Long COVID with fatigue and brain fog, now near normal with training still limited
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 6 months
- Last post
- Jan 2023
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Had COVID last November, had long COVID most of the year
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I had mild long COVID
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I'm totally fine with normal daily functions and work but easing back into cycling ... doing to much makes some LC symptoms come back.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
8 months later I got very mild covid from a co-worker.
In context ↗
Read from 29 of their posts and comments; links to the 17 this page draws on
Summary
Cyclist who caught COVID in November 2021 developed long COVID a month later, with fatigue, brain fog, headaches, insomnia and heart symptoms; mild but life altering, and they stopped cycling for a year. A Pfizer booster in May 2022 cleared most symptoms within a day, though some crept back. High-intensity intervals in August 2022 caused a hard relapse; a mild reinfection in December 2022 left them near normal, with training still limited.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- light exercise (short walks, easy cycling) · Helped
very light exercise has been critical to recovery ... keep it light and slowly build from there
In context ↗ - coffee · Helped
Coffee helped take the edge off brain fog most of the time but sometimes not.
In context ↗ - Pfister COVID booster · Helped a lot
We ended up getting the Pfister booster in May and it knocked out the vast majority of our long COVID symptoms in literally a single day.
In context ↗ - high intensity interval training · Much worse
A high intensity interval session I did a week and a half ago made my long COVID hit back hard.
In context ↗ - Benadryl · Helped
For me getting a consistent good night's rest was extremely important with recovering and Benadryl was a major part of that.
In context ↗ - puzzle games and the Brilliant app · Helped
I have some puzzle games on my phone and the Brilliant app. ... This mental engagement helped quite a bit
In context ↗ - sleeping as much as possible · Helped
forcing myself to get as much sleep as possible has helped the most
In context ↗ - resting and setting cycling aside · Helped
I more or less put cycling or any kind of exercise aside last year and just spent as much time as possible resting.
In context ↗ - physical therapy · Helped
The PT solved my air hunger issues by fixing muscle imbalances and poor flexibility.
In context ↗ - stretching and strengthening · Helped
I largely haven't had any air hunger issues since committing to stretching and strengthening to fix my hunched over posture and tight chest / sternum.
In context ↗ - deep, slow breathing exercises · Helped
Practicing deep, slow breathing exercises can really help with this and reduce anxiety as a bonus.
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · Physiotherapy and rehab · Radical rest · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2021 | very mild COVID infection caught from a co-worker8 months later I got very mild covid from a co-worker.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| December 2021 | long COVID set in a month after the infection, possibly after too much exerciseA month after that is when long covid set in. I'm pretty sure I kicked off the long covid with to much exercise too soon after the infection.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| May 2022 | Pfizer booster knocked out most long COVID symptoms in a dayWe ended up getting the Pfister booster in May and it knocked out the vast majority of our long COVID symptoms in literally a single day.In context ↗ | Near normal | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| July 2022 | symptoms much better, rebuilt cycling base to 4-5 hours a weekTwo months ago symptoms got much better and I gently worked back into building an aerobic base. Got up to 4 to 5 hours a weekIn context ↗ | Near normal | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| late August 2022 | crashed after a high-intensity interval session and poor sleepThat and a lack of adequate sleep made my symptoms hit back hard with heart palpitations, brain fog, heavy fatigue and insomniaIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| September 2022 | recovering quickly from the exercise-triggered relapse with rest and sleepIt's been almost two weeks and I'm recovering pretty quick luckily.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| December 2022 | mild COVID reinfection, then felt close to pre-COVIDafter about two weeks both of us feel great. Actually feeling very close to how we felt before initial covid infection in Nov 2021.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| January 2023 | normal daily functions and work, easing back into cycling cautiouslyI'm totally fine with normal daily functions and work but easing back into cycling.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
If the training load gets to high and there isn't enough rest in between it will trigger brain fog and that heavy LC fatigue.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
now dealing with long COVID brain fog, headaches, fatigue, insomnia along with total absence of appetite
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Which is hard with the insomnia that comes with long COVID.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I've had long covid fatigue, headaches, GI and a variety of other related issues on and off since last November
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
Woke up one night with my heart pounding and racing
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I did have some air hunger with covid but it eased up everytime I did some stretching.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
It certainly gave me anxiety even though there was nothing to be anxious about.
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Not enough detail to draw a path
Neuro long COVID with dizziness and brain fog, now close to normal after rest and pacing
A woman in her thirties in Germany developed neuro long COVID after a first COVID infection in 2024, with dizziness, brain fog and headaches. She credits radical rest, pacing and a three-month break from work; a first Novavax shot helped clear the last…
-
Bedbound with long COVID, now much better on low-dose naltrexone and Valtrex
They caught COVID in December 2023; by mid-2024 a crash after a trip left them bed-bound, unable to tolerate light or sound. Low-dose naltrexone, titrated slowly from 0.10mg to 1mg, plus Valtrex, beta blockers and other drugs, improved their baseline from…
-
Couchbound with long COVID, now much better with antihistamines and pacing
They fell ill with long COVID in April 2022; a second infection and a Moderna booster with flu shot that autumn left them couchbound with severe cognitive problems. Antihistamines, nattokinase, Wellbutrin, Vyvanse and memantine helped; LDN was unclear, and…
-
Housebound with long COVID for a year, now fully recovered after time and rest
Petrel 15852 caught COVID-19 in March 2020 and was housebound for about a year with fever, sore throat and headaches; she stayed limited for two years. She credits time, rest and very gradual paced activity; her second Moderna dose in April 2021 brought a…