Two years ago the Covid arrived in our lives: successive confinements, big epidemic in Mulhouse. From Monday it is the end of the mask, but some patients are still suffering from Covid symptoms, several months after their first infection.
This is called the long Covid. In Alsace, the Ugecam, the health insurance health network has set up long Covid rehabilitation programs since September.
A program for patients with long Covid to get better
One 10-week program with 48 sessions which can be followed in Strasbourg or in Lutterbach, near Mulhouse. Patients who are referred by their GP or the hospital. They are monitored by health personnel. They can cycle, walk, take sophrology or meditation sleep workshops.
– Ugecam
They also have dietary monitoring. “We see patients where the vital problem has been solved, but the functional problem persists. They complain of shortness of breath on exertion, very intense fatigue. There are also sleep disorders and dizziness,” explains Doctor Vincent Stoffel, the head doctor of the Alsace South Pole.
Improvements for patients
After 10 weeks, the results are rather encouraging. “I live almost like before. However, when I do sports, I am limited. When I cycle in the mountains, I have to stop several times. This program helps you to accept and recognize your situation,” explains Philippe, who suffered from Covid in March 2020.
In contrast, the situation is still delicate for Julie, 35. This caregiver contracted Covid in February 2021. “I went back to work part-time, but I’m still tired. I sleep two hours in the afternoon. I have to continue with the speech therapist, the physiotherapist. I’m a little less tired than before. . But I feel more guilty for having slept on my sofa. I fidget a lot less, I see life from a better side by saying to myself, I’m alive!”, analyzes the young woman.