Florida doctor helps treat long-haul COVID-19 patients, mental health symptoms

LAKELAND, Fla. - As COVID cases are beginning to decrease, some people are still suffering even after the illness.

New research shows some of the symptoms people experience now include impacts to mental health.

"It’s been life-changing. My life is not the same and never will be," Jolene Vanek, 44, said.

It’s been more than a year since Vanek tested positive for COVID-19, and still, she does not feel like herself.

"I was having trouble with conversations and more findings. Right now, I forgot what questions you asked me," she said.

She is one of the many post-COVID patients suffering from lingering symptoms, not just physically, but also mentally.

"The amount of anxiety that I have is sometimes crippling. And, it wasn't like that before, and I got very depressed too," Vanek said.

Vanek said she tried to do her job and eventually realized, she could not do it any longer. 

She started looking for help but said that was difficult when she didn’t understand what was happening to her.

"I don't look sick, and I guess that's hard because not only do the people in your life think like, 'what's wrong with you?' But when you go to doctors, your tests are normal. You're dismissed," Vanek said.

That was the case until she found Dr. Kathleen Haggerty at the Watson Clinic in Lakeland. 

She has 33 years of experience as an internal medicine physician, and now, she runs one of three post-COVID clinics in the state.

"I thought, when I found out about long COVID, that it was really mysterious," Dr. Haggerty said. "It was totally brand new and there was no reason I couldn’t become an expert on it."

Hundreds of patients have traveled from all across the country for appointments with Dr. Haggerty. Many are desperate for help and for answers.

"Their experience of the condition is horrifying because they’re experiencing a disease that has never been experienced in the history of mankind, previously, and no one was there to help it," Dr. Haggerty said.

Dr. Haggerty sees adults of all ages, including some who were sick in the ICU with COVID, and others who had more mild symptoms. 

Even when COVID is gone from their bodies, other symptoms continue, including shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, depression and much more.

"These people are suffering immensely," Dr. Haggerty said. "They’re not able to work. They’re dying to do their work. They want to feed their families."

According to a recent study published in the journal Jama Network Open, almost 25% of COVID patients treated at Mount Sinai Health System experienced some cognitive impact after recovering from the illness.

The study reports people having problems with speed processing, memory and difficulty concentrating.

Dr. Haggerty said for all patients, the symptoms seem to respond best with one specific treatment: Time and rest.