Long COVID: breathless on stairs, no improvement from exercise and sleep routine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill for
- 6 months
- Last post
- Sep 2020
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’m thankful for my covid experience because it’s highlighting that there must be something underlying
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
Former national-level competitive athlete, now get short of breath and need a break after walking up a flight of stairs.
In context ↗ - Now: No benefit
But I don’t feel even close to perfect. My lungs are “tight”, they don’t inflate the way they used to, my heart feels “heavy”, my energy is super low.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I’m thankful for my covid experience
Summary
A former national-level athlete in Canada, they fell ill with COVID-19 in March 2020; after a 34-day acute phase they were the most fatigued ever, short of breath on stairs. Working remotely and caring for a toddler, they credited light outdoor aerobic exercise with heart-rate monitoring, a sleep and nap routine, and later osteopath manual therapy. Blood tests, chest X-ray, ECG and Lyme testing were normal and they still felt far from well.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Regular, light, outdoor aerobic exercise · Helped
Regular, light, outdoor aerobic exercise. Even a brisk walk can be tiring, but can feel empowering!
In context ↗ - heart rate monitor (FitBit, Garmin, etc) · Helped
Get a heart rate monitor (FitBit, Garmin, etc). Keep the heart rate below 120-130bpm during exercise.
In context ↗ - Sleep · Helped
I found out through trial and error that sleep is the biggest predictor of my mood and energy the next day.
In context ↗ - Nap · Helped
Nap. Max 40 minute nap, no later than 3pm.
In context ↗ - manual therapy treatment from an Osteopath · Helped a lot
Yesterday I had a manual therapy treatment from an Osteopath and it helped so much!
In context ↗
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 1 month 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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2, 2020 | acute COVID-19 phase beganMy “acute” phase started March 2 and lasted 34 days.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| April 2020 | most fatigued ever coming out of acute phase, short of breath on stairsComing out of that, I was EXHAUSTED. The most fatigued I’ve ever been.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2020-08-28 | back at remote work and childcare, using exercise, sleep and naps to manageRegular, light, outdoor aerobic exercise. Even a brisk walk can be tiring, but can feel empowering!In context ↗ | Mild | Everyday exercise and activity |
| 2020-09-17 | osteopath manual therapy of the ribcage helped a lotYesterday I had a manual therapy treatment from an Osteopath and it helped so much!In context ↗ | Mild |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
now get short of breath and need a break after walking up a flight of stairs
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
I was EXHAUSTED. The most fatigued I’ve ever been.
In context ↗