Exhausted pastor signed off work with long covid

A PASTOR from Emmer Green has had to stop working due to the effects of long covid.

Colin Baker has been signed off by his doctor after suffering from fatigue and brain fog.

The 59-year-old has been pastor of Caversham Baptist Church in Prospect Street for the past five years.

He first contracted covid-19 on Christmas Eve 2021 and began to suffer from long covid in June last year when he was on a sabbatical in Israel with 15 members of the church.

Rev Baker said: “I started to notice that I was getting worn out. I blamed the weather as it was in the 80 degrees Fahrenheit but then my mind just wasn’t feeling sharp.

“When I tested positive for covid the group thought I was kidding as I was known as quite the joker but two days later three more of them tested positive.”

He has now had covid four times and has suffered prolonged symptoms such as shortness of breath and muscle aches long after testing
negative.

Rev Baker and his wife Alison moved to Caversham after 14 years of service in Grays Thurrock, Essex, and four years in Scotland.

He has been in ministry for more than 20 years but now cannot even attend Sunday Mass due to his fatigue.

Rev Baker said: “My biggest struggle is not being able to read the Bible as any extended sort of reading is impossible. I just can’t concentrate anymore.”

Before his illness, he was a member of a gym and would frequently attend fitness classes. He enjoyed being fully involved with the church community and spending time with his five-year-old granddaughter, Eva.

Now he struggles with exhaustion and completing simple tasks and needs to sleep during the day.

Rev Baker said: “I can have a full night’s sleep, eight hours, and still wake up exhausted.

“For the past two weeks I have been trying to cut the grass but I am having to do it one patch at a time because I am so puffed out.

“When we were on holiday in Turkey and I went swimming I had to have a break after every length to catch my breath. I was so active before.”

He tries to walk their two Jack Russells, Montie and Millie, every day but said: “It just depends on the day, sometimes I feel so weak I can’t walk. My new medication has not kicked in yet — there have been no negative symptoms but I am worried about the fatigue as it is so bad.”

The pastor has found solace in a small group of church members who meet up to support him.

His wife said: “He does speak to our house group about how things aren’t good for him.

“I don’t think that people realised how bad it was. His friends and the people at the church saw him for only a small window of the day, they didn’t see the tiredness and effort either side of their interaction.”

The couple have been married for 35 years and have three grown-up children, Heidi, 33, David, 30, and Isobel, 26, who frequently visit their parents.

Mrs Baker said: “It has affected our relationship as he isn’t the same person at the moment. There is no joy in this house. It’s nothing to do with Colin himself, it’s just his energy levels are so low.

“He doesn’t have the energy to even play with our granddaughter any more. His joy has been so hampered.

“Before, when Colin had a day off, we would go out for dinner or make a day of it but now he is just so tired. We can go out together for a couple hours but that is it.

“We had a holiday in June, which he did seem better from, but he was still pale and struggling. I could see that he was working beyond his reserves. It is painful to see.

“He has had every blood test under the sun and everything has come back negative, except vitamin D, which could be a cause of his fatigue and nausea.”

The couple hope that the rest will allow Rev Baker to regain his strength and resume work.

The church’s leadership team has been taking on Rev Baker’s duties and a series of external speakers has been brought in to conduct services.

Long covid is a condition in which people do not make a full recovery after contracting covid.

They can have covid symptoms weeks and months after testing negative for covid.

The most common symptoms of long covid are extreme tiredness, feeling a shortness of breath, loss of smell and muscle aches.

In the long term, many people suffer problems with memory and concentration (brain fog), chest pains, difficulty with sleeping and tinnitus.

Anyone who has experienced these symptoms for more than four weeks is advised to contact their GP, who may suggest X-rays, blood tests and blood pressure tests. Rest is suggested.