Long COVID with severe breathlessness and lung pain, now much better after Paxlovid
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 4.5 years
- Last post
- Dec 2024
In their words
- At worst: Severe
Can't breathe. Can't talk. Lungs inflamed.
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
im typically better a few months after the infection (never to max efficiency, more like... 60% of how i used to be prior to covid)
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Feb 2020, sort of recovered and then got it again a year later
Read from 27 of their posts and comments; links to the 17 this page draws on
Summary
They developed long COVID after a February 2020 infection, with severe breathlessness, lung pain, asthma and gastrointestinal problems. Repeated reinfections, including a third infection in 2023, each set them back and were worse than the last. Paxlovid helped them recover faster, while steroids, inhalers and GERD treatment relieved symptoms, and by mid-2024 they could exercise again but remained at about 60% of their previous capacity with permanent lung damage.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- diet overall (anti histamine + anti-gerd) · Helped
diet overall (anti histamine + anti-gerd)
In context ↗ - unspecified liquid, 30 ml twice a day · Helped
I was told 30ml twice a day. I drink it in a glass of juice. ... my throat was healing much quicker with it
In context ↗ - Prilosec (omeprazole) · Helped
treating gerd through famotadine/omezaprole, etc, does relieve some of my lung pain
In context ↗ - steroid inhalers · Helped
+ several inhalers.
In context ↗ - albuterol · Helped
I'm on albuterol (4 x a day, two puffs a treatment) It makes my heart race like crazy, but its helped with the lung inflammation feeling.
In context ↗ - Symbicort · Helped
For me it makes exercising way easier, but I have activity induced asthma.
In context ↗ - Breo · Worse
I tried Breo and it gave me horrible thrush
In context ↗ - Zyrtec · Helped
Anti-histamines help, steroid based inhalers, and acid reflux meds to help rebalance the stomach all help
In context ↗ - Singulair (montelukast) · Not said
Also been put on zyrtec and monteluskat.
In context ↗ - steroids · Helped
Also steroids. It was a rough recovery but quicker than the rest.
In context ↗ - Paxlovid · Helped a lot
Paxlovid in no certain terms saved my life.
In context ↗ - time · Helped
for me it was just time
In context ↗ - Other surgery (adrenal, lung, venoplasty) · Worse
My sob took a bit of a hit after I got a surgery (the anasthesia hasn't been great)
In context ↗
Approaches: H2 blockers · Proton pump inhibitors · Antivirals · Diet · Other drugs and medicines
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 6 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 2 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 | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2020 | initial COVID-19 infectionFeb 2020, sort of recovered and then got it again a year later and now it feels like a permanent change.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| about six months after first infection | felt normal after first infectionfirst time it took roughly six months to feel normalIn context ↗ | Recovered | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2021 | second COVID-19 infection, worsesecond time was way worse.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| 2023-03 | COVID reinfection, long COVID returnedFinally overcame long covid... just contracted Covid again... LC all back againIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2023-09 | third COVID-19 infection, worst versionIt's the worst version I've had.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2024-01 | Paxlovid-assisted recoveryPaxlovid is a game changer. It completely helped with my LC recovery this time around, making it nearly 9 months faster than last go round.In context ↗ | Mild | Paxlovid / nirmatrelvir |
| 2024-04 | back to exercising before surgeryright before I was doing pretty great! I was back to exercising consistentlyIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-04 | surgery worsened shortness of breathMy sob took a bit of a hit after I got a surgery (the anasthesia hasn't been great)In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2024-06 | about 60% of previous capacity after repeated infectionsmore like... 60% of how i used to be prior to covidIn context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Breo Ellipta (fluticasone / vilanterol)“I have a steroid inhaler, but I did get thrush from the Breo” In context ↗ Side effects
- Albuterol / salbutamol (Ventolin)“I'm on albuterol (4 x a day, two puffs a treatment) It makes my heart race like crazy” In context ↗ Heart rhythm problems
- Other surgery (adrenal, lung, venoplasty)“My sob took a bit of a hit after I got a surgery (the anasthesia hasn't been great)” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
My main issue from long covid is air-hunger once I contract it.
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I do really well if i take consistent gerd meds but if I do cheat on any foods or lay back too early after a meal it gets pretty rough.
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
any time I think I'm 100% again little things will cause me to crash back down.
In context ↗
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