Long COVID: showers exhausting, stairs nearly impossible; much better with physio, e-bike
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 1 year
- Last post
- Dec 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I was diagnosed with long covid in 2022!
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
Even taking a shower took too much energy. After showering, I would go back to bed. Climbing stairs was also nearly impossible.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
I almost fully recovered earlier this year ... since November, the dull hearing hasn’t improved.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I contracted COVID at the end of 2021
In context ↗
Read from 5 of their posts and comments; links to the 4 this page draws on
Summary
A 33-year-old caught COVID at the end of 2021 and was diagnosed with long COVID in 2022; at worst, showering exhausted them and stairs were nearly impossible. Twice-weekly physiotherapy and gentle e-bike rides brought most energy back over about a year; by 2024 they had almost fully recovered, working out and working full-time. Reinfections in June and November 2024 brought dull hearing in both ears, and the June infection left them without smell or taste; since late November they have had daily dizziness, sometimes almost fainting, and by December 2024 they were still unwell.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- rehabilitation with a physiotherapist · Helped a lot
This eventually helped me get back on my feet months later / a year later, combined with gentle cycling on an e-bike, my energy mostly returned.
In context ↗ - NSAIDS (Ibropufen, Diclofonac) · Worse
they don’t help for the pain, but they also even make me more dizzy / drunk feeling while sitting or standing
In context ↗
Approaches: Exercise and activity · Physiotherapy and rehab
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 |
|---|---|---|
| end of 2021 | COVID-19; long COVID diagnosed in 2022I contracted COVID at the end of 2021In context ↗ | Severe |
| a year later | physiotherapy rehab plus gentle e-bike riding; energy mostly returnedThis eventually helped me get back on my feet months later / a year later, combined with gentle cycling on an e-bike, my energy mostly returned.In context ↗ | Mild |
| early 2024 | almost fully recovered, working out and working full-timeI almost fully recovered earlier this year. I was working out, working full-time, and feeling good.In context ↗ | Near normal |
| June 2024 | suspected COVID reinfection on holiday at Lake Garda; lost smell and taste, blocked ears, breathlessnessThis year unfortunately I got struck with COVID in June, and since then lost my taste and smell.In context ↗ | Mild |
| November 2024 | second COVID reinfection; dull hearing and daily dizzinessI had COVID reinfections in June and November 2024, with new symptoms this time.In context ↗ | Mild |
| December 2024 | still dizzy daily, dull hearing, no smell or tasteNow, since 2 weeks I’m also experiencing dizziness throughout the day, sometimes to the point of almost fainting.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- “they don’t help for the pain, but they also even make me more dizzy / drunk feeling while sitting or standing” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Even taking a shower took too much energy. After showering, I would go back to bed.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
since 2 weeks I’m also experiencing dizziness throughout the day, sometimes to the point of almost fainting
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
since then lost my taste and smell. And it isn’t back jet.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I cannot get enough air from one breath
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
2 weeks ago I got flu - like symptoms.
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
due to lower back pain since a few weeks
In context ↗
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