A woman “almost killed by Covid” has achieved her dream of climbing a mountain – despite suffering long-term effects from the illness.

Dr Athmaja Thottungal, an anaesthesia and pain management consultant from Rochester, tested positive for Covid three times and once feared she was going to die.

Her second bout of the disease proved to be the most damaging and required oxygen and steroid treatment due to breathing difficulties.

The 52-year-old then developed long Covid sequelae, which affected her heart, lungs, and blood vessels as well as her immune system.

This led to her being off work at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital for four months.

The mum-of-two said: “I was on the verge of being intubated. The hospital at home team were treating me at home, and I said to my husband ‘If I die, I want to die here at home’.

“I was bedridden for two and a half months; I just couldn’t do anything.

“My husband was having to give me baths and care for me every day.”

Specialists were baffled by her symptoms, and the treatments were not helping much.

So, Dr Thottungal did her own research and realised lifestyle changes such as diet, sleep, stress management activities and breathing yoga techniques that stimulate the vagus nerve, could be helpful.

The improvements proved so dramatic she decided to become certified in lifestyle medicine from the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine and British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and began to use the techniques with her patients as well as herself.

In July 2023, she decided to set herself the challenge – to trek Mount Kailash in Tibet which stands 6,638m (21,778ft) above sea level.

Because the mountain is considered so sacred by millions, treks to the summit are not allowed.

But Dr Thottungal took part in the circular 33-mile trek around the mountain which starts at 4,670m and peaks at 5,650m - some 800m higher than Mont Blanc, Europe’s tallest peak.

This was just 18 months after the second Covid infection which left her bedbound.

Dr Thottungal was able to conquer the mountain which is 18,400ft above sea level.

She said: “The trek was on my ’50 things to do before I turn 50’ list, but then Covid came along.

“I didn’t want to give up my dreams, even when I was short of breath after climbing a flight of stairs after Covid.

“It gave me something to aim for, and I did a lot of work on my respiratory and cardiac function, and changed my gut microbiomes through the diet. I made sure every component of my lifestyle medicine pillars was optimised.

“I was talking to colleagues within the Trust and nationally about long Covid and I realised if I could do the trek then it might inspire others to think about what they could achieve as well.”

She completed the trek with her husband and 11-year-old son, after initially setting herself the target of reaching the base.

“It is a three-day trek around Mount Kailash and we took it very slowly with lots of time to acclimatise. After the first day we had covered 18km, and I was assessed as being safe to continue,” she went on.

“The second day was the hardest and my oxygen levels were very low and I was struggling. The team felt it wasn’t safe for me to walk on the third day, so I ended up doing it in a vehicle while my husband and son walked.

“The sense of accomplishment at the end was still huge. I may be less able than other people of my age but there is always a way if you are willing.”

Dr Thottungal helped set up a long Covid support group for staff across the Trust, who found comfort in realising they were not alone in their struggles.