Unable to work for a year with long COVID, now slowly improving with time and cetirizine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 years
- Last post
- Jan 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
have been in various states of long covid, CFS, PEM etc since then
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
trying to work usually brings about a big crash. I only have fatigue/neuro symptoms now but that's enough to keep me from working
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I am improving but very slowly
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I got covid in the first wave
Read from 6 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user who caught COVID in the first wave and was infected at least twice more described years of long covid, CFS and PEM, and had been unable to work for a year because trying to work caused big crashes. By late 2024 they had only fatigue and neuro symptoms left and were improving very slowly, crediting time, week-long juice fasts, sauna and cold plunges, light exercise and cetirizine, with magnesium before bed helping sleep.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- the vax · Helped
My experience is that the vax helps infection symptoms be much less severe.
In context ↗ - time · Helped
I suspect time, but also week long juice fasts, sauna + cold plunges & light exercise.
In context ↗ - juice fasts · Helped a lot
I've been doing juice fasts, which help me a LOT
In context ↗ - sauna · Helped
sauna + cold plunges & light exercise
In context ↗ - piriteze (cetrizine hydrochloride) · Helped
Basic hay-fever medicine also helps alleviate symptoms for me. I take piriteze (cetrizine hydrochloride).
In context ↗ - a rainbow of supplements · Not said
I've absolutely smashed a rainbow of supplements but couldn't tell you if they helped or not.
In context ↗ - Magnesium · Helped a lot
Magnesium before bed to get good sleeps helps hugely also.
In context ↗
Approaches: Alternative therapies · Diet · Exercise and activity
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| first wave | COVID in the first wave, then long covid/CFS/PEMI got covid in the first wave, had it at least a couple of times more, & have been in various states of long covid, CFS, PEM etc since thenIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| 2024 | stopped working after repeated crashesI haven't worked for a year - was always self employed but trying to work usually brings about a big crash.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-01-03 | slow improvement; only fatigue and neuro symptoms left, still not workingThe improvement curve is very slightly upwards this yearIn context ↗ | Moderate | Time and spontaneous remission |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
trying to work usually brings about a big crash
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Magnesium before bed to get good sleeps helps hugely also.
In context ↗
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