Long COVID fatigue and unable to exercise, improved then a cold brought back symptoms
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 10 months
- Last post
- Jun 2022
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I got covid in March 2020 and still suffer from long covid symptoms.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I can’t even vacuum one room without having to take a long rest.
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
A recent cold virus brought it all back again, including loss of taste and shortness of breath.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Initial infection March 2020.
In context ↗
Read from 11 of their posts and comments; links to the 8 this page draws on
Summary
Horizon 53134 caught COVID in March 2020 and had fatigue, modifying their work schedule and unable to exercise. Fatigue began easing after about nine to ten months, largely without medical care, and their first Moderna shot eased chest tightness. Effexor, started in August, they called a game changer for anxiety and depression. A cold in April 2022 briefly brought back loss of taste and breathlessness.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- time · Helped
It took a good nine to ten months for me to start feeling less fatigued.
In context ↗ - Moderna vaccine · Helped
This morning I really feel my chest is definitely less tight than how it normally feels when wake up.
In context ↗ - Effexor (generic) · Helped a lot
I started taking Effexor (generic) in August and it’s been a game changer.
In context ↗ - deep belly breathing (positive behavioral therapy) · Helped
I have been working on positive behavioral therapy (so to speak), which includes deep belly breathing. ... It has helped in the times that I can’t feel the oxygen when I breathe.
In context ↗ - very high calorie drinks · Helped
The drinks tasted awful and the sugar rush immediately afterwards sucked but the calories helped me build back an appetite for regular food.
In context ↗
Approaches: SNRIs
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 10 months 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 2020 | caught COVID (alpha) and became a long haulerInitial infection March 2020.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| about nine to ten months in | fatigue began to ease without much medical careIt took a good nine to ten months for me to start feeling less fatigued.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| April 2021 | first Moderna shot eased chest tightnessYesterday I got my first shot of Moderna. This morning I really feel my chest is definitely less tight than how it normally feels when wake up.In context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| April 2021 | fatigue gone and other symptoms waning rapidlyThe fatigue is gone! And this is pretty much without much medical care. And my other symptoms are waning rapidly.In context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| August 2021 | started Effexor for depression and anxietyI started taking Effexor (generic) in August and it’s been a game changer.In context ↗ | Mild | Venlafaxine (Effexor) |
| April 2022 | crashed after a cold caught from their daughter; chest tightness, breathlessness, cough and loss of taste returnedA recent cold virus brought it all back again, including loss of taste and shortness of breath.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| June 2022 | fatigue long past but still underweight with appetite coming and goingI still need to gain weight as my interest in food waxes and wanes.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- “The drinks tasted awful and the sugar rush immediately afterwards sucked but the calories helped me build back an appetite for regular food.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
I could only take half lungfuls of air
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I do think anxiety contributes to a lot of my symptoms.
In context ↗ - Loss of smell or taste
including loss of taste and shortness of breath
In context ↗
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