"Thank you"

It is exceedingly rare for me to contact the crisis team as in the past I have not done it until exceedingly unwell and it may also be a male thing not wanting to show weakness. 

I previously called years ago and there was a long wait to receive help, on one occasion I had a return call 15 hours later and this put me off. On a recent weekend afternoon I was in a bad place and since the telephone system has been changed it was answered quickly.

Although I live with Bipolar Disorder which is well controlled since changing to medication a number of years ago I also have Long Covid and was ventilated in December 2020 and I have elements of PTSD especially dreams and flashbacks.

The lady I spoke to (Sakhile or a similar name) was so helpful and I was tearful and really wanted to talk about how I felt. I am coming up to 5 years since I was infected at  the hospital I worked for and suddenly coming up to the milestone of half a decade being disabled by the virus hit me hard. Many people now still think the pandemic was not real but all I can say to them is that I do not recommend life support as a holiday destination.