Long COVID
Moderate → somewhat betterIll 3.5 years before improving or writing
Long COVID with gut problems, fatigue and brain fog, somewhat better now
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3.5 years
- Last post
- Sep 2023
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Struggled health-wise since then but always sub-clinical or at that point poorly understood.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
Now I'm just struggling to be upright for more hours of the day than not.
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
But 4 months on from my last C+ and I'm finally starting to feel ok more days than not.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I'm fairly confident I had alpha in March 2020 but never tested for it.
Read from 13 of their posts and comments; links to the 10 this page draws on
Summary
Spruce 16193 dates long COVID to a suspected alpha infection in March 2020, with a vaccine reaction in April 2021 and Delta and Omicron breakthroughs that set them back. Their main symptoms were gut problems, fatigue, brain fog, muscle weakness, tachycardia, temperature swings and a phantom smoke smell. By mid-2022 they felt okay more days than not, and the phantom smell slowly faded, though it returned for a week after travel in 2023.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- diphenhydramine(Benadryl) · Helped
It has lessened the severity quite a bit and even reduced the frequency.
In context ↗ - Gatorade Zero · Helped
I consume plenty of water but it isn't enough to hydrate. Some days it takes 3 Gatorade Zeros to keep me stable.
In context ↗ - journal · Helped
I'd also encourage you to keep a journal. It has helped me tremendously to see progress since it has been so slow and incremental.
In context ↗ - COVID vaccination as treatment · Not said
I had a non-trivial reaction to the vaccine April 2021 ... The gastro vax reaction was awful
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 20 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | suspected alpha COVID infectionI'm fairly confident I had alpha in March 2020 but never tested for it. Struggled health-wise since thenIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| April 2021 | non-trivial reaction to COVID vaccineI had a non-trivial reaction to the vaccine April 2021, but didn't report it to VAERS or seek official treatmentIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| September 2021 | Delta breakthrough infectionBreakthrough Sept 2021 was vax reaction times 10 in the acute phaseIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| November 2021 | struggling to be upright more hours than notNow I'm just struggling to be upright for more hours of the day than not.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| early 2022 | Omicron infection with regression and new tachycardiaThen mild acute phase Omicron. Some regression of my Delta PVS with new and more worrisome PVS of tachycardiaIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| April 2022 | clarity and focus improvedClarity and focus have really improved lately but I've been actively working on those.In context ↗ | Mild |
| June 2022 | feeling ok more days than notBut 4 months on from my last C+ and I'm finally starting to feel ok more days than not.In context ↗ | Mild |
| September 2023 | phantom smell much diminished, still workingI still get it but it has progressively diminished in intensity.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“I had a non-trivial reaction to the vaccine April 2021 ... The gastro vax reaction was awful” Gut side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Brain fogFlu-like symptomsGut problemsHeart symptoms & palpitationsLoss of smell or tasteMuscle weaknessPOTS & dysautonomiaSleep problemsTemperature regulationVision problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
General fogginess with short and long term memory issues
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
muscle weakness
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
new and more worrisome PVS of tachycardia
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
dizzy/light headedness
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I still have some lingering gastro issues from ongoing inflammatory response
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
sleep disturbance/freaky af dreams
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
I still get it but it has progressively diminished in intensity. Now it's just hot pencil shavings
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
Still have a lot of temperature swinging
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
My no thyroid-y symptoms are swollen tonsils and constant sore throat
In context ↗ - Vision problems
my eyesight has also deteriorated post acute phase
In context ↗