In 2011, Mike van den Nieuwenhove (33 years old) from Noland fell ill with Q fever. He still suffers from it. “My kids sometimes ask if I’m going somewhere. I don’t always want to say they should go with their mom. But if you go with me, sometimes I look like a 60-something,” says Mike, who is seriously vocal about his complaints of fatigue.
Mike is the father of 5-year-old twins, has a desk job and works four days a week. “When I first got injured, I could only work a few hours a day at most. So it got better, but it took years. And it’s still not what it should be like for someone my age.” To become mentally and physically stronger, follow the rehabilitation process.
Mike isn’t the only one with persistent complaints, according to research from Erasmus Hospital and Q Support, which specializes in aftercare for Q fever patients. Years after the injury, the patients had 19 health complaints, including extreme fatigue, problems concentrating, and physical exhaustion. Many patients stopped working.
The research also showed that studies, sports, social contact and hobbies are under great pressure. Mike realizes that. “Sometimes I want to meet up with colleagues or friends and then it’s not possible. You have to skip a birthday or you can’t go out with your little kids. I see a bleak future. Sometimes I go to bed at seven in the evening, at the same time as the kids. I wish it would pass Someday, but after all these years there is no breakthrough in medicine,” says Mike.
Also read:
Emma (11) is always tired with Q fever: “But most of the time I’m happy”
Hundreds of Q fever patients still suffer from many complaints 15 years after the outbreak
Years after the outbreak, people are still dying from Q fever
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