Very unwell with long COVID for six months, now nearly back to normal via time and walking
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 1 year
- Last post
- Apr 2024
In their words
- At worst: Severe
A Bad Day™ for me 9-12 months ago would have meant an inability to get out of bed, intense brain fog to the point of derealization
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
they subsided, I'll get them now if I'm exercising or dehydrated but otherwise they're back to normal
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
not 100% sure I ever had Covid ... what followed was/is 12 months of hellish symptoms
- Says they never had: Loss of smell or taste
I didn't have the loss of taste/smell
Read from 29 of their posts and comments; links to the 22 this page draws on
Summary
Crest 44703 suspected COVID in July 2020 and was very unwell for about six months with brain fog, dizziness, palpitations and pain; infection was never confirmed. They improved gradually over about a year, crediting time and daily walking, and later had anxiety and health-focused OCD treated with medication and therapy. Hand vein symptoms persisted for years but had subsided by April 2024, with only exercise or dehydration bringing them back.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- daily walking · Helped
daily walking has helped me, a lot
In context ↗ - high blood pressure meds · Worse
was put on two different kinds of meds for it but eventually was taken off of them because they were making the dizziness much worse
In context ↗ - COVID vaccine · Helped
since then I've had some improvement on a lot of my symptoms
In context ↗ - nutrition · Helped
some of the advice I've found here about exercise and nutrition has actually improved things for me a bit
In context ↗ - melatonin · Helped
for melatonin - it definitely helps, it makes me a bit groggy in the morning but if I take some before bed it helps me get to sleep within 45 mins
In context ↗ - time / waiting · Helped
with melatonin and some good sleep hygeine (and good old fashioned waiting)
In context ↗ - Sertraline · Helped a lot
I'm on medication and I've done therapy and it has helped massively
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped a lot
getting on meds and therapy for those things has helped with everything including this
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · SSRIs · Exercise and activity · Vaccination
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | mild febrile illness, suspected COVIDback in July of 2020 I had about a week where I just felt bad. I had a low fever most nights, body achesIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| first 6-7 months | mostly bedbound with intense brain fog and dizzinessI thought I was dying for like 6 monthsIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| after about 7 months | heart symptoms stopped; about 50% of normal for 3-4 monthsthen about 3 or 4 months of feeling maybe 50% (when my heart symptoms stopped)In context ↗ | Moderate | Time and spontaneous remission |
| May 4, 2021 | first COVID vaccine dose; about 75% of normalI got my first dose on May 4 and since then I've had some improvement on a lot of my symptoms, sitting at about 75% of normalIn context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| June 2021 | cold brought back passed symptomsI got a cold last week ... some long haul symptoms that I thought I had passed came backIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| June 2021 | second vaccine; brain fog almost totally subsidedBrain fog has very slowly, almost totally, subsided since getting 2nd dose a week and a day ago.In context ↗ | Near normal | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| September 2021 | daily walking built to 30-40 minutes; whole days without brain fogdaily walking has helped me, a lot. ... have worked my way up to 30-40 minutes (sometimes longer) and I feel a lot betterIn context ↗ | Near normal | Walking |
| September 28, 2021 | almost totally normal except hand veins; sleep still shortAs I type this right now I'm feeling almost totally normal (except for the bulging veins in my hands).In context ↗ | Near normal | Time and spontaneous remission |
| May 30, 2022 | hand veins less noticeableThey are still bulging from time to time but it's not as noticeable and not as distracting as it was.In context ↗ | Near normal | Time and spontaneous remission |
| August 24, 2023 | anxiety/OCD medication and therapy helped massively; hand veins goneI turned out to have some untreated anxiety and health-focused OCD, I'm on medication and I've done therapy and it has helped massively.In context ↗ | Near normal | Sertraline (Zoloft) |
| April 9, 2024 | hand veins back to normal except with exercise or dehydrationthese went away for me ... I'll get them now if I'm exercising or dehydrated but otherwise they're back to normalIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- “was put on two different kinds of meds for it but eventually was taken off of them because they were making the dizziness much worse” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- COVID vaccination as treatment“the 48 hours after my second dose was very rough” In context ↗ Side effects
- Melatonin“it makes me a bit groggy in the morning” In context ↗ Side effects
- Sertraline (Zoloft)“a few days of nausea at the start” In context ↗ Gut side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Most of my other symptoms (heart rate increase/insomnia/GI problems/PEM) had disappeared by that point on their own.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
Brain fog has very slowly, almost totally, subsided since getting 2nd dose a week and a day ago.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
dizziness, increased heart rate, blood pressure all over the place
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
sleeping all day unable to sleep at night
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
It's like a light burning pain ONLY on the backs of my hands/top of my feet
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
headaches that are very mild but constant and don't respond to meds
In context ↗ - Gut problems
stomach problems
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
elevated heart rate/palpitations
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
pins and needles in hands/feet for a solid couple of months early into this thing
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I turned out to have some untreated anxiety and health-focused OCD, I'm on medication and I've done therapy
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
I had a low fever most nights, body aches
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
I was also getting tinnitus and neck pain at the same time. That's all stopped now
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
sweating constantly
In context ↗
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