Long COVID with dizziness, racing heart and brain fog, now nearly normal after time and rest
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Sep 2022
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I longhauled Mar '20-April '21 but it gradually lessened to the point where I'm consistently 80-90% better
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I had more mental fatigue than physical, was never close to bedridden. I was even able to do aerobic exercise sometimes
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I go days where I have no symptoms and only sometimes feel out of breath or more tired than i should be
In context ↗
Read from 72 of their posts and comments; links to the 31 this page draws on
Summary
A 40-year-old man in the US likely caught COVID in March 2020 and was ill about 2.5 years with dizziness, tachycardia, phantom smells, light and sound sensitivity, severe depression and brain fog, worst in July-August 2020; after a stressful new job he temporarily dropped to 70-75% before improving. He had no medical care and credits time, rest, dance, neck stretches, turmeric, Moderna vaccination and a week of chlorphenamine, rating himself 85-95% better with brain fog and fatigue persisting.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- time · Helped
And time, lots of time
In context ↗ - aerobic exercise (dancing mainly) · Helped
I concentrated on aerobic exercise (dancing mainly) and nutrition
In context ↗ - eating healthier · Helped
just eat healthier in general (Huel 1-2x per week too) so that likely had some effect
In context ↗ - rest · Helped
Rest, neck muscle stretches, small amounts of Children's Robitussin Cough and Cold and putting turmeric in my food sometimes
In context ↗ - getting enough sleep · Helped
Getting enough sleep and setting better boundaries w my roommates were important too
In context ↗ - Huel · Helped
I originally started it because of depression and ease of preparation and it helped out
In context ↗ - neck relaxing stretches / myofascial release · Helped
Releasing the tension I had built up brought the dizziness down to a manageable level
In context ↗ - lowering caffeine · Helped
any more than one cup and I get a pretty serious panic attack or something so I've cut that back too
In context ↗ - turmeric · Helped
I was cooking with more turmeric than usual during the time many of my symptoms lessened or went away entirely
In context ↗ - garlic · Not said
I tried to eat more garlic and turmeric
In context ↗ - giving up alcohol · Helped
I cut back quite a bit after the summer and have given it up entirely last month and have definitely seem improvement from that
In context ↗ - tens unit · Helped
I've used a tens unit for hip pain and it was okay, helped some
In context ↗ - antidepressants · No change
I tried antidepressants instead of stimulant meds to treat my issues and it wasn't particularly helpful
In context ↗ - moderna vaccine · Helped
I saw moderate improvement after moderna in April
In context ↗ - chlorphenamine · Helped
I got a bottle of Children's Robitussin Cough and Cold and took like a half dose at bedtime for a week
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · Diet · Exercise and activity · Pacing · Radical rest · Supplements · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | caught COVID as an essential retail worker; mild at first, symptoms built graduallyMine were mild for the first month or two then gradually came on.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| July-August 2020 | worst of the illness: dizziness, tachycardia, tingling, depersonalization, severe atypical depression, light and sound sensitivity, brain fog; on unpaid leave from workI had it in March, July and August were worst for me and still recovering.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| February 2021 | gradual improvement to about 85%, working againTook about a year but I'm at about 85% and performing quite well at my new job.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| March 2021 | fell back with a new full-time job and a move to a more expensive apartmentI went from 85-90% to 70-75% over the past 2 monthsIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| April 2021 | first Moderna shot; several symptoms improved significantlyI got vaxxed in April and soon after some symptoms improved significantly.In context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| September 2021 | back to most of his life at about 85-90%, brain fog lingeringam at maybe 85-90%, and I think, yeah this is good enough.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| January 2022 | some mental symptoms returned with cold weather and new stressesI've had a few of the mental symptoms that went away months ago return, cold weather and new stresses in my life.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| August 2022 | a week of children's robitussin (chlorphenamine) noticeably cleared brain fogHonestly improved my brain fog significantlyIn context ↗ | Near normal | Chlorphenamine (Piriton, Chlor-Trimeton) |
| September 2022 | working full time, days with no symptoms; brain fog, fatigue and some nerve issues remainI still have some mild to moderate symptoms like fatigueIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“When I got the 2nd shot I had a 103-104 degree fever the next day” In context ↗ Side effects
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Fever, body aches and low energy for 24-36 hours starting the next day and then felt fine.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
17 months and while it's lessened, and most of my other symptoms are gone completely, the brain fog remains to some degree.
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
I overdid it partway through longhaul with exercise, I had been doing calisthenics/dance that would sometimes go into the anaerobic range and would definitely pay for it.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
The good news is the dizziness went away for me, the bad news is it took months and months.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
some symptoms like racing heartbeat and dizziness are completely gone
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
Dizziness, tachycardia, brain fog, numbness, weird depression, panic attacks. The brain fog still sticks around a bit but the others are mostly gone.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I still have some depression and fatigue
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
profound irritability, sensitivity to light and sounds, and brain fog, oh the brain fog
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
I was smelling rodent urine continually for a couple months, nobody else smelled it.
In context ↗ - Gut problems
brain fog and fatigue after eating, bloating. It's significantly better 2.5 years out but still an issue here and there
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
only sometimes feel out of breath or more tired than i should be
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
my muscle aches have gone away almost completely
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I get this sometimes, the head/neck pressure while driving
In context ↗ - Vision problems
I had the corner of my eyes flitting images for a while, it was concerning but it did go away.
In context ↗
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