Martin (34) worked as a researcher at TNO and led an active, sporty life. That changed when he contracted COVID for the second time in 2023 and failed to recover. Since then, he has been living with post-COVID and POTS, carefully dividing his days into small, manageable chunks.
““It started off quite mildly. I thought: a week of rest and I’ll be back to normal. But I never recovered. I developed brain fog, headaches and, later, POTS. As soon as I stand up, my heart rate shoots up. I can still go for a walk, but I can no longer do things like cook. My body feels as though it’s about to give way. I found that really frightening at first.
“Since then, I’ve had to structure my life in one-hour blocks. One hour up and about, followed by half an hour resting in the dark. That’s how I manage. Over the past two years, I’ve never been able to work for more than one hour a day. This week, my employment ends because I’ve been on sick leave for two years. That’s difficult. But I believe this is temporary and that I’ll eventually recover. That helps me avoid falling into despair.
“In the meantime, I’m mainly trying to focus on what I can still do. For example, I’ve started crocheting. It gives me a sense of achievement. Fortunately, the people around me have been very understanding. People have a better awareness of post-COVID these days, and that helps. I also receive good care for my POTS: medication, compression stockings and plenty of salt. It doesn’t cure me, but it makes the condition more manageable.
“Recently, I took part in the NMCB study in Amsterdam. Travelling takes a lot of energy, but I received excellent support there. During the Lean Test, I had to stand still again, which is difficult for me because of my POTS. But I felt safe. I was completely exhausted afterwards, but also proud that I could contribute to research.
“My days are simple now: getting up slowly, going for a short walk and making sure I rest in time. It’s not the life I had imagined, but step by step, I’m learning to cope with it. And I continue to hope that treatments will be developed that can help people like me truly recover.”
