A Lanarkshire teacher has been left unable to read books after a crippling long COVID battle.
Melanie More, 28, struggles with a variety of cognitive and physical issues - leaving her 90 per cent housebound.
The former languages teacher is grieving the life she once lived after being forced to give up her dream job due to her declining health.
Once an active person who loved travelling and yoga, Mel has had to come to terms with the significant changes in her life since she “became disabled overnight”.
She initially tested positive for the disease in September 2020 after a number of colleagues at St Andrew’s Secondary School in Carntyne caught the virus.
But Mel was the only one who did not make a full recovery.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Mel, who has since moved to Stonehouse, said: “When I first tested positive I had flu like symptoms but over two weeks I became really unwell. I had a fever, I was sleeping for around 19 hours a day and I could barely walk.
“Everyday I thought I was going mad as I didn’t know anyone else this was happening to.”
After 12-weeks of suffering with crippling symptoms, Mel attended her GP surgery but with information on long COVID vague at the time, her symptoms were put down to fatigue.
A lung health check revealed damage from the disease one month later and Mel returned to her doctor as her symptoms showed no signs of improvement.
She was officially diagnosed with long COVID and Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome.
Husband Magnus, 29, has become her carer while also working full time as a data analyst.
Mel is only able to walk very short distances, suffers from chronic pain and extreme fatigue. She cannot feel hunger pangs and needs to be reminded when to eat.
The most terrifying symptoms is complete paralysis if she forces her body to do too much.
Mel said: “If I do too much my body shuts down and I get a horrible paralysis. It feels like I’m dying.
“I was a really able bodied person. I loved swimming, walking and yoga. I loved my work and I loved working with the kids. It was my passion.
“I loved going to London to meet up with my pals and I loved travelling. My life did a full 180.
"I am grieving my old life and it’s not just me, my husband, parents and sister are also grieving it.
“Now I can’t read anything longer than an email or do basic math and one of the hardest parts is not being able to read. I even struggle to listen to audio books because my brain can’t follow it.
"I speak three languages but now I struggle to write in French or Spanish.”
Mel’s health took a further dip in March of this year when she tested positive for COVID for a second time and her symptoms worsened.
"With the help of charity Access Your Life, she was able to start a fundraising page to buy a Wolturnus W5S manual wheelchair, Benoit Light Drive 2.1 Plus (HD) power add-on and Track Wheel all-terrain equipment.
She is desperate to raise awareness of long COVID and help people understand the symptoms.
“There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding COVID with people saying it is just like a cold - it’s not,” Mel said.
“If people experienced it like a cold then they are lucky but for a lot of us that is not the case.”
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
