Bedridden 90 days with long COVID, now near normal after swimming and nattokinase
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 17 months
- Last post
- Aug 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
In Dec. 2022, I caught long-covid
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
I went from a bodybuilder to bed ridden with both POTS and CFS
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
I've clawed my way back to robust functioning ... my immune system is still somewhat out of it
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Fellow long-hauler since December 2022
Read from 11 of their posts and comments; links to the 7 this page draws on
Summary
A former bodybuilder caught COVID in December 2022 and was bed-ridden for 90 days with bronchitis, joint pain, myalgia, insomnia and POTS. Swimming, nattokinase, aspirin, cannabis gummies, the Safe and Sound protocol and journaling brought them to near-normal; by June 2024 POTS was gone and ME/CFS 90% gone. By August 2024 they were headed back to nursing school but still had monthly colds and had spent tens of thousands of dollars on experimental treatments.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- maraviroc · Worse
I'm now on maraviroc and atorvastatin, but ever since taking these meds, I've noticed that my vasculitis is getting worse and I can handle less exertion than before
In context ↗ - atorvastatin · Worse
I'm now on maraviroc and atorvastatin, but ever since taking these meds, I've noticed that my vasculitis is getting worse
In context ↗ - swimming · Helped a lot
The first improvements were when I started swimming-- horizontal exercise really helped and it didn't short out my nervous system.
In context ↗ - nattokinase and serraptase · Helped
I also started taking nattokinase, serraptase and aspirin 81 on an empty stomach 2x a day. POTS started to clear up after a few weeks of hell
In context ↗ - aspirin 81 · Helped
I also started taking nattokinase, serraptase and aspirin 81 on an empty stomach 2x a day.
In context ↗ - zero-stress exercise (walking in nature, gentle skiing) · Helped
The next thing I found helpful was to do exercises (when I could handle them) that held zero stress-- so, walking in nature or gentle skiing instead of lifting weights.
In context ↗ - Cannabis Zonked gummies (melatonin, CBD, THC) · Helped
Not long after I became an avid cannabis consumer via gummies-- I took them literally anytime I was awake. This helped calm my nervous system, as strange as it sounds.
In context ↗ - Safe and Sound protocol · Helped a lot
The thing that helped the most was the Safe and Sound protocol-- it really shifted my myalgia from vagus nerve damage.
In context ↗ - Nichole Sach's journaling · Helped a lot
doing Nichole Sach's journaling, and learning transcendental meditation helped tremendously
In context ↗ - Lily's low-sugar salted almond milk chocolate · Helped
I ate a ton of Lily's low-sugar salted almond milk chocolate.
In context ↗ - daily low-dose cialis · Helped
I started taking daily low-dose cialis
In context ↗ - testosterone boosting supplements · Helped
and then later when I started taking testosterone boosting supplements
In context ↗
Approaches: Anticoagulants · Brain retraining · Exercise and activity · 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2022 | caught long COVID, bed-ridden for 90 days with bronchitisIn Dec. 2022, I caught long-covid and was bed-ridden for 90 daysIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| August 2023 | vasculitis and neuropathy worse on maraviroc and atorvastatin, less exertion toleratedever since taking these meds, I've noticed that my vasculitis is getting worse and I can handle less exertion than beforeIn context ↗ | Moderate | Maraviroc (Selzentry) |
| November 2023 | partially recoveredPartially recovered BUT - Does anyone have a story about recovering from erectile dysfunction?In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| June 2024 | mostly recovered; POTS gone, ME/CFS 90% gonePOTS is gone at 1.5 years and ME/CFS is 90% goneIn context ↗ | Near normal | |
| 2024-08-25 | back to senior year of nursing school but still monthly coldsI've clawed my way back to robust functioning ... I'm headed back to my senior year of nursing school in two daysIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Maraviroc (Selzentry)“ever since taking these meds, I've noticed that my vasculitis is getting worse and I can handle less exertion than before without feeling that itchy neuropathy all over my skin.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)“ever since taking these meds, I've noticed that my vasculitis is getting worse and I can handle less exertion than before without feeling that itchy neuropathy all over my skin.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Nattokinase, Serrapeptase“POTS started to clear up after a few weeks of hell (it got better before it got worse).” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
suffered horrendous chronic fatigue, post-exertional malaise
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
POTS is gone at 1.5 years
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
chronic systemic inflammation and joint pain
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
erectile dysfunction, myalgia, insomnia
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
itchy neuropathy all over my skin
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
6 months of the worst bronchitis I can imagine a person having
In context ↗ - Vision problems
developed eye floaters
In context ↗ - Hair loss
alopecia barbae
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I was so hopeless during the first year
In context ↗
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