Long COVID with bad PEM, much better with time and therapy
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 9 months
- Last post
- Mar 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
About 13 months from first infection, I got covid a second time
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I basically stopped altogether for about 1.5 years. During that time, I would occasionally workout if could schedule 2 days afterwards to be worthless
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
I've been getting back in for the last few months and the PEM and other symptoms are mild in comparison.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
About 13 months from first infection, I got covid a second time
In context ↗
Read from 8 of their posts and comments; links to the 7 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user whose long COVID began with a first infection around mid-2022 had mild symptoms at first and a rough patch at 5-6 months. Exercise brought bad PEM and they stopped lifting for about 1.5 years. They credit time, support and therapy, and say things moved in the right direction about 9 months in. A second infection set them back for a few months; by August 2024 they were lifting twice a week, though their body still felt bad.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Time · Helped
#1. Time. It sucks, but my body needs time to work through whatever is going on.
In context ↗ - therapist · Helped
A great support system and therapist have been getting me through.
In context ↗ - experimenting with different nutrition · Not said
Experimenting with different nutrition / exercise. I won't list the specifics because this is likely going to be different for everyone.
In context ↗ - lifting / working out · Helped
It has honestly felt great to get back in lifting 2x a week.
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid-2022 | long COVID after a first COVID infectionmy symptoms were fairly mild until about 5-6 months inIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 5-6 months in | symptoms became roughmy symptoms were fairly mild until about 5-6 months in and then they were pretty roughIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 9 months in | things started moving in the right directionAbout 9 months in, things were noticeably moving in the right direction.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| Labor Day 2023 | COVID reinfection set them backWas improving steadily and then got re-infected over labor day. Big setback. :/In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2024-08-06 | slowly recovering, back to lifting twice a weekA little over 2 years in and I've been slowly, steadily recovering.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2025-03-07 | still slow, unsteady progressSlow and unsteady, but a W is a W.In context ↗ | Mild |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
if I had a sore muscle, I had fatigue, brainfog, diziness, etc...
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I did reach a point where I was able to take enjoyment from things again after struggling to do so
In context ↗
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