Long COVID is not ‘just anxiety’

(Just like POTS, MCAS, EDS, IBS, SIBO, gastroparesis, autoimmunity, etc. are not either).

I was recently asked by a patient whether I believed that post-COVID syndrome is ‘just anxiety or depression’. She was having difficulty getting anyone to take her complaints seriously. I feel terrible for anyone who has been trained to expect that kind of gaslighting. If you are familiar with my publications, podcasts, cartoons and presentations, you know I’m firmly on the side of BELIEVE PATIENTS.

I’m willing to bet that if you find practitioners familiar with MCAS, they will not gaslight you. This is because there have been a number of publications connecting long COVID with mast cell activation (like this one). Mast cell aware doctors also tend to be extremely smart in my experience. They are staying up on the latest, greatest findings and not just coasting on whatever they learned in med school.

Gaslighting of patients is a topic that makes me very angry. I made these cartoons (with the help of my amazing husband) to let off steam about it. I hope they make you laugh, or at least feel less alone. There are lots of great practitioners out there who will believe you, so don’t waste any time or energy on someone who assumes your symptoms are all in your head or ’just anxiety’.