Sandrine’s Success Story

sandrine-success-story

I’m 41 years old. I live in Paris. I have a husband and two children (teenagers). I am a history teacher in a high school. I have given a lot of time and energy to my job which I love very much. Lately, I have felt a deterioration in my working conditions which have led me to ask myself a lot of questions about the meaning of my job and my place in national education. Since my Covid infection, I have not returned to work.

I had the first symptoms of Covid on March 9, 2020. The first week I had a sore throat and a dry cough without fever. After 7 days, I started to have very strong body aches as well as pain in my lungs and more difficult breathing, still without fever. I then saw my doctor who diagnosed me with Covid. I did not have access to the tests because their availability was scarce and they were reserved for caregivers.

Normally the symptoms should have disappeared after the second week but they persisted and others appeared …

The second period of symptoms was long, very painful and very distressing: persistent dyspnea, onset of tachycardia, joint pain in the wrists and neurological pain in the feet and hands, the sensation of difficult blood circulation (painful legs, visible veins …), swollen glands in the throat, a persistent sore throat …

This lasted until the end of May. My doctor ordered me to have a chest CT scan for the pain in my lungs. The results did not show any traces of the co vid. The blood test is also negative for antibodies. It seems to me that a lot of people are affected by a long co-vid.
From the end of May, Part of the symptoms including dyspnea disappears as well as chest pain. The other symptoms remain present but above all I am facing incredible exhaustion. Regularly, after a normal effort (shopping and climbing my stairs), 1 or 2 days pass and then I cannot move from my bed. I can only go to the bathroom (barely!). The slightest cognitive effort caused headaches. From this moment, I am terrified and very alarmed. I cannot bring myself to stay in this situation.

Information found on the internet puts me on the trail of CFS. At first, I am desperate because the French-speaking sites talk about an incurable disease and then I find the blog of a patient who recovered from the hypothesis of a nervous imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. This resonated with me right away as I was constantly feeling a state of arousal like being on adrenaline and was having full sleepless nights. I started doing regular meditations, pacing, and eliminated gluten and sugar from my diet. My condition was not getting worse but it was not improving either. I had to take sleeping pills to at least get a few hours of sleep. As I continue my research, I find links between CFS and neuroplasticity and I find a reference to the Gupta Program. I immediately hooked on the amygdala hypothesis because it fully matched my symptoms and feelings. And as a teacher, I worked with my students with neuroscience processes applied to education. To me it made so much sense, it had to work.

At no time did I turn to a traditional medical solution. I did not see how medication could improve my fatigue and my feeling of constant over-excitement and alertness. My doctor also offered me a full check-up at the hospital for a few days. I refused because at the time I couldn’t stand the light and the noise. I didn’t feel able to face strangers and make such sustained physical or psychological efforts in an unfamiliar place.

I contacted Sophie Schlogel who agreed to follow me. I had my first interview with her on July 1st.

I started amygdala training on July 15th.

July 15 to 31: I got out of bed and walked around my apartment. I ate my meals at the table and spent more time sitting.
From July 31 to August 10: I tackled the ascent and descent of my stairs (4 floors) and I could walk 1 km in my neighborhood.
Disappearance of the violent post-exertional malaise after efforts which drained me of all energy. They are replaced by great fatigue but which still allows me to do my daily activities.
August 10 to today: I can walk 4 to 6 km. I spend normal days like on vacation. I avoid trying too hard and take breaks when I feel tired. I feel like I’m starting to recover.

There remains some joint and muscle pain, strong tinnitus and a feeling of a stuffy and numb ear. My nights are restless, but I still find it quite easy to sleep now.

I am still far from a normal life, there are still negative thoughts that come by surprise but only progress. It’s amazing.

The amygdala retraining technique was really the lever that changed everything and allowed my body to start recovery. I am convinced of it. I accompany him of course with regular meditations and I pay attention to my diet.