Housebound with long COVID, now much better after pacing and heart-rate monitoring
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 13 months
- Last post
- Mar 2021
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Covid syndrome 4 months in, ME/CFS-like symptoms
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I spent the summer months last year basically housebound after getting freaked out by the patterns of exercise and crashing in May and early June.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
There are now many times that I can be walking at a smart pace for 30 mins or so and my heart rate stays well in the safe zone, so things have definitely improved.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I came down with Covid in the middle of March (34m)
In context ↗
Read from 4 of their posts and comments; links to the 4 this page draws on
Summary
Shore 39039 fell ill with COVID in March 2020 and spent the summer housebound, with PEM, brain fog, gastritis, joint pain and insomnia, after crashes that followed exercise. He gave up work and paced, keeping his heart rate under a set threshold on a Garmin, and by March 2021 could often walk briskly for 30 minutes and had just started cycling and push-ups again, though his heart rate could still spike and he was careful not to push his luck or trigger relapses, and had not returned to his old active life.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- long walks · Worse
was still doing long walks, which won't have helped
In context ↗ - antibiotics · Worse
I am also on a course of antibiotics to clear an H Pylori infection that was found so they are probably part of why I feel lousy.
In context ↗ - counselling · Helped
I had just had my first counselling session on Friday, it went well, and generally my mood was very good.
In context ↗ - meditation · Helped
I have found long meditation sessions to be crucial to getting settled sleep through this
In context ↗ - Garmin tracker · Helped
I got myself a Garmin tracker to monitor heart rate in August
In context ↗ - weighted blanket · Helped
A weighted blanket helped for me
In context ↗ - push-ups · Helped
I have just started doing push-ups again, which I think is going well
In context ↗
Approaches: Pacing
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 |
|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | came down with CovidI came down with Covid in the middle of March (34m)In context ↗ | Not stated |
| May to early June 2020 | crashes after exercise, housebound over the summerI spent the summer months last year basically housebound after getting freaked out by the patterns of exercise and crashing in May and early June.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2020-07-19 | crashed after a broken night's sleepBut after Friday night I crashed again. It came with the whole body flu type of presentation.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2020-07-21 | back to previous baseline after restI am back to my previous normal now - so looking to do what I can to improve sleep.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| end of October 2020 | joint and old injury pain after five days of long walksit took a good 5 or 6 weeks for them to die down againIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2021-01-13 | slowly getting better at ten monthsI'm reluctant to say I'm speaking from the experience of 10 months now but it is getting better, just very slowly (34m).In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2021-03-31 | walking, cycling and push-ups again while pacingThere are now many times that I can be walking at a smart pace for 30 mins or so and my heart rate stays well in the safe zone, so things have definitely improved.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Antibiotics (unspecified)“I am also on a course of antibiotics to clear an H Pylori infection that was found so they are probably part of why I feel lousy.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I first noticed PEM type experiences in mid May and have been trying to keep them under control since
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I had avoided crashing over the last three weeks but was still feeling brain fog, often quite strongly, and gastritis.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I have found sleep almost impossible during PEM with the electrified head buzz feeling
In context ↗ - Gut problems
After a lot of issues following on from the initial infection, gastritis and arthritic pains among others
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
I started getting bad joint pains and old injury pains flaring up after these walks
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
It came with the whole body flu type of presentation.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I am feeling very low now.
In context ↗
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