Long COVID with chest pain and brain fog, some improvement on low-histamine diet
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 19 months
- Last post
- Apr 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’d like to believe that these symptoms are related to long-COVID
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I'm unable to exercise and hardly go for walks because of the sudden dizziness and disregulation I experience
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I'm still much in the same state unfortunately, with some minor progress here and there.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I’d like to believe that these symptoms are related to long-COVID. Though I only tested positive once in 2022, there’s no uncertainty that I was asymptomatic after coming back home from Japan, especially since the group I was traveling with caught something at the end of the trip.
Read from 4 of their posts and comments; links to the 4 this page draws on
Summary
A 27-year-old in the US with longstanding chest pain experienced a heart-attack-like ER episode, panic, dizziness, light and sound sensitivity, brain fog and swallowing trouble from September 2023, a month after a trip to Japan where they suspect they caught COVID. Heart tests found little and a five-month antifungal course brought no relief; they were diagnosed with autism while on leave from work. A low-histamine diet improved energy and sleep, but by April 2025 they were still much the same, with only minor progress.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Buspirone · No change
I begin trials with Buspirone and then later Zoloft ... I didn’t find relief from either
In context ↗ - Zoloft · No change
then later Zoloft ... I didn’t find relief from either, but during these trials I experienced difficulty swallowing
In context ↗ - septoplasty surgery · Not said
I took leave from work, for an unrelated septoplasty surgery, that ended up extending for several months
In context ↗ - anti-fungal · No change
I spent 5 months on an anti-fungal, without relief from my symptoms
In context ↗ - low-histamine diet · Helped
I have been experimenting with a low-histamine diet and have seen improvements in energy and sleep
In context ↗ - acupuncture · Not said
I was able to tolerate being by myself during an acupuncture appointment yesterday
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | Symptoms began a month after a trip to Japan, starting with an ER trip for what felt like a heart attackI started experiencing symptoms a month after I got back from a trip to Japan in August 2023.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2024-11-10 | Burnt out; unable to drive, play games or watch TV, unable to exerciseI can't drive, play any video games or watch TV without feeling overwhelmed by flashing lights and quick movements, I'm unable to exercise and hardly go for walksIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2024-12-17 | Some improvement in energy and sleep on a low-histamine dietI have been experimenting with a low-histamine diet and have seen improvements in energy and sleep.In context ↗ | Moderate | Low-histamine diet |
| 2025-04-13 | Still much the same state with minor progress; exploring mast cell activationI'm still much in the same state unfortunately, with some minor progress here and there.In context ↗ | Moderate |
Adverse events
- Buspirone (Buspar), Sertraline (Zoloft)“during these trials I experienced difficulty swallowing” In context ↗ Side effects
- “I was only met with terrible anxiety from the constant low alarms I was getting” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
have been compounded by debilitating brain-fog, dissociation, and high anxiety
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I was sensitive to stimuli; particularly with flashing lights and sound
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
compounded by debilitating brain-fog, dissociation, and high anxiety
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
often feeling dizzy often throughout my days
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
findings of an irregular heart pattern on my EKG
In context ↗ - Gut problems
during these trials I experienced difficulty swallowing
In context ↗ - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
leaning towards a potential diagnosis of mass cell activation
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
have seen improvements in energy and sleep
In context ↗
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