A POWYS mum who was struck down by Long Covid, but went undiagnosed for a month because she is diabetic, has described her experience as a “terrifying ordeal”.

Dianne Bain, from Llansantffraid, is still struggling a year on from that ordeal and believes more support is needed for people living with the debilitating after-effects of coronavirus.

As a mother of three boys, the 47-year-old was used to juggling her busy family life in Powys with a job as a lettings officer across the border in Shropshire. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12, she knew what to do, hardly ever needing to go to the doctors.

But in April 2020, she woke up one day with a fast heart rate and suddenly started feeling very sick, she had a terrible headache and was confused, which made her husband think she was having a stroke. She doesn’t remember what happened, but woke up in hospital with encephalitis, an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed.

Dianne returned home a week later but continued to feel ill. Her headaches worsened and she suffered an array of problems, from dizziness, rashes, hallucinations, loss of taste and smell, fatigue, aches and much more. The vomiting started again and led to another spell in hospital. In May, she tested positive for Covid-19.

“Because I didn’t have any breathing problems or a fever, Covid wasn’t considered as being linked to the encephalitis,” said Dianne.

“The doctors at the hospital thought that the problem was related to my diabetes and that was put on my record, which made feel very upset and misunderstood, as I always worked hard to manage my condition. That experience was a terrifying ordeal and only the beginning of a horrible year.”

After been hospitalised two more times for a kidney stone and vomiting again, Dianne was diagnosed with Post-Covid Syndrome by her GP. “After all this time, I’m still struggling,” she added.

“I’m doing just one day a week at work but even that is really draining me. Some days I’m okay but it’s like having a hat full of symptoms and you get to draw one out each day. It can be exhaustion, chest pain, sore joints, lack of balance or vision impairment.”

After receiving both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and because she lives in an isolated rural area, Dianne now feels less worried about the pandemic but says more support is needed for people dealing with the debilitating after-effects of Covid.

“The care I received from my GP, who diagnosed Long Covid, and my diabetes team has been exceptional,” she said.

“The diabetic nurse giving me a glucose monitoring sensor has been a positive change as my bloods are very changeable since I have been suffering with Long Covid and it helps me control them.

“I also found a good support network with the Long Covid Group in Wales, but we still desperately need more research and proper, dedicated Long Covid clinics as there is little GPs can do.”

This week, the Welsh Government has announced a package of measures, which aims to expand the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and care for those with lasting Covid symptoms. There will be a new patient pathway called Adferiad (recover) to speed up referrals. In March, the Welsh Government updated their Written Statement on Long Covid.

NHS Wales is also encouraging people with Long Covid to access a Recovery app, which you can find out more about at https://healthhub.wales/covid-recovery-2/. It has been developed by the NHS Wales respiratory health group.

Dai Williams, national director at Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “Covid-19 is a new illness, and we are still researching how it impacts on people with diabetes.

“It’s positive that, in Wales, post-Covid syndrome is recognised. We welcome this new investment and hope to be engaged in the new services to tackle clinical needs for people with Long Covid living with diabetes. It’s clear more needs to be done to support those who are hit hard by coronavirus and suffer with lingering symptoms, on top of diabetes, which makes them even more vulnerable.”

A recent survey from the Office for National Statistics estimates more than 50,000 people in Wales suffer from Long Covid. Symptoms include difficulty with breathing and tiredness which can last weeks to months after the virus has first appeared. Generally, around one in 10 people who have had coronavirus suffer some long-term symptoms.

Diabetes UK’s research has been focusing on the possibility that Covid-19 can cause diabetes or make it worse but little is still known about how people with diabetes are being affected.

If you live with diabetes and have been suffering with Long Covid in Wales, contact Diabetes UK via email at wales@diabetes.org.uk.