Long COVID with joint swelling and reading trouble, somewhat better after vaccines
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5 years
- Last post
- Jul 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
This was my first LC symptoms unfortunately (back in summer 2020).
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I have trouble reading due to a few conditions (including LC)
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I’ve been feeling a bit better since getting mine
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
This was my first LC symptoms unfortunately (back in summer 2020).
In context ↗
Read from 12 of their posts and comments; links to the 9 this page draws on
Summary
Long COVID began for them in summer 2020 with a first symptom they saw no obvious cause for, later followed by joint swelling and trouble reading, alongside migraines they had had for years before LC. Exercise a rheumatologist prescribed for the joint pain made them collapse, and high-intensity training prescribed by a consultant made them black out. They felt a little better after a bivalent booster and flu vaccine in late 2022, unable to say which helped, and by 2025 were travelling long-haul while masking without getting sick.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Cephaly device · Helped
the main thing that has made a lasting difference for me was getting a Cephaly device
In context ↗ - exercise for the joint pain / high-intensity training · Worse
prescribed me exercise for the joint pain which in turn made me collapse ... prescribing me high-intensity training which (unsurprisingly) caused me to black out
- bivalent booster and flu vaccine · Helped
I’ve been feeling a bit better since getting mine ... had the bivalent booster and flu vaccine at the same time so can’t say which potentially helped
In context ↗ - Speechify app · Helped
I have trouble reading due to a few conditions (including LC) and having it read aloud has made a huge difference
In context ↗ - mouth guard · Helped
Mine are often caused by jaw tension so I also find sleeping with a mouth guard in can help
In context ↗ - sleeping in the zero gravity position · Helped
The only thing I’ve found that helps a bit is sleeping in the zero gravity position
In context ↗
Approaches: Vaccination
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 2.3 years 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| summer 2020 | Long COVID begins; hives are the first symptomThis was my first LC symptoms unfortunately (back in summer 2020). No obvious cause for me but had a few flare ups that summer and they haven’t been back since.In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| 2022 | Collapsed after prescribed exercise for joint pain; blacked out during high-intensity trainingprescribed me exercise for the joint pain which in turn made me collapseIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| 2022-11-04 | Felt a bit better after the bivalent booster and flu vaccineI’ve been feeling a bit better since getting mineIn context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| 2025-07-06 | Travelling long-haul regularly while masking, no reinfectionI travel long-haul regularly and don’t get sick at all as I mask the entire time.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Everyday exercise and activity“prescribed me exercise for the joint pain which in turn made me collapse” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Everyday exercise and activity“ended up prescribing me high-intensity training which (unsurprisingly) caused me to black out” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Headaches & migraine
I’ve had migraines for years (long before getting LC)
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I have trouble reading due to a few conditions (including LC)
In context ↗ - Muscle weakness
Yes, it’s especially bad in the morning.
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
My rheumatologist isn’t great at understanding long covid and prescribed me exercise for the joint pain which in turn made me collapse
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Bedbound with ME/CFS for over a year, now partly better with pacing and LDN
A Dutch long-hauler became ill with COVID in mid-2022 and was bedbound, in bed around the clock, for over a year. Rest and pacing, a 75% vegetable diet that fixed their gut, NAC for brain fog, LDN for PEM and ivabradine for POTS brought slow, partial gains.…
-
Bedridden or housebound with long COVID, now much better with pacing and LDN
Ill from February 2020, they were often bedridden or housebound with severe pain, headaches, diarrhoea and suicidal depression. They credit diet changes, rest and pacing, LDN and Celebrex for slow gains, and Auvelity for their depression, though flare-ups…
-
Long COVID brain fog, insomnia and gut pain, much better after pacing and diet
Coast 14692, a 33-year-old man, fell ill after COVID in August 2024; symptoms eased in September, then returned in October with tachycardia, high blood pressure, brain fog, insomnia and gut pain. Metoprolol, Pepcid, a clean diet and months of rest and pacing…
-
Long COVID with crashes from exercise, now recovered after running and diet
Stream 11561, posting in a long COVID forum, described a fine line between progress and crashing with exercise. They credited running, creatine, immune-regulating supplements and a change of diet, saying diet fixed symptoms and that they felt better than…