The "1 in 5" article really validated what I've been going through since my infection late-July/early-August.

I'm 50, and the immediate sickness after infection was brief but weird, unlike a cold or flu etc. I had a mild fever and was incredibly sore for 4 days. It wasn't an experience I would be afraid to repeat.

Since then, however, several days a week I wake up feeling something akin to an alcohol-poisoning-level hangover (I quit drinking years ago but this is an area of some expertise for me) - terrible anxiety, headaches, confusion, depression, shaking, irritability, sweats, hopelessness. I often suddenly feel like I have literally injected a substance that causes fear and sadness. My wife says it sounds like really bad PMS, my friend with MS says it sounds like how her disease works except it's mental, not physical.

In my drinking days, I knew that horrible hangover symptoms would be gone in 24 hours if I drank water and abstained from alcohol but the current symptoms have no such limitations. I've been depressed in the past but these depressive episodes have no bottom.

In addition to the above, I have consistently felt "less smart", forgetful and confused - and have described it as a kind of precipitated senility.

For months I've avoided reading about long-term post-covid issues - I didn't want to give myself any ideas. But when the Lancet study was reported by BBC radio, it immediately confirmed my experience and also made me more comfortable discussing with friends and family what has been going on with me for the past few months.