Health Versus Wealth With Dr Ben

Claudia Indries, a dentist all her life, was born in Romania, coming to the UK in 2009. In Romania, she ran her own private practice for 10yrs. Later she decided to come to Britain due to changing family circumstances, and after she heard that the UK needed dentists. Claudia’s work involves treating special needs referrals patients, people with both physical and mental disabilities, including children. “The job brings big rewards to see people smiling is the best feeling,” she says.

In this episode, Claudia talks about how her 2-year struggle with Long Covid has substantially impacted her life. She’s currently on a Long Covid recovery journey having initially caught Covid in July 2022. She felt very ill for 3-4 weeks and looking back, she says she should have called the ambulance and her GP said she was “lucky”. 

She recalls: “We dressed like astronauts with PPE, masks and protection, but I worked through the whole pandemic”. After 3 months, Claudia developed LC, going on to develop balance problems, sleep-deprivation, gastrointestinal issues, memory issues, brain fog. “It was scary. I couldn't recognise myself. Losing myself was the worst thing.”

She adds: “Long Covid is the biggest challenge I have ever faced and recovering from it the toughest thing I've ever had to do. I'm still working on that recovery and not sure if I will be able to return to work. Two years ago, my life stopped. I feel like I am under a glass and separated from the rest of the world. People can see us under the glass but cannot understand how we feel. I cannot travel, lots of days I don't leave the house, life has become very simple. I cannot plan anything. But I feel a duty of share a duty to share my experience and if by telling my Long Covid story I help only one person, I'll be happy.”