AN IRISH woman says she's loosing her hair, has lost weight and now has loose teeth following a tough battle with Covid-19.
46-year-old Nicola Doyle from Co. Carlow tested positive for the virus on January 4, and spent over a month in an isolated hospital ward.
She's since returned home, but is still having difficulty breathing and has experienced a number of other troubling side effects.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, the mum-of-two spoke of the "debilitating pain, nausea, weakness and tiredness" she'd been suffering.
"The impact it has on your body, I've lost weight, my hair has fallen out in clumps and teeth are loose," Nicola said.
"I never would have associated [those symptoms] with Covid. I, nor my doctor, have any indication as to how long this will persist."
Nicola said she'll never forget the look of fear on her children's faces when they saw how she looked coming out of hospital, adding that her 11-year-old daughter "crumpled on the floor in floods of tears" when she returned home.
"I couldn't go to her and embrace her, I couldn't hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be OK," she continued.
"The government needs to provide resources to support our kids and their families through this process, to liaise with local primary care services and social services to offer counselling and support for families who need extra resources to get through this.
"I fear that long after the pandemic is over, it will be the emotional trauma that will live on for our children," she added.
