Long COVID with PEM and brain fog, close to normal after gall bladder surgery
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3.5 years
- Last post
- Oct 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’m also an OG longhauler with an original infection of january 2020.
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
Two months ago I spent two weeks in bed.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I'm in what I'm calling '90% remission'. ... But I feel great.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
an original infection of january 2020
In context ↗
Read from 23 of their posts and comments; links to the 14 this page draws on
Summary
Bramble 51190 fell ill with long COVID in January 2020 and was worst in summer 2021, with PEM, air hunger, brain fog and heavy limbs. Nattokinase eased breathing within days in 2022; a suspected mono reactivation set them back. Gall bladder surgery in October 2023 was followed by what they called 90% remission, and a 36-hour fast helped a 2025 flare. In October 2025 they still had unresolved PEM.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- nattokinase · Helped a lot
Nattokinase helped me almost immediately. By day three I was taking full satisfying breaths.
In context ↗ - patches · Not said
If you peel off the patches early enough, you won't get the lucid dreams. But patch dreams are wild!
In context ↗ - taking care of myself and not pushing it · Helped
I'm just taking care of myself and not pushing it.
In context ↗ - Mindset · Helped
Mindset is most important. Change the way you react to stressful stimuli and your body won't have anything to react to.
In context ↗ - Chen style (tai chi) stance training · Not said
Chen style (tai chi) stance training is some of the most intense training I've ever done.
In context ↗ - hero trip · No change
Have done two since LC. Neither helped long term.
In context ↗ - Vax · Much worse
then on day two my symptoms came roaring back worse than ever. They would then persist for two years
In context ↗ - gall bladder removed · Helped a lot
Since surgery, I'm in remission so...
In context ↗ - aspirin · Not said
I had been using natto with alternating aspirin, ibuprofin, sildenafil, etc. anything to help remove clots.
In context ↗ - 36 hour fast · Helped
I just completed a 36 hour fast after a flare up of my symptoms ... I feel significantly better
In context ↗
Approaches: Brain retraining · Diet · Pacing · Surgery & structural
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. The chart starts 18 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2020 | COVID-19 infectionan original infection of january 2020In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| summer 2021 | symptoms peaked, with air hunger, PEM and brain fogSymptoms peaked for me in summer of 21 and continued through 22 with improvement after surgery in 23.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2021 | COVID vaccine: one day of relief, then symptoms worse than everVax cured me completely for one day. ... then on day two my symptoms came roaring back worse than everIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| June 2022 | mono reactivation with inflamed tonsils, slept for daysI’ve spent the past 8 days doing almost nothing but sleeping. I still feel lc improved howeverIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| May 2023 | two weeks spent in bedTwo months ago I spent two weeks in bed.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| July 2023 | called it remission; back to work and sports, avoiding overdoing itI'm in what I'm calling remission. ... I'm going to work, shooting hoops, paddle-boarding.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| October 2023 | gall bladder removed after going septic; remission followedWent to the hospital septic and had gall bladder removed. ... Since surgery, I'm in remission so...In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| February 2024 | called it 90% remission and felt greatI'm in what I'm calling '90% remission'. ... But I feel great.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| March 2025 | flare of brain fog, aches and malaiseI just completed a 36 hour fast after a flare up of my symptoms (I was 90% remmission per my own diagnosis prior to the flare up)In context ↗ | Mild | |
| April 2025 | 36-hour fast, flare symptoms abatedthe brainfog, aches and dreaded malaise that resurfaced this last month have abated since I did the fast.In context ↗ | Near normal | Intermittent fasting |
| October 2025 | air hunger long gone but PEM and CFS symptoms unresolvedI’m an OG hauler and I still haven’t resolved PEM or CFS symptoms but my air hunger abated sometime between year two and threeIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Nicotine patches“If you peel off the patches early enough, you won't get the lucid dreams. But patch dreams are wild!” In context ↗ Side effects
- COVID vaccination as treatment“I spent the entire night in tachycardia and drenched in sweat.” In context ↗ Heart rhythm problems
- COVID vaccination as treatment“then on day two my symptoms came roaring back worse than ever. They would then persist for two years” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I still haven’t resolved PEM or CFS symptoms
In context ↗ - Brain fog
the brainfog, aches and dreaded malaise that resurfaced this last month have abated since I did the fast.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
my air hunger abated sometime between year two and three
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
It was nearly three years before I saw improvement in dead weight/double gravity
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
I spent the entire night in tachycardia and drenched in sweat
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
aches and dreaded malaise that resurfaced this last month
In context ↗
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