A year ago, she was helping hundreds of uninsured women through cancer treatment as a healthcare worker at a major Connecticut hospital.
She uses calendar notifications for daily tasks and forgets her conversations after she has had them. She told Insider that her sister calls her every night to remind her to lock the door.
In order to speak freely and protect her privacy, a long-COVID patient named Maddy requested the use of a pseudonym, but her identity is known to Insider. The former hospital worker is one of millions of Americans who have developed long-term health issues from initial COVID-19 infections.
There were many times when I forgot to cook and the kitchen almost caught fire.
One in seven US workers may experience COVID-19 symptoms, according to a nonprofit research group. 1.6 million Americans could be prevented from returning to work due to a national labor shortage if long COVID is not stopped.
According to a February report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, one in four employers listed long COVID as a top three reason for long-term employee absence.
The Minnesota House Health Finance and Policy Committee was told in February that these are not just names.
The challenge ahead of us with long-haul COVID is not just a healthcare challenge, but a challenge for our society and economy as well.
Three workers told Insider how the long-term effects of COVID have slowed their careers in healthcare, an industry currently suffering from a shortage of workers.
There isn't a consistent diagnosis of long COVID. All three women who were interviewed by Insider gave medical records about the development of new or recurrent symptoms that occur after the symptoms of acute illness have resolved.
After testing positive for the virus in January of 2021, Maddy was unable to work for six weeks due to a high temperature, and still suffers from fatigue, memory loss, and breathing problems today.
She returned to the hospital part-time after the illness subsided.
She said it would feel like she worked a 16-hour shift.
She was on medical leave for three weeks. The hospital ended her employment when she was unable to return to work after the 26 week disability period.
Left without employee benefits and healthcare, navigating the maze of long COVID treatment has become a nightmare.
She recalled a similar experience. In the early days of the Pandemic, Griffith was in charge of testing 4,000 people in Alaska for the coronaviruses.
She tested positive in December 2020. She said she was hospitalized for a heart attack within a week.
A rare condition known as "Factor V Leiden", which leads to an elevated risk of blood clot, was the cause of her severe reaction to the virus. She said before her diagnosis that it didn't affect her daily life.
She can only leave her bed for 15 minutes at a time, and she struggles with memory loss and extreme dizziness.
She said that the hardest part was knowing that her career as a nurse was over.
She told Insider that she thought she had another 20 years left.
Dr. David Putrino, a neurologist at Mount Sinai's Center for Post-COVID Care and leading long-COVID researcher, said comorbidities like Griffith's complicate what is an already difficult diagnosis process.
The umbrella definition of the condition requires clinicians to see the whole person and stop treating them like individual organ systems.
There is no evidence of a relationship between health status and the likelihood of developing long COVID symptoms. At this point, research shows anyone is susceptible to the condition.
We don't have that level of knowledge. It is a brand new condition that we are treating in real time.
Gail Ukockis, a mental health professional who worked in a Suboxone clinic for patients, has reduced her work hours.
She told Insider that she can only work 30 hours a week as a counselor.
She said that some mornings she thinks she should apply for disability. There are so many things I want to do in the future.
Three women said their career disruptions have led to financial strain and forced them to dive into retirement savings.
If the condition substantially limits one or more major life activities, long COVID patients can be eligible for disability benefits. Many long COVID patients don't have lengthy documentation, which is why the application process requires it.
Maddy told Insider that it was nearly impossible for someone with her symptoms to complete the disability benefits application.
She said that they are expected to do all the research.
I don't have a lot of money in my bank account. She said that she had to think about planning for food stamps.
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