"Leendert had post-covid"

Leendert lost his fitness and physical condition in an instant after being struck down by the coronavirus. After a few months, he ended up at the Functional Neurology Institute. Now he can work and live as before.

“I was working night shifts and noticed I was hot and cold at times… When I took my temperature, I had a fever of around 39 degrees Celsius. After a self-test—it was 2022 and we were still in the coronavirus period—it was immediately clear that I tested positive. I work in healthcare and hadn't had any problems in the years before, when the coronavirus pandemic was spreading. Just when I thought I'd come through it all right, it was my turn.”

Daily residual symptoms

“The virus really got to me. After three weeks of being seriously ill, I could barely walk. I had pain in my back and legs, felt pressure in my head, and my fitness seemed to have vanished. If I did go to work, my energy quickly drained. Once home, I had to recuperate for another day. Giving up wasn't an option for me. My grandmother always says, 'The way forward is always.' In short, don't mourn what happened, but look at how you can move forward. Initially, I went to a physiotherapist, hoping he could help me. Unfortunately, my back and legs only got worse instead of better. Even getting out of bed and walking downstairs was exhausted. After four months, I was advised to visit the Functional Neurology Institute.”

On the road to recovery

“At the FNI, I first had a complete check-up. Then I sat in the Gyrostim, the rotating chair. After the chair stopped spinning, the spinning in my head continued. I had to indicate when it stopped and in which direction it was going. I did various exercises and tests. The tests revealed, among other things, that I had a balance disorder and that something was wrong with my spine. My cartilage was starting to crumble. I had been taking medication for that for the past year, Ostex by Macrogenix. I also suffered severely from high blood pressure. I also took nutritional supplements for that. That helped a lot, because all those symptoms are gone. I noticed results very quickly. After the first treatment, I could already walk much better. My muscles were clearly much looser and more relaxed.”

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

“Last year, I also went to the HBOT, the hyperbaric oxygen tent, once. I was curious and wanted to try it. At first, for the first 10 minutes, I found it a bit claustrophobic. But the longer it lasted, the more I relaxed. It made me feel so calm. When I got out, I thought I was going to collapse. The pressure on my shoulders and the stiffness in my muscles were gone. And I often have a busy mind, with a lot of thoughts racing through my mind, but when I got out of the oxygen tent, my mind was completely still. I was so relaxed. That really did me good.”

My energy is back

I still go back to the FNI occasionally because I can still feel my legs and back. After I've been to the FNI again, I've been free of my symptoms for about two and a half months. That's a wonderful feeling. I went back a week ago. I only received good news. I no longer have any pressure on my head. My blood pressure is under control, and my oxygen levels are good. We've agreed that I'll give it a try for four or five months. If I do experience any symptoms, I can call and we'll schedule an appointment. It feels really good. I've got my energy back. And I've been working hard to lose some weight these past few months. I was quite heavy at the end of last year. Starting in January, I started running a lot, and I've since lost about 10 kilos. That's also doing a lot for my body.

Back to work worry-free

“I can do my work again because the pressure in my head is gone and my muscles are relaxed. Of course, I use the muscles in my back and legs extensively in my work. When I became ill, I was working with people with dementia. Now I work in a recovery and rehabilitation unit in a hospital. It involves a lot of bending and lifting. Washing, dressing, helping people up… Working ergonomically is part of my job, but in practice, I didn't do it very often. Now I pay more attention to it than before. But the fact that things are going as well as they do now is mainly due to the help from the FNI. If they hadn't been there, I wouldn't have known what to do.”•