific plans for a Covid Long Rehabilitation Center dedicated in PEI”

‘I went crazy’

Gallant still struggles to do some of the things I love the most.

She has been nominated for multiple Music Pei awards, but has not been able to organize any concert in a long time.

Even holding your guitar is a fight. He now has a laptop stand by shoring one end and pillows on the guitar neck to help him touch, since he does not have the strength to hold the instrument for long periods of time.

But he has still traveled a long way from the first days of his illness.

“I couldn’t play my guitar and I went crazy,” he said. “Now I can play a guitar a little, not very often, but on weekends from time to time, I can play some songs at the same time.

“I tire very easily, so I can do things in pieces the size of a bite.”

Gallant decided to talk because he would like to see more funds to investigate the condition and more rehabilitation options for those suffering from Long Covid.

“We don’t have to live with fear, but we have to be aware that it exists,” he said.

“There is a certain amount of acceptance that we have to have yes, we are living with this now and what does that mean? It does not mean ignoring it.”