From Long Covid Bedbound to Running After Toddler (Rachael’s Story)
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving
- 1 year
- Published
- No date given
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
when long covid derailed her incredibly active life
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - At worst: Severe
my symptoms became constant more intense completely bed bound
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Now: Near normal
I have a couple things like that goes on still
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Began after: COVID
when I contracted Co in June 2021
Summary
Rachael got long Covid in June 2021 and was completely bedbound after a second infection about six months in. A graded exercise program made her crash. About a year in she stopped working and began brain retraining through the Curable app, which she credits as the turning point; cold water later helped her energy, sleep and mood. She now says she is recovered and back at work, with occasional flare-ups.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- exercise on better days · Worse
I was attempting to like exercise on better days only to be sent crashing a couple days later
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - therapy · Not said
I got therapy and I got some support
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - graded exercise therapy (n with health programme) · Worse
then obviously that's wasn't great sent me into quite a crash
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - cold water therapy · Helped
this time it did it really helped it helped my energy levels it helped my sleep it helped my mood
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Curable app (semantic tracking and pain reprocessing) · Helped a lot
I end up doing curable
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - self-run experiment of not staying in bed during the day · Helped
every day just gradually bit by bit got a little bit easier
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - hyperbaric oxygen therapy · Helped
which often made me feel worse before it may me better
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - meditation, visualisation and a gentle online yoga group · Helped
meditation became quite big for me as well after that
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - gentle movement and exercise · Not said
fundamentally I don't think movement is a route to recovery itself
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Dan's pain video · Helped
I'll still go back and watch one of Dan the pain for you Dan's video which I find quite helpful
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - rotating bed rest with half-hour chunks of work · Not said
rotated bed rest with chunks half like half hour chunks of work to get through their day and I thought oh that's a good approach
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions
Approaches: Brain retraining · Mind-body practices
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. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 | Caught COVID while marathon training; kept working with boom-and-bust crashesmy story started when I contracted Co in June 2021Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Mild | |
| about six months in | Second infection; symptoms constant and completely bedbound, with panic attacks and depressionI got a second infection about six months in and at this point my symptoms became constant more intense completely bed boundWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Severe | |
| after her daughter was born | Crashed after a graded exercise classthen obviously that's wasn't great sent me into quite a crashWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Severe | |
| about a year in | Stopped working, started Curable and stopped going back to bed during the dayevery day just gradually bit by bit got a little bit easierWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Moderate | Sarno / TMS / somatic tracking / JournalSpeak |
| about nine months after her first cold-water attempt | Cold water therapy now helped her energy, sleep and moodthis time it did it really helped it helped my energy levelsWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Mild | Cryotherapy and cold exposure |
| middle of last year | Back at work and re-engaging with life; began calling herself recoveredI started saying it sometime last year but some middle last yearWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Near normal | Sarno / TMS / somatic tracking / JournalSpeak |
| about three years after onset | Recovered and coaching; a couple of symptoms and occasional mild flare-ups remainI have a couple things like that goes on stillWatch the video ↗From the video’s captions | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Graded exercise therapy (GET)“then obviously that's wasn't great sent me into quite a crash” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
- “only to be sent crashing a couple days later” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
- Cryotherapy and cold exposure“I just went always went into shock it had no resilience at all” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
- Hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT)“which often made me feel worse before it may me better” Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
only to be sent crashing a couple days later
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Brain fog
I couldn't read or drive when I started that treatment
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Sleep problems
it helped my sleep
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Pain & fibromyalgia
so much pain and like debilitated fatigue
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Headaches & migraine
especially with my migraines
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions - Anxiety & low mood
I was developing panic attacks at this point
Watch the video ↗From the video’s captions
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