Deathly sick with long COVID, now much better; salt water and Zyrtec eased symptoms
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 2.5 years
- Last post
- Jun 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
here we are 1.5 years of long covid
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
my body can barely do anything and even if I lay in my bed, I gotta lay straight down just to not over-exert by sitting up-right
In context ↗ - Now: Much better
if I keep my diet clean and I actually cook each time I eat I have 0 issues
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
During my initial infection I was deathly sick for 6 weeks and thought I would die.
In context ↗
Read from 24 of their posts and comments; links to the 18 this page draws on
Summary
Maple 67969 fell ill with long COVID in November 2023, deathly sick for six weeks, then left with PEM, brain fog, headaches and heart symptoms for over two years. Aggressive rest brought large cognitive gains that vanished after over-exertion. In 2025 salt in water eased brain fog and fatigue by about half, and Zyrtec cleared their headache by roughly 90%. They stayed well only while eating a clean, cooked diet.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Aggressive rest · Helped a lot
I rested aggressively last year for over a month and I saw massive improvements with cognition. As soon as I over-exerted I lost it all.
In context ↗ - Being active as advised by a therapist · Much worse
The reason I lost my progress is because I got gaslit into thinking ''hur hur hur, you can just be active that's good for you
In context ↗ - L-theanine · Helped
L-Theanine helps lower my stress and anger primarily
In context ↗ - Luteolin capsules · Helped
This is my first day taking Luteolin capsules ( 50mg Luteolin + 50mg Rutin in it ) BUT I slept 10 times better and I felt somewhat less foggy.
In context ↗ - Red light · Not said
I already got red light as well since it helps with melatonin production.
In context ↗ - Melatonin · No change
Not using Melatonin that doesn't work on me, don't want to get addicted to harder sleeping pills either
In context ↗ - Salt in water · Helped
I started sprinkling 1/4 tea spoon of salt in my water bottle twice a day (natural salt, not table salt) and noticed my brain fog and fatigue getting better
In context ↗ - Fasting · No change
fasting hasn't done shit for me
In context ↗ - Learning to breathe slower · Helped
This already helped me today and I will use this as a guidance for both my chronic GERD, Fight and Flight and Long Covid. This was a game changer.
In context ↗ - Cutting out media and news · Not said
I completely cut ties with media and the news and divorced myself from politics.
In context ↗ - The Acid Watcher Diet · Not said
I am on The Acid Watcher Diet and trying to heal from BOTH GERD and Long Covid.
In context ↗ - Zyrtec · Helped a lot
I tried out Zyrtec 10mg today, after 30 minutes my headaches were almost gone, I feel light in my body.
In context ↗ - Clean diet with no bread · