Long COVID debilitation, now close to normal after fasting and time
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 9 months
- Last post
- Dec 2023
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I'm not sure what I have is LC but let's go with that since all blood tests, urinalysis, and imaging have me showing perfectly healthy.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I've never been so debilitated in all my life ... try do my job when I physically felt like I was about to die
- Now: Near normal
I've been a lot better. Haven't had to take any of the ativans in months which is a good sign. My hands and feet are super cold kinda regularly now but that's about the worst of it
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I'm not sure what I have is LC but let's go with that since all blood tests, urinalysis, and imaging have me showing perfectly healthy.
In context ↗
Read from 17 of their posts and comments; links to the 11 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user in r/LongCovid fell ill in March 2023 with insomnia, panic surges, palpitations, dizziness and numb extremities, and said they had never been so debilitated though they kept working. They credited fasting, eating only crackers a day, with feeling substantially better at their worst, and otherwise time. By December 2023 they were a lot better, off Ativan for months, with cold hands and feet the worst of it.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- sleeping pills · Not said
I now have to use sleeping pills on occasion just to get some sleep
In context ↗ - hydroxyzine · Helped
I don't think it helps much for "anxiety" but it definitely helps putting your ass to bed
In context ↗ - melatonin · Helped
I've used melatonin and l theanine a couple times and surprisingly it has worked pretty well at putting/keeping me asleep
In context ↗ - fasting · Helped a lot
Fasting definitely helped me when I was at my worst
In context ↗ - Ativan · Helped
On days where it was just too overwhelming or I was just sick of it, I'd take ativan and that helped
In context ↗ - keep moving and trying to stay busy · Helped
What legitimately worked for me was to just keep moving and trying to stay busy
In context ↗ - staying home and in bed · Worse
you should stay home and in bed while healing ... for me, it honestly made me feel worse
In context ↗ - zyrtec · Not said
the reason I take the zyrtec is mostly for when my throat closes up or feels tight or whatever tf it's doing
In context ↗ - time · Helped
Other than that, yeah just time
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Exercise and activity
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 |
|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | Long COVID symptoms began with a panic attack out of nowhereThat was basically my first symptom, panic attack out of nowhere.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2023-04-18 | worst point: extreme insomnia, near-constant panic, palpitations, dizziness, kept workingI've never been so debilitated in all my lifeIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2023-06-09 | panic and on-edge feelings came back for a number of weeksthen it settled down, then it came back for a number of weeks, and as of now it has calmed down againIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2023-06-20 | decently better, though symptoms popped up every couple of weeksI'm decently better now 3+ months out but those feelings still pop up every couple weeks and stick around for a little while.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2023-11-17 | symptoms progressively better than at the startIt all got progressively better though I still have some symtpoms but not near what they were when they first started in March of this year.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2023-12-23 | a lot better, no Ativan for months, cold hands and feet the worst remainingI've been a lot better. Haven't had to take any of the ativans in months which is a good sign.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)“It had a good chance of exacerbating my dizziness ... I think I was more dizzy some of those mornings than I've ever been when I was hammered” In context ↗ Side effects
- Radical rest“a lot of people here will say that you should stay home and in bed while healing ... for me, it honestly made me feel worse” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
I've had extreme insomnia off and on for the past 1.5 months
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
I'm very dizzy/light headed at times
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
sometimes I'll fall asleep and then wake shortly after with what feels like a fast heart rate, palpitations
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I'm constantly on the verge of panic attacks for no real reason, I have had some full blown ones too.
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
my extremities get cold and numb/pins and needles
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
My hands and feet are super cold kinda regularly now but that's about the worst of it
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I've had all these except swallowing issues.
In context ↗
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