COVID long-hauler details two-year struggle with disease

(ABC 6 News) – Two years after infection, COVID-19 still has a hold on Rochester resident Tina Ridler.
Ridler, a member of Facebook group Minnesota COVID Long-Haulers, was infected in March of 2020.
Over the weeks, her symptoms got worse – and became bigger problems.
During the summer of 2020, she found out she had heart and lung damage.
To this day, Ridler experiences long-term health effects from COVID-19, and sees her online community of long-haulers grow month by month.
“I’ll have days or weeks of a wave where I’ll lose my sense of taste, I’ll have heart palpitations, I have heavy fatigue, i have muscle pain and joint aches,” Ridler said. “And then it will kind of relieve for a couple weeks, and then I’ll get another wave of maybe slightly different symptoms. That’s been rotating for about 2 years.
Ridler owns Sage Wellness, a holistic therapy business in Rochester.
She has been trying different types of therapy, and says finding the right treatment is important for the long-haul community.
Experts believe about 30 percent of COVID patients become long-haulers.