Long COVID with bad PEM for 18 months, now nearly back to normal
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 18 months
- Last post
- Nov 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I had COVID in February 2020.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
Usually after feeling like shit from 2 to 4 weeks. On those good days I perform close to like I should.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
Mostly recovered after 3.5 years. Still have tinnitus.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
It all started in February 2020.
Read from 7 of their posts and comments; links to the 6 this page draws on
Summary
After COVID in February 2020 he had 18 months of long-COVID symptoms and bad PEM, then improved. A Moderna booster in November 2021 and a reinfection in February 2022 brought symptoms back for about 18 months. Since mid-2023 he has been largely better, walking 10,000 steps a day and lifting weights, though tinnitus remains and overtraining still triggers PEM every few months. He credits no single supplement.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- THC edibles · Helped
I just recently tried THC edibles (no CBD) to counter the exercise induced relapses that usually hit me 24-48h after exercise. So far it has worked but I only just started this experiment about 2 weeks ago.
In context ↗ - nattokinase · Not said
The one supplement that I stuck with for the last 2 years is nattokinase, because I'm terrified of blood clots and having a heart attack.
In context ↗ - vitamin B supplements · Not said
This second time I got better, I was taking nattokinase, vitamin B supplements, NAC and vitamin C.
In context ↗ - NMN · Not said
Just recently I found out about NMN, and I am taking it to support my recovery and hopefully keep it going.
In context ↗ - doing much less at a time · Helped
Then I finally learned to do much less at a time. This allowed me to then very slowly increase the weights and/or repetitions.
In context ↗ - exercise on good days · Worse
As a former athlete, I always kept trying to exercise when I had a good day. That led to a relapse so many times, but I kept trying.
In context ↗ - COVID vaccination as treatment · Worse
In 2021 November I took a moderna booster shot (3rd vaccination) and started having CFS again
In context ↗
Approaches: Pacing · 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. The first step with a time is 18 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. The dashed part: the story doesn’t say when. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| February 2020 | COVID-19 infectionI had COVID in February 2020.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| 2020-2021 | 18 months of symptoms and bad PEM in a push-crash loopThere's that invisible line and crossing it means that the next period of shitty 2-4 weeks will start in the next 24-48 hours.In context ↗ | Mild |
| August 2021 | better for 3 monthsThen I got better for 3 months and thought I was cured.In context ↗ | Near normal |
| November 2021 | CFS returned after Moderna boosterIn 2021 November I took a moderna booster shot (3rd vaccination) and started having CFS againIn context ↗ | Mild |
| February 2022 | COVID reinfectionthen I got COVID again in February 2022In context ↗ | Mild |
| June 2023 | last PEM relapse, then steady improvementLong Covid symptoms continued for about 18 months again, until I had my last PEM relapse in June of this year.In context ↗ | Mild |
| November 2023 | walking 10k steps and lifting weights twice a weekI'm walking 10k steps a day most days, go to the gym and lift weights twice a weekIn context ↗ | Near normal |
| November 2025 | PEM only every few months after overtrainingNow I only get PEM maybe every 4 months, because I start thinking I have been cured and then train too hardIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“In 2021 November I took a moderna booster shot (3rd vaccination) and started having CFS again” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
the exercise induced relapses that usually hit me 24-48h after exercise
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
Tinnitus has not gone away, though.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
I've had many episodes of stabbing pains, and one with excruciating pain in my left arm that made me go to the ER.
In context ↗
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