she has suffered from brain fog, tinnitus, dizziness and balance issues, among other things. the term “brain fog”, she said, doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the symptoms many long-haulers cope with.
“it messes up your life. this is extremely debilitating and long term we don’t know what is going to happen.”
goulding underwent rehabilitation at a brain injury clinic for three months. it helped, but did not eliminate, her symptoms, she said. but many people are unable to get that kind of help, or even be taken seriously by their health care providers, she said. that has left some unable to work and facing financial and mental health crises.
she said she recently heard from a nurse suffering from neuro-cognitive symptoms after covid-19 who said he was about to quit his job because he couldn’t get any help for his debilitating symptoms and couldn’t cope.
mcmaster university scientist dr. john connolly is among researchers studying the impact covid-19 can have on brain function. he is chair of cognitive neuroscience of language at the university.
his lab, with startup voxneuro, is using eeg neuroimaging to assess brain function in people who had covid-19. ongoing testing is already showing “very clear brain responses that are abnormal” in people who have had covid-19, he said.