Long COVID, unable to last two minutes on a treadmill, somewhat better with pacing
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Jun 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I had my first appt for physical therapy for long covid. I've had it a year
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I didn't last 2 minutes. My HR got up to 142 ... Too tired to meal prep or make good choices
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
Over the weeks I could walk farther. I learned to listen to my body.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I had Covid early 2022, but was better in 6 months.
Read from 7 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
A former personal trainer, they had COVID in early 2022 and recovered within six months, but long COVID began around early 2024. By January 2025 they could not last two minutes on a treadmill. Low-dose Adderall crashed them after two weeks, another treatment caused disabling headaches, and allergy shots brought a five-day crash. Physical therapy taught them pacing and they could walk farther, though crashes still set them back.
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What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- physical therapy for long covid (pacing) · Helped
She really taught me a lot about pacing. ... Over the weeks I could walk farther. I learned to listen to my body.
In context ↗ - low dose Adderall · Worse
My dr put me on low dose Adderall to help me. F'ed me up. After 14 days I fully crashed.
In context ↗ - nicotine patches · Worse
Within a few days I got pounding headaches. Might have raised my blood pressure that was already a tad high. I had to stop.
In context ↗ - allergy shots · Worse
By the time I got to half dose I was messed up for days. Too scared to try it again. ... then had a 5 day crash where I couldn't even work. It was the worst.
In context ↗
Approaches: Pacing
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 12 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 |
|---|---|---|
| early 2024 | long COVID began after a second COVID infectionI've had it a year, just find out there was a long covid clinic available in my area.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| 2025-01-14 | first long COVID physical therapy visit; treadmill walk testI didn't last 2 minutes. My HR got up to 142In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2025-07-05 | crashed after 14 days on low-dose AdderallAfter 14 days I fully crashed. Took serval days until I recovered.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2025-12-18 | disabling headaches from nicotine patches, had to stopWithin a few days I got pounding headaches. ... The pounding headaches were disabling.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2026-06-10 | physical therapy with pacing; could walk farther and do more repsOver the weeks I could walk farther. I learned to listen to my body. I could do 5 reps for legs and up to 7 for arms.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2026-06-15 | five-day crash from allergy shot dose increase; stopped them, plans to retry laterthen had a 5 day crash where I couldn't even workIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Amphetamine salts (Adderall)“F'ed me up. After 14 days I fully crashed. Took serval days until I recovered.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Nicotine patches“Within a few days I got pounding headaches. Might have raised my blood pressure that was already a tad high. I had to stop. The pounding headaches were disabling.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Allergy shots (immunotherapy)“Then I started the 1-10 month. By the time I got to half dose I was messed up for days. Too scared to try it again.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I had 3 covid crashes that month (what I can it when you sleep for 3 days after working to hard)
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
you sleep for 3 days after working to hard
In context ↗ - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
I had one for a month a few years ago (that's when I found out I was allergic)
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
If I got out of breath, we'd sit in chairs and she'd check my heart rate
In context ↗
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