DERBY — Like thousands of other people, Pamela R. Lopes tested positive for COVID-19 in January 2022. But while others recovered, Lopes didn’t.
Months passed and her symptoms persisted, she said.
“I’m still coughing profusely, I’m still in a lot of pain, I still have muscle weakness ... still extremely tired,” she said.
Lopes, 65, of Woodbridge, is one of an estimated 7.5 percent of U.S. adults who suffer from what is called long COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lingering after effects of a COVID-19 infection, long COVID symptoms include memory issues, fatigue and even depression and anxiety.
While many people make a quick recovery from the illness, and are much likelier to do so when vaccinated, Lopes continues to struggle with daily activities.
A new program, though, is offering help for people like Lopes. On Aug. 4, Griffin Health announced a new physical therapy program to treat long COVID symptoms.
The program, known as the Long COVID-19 Therapy Program, uses physical, occupational and speech therapy to help patients recover. Nancy Corvigno, the director of rehabilitation services at the hospital, said the hospital combined the resources of several departments to treat patients who were not recovering.
“If someone’s coming in for deconditioning ... we have occupational therapists for that,” Corvigno said. “If there’s a pulmonary aspect to it, we have cardiac and pulmonary rehab where they can get a referral for that we work with our physicians on (our) behavioral health team. So we have this wonderful team at our disposal.”
Lopes said brain fog continues to be one of her biggest challenges. She also continues to have issues with her memory.
Corvigno said in addition to the varied symptoms, the program had to take into account fatigue.
“When the patients are coming in, they’re able to say ... I’m fatigued today,” she said. “’How long have you been fatigued?’ So communication, I think, is always one of the biggest pieces.”
Lopes said she has made progress. Physical activity can be a burden at times. And she still hasn’t completely regained her sense of taste, which is particularly distressing for her because she loves to cook, she said. But the program has a kitchen as part of its therapy program, and she said she is looking forward to using it.
The objective, said Griffin Health Services Assistant Vice President of Therapeutic Services Myra Odenwaelder, is to get patients back to their normal lives.
“The goal of Griffin’s Long COVID-19 Therapy Program is to help COVID-19 long haulers safely and confidently overcome symptoms that are affecting their education, work, sleep and favorite activities,” Odenwaelder said.
While this is the first program of its kind in the Naugatuck Valley, similar programs are also popping up around the state. Hartford HealthCare now has a dedicated treatment center for COVID, as does Yale Medicine.
And while Lopes can now avail herself of treatments as the virus is now better understood, the experience has scarred her. After her ordeal, she said the threat of another infection is always on her mind. She recalls when Michael Jackson used to wear masks in public and was mocked for it. Now she said, she will never stop wearing one.
Another difficult aspect of long COVID she said, is wondering when she will finally feel healthy.
“There’s usually a timeframe when you have a particular injury,” she said. “The doctor will say, ‘Well, it’ll take six to eight weeks, or whatever for you to recuperate.’ And with long COVID, who knows? I don’t know when the end will be.”
As the rest of the country has largely moved on from COVID, Lopes continues to suffer. But she said she’s a glass-half-full kind of person.
“I don’t have the time or the energy to spend on being upset or resentful, because I need all that energy to heal myself. It’s just such a tremendous consumption of energy to walk around with resentment,” she said. “I can’t afford that in any area of my life, I have to do what I have to do and move on.”
Richard Le Pera, the manager of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation at Griffin Health, said Lopes has been able to work through a difficult chapter in her life because she spoke up for herself.
“She knows when something’s not right in her body,” Le Pera said. “But there’s other people that are exposed to this illness that think, ‘Well, this is my new normal, I just have to live with it and deal with it.’ And that’s not true.”
