Five months of long COVID fever, PEM and insomnia, now recovered after pacing and time
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 months
- Last post
- May 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
My Long Covid and Recovery / Remission Experience
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I can walk a mile or two no problem. That wasn't the case two months ago.
In context ↗ - Now: Recovered
Yep, fully recovered since May of 2023.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Got infected in Dec 22. Got better.
In context ↗
Read from 98 of their posts and comments; links to the 19 this page draws on
Summary
A 43-year-old male marathon runner developed long COVID after a mild infection in December 2022 and crashed in January after resuming training too soon. For about five months he had a low-grade fever, PEM, insomnia and night sweats, and could not run. He credits time, pacing, a low-sugar diet, beet juice and morning sunlight, and possibly a five-day course of Paxlovid. He recovered after a brief later relapse, though he still wakes early and tolerates alcohol poorly.
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What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- Much better diet · Helped
Much better diet. Eliminate added sugar foods.
In context ↗ - morning sunlight outdoors · Helped
Yes, I got the sense that sunlight helped me.
In context ↗ - beet juice · Helped
When I first tried drinking beet juice (which I hated at first) it made a big improvement right away.
In context ↗ - Natto · Helped
I like to think it helped me recover.
In context ↗ - Serra · Not said
Also combining with Serra and Aspirin.
In context ↗ - baby aspirin · Helped
Nattokinase/baby aspirin on empty stomach.
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
Pacing. This was tricky. Started with slow walks, then eventually moved up to run/walks, slow runs, etc.
In context ↗ - walk/runs · Helped
It was when I started doing very small steps that things started to turn around.
In context ↗ - Paxlovid · Helped
I was able to get a 5 day dose at month 4. I noticed a slight benefit.
In context ↗ - intermittent fasting · Helped
It worsened my symptoms as well, BUT my baseline seemed to improve in the days/weeks following.
In context ↗ - anti-histamines · No change
I did try taking anti-histamines, but they didn't seem to do anything.
In context ↗ - Meletonin · Helped
Meletonin has at least helped me get to sleep.
In context ↗ - Garmin watch and chest strap heart rate monitor · Helped
Getting an expensive Garmin watch to measure HRV and a chest strap heart rate monitor
In context ↗
Approaches: Anticoagulants · Antivirals · Diet · Pacing · Physiotherapy and rehab · Supplements
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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2022 | mild COVID infection, then partial recoveryGot infected in Dec 22. Got better.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| early 2023 | crashed after resuming marathon training too soonThings really got bad a month after that.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| April 2023 | huge improvements starting in month 4Made huge improvements starting in month 4.In context ↗ | Mild | Pacing and the energy envelope |
| June 2023 | almost out of the woodsI am almost out of the woods (after 6 months)In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| July 2023 | recovered completelyFortunately I have recovered completely.In context ↗ | Recovered | |
| September 2023 | relapse lasting a few weeks, milder than beforeI considered myself recovered this summer, but then had a relapse in September.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| December 2023 | back to coffee, running group and racesI am back to drinking drinking coffee, running with my group again, an even running races.In context ↗ | Near normal | |
| May 2026 | recovered for years, still alcohol intolerantBeen recovered for a few years.In context ↗ | Recovered |
Adverse events
- Nattokinase“Noticed some worsening in the first few days.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Intermittent fasting“It worsened my symptoms as well, BUT my baseline seemed to improve in the days/weeks following.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
If I try to run more than a few minutes I risk PEM later that day, even if I go super slow.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I basically have to do everything perfect to have a good night sleep.
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
Felt unwell for months with a low grade fever.
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
Feel cold or hot very easily.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
High heart rate during low impact activities
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
Burning feeling in feet or sometimes all over
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Feeling anxious all the time with nothing to be stressed about.
In context ↗
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