Housebound with long COVID brain fog and panic, now about 85% after sleep and diet
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Mar 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I'm several years into long covid and now can finally do short runs
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
At my worst, it was difficult to just get out of bed and get a shower, let alone do my day job.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I wouldn't say I'm my pre-covid self, but all that's mainly left to conquer is being able to do sustained intense exercise
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I had COVID in Mar 2020
In context ↗
Read from 18 of their posts and comments; links to the 11 this page draws on
Summary
Ocean 14867 was infected with COVID in March 2020 and was largely housebound with heavy brain fog, breathlessness and panic in early 2021. He credits an eight-hour eating window, sleep routines, a meat-and-vegetables diet, supplements and deep breathing with slow incremental recovery. By late 2022 he could travel and be out in public, and by 2024 he was working full days and rated himself about 85%, though heavy lifting or running still caused crashes.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- intermittent fasting · Helped a lot
For me, intermittent fasting some days seems to help. ... The 8-10 hr eating window was huge for me.
- mostly meat and veggies, limiting carbs · Helped
Mostly meat and veggies for diet ... Eating anything potentially inflammatory seems to make me feel worse
- Advil (ibuprofen) · Helped
I pop 2-3 advil 30 min or so before I go. This helps to take the edge off
In context ↗ - B Complex vitamins · Not said
I try to take extra B Complex vitamins, vitamin C and fish oil.
In context ↗ - light stretching or yoga · Helped
sometimes some light stretching or yoga ... helps my ribs and core feel better
In context ↗ - regular sleep schedule and no tech in bed · Helped
What helped me recover was not eating past 8pm and getting into bed at 10pm or earlier.
In context ↗ - homocysteine metabolism support · Not said
I take a homocysteine metabolism support, vitamin D, sometimes magnesium glycinate
In context ↗ - vitamin D supplement · Not said
Took B vitamin complexes, magnesium, Vit D.
In context ↗ - magnesium glycinate · Not said
sometimes magnesium glycinate
In context ↗ - turmeric w black pepper · Not said
turmeric w black pepper
In context ↗ - CBD oil · Not said
occasionally CBD oil
In context ↗ - stopping video games and limiting tech/blue light · Helped
I stopped playing video games (for several months), which helped my sleep become deeper and more consistent.
In context ↗ - rest and hardly any exercise at worst · Helped
that was when it was clear that rest was the number one priority because i had so much inflammation in my body
In context ↗ - short walks and light activity instead of workouts · Helped
I had to learn to be satisfied with a walk. Now I can lift again, jog.
In context ↗ - deep breathing on a yoga mat · Helped
Taking this time to slowly build up my deep breathing made me feel significantly better.
In context ↗ - sunshine and warm weather · Helped
I felt noticeably better after several days of being in the sun for at least four hours per day.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Exercise and activity · Mind-body practices · Supplements
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 10 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 2 steps say too little to place on the scale and are only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | COVID-19 infectionI had COVID in Mar 2020In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| Jan-May 2021 | height of long-COVID symptoms; rarely left the house for months, weeks off workI rarely left the house for several months in early 2021 ... At my worst, it was difficult to just get out of bed and get a showerIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| — | setbacks from trying short workoutsI kept setting myself back bc I would try to do a short workoutIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| late 2022 | able to travel, exercise mildly and be out in publicBut since like late 2022, I've been able to travel, do mild exercise, be out in public without worrying about an asthma or panic attackIn context ↗ | Mild | Intermittent fasting |
| September 2024 | about 85% and living his life for two yearsI'm at about 85%, and have been able to "live my life" for the past two yearsIn context ↗ | Near normal | Intermittent fasting |
| March 2025 | hiking and surfing, but crashes after heavier lifting or runningI can walk or hike for 5+ miles and not feel like absolute shit afterward. But if I try to lift heavier weights or run, I will crash quickIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I still have some pem. Ive had it for years now, but its gotten progressively better.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
The brain fog was so heavy back in 2021 ... My short term memory has improved significantly as the brain fog slowly lifted.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
Such trouble breathing, would get asthma-type attacks (never had asthma in my life prior to covid).
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I was in a constant state of panic when I initially had long covid.
In context ↗ - Vision problems
It still has certainly improved, but I still have a lot of floaters and dont see as well at night.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I stopped playing video games (for several months), which helped my sleep become deeper and more consistent.
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
Pain seems to be more manageable too.
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Severe ME/CFS, at times bedbound, now somewhat better with diet and pacing
Male, ill since high school, he attributed his ME/CFS to a septic strep infection and a later mono infection that left him severe, at times bedbound, and unable to work. He used gluten, dairy and fructose avoidance, low-carb eating, pacing, L-tyrosine,…
-
Long COVID with brain fog, almost back to normal after supplements and running
Zephyr 58311, 35, in Ireland, fell ill with long COVID in late 2023 with panic attacks, palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, brain fog, anxiety and later tinnitus. Over three months of supplements, low-carb eating, fasting, running 4 km three times…
-
Long COVID brain fog and fatigue, now near normal after nattokinase and serrapeptase
Stone 26963, a Texas pool service worker, got long COVID in 2020 with malaise, breathlessness, brain fog, fatigue, dizziness and headaches, but kept working. Nattokinase and serrapeptase in September 2023 brought him to near normal within days; he credits…
-
Unable to work with long COVID, now much better after supplements and breathwork
Crest 54189 fell ill after COVID in June 2021 and was unable to work for a time with fatigue, brain fog, gut problems, tremors and food reactions. Gut-focused supplements helped from early 2022; functional medicine testing and prescribed supplements, plus…