Thousands of Long Covid patients have been confined to their homes for years. They tire quickly, cannot concentrate and have little prospect of improvement. Because there are no proven treatments here yet, many people want to go abroad for high amounts of money. Benthe van Loon (25) from Heusden is one of them. This weekend she left for America for treatment worth more than 74,000 euros.
Two years ago, Benthe got corona. She hasn’t been the same since then. She has Long Covid. Benthe had just graduated and started a job, but working is no longer possible. “I can do very little in a day. I always have to recover from small daily things, such as showering or cooking.”
She has now tried all kinds of treatments in the Netherlands. She does everything to get better. She started with occupational therapy, which is reimbursed by health insurance. That didn’t help, so Benthe continued looking. What followed was a huge laundry list of treatments and therapies. “I also had blood tests done and started taking antidepressants. I also tried all kinds of diets and supplements,” she sums up. In total it cost Benthe about three thousand euros. And the effects? Zero.
“We’ll be completely broke after this.”
Patient organization PostCovidNL hears many stories like this. Many people have been sick at home for years and have nowhere to turn for good treatment. “There are still no proven treatments,” says director Diewke de Haen. “We also hear the stories of desperate people who spend a lot of money on experimental treatments in the Netherlands or who go abroad for expensive treatments.”
The numbers on various fundraising websites do not lie. Dozens of people ask for money for expensive oxygen treatment in America or blood filtering in Germany or Cyprus. The costs for these treatments are between 20,000 and 75,000 euros. It is often the last hope for Long Covid patients. According to PostCovidNL, Dutch people cannot be helped in Germany because they are not from there.
Benthe left for Florida on Saturday for special oxygen therapy. The price tag? A whopping 74,000 euros. That’s why Benthe also started one fundraiser. “My parents help pay,” she says. “We’ll all be broke after this. That’s painful. Because I can’t work, I can’t build anything.”
“I can’t try anything anymore in the Netherlands.”
The treatment consists of oxygen therapy, combined with brain training. Patients are also guided by a nutritionist, neuropsychologist and personal trainer.
Benthe came up with the idea through another woman with Long Covid, who had the same treatment. “The people who have returned from the treatment have benefited greatly from it. So far, all patients have recovered at least seventy percent.”
This oxygen therapy, which is only given in private clinics, is approved in America for conditions such as carbon monoxide poisoning. But effects for Long Covid patients have not yet been scientifically proven. An Israeli study last year showed positive results from oxygen treatment in Long Covid patients, but that is not yet enough for governments to include the treatment in guidelines. Nothing is known about long-term effects.
Yet Benthe dares to take the risk, despite the hefty amount. “I can’t try anything anymore in the Netherlands. I’m 25, so what else can I do? I know I’m not guaranteed to get better, but this is now the treatment I have the most confidence in. I have They have studied it thoroughly. Their work is scientifically substantiated and there are already patients who have benefited greatly from it.”