Long COVID with brain fog and fatigue, much better after vaccination and Paxlovid
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5.5 years
- Last post
- Jul 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
some symptoms I now recognize as ong haul
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
even going up stairs made me intensely out of breath, and logging onto work remotely knocked me out for the rest of the day
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
Full recovery is elusive for me, but I definitely experienced slow, steady improvement that has levelled off over time.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I caught covid right at lockdown in NYC in March 2020.
Read from 46 of their posts and comments; links to the 24 this page draws on
Summary
Prairie 96122 caught COVID in March 2020 and developed long COVID with loss of smell, brain fog, breathlessness, fatigue, headaches and dizziness. Slow early improvement, then vaccination in March 2021 gave a large gain; supplements, diet, vestibular therapy and Paxlovid helped further. Omicron, work stress and seasonal changes caused relapses. By 2024 energy was about 80% of pre-illness; by July 2025 improvement had levelled off and full recovery was still elusive.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- slow incremental activity / interval training · Helped
For CFS/PEM: extremely slow incremental activity (snail's pace). I walked for a full year before I started to add in some jogging.
In context ↗ - vaccination · Helped a lot
Vaccination made a huge positive difference for me in March of 2021.
In context ↗ - zyrtec · Helped
This sub helped me a great deal to figure out what worked to me (in my case, zyrtec, pepcid, b12, vitamin d, vitamin c, zinc, melatonin, and slowly layering interval training for any exercise).
In context ↗ - b12 · Helped
I added supplements (B, C, D, Zinc) and a probiotic for GI stuff which further improved my symptoms.
In context ↗ - elements of a low histamine diet · Not said
after reading about low histamine diets on here, adopted elements of that diet into my eating without fully going low histamine
In context ↗ - low glycemic index / reduced carb, whole grain diet · Helped
I was pushed into the pre diabetic range by COVID and got that down with some diet adjustments and a little weight loss.
In context ↗ - vestibular physical therapy · Helped a lot
Yes-- the best thing I've found is vestibular physical therapy. ... I'm 6 weeks into therapy and feeling so much better.
In context ↗ - paxlovid · Helped a lot
It helped me immensely. I'm 3 months out from my paxlovid course and I am so much less exhausted and brain foggy.
In context ↗ - magnesium supplements · Helped
magnesium supplements as req'd by my neuro
In context ↗ - a new med for particularly bad migraine/headaches · Helped
a new med for particularly bad ones helped there
In context ↗ - light box · Helped
For the seasonal slide: a light box that I consistently use each AM.
In context ↗ - increased salt · Not said
This just cropped up for me 2 years into LC. I've upped salt
In context ↗ - caffeine · Not said
am occasionally ingesting caffeine as a stop gap when I feel real crappy cause it's a vasoconstrictor
In context ↗ - radical rest · Helped
I have to go back to radical rest/no exercise/minimize activities until I am fully healed or it can become a major setback.
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · H2 blockers · Alternative therapies · Antivirals · Physiotherapy and rehab · 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 infection and long COVID onseteven going up stairs made me intensely out of breath, and logging onto work remotely knocked me out for the rest of the dayIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| around September 2020 | slow improvement over first six months, then plateauI slowly improved over the first 6 months ... and then plateaued for a while at a place where I was functionalIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| March 2021 | large positive response to vaccinationVaccination made a huge positive difference for me in March of 2021.In context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| December 2021 | omicron reinfection set back energyUnfortunately, in December I got omicron'd, which set me back a littleIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| February 2022 | rebuilt to a solid 90 percentI can't say 100%, but I'm at a solid 90%.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| July 2022 | third COVID infectionUnfortunately I'm currently recovering from a third infectionIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| August 2022 | Paxlovid course and recoveryI'm now three weeks out from finishing my paxlovid and it's going well.In context ↗ | Near normal | Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir |
| November 2022 | crashed after a second jogI jogged for the first time in months after slowly working up and felt great. Decided to do it a second time later in the week.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| November 2023 | seasonal slideI'm deep in the seasonal slide I experience every time this year since LCIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| November 2023 | baseline much closer to normal but relapses persistMy baseline is much closer to normal these days. But things still cause relapsesIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| May 2024 | energy about 80% of pre-illness; exercise possible when restedmy general energy level most days is at probably 80% of where it was pre-LC, which is a huge improvementIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| July 2025 | improvement levelled off; full recovery elusiveFull recovery is elusive for me, but I definitely experienced slow, steady improvement that has levelled off over time.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“I got Moderna Friday and have had a little reactivation of dizziness from it.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Other than terrible sore arm” In context ↗ Side effects
- Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir“It was like having an entire mouth full of loose change/stomach acid” In context ↗ Side effects
- Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir“Biggest rec is to keep some hard candy or riccolas on hand for the metal mouth” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Loss of smell or taste
my smell was still completely gone
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I also have days where my brain fog is almost completely gone
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
even going up stairs made me intensely out of breath
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
For CFS/PEM: extremely slow incremental activity (snail's pace).
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
I got Moderna Friday and have had a little reactivation of dizziness from it.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I also had persistent headaches but it wasn't so much PT that improved those
In context ↗ - Gut problems
my stomach mostly behaves itself
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
extreme anxiety over my employment
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
I am still weak, but I can tell I'm on the upswing.
In context ↗
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