"After the Covid-19 pandemic: Exploring the reason for several physicians refusing to acknowledge the illness"
In the heart of Berlin, a person is battling the aftermath of COVID-19, experiencing the debilitating effects of Post-Covid Syndrome (long COVID) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This individual, like many others, is grappling with a condition that some doctors seem to question, leaving them without proper medical care.
Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is a hallmark symptom of both ME/CFS and long COVID. It is the exacerbation and prolongation of symptoms after even minor physical, cognitive, or emotional exertion. This symptom intensifies the baseline fatigue and other impairments and is not relieved by rest, typically lasting days or longer [1][2][3][4].
Athletes and children are among the severely affected individuals, left isolated in darkened rooms due to the effects of PEM. The individual, who shares their story, feels trapped, like they are in an Escape Room, where the key has been lost.
The Berlin publisher offers an open-source initiative, inviting contributions of relevant content with professional quality standards. Jana Matthes, a documentarian who grew up in Berlin-Friedrichshain, is one of the contributors. Jana, who studied journalism and documentary filmmaking, has fallen ill with ME/CFS, the most severe form of post-COVID.
Jana's fellow sufferer, Nikki, a psychologist, asks where the collective denial among doctors comes from. Nikki, who worked as a psychotherapist before her illness, can rarely leave her fifth-floor apartment with help. Despite her struggles, she insists on finding another primary care physician and recommends an internist from the post-COVID bubble.
The immunology clinic at the Charité has been conducting Post-Covid research for years and making diagnoses, including in the individual's case. However, some doctors, such as Dr. B, a specific doctor mentioned in the article, have doubts about the existence of Post-Covid or ME/CFS. Some even view ME/CFS as a religion rather than a neuro-immunological disease.
The individual's pulmonologist encourages them to do sports again, but they know these activities would immediately send them back to bed rest. The individual feels that Nikki, the psychologist, should understand the collective denial among doctors, as she too is a victim of this condition.
In a world where the WHO recognised ME/CFS as early as 1969, it is disheartening that some doctors still ignore its existence. The individual's plight is not unique; those who cannot go to the doctor themselves are left without medical care. Karl Lauterbach's postulate of a general practitioner as a contact person for Post-Covid patients is considered science fiction.
Selected contributions to the open-source initiative will be published and remunerated. The hope is that through sharing stories like these, more awareness will be raised, and the collective denial among doctors will begin to dissipate. For now, the individual continues to fight, trapped in their Escape Room, hoping for the day when the key is found.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7721659/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7264818/ [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6978382/ [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7606259/
- The individual, who shares their story of living with Post-Covid Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), is frustrated with the medical community as some doctors have questions about these conditions, leaving them lacking proper medical care.
- A psychologist named Nikki, who is also a fellow sufferer of ME/CFS, questions the collective denial among doctors regarding these chronic diseases, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of long COVID and ME/CFS.
- Despite the World Health Organization recognizing ME/CFS as early as 1969, some doctors still disregard its existence, which can leave patients like the individual without proper medical care for chronic conditions like ME/CFS, mental health issues, and health and wellness concerns.
