Breathlessness and fatigue with long COVID, now near normal with inhalers and Pfizer dose
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 13 months
- Last post
- Jul 2021
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
apparently that was a long COVID symptom I had and wasn't me being super out of shape
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I had a severe shortness of breath ... With that came GI issues, extreme fatigue, headaches, and a loss of smell.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
So back to my version of normal.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I got COVID back in March 2020.
Read from 6 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
Wave 72844 caught COVID in March 2020 and was left with severe breathlessness, GI issues, extreme fatigue, headaches and lost smell, relapsing whenever they tried to be active. Asthma inhalers from a specialist began a slow four-month recovery, and the first Pfizer dose in March 2021 ended their breathlessness; they felt 99.5% back to their old self. By July 2021 their GI issues and migraines were gone and their inhaler dose was halved.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- dexamethasone and prednisone · Not said
I got dexamethasone and more prednisone and antibiotics
In context ↗ - time · Helped
I feel like I started slowly improving 6 months after getting COVID
In context ↗ - inhaled corticosteroid (daily asthma medication) · Helped
He reduced my inhaled corticosteroid dosage from 200mg to 100mg and I have felt fine.
In context ↗ - albuterol rescue inhaler · Helped
my rescue inhaler has been very helpful, especially if I am going to do more intense activities
In context ↗ - allergy shots · Helped
starting allergy shots to address whatever inflammatory effects my pre-existing allergies were causing
In context ↗ - high-dose curcumin supplement · Helped
I took/take 1000mg of curcumin supplements twice a day.
In context ↗ - NAC · Helped
NAC as a supplement which helped my SOB and chest tightness
In context ↗ - Pfizer vaccine · Helped a lot
what seemed to really change things for me was getting the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine about two weeks ago
In context ↗
Approaches: Antihistamines & MCAS · Radical rest · Supplements · Vaccination
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | COVID-19 with severe breathlessness, throat closing, GI issues, fatigue, headache, lost smellI got COVID back in March 2020. I had a severe shortness of breath and the worst part was that it felt like my throat was closing upIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| two weeks into illness | relapse with breathlessness and fever, back in urgent caretwo weeks later I was back in urgent care with SOB and a feverIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| about 6 months in (around September 2020) | started slowly improving; asthma specialist prescribed daily medications and four months of steady improvement followedI ended up going to an asthma specialist and got prescribed several medications. That was when I was able to start recovering.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| late March 2021 | first Pfizer dose; no more breathlessness episodes and heart rate fellwhat seemed to really change things for me was getting the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine about two weeks ago. I haven't had a shortness of breath episode since and my heart rate has gone downIn context ↗ | Near normal | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| 2021-07-12 | breathing better than a normal person without asthma on half the steroid dose; GI issues and migraines goneSo back to my version of normal.In context ↗ | Near normal | COVID vaccination as treatment |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
I had a severe shortness of breath
In context ↗ - Gut problems
With that came GI issues
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
the migraines I started getting after the acute phase of Covid had diminished dramatically after the second shot
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
a loss of smell
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
any time I tried to be remotely active I would relapse and all the symptoms would come back
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my heart rate has gone down - apparently that was a long COVID symptom I had
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I am still afraid of exercising because of what that did to me after I got sick
In context ↗ - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
I would love to not get wheezy when I smell cut grass, but that was an issue before Covid.
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I was back in urgent care with SOB and a fever
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Bedbound with long COVID after a brain event, now nearly normal with nerve blocks and diet
An actor in Los Angeles caught COVID in November 2022 and again in January 2023, then became bedbound after a seizure-like 'brain event'. A Moderna bivalent booster lifted her to about 95% in May 2023, but symptoms returned that winter. Lidocaine nerve…
-
Long COVID bedbound at 5%, now much better but housebound, helped by pacing and LDN
A trans man who caught COVID in March 2020 developed long covid with brain fog, fatigue and tachycardia, recovering about 85% over 14 months with time alone. A May 2022 reinfection left them bed bound at about 5% of baseline; a third infection in August…
-
Long COVID brain fog, insomnia and gut pain, much better after pacing and diet
Coast 14692, a 33-year-old man, fell ill after COVID in August 2024; symptoms eased in September, then returned in October with tachycardia, high blood pressure, brain fog, insomnia and gut pain. Metoprolol, Pepcid, a clean diet and months of rest and pacing…
-
ME/CFS worsened by early exercise, now much better with pacing and LDN
Bramble 41911 got ME/CFS from a mild covid infection in March 2020 and worsened after exercising early on. After two years, beta blockers for POTS, LDN, sleep meds and careful pacing brought slow, partial improvement. By 2024 they worked full time remotely…