How it went
Did it last?
- 6 of 17 said the benefit wore off: the 6 who relapsed.
- No one said they needed to keep it up to stay well.
Read from what people wrote. A story that ends without a follow-up counts as lasting, so treat these as minimums.
| Outcome described | Accounts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Full recovery | 4 | 24% |
| Near-full | 1 | 6% |
| Substantial | 1 | 6% |
| Partial | 5 | 29% |
| Relapsed | 6 | 35% |
| No benefit | 0 | 0% |
By how ill people were
| Severity at worst | How it went | n | Recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 2 | 0% | |
| Severe | 6 | 33% | |
| Very severe | 1 | 100% |
8 accounts don’t say how ill the person was.
Who published these accounts
Right-hand number: share describing a full or near-full recovery. Pages that sell something, and advocacy sites, tend to publish only the successes.
Specific treatments in these accounts
- TreatmentHow it wentRecoveredFaded
- Time and spontaneous remission13 accounts
38% 15%
- Radical rest4 accounts
50% 25%
- Pacing and the energy envelope3 accounts
33% 0%
Within the accounts on this page. Grey numbers rest on fewer than 10 accounts.
All 17 accounts
-
Data on How 87 People Recovered from Long COVID, Post-Vax and ME/CFS
Credits time alone. glenn_chan had long COVID and reports a partial improvement. Survey of 1,456 respondents; time was the most-cited factor.
-
What Does It Mean to Recover From Long Covid?
Credits radical rest and time alone. An unnamed patient was ill 6mo with long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Second-hand: self-employed friend recovered via total rest.
-
We need to talk about Long Covid
Credits radical rest, pacing and time alone. Peter Geoghegan was ill 6mo with severe long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Journalist; subsisted on soup and Simpsons reruns while resting.
-
Surviving ME/CFS by Russell Fleming - Part 2
Credits time alone, pacing and radical rest. Russell was ill 23y with severe ME/CFS and reports a partial improvement. ME Association piece stresses stabilisation not cure.
-
Good, not great: some long Covid patients see symptoms improve
Credits time alone. Joni White was ill 13mo with severe long COVID and reports a partial improvement. Almost there but couldn't resume work as a glass artist.
-
Recovery From Post Covid Lung Fibrosis
Credits time alone. An unnamed patient was ill 72d with severe long COVID and reports a substantial improvement. Hospitalised 72 days, weaned off oxygen, now walking.
-
Sangeetha Kolpattil: Covid-19 - do not give up
Credits rehab program and time alone. Sangeetha Kolpattil was ill 10mo with very-severe long COVID and is described as fully recovered. Radiologist; 107 ICU days intubated; now walks 3 miles daily.
-
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Credits radical rest and time alone. Hannah was ill 10mo with severe long COVID, improved, then relapsed. UK physio relapsed after home-renovation exertion.
-
Explaining Paul Garner's Long COVID Recovery Story
Credits CBT or psychological work, brain retraining and time alone. Paul Garner was ill 10mo with severe long COVID and is described as almost fully recovered. Critics call the timing coincidental, not the technique.
-
Does anyone with CFS get back to 100% ever?
Credits time alone. Wishful had ME/CFS, improved, then relapsed. Recovered to 100% several times, never for longer than a day.
-
The Temporary Recovery Stories (Rose)
Commenter Rose, ill for about forty years, described having had seven remissions of varying length since her teens. She mentioned a recent near-remission week that followed a course of antibiotics for a chest infection.
-
The Temporary Recovery Stories (Gemma)
Commenter Gemma described a twelve-month remission that began with an unusual draining sensation from her head following a stress-related crash. Her symptoms gradually crept back after about a year.
-
Cristina's Story
Credits pacing and time alone. Cristina was ill 4mo with moderate long COVID and reports a partial improvement. ICU nurse; wants two symptom-free weeks before resuming shifts.
-
Tenofovir (Viread) / Raltegravir (Isentress) Cures ME/CFS Patient Sick for 20 Yrs + Tenofovir Poll
Took tenofovir and raltegravir continuously for four years for ME/CFS that began after a measles/rubella/polio booster as a teenager, with extensive testing having ruled out Lyme disease. Quoted directly as saying "After 20 years of ME I am now cured. My 4th…
-
Living My Life for ME, Not for M.E
Credits purpose and time alone. Vikki was ill 3y with moderate ME/CFS and reports a partial improvement. Baking business became turning point amid fluctuating symptoms.
-
If you were in remission, what tests would you run?
Went into complete remission of her ME/CFS symptoms during pregnancy, without a deliberate treatment causing it, and found her symptoms "came back pretty quickly" after giving birth. About three years after her son's birth she says she is "getting back to…
-
What treatments HAVE ACTUALLY helped?
Used acupuncture and Chinese herbs and, after 5 years of illness, recovered fully and stayed well for 8 years before later relapsing. She is explicit that she doesn't claim the treatment caused the recovery, noting she personally knows over a dozen people…