Long COVID with brain fog and breathlessness, mostly normal after probiotics and time
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Feb 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Sufferer of LC for a few years, still have lovely heart rate spikes
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I still hit the gym, go hiking, and do yard work but I need to rest a lot and usually crash and sleep for a few hours right after.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
Took me two and a half years to get back to mostly normal. ... Mine cleared up a lot during normal day to day, but if I work out or move around too fast, it'll start it's confusion and skip a lot.
- Began after: COVID
I had it pre-vaccine availability in 2020. Hit like a truck for a week
Read from 20 of their posts and comments; links to the 13 this page draws on
Summary
Alpine 64845, a software engineer in Utah, caught COVID-19 in 2020 at age 36 and was left with brain fog, heart palpitations, breathlessness and unrefreshing sleep. He credits probiotics and time, saying he got back to mostly normal after about a year and a half to two and a half years. Heart rate spikes persisted, and fatigue was still an issue in early 2022; in 2024 he was found to have low vitamin D.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- time · Helped
I can't say that this exact thing helped, versus just time ... Probiotics were my savior, and time, lots of time.
- stimulant · No change
No available stimulant helps (no, not the illegal kinds).
In context ↗ - gym, hiking and yard work · Worse
I still hit the gym, go hiking, and do yard work but I need to rest a lot and usually crash and sleep for a few hours right after.
In context ↗ - K2+D3 and high-dose Vitamin D · Helped
K2+D3 and C-Vitamin tablets help a lot. ... It's much better now that I am heavily dosing Vitamin D.
- C-Vitamin tablets · Helped
K2+D3 and C-Vitamin tablets help a lot.
In context ↗ - AliveCor KardiaMobile · Not said
I picked up an AliveCor KardiaMobile device ($80) that I can do 2-6 lead EKG's any time I want.
In context ↗ - keto · Not said
Tried to get back into it but stopped when the heart palpations were causing me to almost pass out.
In context ↗ - probiotics / Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics · Helped
I found probiotics help. ... Probiotics were my savior
- vitamins · Helped
I have to take a lot of vitamins, probiotics to feel "good".
In context ↗ - vaccination · No change
I'm vaccinated as well now. Didn't improve my long covid issues in any measurable way.
In context ↗ - pain meds · No change
Pain meds barely touched it.
In context ↗
Approaches: Supplements
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | COVID-19 infection, ill for a week with headache for two monthsHit like a truck for a week, headache for almost 2 months.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2020-09-04 | palpitations with dizziness, resting heart rate 100-130, brain fog, 2-3 naps a dayHeart palpations to the point of getting dizzyIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021 | second COVID infectionI had covid a year ago, then again a few months ago.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021-12 | focus and brain fog starting to improveI'm a year into this and things are finally starting to get better.In context ↗ | Mild | Probiotics and fermented foods |
| 2023-01-18 | back to mostly normalTook me two and a half years to get back to mostly normal.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| 2023-12-28 | repeated illness with lingering coughwas sick, slightly better, then sick again, and now a lingering cough that just won't go awayIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-02-28 | mostly normal, heart rate spikes remain, low vitamin D foundIt's much better now that I am heavily dosing Vitamin D.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I need to rest a lot and usually crash and sleep for a few hours right after.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I spent 2 years with brain fog, memory issues.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
If I get up and move around too fast, it feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I can't get enough rest.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
headache for almost 2 months
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
still have lovely heart rate spikes
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I was stopping to catch my breath every couple of minutes
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I now run at a pretty consistent 96.7 degrees.
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
Random cold like symptoms that would clear up after a few hours
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
Could barely type or move the mouse
In context ↗
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