Nearly bed bound with long COVID, now 85-90% normal after gentle exercise
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2 years
- Last post
- Sep 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I got COVID 2 years ago and developed LC symptoms a few weeks after.
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
especially considering I was nearly bed bound and had so many head pressure symptoms
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
am around overall 85-90% myself again
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I got COVID 2 years ago and developed LC symptoms a few weeks after.
In context ↗
Read from 7 of their posts and comments; links to the 5 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user developed long COVID in 2023 and became nearly bed bound with 24/7 ME/CFS, PEM, low blood pressure, dizziness and head-pressure flare-ups. A low-histamine diet, Benadryl and diazepam gave partial relief; fasting helped only briefly and left them cold and weak. After about two years of isolation and healthy eating, and after starting very gentle exercise, nearly all symptoms cleared and about 75% of their PEM went; they rated themselves 85-90% of normal with occasional crashes.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Diazepam/Valium · Helped
I've been on only 5mg daily for 300 days and it still to this day works but like maybe 65% as effective.
In context ↗ - eliminating histamine from diet · Helped
have tried to eliminate it from diet which seemed to help reduce how often these flare-ups occur
In context ↗ - Benadryl · Helped
how alleviating Benadryl is
In context ↗ - Buspar · Helped
Sedating meds like Buspar, Diazepam, and Benadryl help but time is the only thing that treats it.
In context ↗ - fasting · Helped
it does seem to temporarily help but it also makes me feel cold, weak, and sometimes light headeaded
In context ↗ - lots of probiotics · Helped
eating healthy (with lots of probiotics)
In context ↗ - eating healthy · Helped
Nearly all of my LC symptoms went away after 2 years of staying isolated from reinfection and eating healthy
In context ↗ - staying isolated from reinfection · Helped
Nearly all of my LC symptoms went away after 2 years of staying isolated from reinfection
In context ↗ - very low exercises like 5 minutes of basic stretch band pulling · Not said
I also started doing very low exercises like 5 minutes of basic stretch band pulling and random movements to get a little exercise in.
In context ↗ - being careful not to overwork my body · Not said
I still try my best to be careful from overworking my body
In context ↗
Approaches: Supplements
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | got COVID, long COVID symptoms a few weeks laterI got COVID 2 years ago and developed LC symptoms a few weeks after.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| — | nearly bed bound with constant symptoms and head-pressure flare-upsI was nearly bed bound and had so many head pressure symptoms and other problemsIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2025-09-19 | most symptoms cleared after two years of isolation, healthy eating and light exerciseam around overall 85-90% myself againIn context ↗ | Near normal | Probiotics and fermented foods |
Adverse events
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“it does seem to temporarily help but it also makes me feel cold, weak, and sometimes light headeaded” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
about 75% of my PEM is gone ... I still get occasional crashes but only after my REALLY good days where I do way too much
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
low BP, dizziness
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
every couple weeks I randomly feel this headband pressure effect in my head
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
my skin feels slightly numb
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I can't sleep it away because of the numbness making it difficult to get comfortable
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I seem to sweat a lot more than I already do
In context ↗ - Gut problems
it feels like my brain is floating and making me nauseaus
In context ↗
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