COVID-19 has changed their lives

November 20, 2020 Health

[ad_1]

As the second wave of COVID-19 strikes, hundreds of Quebecs continue to suffer months after being infected with the virus, some marked by physical or psychological consequences.

“I defeated the coronavirus, but at what a price! »Launches Jacques Goupil after 40 days of coma and a loss of 70 pounds.

This 68-year-old bus driver is among fifteen survivors who generously agreed to confide in the magazine on the traces that the virus has left on their bodies and in their minds.

Tiredness, difficulty concentrating, and heart or lung problems are the majority of people between the ages of 23 and 72 with the long form of the disease we have spoken with.

Great price to pay

But many pay a higher price. Among them, a 59-year-old mechanic who has to deal with “an uneven foot” and a paralyzed part of his face.

“I still have a little voice in my head that says: will everything go back to normal? »Breathe Jean-François Gagnon.

Georges Aguiar, 47, already knows he will never get back to full use of his hand. Young retired from education, François Quenot was finally able to walk again four months after being infected. Some of his muscle mass is “lost forever” after 68 days of intensive therapy.

Anguish of the unknown

For others, it is the anguish of the unknown.

“I’d like to say a few words, but it doesn’t come out like it used to. It destabilizes me enormously, “says Marie-Isabelle Marchand. At 53, she is learning again to talk to a speech therapist, who uses an answering machine message to help her find her voice.

At 23 and struggling with brain inflammation, Camille Cusson doesn’t know when she will be able to resume her nursing career. Sandra Leblond is also concerned about persistent cognitive problems.

“I fear it will remain permanent; It’s been months and it’s not getting better, ”says the 32-year-old mother.

How will this type of side effect evolve?

“There are a number of unknowns. If a side effect takes five years to appear, for example, you can’t accelerate it, “says Dr.^r Francois Marquis.

A lottery

No wonder Caroline Marceau compares this disease to “a lottery”.

“It is true that people will do well. But you don’t know how you will react ”, explains the 41-year-old mother, who still suffers from palpitations after eight months.

“I am in the statistics of the recovered, but there are also borrowers, and there are many in titi”, adds Violaine Cousineau, 46 and a mother of two children, who can no longer express herself without a faint voice, has not more breath.

The long form of COVID-19 “is not a figment of the imagination, insists cardiologist Eric Sabbah. We see people unable to resume their lives even after several weeks, “he says.

Recent articles from Journal of the American Medical Association and you British Medical Journal estimates that nearly 10% of patients experience symptoms months after being infected.

MARKED FOR LIFE

Jean-François Gagnon | 59 years old

Hospitalized 53 days
18 days in a coma
Left foot very weak
Half face paralyzed
He developed tachycardia

Jacques Goupil | 68 years old

41 days of coma
You lost 70 lbs
He has relearned to walk, eat and talk
Breathless
Paralyzed vocal cords

Camille Cusson | 23 years

On sick leave for more than 6 months
Tiredness, headache and difficulty concentrating
Diagnosis of encephalopathy

Francis Brizard | 57 years old

12 days of coma
Paralyzed vocal cords
He had to undergo a tracheostomy after his intubation
Lack of energy

Marie-Isabelle Marchand | 53 years old

Difficulty making certain sounds
Still suffering from fatigue
Experience cognitive problems

Caroline Marceau | 41 years old

He has a heart condition
Often out of breath
Stunned only as I walked
He experiences a lot of anxiety

François Quenot | 62 years old

68 days in intensive care
Five weeks in a coma
Muscle mass lost forever
Weakness and little resistance

Sandra Leblond | 32 years old

Problems with concentration
Memory loss
Quickly out of breath if he tries to play with his children

Sophie Huppe | 45 years

Photo Didier Debusschère

Fatigue and headache persist
The blackouts lasted for 5 months
He loses his breath at the slightest physical effort

Violaine Cousineau | 46 years old

Photo QMI Agency, Joël Lemay

Reduced lung capacity
Heart murmur detected
Difficulty walking and talking

Pedro Barbosa | 51 years old

Photo Agence QMI, Dominick Gravel

Hearing ability lost
The taste and smell have not yet returned to normal
Fatigue forces him to take daily naps

Michel Lapierre | 72 years old

Hospitalized 60 days
30 days of coma
40 pounds lost
Lack of energy
He had to retire

We know we die from it, but we know less about the consequences of the survivors

Photo courtesy of Sylvain Durocher

Experts warn of the still unknown physical consequences and psychological distress the virus can leave behind.