Housebound, often bedbound, long COVID; now jogging intermittently after rest and pacing
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Aug 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
the 4 years of LC have completely coincided with my undergraduate degree
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
within 18 months I am now house bound and bed bound on the bad days
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
I'm slowly getting back into running (more like intermittent jogging)
In context ↗
Read from 30 of their posts and comments; links to the 19 this page draws on
Summary
A UK man who fell ill with COVID-19 in March 2020 was housebound and often bedbound within 18 months after pushing on with rowing, gym work and university. A suspected 2022 reinfection brought post-exertional malaise. Rest and pacing, lion's mane and high-dose magnesium with vitamin D helped, and nicotine patches eased crashes but caused headaches and worse POTS. By August 2024 he was jogging intermittently.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- gym and rowing · Much worse
thought f it I'll just turn to the gym and rowing ... within 18 months I am now house bound and bed bound on the bad days
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
My top tip is pacing ... I am able to walk further for longer now than I was a year ago because of it.
In context ↗ - Lions mane · Helped
Lions mane got me from needing someone what to reply to emails to a 96 on my essay
In context ↗ - meditation, mindfullness · Helped
Cold showers, meditation, low inflammatory diet, no alcohol, no caffeine, mindfullness, therapy
In context ↗ - natto · No change
Been on natto for the longest time but nothing seems to have shifted x
In context ↗ - the patches · Helped
Found they're good for getting through bad crashes but ofc its a stimulant so it bites you in the ass if you over do it.
In context ↗ - Ashwagandha tea · Helped
Ashwagandha tea does wonders for me.
In context ↗ - working on my gut · Helped
I've been working on my gut for about a year now ... the improvements are undeniable
In context ↗ - Reishi mushroom supplements · Not said
I'm currently experimenting with Reishi mushroom supplements for sleep but nothing conclusive yet
In context ↗ - aspirin · Helped
nicotine and aspirin gets me out of the real slumps
In context ↗ - Sodium electrolytes · Helped
Sodium electrolytes are great. 250mg tablets 2-3 times a day.
In context ↗ - L-theanine · Helped
L-theanine I've found to be great when taken with Mg Glycinate just before bed
In context ↗ - COVID vaccination as treatment · Worse
Jabs put me where I am today.
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · Alternative therapies · Diet · Mind-body practices · Pacing
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | COVID-19 while working in a restaurant; kept rowing, partying and studyingkept rowing, partying, relationship-ing (like many 1st wavers)In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021 | housebound and bedbound on bad days after overdoing it physicallywithin 18 months I am now house bound and bed bound on the bad daysIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2022 | suspected reinfection; post-exertional malaise appearedPEM wasn't an issue until 2022 and a suspected reinfectionIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2024-02 | able to walk further after months of resting and pacingI am able to walk further for longer now than I was a year ago because of itIn context ↗ | Moderate | Pacing and the energy envelope |
| 2024-08 | slowly getting back into joggingI'm slowly getting back into running (more like intermittent jogging)In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Nicotine patches“Found they're good for getting through bad crashes ... left with thumping headache and more turbulent POTS” In context ↗ Side effects
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Jabs put me where I am today.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
PEM wasn't an issue until 2022 and a suspected reinfection
In context ↗ - Brain fog
Got me through final year and dissertation with severe brain fog
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
It took me about a year to shake the insomnia but only once I dropped exercise did I see a difference.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
left with thumping headache and more turbulent POTS
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
coffee I had to drop, its a vasoconstrictor hence why it worsens palpitations
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I've been working on my gut for about a year now
In context ↗ - Vision problems
as if my eyes are receiving information from the very back of my skull as opposed to the front
In context ↗
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