National Day of Reflection – My Covid Experience

23rd March 2021

Dr Cath Briggs, Chair of Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group, talks about her Covid experience.

I developed Covid symptoms on Sunday, 15 March, 2020. I had been feeling achy the day before but didn’t recognise what was happening until I awoke with a temperature that morning. I had been at speaking at a conference in London the previous week and suspect I caught it there, although it may have been through contact with patients in the week.

I had five days of flu-like symptoms where I felt rotten but then started to feel better. I sent a message to my sister who was worried,  about Covid (her husband was recovering from cancer treatment at this time). My message described my symptoms and I reassured her that I was ‘almost back to normal with a poorly score of 2/10’.

However within the next 24 hours I began to feel much worse. I developed higher temperatures again, an upset stomach and extreme fatigue. By this point, I had had a positive Covid test result (these were hard to come by at this time) and Mastercall, our local Covid service team were in daily contact. I kept my thermometer and my oxygen level monitor at hand. My oxygen levels had started to vary considerably, especially on exertion. I remember gasping for breath by the time I got to the top of the stairs and having to lie down each time I got to the bedroom. As a usually fit and healthy person, running regularly, this was really scary. I have asthma but didn’t wheeze – the breathlessness was like a tightness in my throat – like being suffocated.

For me, Monday 23 March, was my worst day – the day when if I hadn’t been medical with my testing instruments at hand, I may have ended up in hospital. My blood pressure was low and I fainted in the morning (which I often do when I am ill). But a very timely phone call from the Mastercall team and a follow up several hours later meant I could stay in the comfort of my own bed, being looked after by my partner (who also had Covid symptoms by now but was fairing better than me). My two sons both caught Covid from me as well – my 19 year old was really quite poorly for a few days (not the usual asymptomatic/minimal symptoms) whilst my 16 year old had a slight temperature but was otherwise fine.

Thankfully from there, things improved slowly . I was back at work by Tuesday, 31 March, although still breathless on minor exertion. That lasted for about a month . I had started working as part of the team setting up the Nightingale in Manchester and could measure my improvement by how far I could get from my car without having to stop to catch my breath. Fatigue lasted longer.

As I was recovering from Covid, I saw some information about donating plasma and was keen to register for this. I was really excited when I was contacted and I attended the Blood Transfusion Centre in Manchester. I posted on Twitter that I had done this and couldn’t quite believe what happened next. I was contacted by the National Blood and Transplant Team asking if they could use my story to encourage others to do the same. Of course I jumped at the chance to help and was interviewed on a number of radio channels and even the BBC news before the Prime Minister’s evening address. What an opportunity to help others suffering with Covid and to be part of one of the solutions.

Since then my mum also had Covid – a really worrying time but thankfully she remained at home and recovered slowly but well. I took a secondment to work in the Test and Trace Programme part-time. And I have continued to work at the practice and in my role as CCG Chair. Last summer we started to think about recovery of elective services and I am working with colleagues in Stockport, Greater Manchester and the North West to identify how to do this best, including how provide better services for and with patients in the future.

We have changed the way we work at the practice  – initially consulting with patients only by telephone but quickly recovering face to face contact, albeit at smaller scale than before the pandemic. We work remotely as a CCG and I am able to work with national and regional teams to do the elective work. Oh, and in the midst of all this, I got a puppy, got engaged and am planning a wedding this summer.

It has been such a difficult time for so many people. Who could have ever predicted what has happened in the past year? From lockdowns and isolation, to high worry and anxiety about Covid and the loss that so many have experienced. I lost my grandma and my step mum during the last year. For my Dad, he lost his mum and his wife – neither had Covid, but both suffered indirectly from its effects. This has obviously affected the whole family.

As I write this, I can’t help but become emotional and overwhelmed. What a year. But we live on and we must learn. Many of us will continue to suffer long term impacts from this pandemic. Our society will continue to be different. We must continue to find the opportunities to change how we live our lives. We must protect each other, in particular those in our society that are more vulnerable to disease, whether because of race, poverty or isolation. We must strive for a fairer society. I continue to put my hand up to try to do my part.