Kristina Pösinger lies bedbound in a darkened room, unable to tolerate light, sound, or movement. The 38-year-old former retail worker from Gauting near Starnberg, Germany, suffers from the most severe form of Post-COVID syndrome, according to reporting published by the Münchner Merkur.
Bedbound in Gauting
Basic stimuli like conversation or showering cause physical pain. Her sister, Claudia Schiller, told the newspaper about the devastating toll.
A Two-Year Diagnostic Delay
The onset of Pösinger’s symptoms occurred in 2022 following a COVID-19 vaccination. A SARS-CoV-2 infection followed.
These dual medical events triggered escalating exhaustion and physical decline. Pösinger was forced to leave her job, eventually becoming entirely confined to her bed.
Medical professionals struggled to diagnose the condition for two years. Pösinger finally received an official ME/CFS diagnosis in 2024, by which point she was completely housebound.
Strained Family Caregiving
The severity of Pösinger’s condition requires constant care, which is currently managed by her family.
Schiller works part-time and cares for a three-year-old child. Living 80 kilometers away in Eurasburg in the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district, she travels to Gauting two to three times a week to assist.
The care burden involves administrative tasks, medical coordination, and managing daily logistics. Pösinger recently was granted Pflegegrad 3, a state care level that funds an outpatient nursing service to visit three times daily.
Schiller noted to the Münchner Merkur that this care level remains insufficient for a patient requiring continuous assistance with nutrition, hydration, and basic hygiene.
Mounting Financial Pressures
Financial strains compound the family’s difficulties. Off-label medications and infusions prescribed to manage symptoms are largely excluded from statutory health insurance coverage.
These expenses total thousands of euros monthly, according to Schiller. She emphasized that no disease-specific treatments or medications currently hold official approval for ME/CFS.
The scarcity of specialized treatment centers and inpatient facilities across Germany further limits options for professional institutional care. Families are left to shoulder both the financial and physical caregiving responsibilities.