The coronavirus caught you long ago, but despite the months that go by, it's still in your body. How do you feel?

I am not well at present, I would say that I am worse than at the beginning. I still have the initial symptoms and they've appeared to me more. I have 15-20 day cycles with fever and fewer and fewer days when I feel good. I can live a little when I don't have a fever, so right now I'm short of life.

When did you know I had the COVID-19 virus?

I knew I had coronavirus on the second day, but it showed up a little later. In fact, in February-March, you still don't know what COVID-19 was. The feeling of drowning or coughing was still not lacking, but smell and taste. So it became easier for doctors to know that it was a coronavirus.

What has been the process of elaboration?

There is currently no recovery process, instead of improving, we are getting worse. At first I got a cortisone treatment. She noticed an improvement, but when she stopped receiving it, she returned to the same situation. However, I was told that internal medicine was essential, because I was worse than I thought.

Over the weeks, you've followed with the same symptoms. To what extent, or how has the coronavirus conditioned your day to day?

The coronavirus has conditioned my life, I would say 100 percent. I cannot continue to live like before. It is very few days - at this moment - that the body allows me to do something. He's physically harassed me, because I'm sick. And in my day to day, I can't relate like I used to to to people. Maybe I'm the one who takes the fear: whatever happens, and without knowing whether I'm going to overcome it, I'm scared to spread it to people. I was told that if I took another scum of the virus or passed it to another person (hypothesis, no knowledge), I would be in a very compromised situation.

The truth is that there are many changes I have undergone in my life: I was previously a very active person, and today I am not able to stand for more than 3 hours, and every 3-4 hours I have to rest or head on the couch. In addition, there are days when I am not able to get up: it has happened to me to cook and then not clean the dishes until I rested and recovered.

At the level of Euskal Herria you are many with a persistent disease. You've created the partnership. For what purpose?

It's not a partnership, it's a collective. Our intention is to create a partnership, but. A woman, sick, launched the initiative. By then there were such agents in Madrid, Andalusia and Barcelona. Therefore, he contacted the Madrid team and in late April or early May they set up the group. Little by little, we were bringing together the friends we were researching on our own, because we knew that in our situation there were more people. It is estimated that 10% of patients with COVID-19 have ongoing symptoms.

In the collective of Euskal Herria we are about 50 people, but it grows as visibility and impact increases. They call us on personal phones because they have been in a similar situation for a few months. Most of the group has had continuous symptoms for 5 to 6 months. Our main objective is to provide information on the disease. Many of us have negative PCR, and some of the components haven't considered us COVID-19. That for us is a step backwards, because if not, every day we start from scratch. We lack diagnosis, and that's also a problem for us.

The Basque Government has to allocate more budgets or allocations to the tests. They say that an investigation will be conducted in Cruces in January 2021, but much remains to be done.

On the other hand, Osakidetza should receive adequate care, including health monitoring. Or recovery, for the people who need it. In addition, we would like to know how much we are in the same situation, as our data is only those of us who relate to us. Protocols and post-COVID-19 units have to be established; we have come to collapse some internal units that are in other locations bezala.Beste here post-COVID-19 patients.

Basically, more people are needed in health centers, and for that, more financial resources are needed. In order to achieve this, we must continue to fight.

What do research or health experts say about their situation?

In principle, there are very few studies on continuous COVID-19. Therefore, they do not know what happens to us. Therefore, what experts do is formulate hypotheses, but without scientific or experimental basis. Comments have been made on: That we can have COVID-19 in cells, in nerves, have an inflammatory process -- also that it doesn't exist in the body and that it is extracted by the damaged cells. However, they are all hypotheses, there are no studies that say anything clear. That's why we say it's very important to investigate. Why are we several people with continuous symptoms? Why don't they surpass all the bodies? It is essential to invest in research.

In these times of “saturation” of health systems, can the disease be overcome?

You don't know. At least, I believe that we have left many people with what we have seen, with what we have seen, with what has affected us or with the consequences. We're talking about high percentages, but because we don't have a specific diagnosis or treatment, we have big problems. In addition, some of us started with the symptoms before March and were not hospitalized because the protocol, in my case, included an age or state of health to take it into account or not. As our PCR tests are negative, it further complicates our treatment.

For example, I was tested for the first time 45 days after the first symptoms. The second test was performed at 130 days, so it is impossible to test positive. Now it's true we're getting more tests, but it's being delayed a lot. It seems that the way to overcome the disease is still far away, because to do so, you have to first know what happens in our bodies. It is not possible to have a fever for so many days.

It's crazy: last week I got neurosis on my face and it caused me in my jaw, in my eye ... It is very difficult to know what happens to us, to complete the diagnosis and to define the treatment to be followed in order to face it.

Is there anything like your case in the county?

Yes, of course. In the collective we are few, 3 or 4, but I have many acquaintances, and many of them are in a precarious situation. I believe, however, that there are people who are ashamed of losing their jobs. That's my feeling, speaking to 10 people in the area, despite passing COVID-19 today they still have symptoms like me. Heart or kidney problems, hair loss... I've known all kinds of consequences. I hope that people will step up as they get to know the agent.

