Long COVID with 16-hour bed bouts, now 95% of normal after Paxlovid
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 16 months
- Last post
- May 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’ve had LC since Feb or so
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
My 5 day off-label course of Paxlovid took me from a 7 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, to a 2.5 -3.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
Now over a year of feeling 95% back to normal.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I’ve had LC since Feb or so
In context ↗
Read from 21 of their posts and comments; links to the 12 this page draws on
Summary
Creek 13435, a 55-year-old man, developed long COVID in February 2022, with a worst self-rating of 7 out of 10 and bouts of 16 hours in bed after overdoing exercise. A 5-day off-label Paxlovid course helped for 10 days and a Moderna booster for about 45 days before symptoms returned. A 15-day Paxlovid trial in early 2023 left him about 90% recovered, and a year later he reported 95% of normal.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Paxlovid · Helped a lot
I did 15 days on paxlovid after 16 months of LC. Now over a year of feeling 95% back to normal.
In context ↗ - Moderna booster · Helped a lot
After 4 Pfizer shots, a doctor recommended a Moderna booster. Took it, sick for 2 days, have felt 80% better for over 45 days.
In context ↗ - Metropolal · Worse
I had to get off a beta blocker - made me so damn tired and I could hardly stand up without being light-headed.
In context ↗ - Exercise (tennis, hiking, high-intensity workouts) · Worse
I’ve been better 10 times, get arrogant, play 45 minutes of tennis or high too much - crash 24-36 hours later, lasts 4-5 days.
In context ↗ - Heart-rate-capped light exercise and 60-90 day recovery plan · Not said
My goal now is a 60-day recovery - walking, stretching, breathing exercises.
In context ↗
Approaches: Antivirals
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 chart starts 3 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | Long COVID beganI’ve had LC since Feb or soIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| May 2022 | worst LC symptoms, self-rated 7 of 10took me from a 7 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, to a 2.5 -3In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| May 2022 | 5-day off-label Paxlovid courseMajor improvement and I’m now a week past the last dose.In context ↗ | Mild | Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir |
| June 2022 | Paxlovid benefit lost after 10 dayshad 10 great days before returning to the LC symptomsIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| June 2022 | Moderna booster; 80% better with 25K-step days and competitive tennishave felt 80% better for over 45 daysIn context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| September 2022 | crashed after 25K-step days, tennis and hiking60 great days, then a return to 16 hours in bed for more than a week.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| October 2022 | exercise-triggered crash 24-36 hours laterexercise triggers a relapse and a crashIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| October 2022 | October Moderna bivalent booster; symptoms back to peak worstBooster in October, symptoms returned to the peak worst time.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| March 2023 | 15-day Paxlovid trial; 90% of prior selfI'm at 90% of my prior selfIn context ↗ | Near normal | Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir |
| May 2024 | over a year at 95% of normalNow over a year of feeling 95% back to normal.In context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Took it, sick for 2 days” In context ↗ Side effects
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol)“they drained my energy, lowered my blood pressure too much and made me too sedentary” In context ↗ Side effects
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol)“I had to get off a beta blocker - made me so damn tired and I could hardly stand up without being light-headed.” In context ↗ Low blood pressure or fainting
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Booster in October, symptoms returned to the peak worst time.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir“Gassy, ended close to the end of the 15 days.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
get arrogant, play 45 minutes of tennis or high too much - crash 24-36 hours later, lasts 4-5 days.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
a return to 16 hours in bed for more than a week
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Definitely happened to me -several days at what I remember as the start of my LC journey.
In context ↗
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