Whoever is in the same situation, beyond the doctor, where can he go for help?

We have email covidpersistente.euskalherria@gmail.com, Facebook (CovidEuskadi) and Twitter accounts (CovidEuskadi). It's important that people get in touch and continue; in general, we're missing attention and it's always easier to fight together. There are many people who are hospitalized at home or who go to private health and medical systems.

We need Osakidetza to take care of us, and the collective makes you know that there are more people in your situation and that you know those people. Before I met the collective, I thought I was crazy, because what was happening to me was not normal. Doctors - even more patients with their children and their lives - do not know what happens to us, and at that time we were not tested for PCR. With negative PCR, the state of our body and sensations are three times more difficult to explain, which causes enormous psychological distress. We have to fight constantly for them to believe us. That's why the collective is important, because there are a lot of cases stuck, and it helps us see that we're not losing our heads, because nobody questions our symptoms or our situation.

Has health care been satisfactory?

My internal medicine doctor doesn't see me like everybody else: he's worked on more cases like me. It's about running tests slowly, not doing 5 chest plates, when nothing from 30 others has been repaired. The solution could be, for example, lung ultrasound or CT scan. That is why we are in contact with the Association of Doctors of Spain. There are several doctors who have suffered COVID-19, some of whom are in the same situation. Surveys have been created for those affected, with the aim of getting doctors to know the symptoms, to facilitate the work. Blood PCR tests have been initiated at this stage of research.

Reliability is not yet assured, or maybe it's too expensive, but it would make the way much easier for us: if people found the virus in the blood, people wouldn't hesitate and it would be shown that our current situation may be a consequence of COVID-19. We hope that at some point Osakidetza will value and implement it.

Do you see the end of the pandemic or your illness?

No. I don't see the end of my illness. I'm hopeful of healing myself, but we're still far away. In our collective, there's still no one entirely right, so we have no precedents to think about that.

However, I hope that the end of the pandemic will come soon. But for that we must be more careful. It is not a question of age: the average age of the group is 35 years. Continued damage to the virus can be caused by anyone. The end of all this is conditioned by research or vaccines, beyond the business of the pharmaceutical industry. As a society, however, we should do everything in our power. If I could do something to avoid it on the day I caught it, with a face mask, washing my hands or keeping my distance, I would truly compensate for what I am living. What we're going through is really hard. I hope that this will soon end and that the Cruces investigation will yield good results. I, at least, am optimistic, I hope that everyone will give up and the jewel will disappear.

We are invited to act responsibly at all times. What messages would you send them?

If you were in our situation, you would realize the importance of not catching the coronavirus. There are people who get it like the flu, but there are also people who stay like us. In the collective right now, they're also kids, so look. It's sad, but no one is safe from the risk of coronavirus. In this sense, as you say in the question, I call on people to act responsibly: wearing a face mask, washing their hands and ensuring distances; this is no joke, hopefully just the flu.

What about the institutions?

Increase human resources in order to receive adequate care and, in particular, allocate more financial resources to research. We have to create new protocols, postcovid-19 units… Diagnosing is very important to us, doing a blood PCR test can be a starting point for us. Knowing if the virus is in us would be a big step for us. In my opinion, the health system is currently poor and collapsed, they can't do more. Doctors are not the culprits of the situation, but governments and institutions. You have to invest more money in health.

On the other hand, it is important to know the number of cases of continuous covid-19. Neither our data nor yours are equal at all. It would be interesting to present these figures.

From the collective of Euskal Herria, what are your intentions for the future?

Not existing, because that would mean that we have been cured, or that we are treated appropriately. But it seems very difficult. Therefore, our foresight is to keep fighting to have recognition and knowledge. It is not possible for him to suffer from such consequences because of inadequate care in due course. We need to continue researching and diagnosing to ensure follow-up and recovery to those who need it.

Personally, how has this situation affected you?

Negatively. I am not the same as 6 months ago. I really like going to the mountain, or walking paragliding, they're my hobbies. If I had occasion, I would not stand this summer. It has affected me a lot physically and emotionally: I've had a lot of moments of fear and sadness. Today, I feel stronger (perhaps because I prepare to live like this), but my life has changed a lot since February, I have gone from being a 42-year-old athlete to being unable to do anything; now I have to dose the tasks to have strength. I can't even walk for half an hour.

And around you?

As much as I do. My friend and family doesn't like to see me like this, of course. They try to help, but it is difficult to put in our place those who do not experience the situation. I feel lucky and rich, however: I don't lack protection, they come to see me or with prayers, or they call me to speak. I am very happy with my friend, my family and my environment in this regard.

In the collective there are those who are not as social, and they are very sad, for those who have few friends or relatives it is very difficult to hear that we are not well and that we do not receive help. The one who was next to the one who had a long illness knows very well what this is.

Finally, is there something you want to stress?

I would like to thank the people of solidarity for being tireless. On the other hand, I would like to keep in mind those who care about the health of each and every other, who are very responsible. And because I couldn't be otherwise, my friends, fellow paragliding and my family, the world can be better off with people like that. Go on! All of this gives me encouragement and strength to keep fighting.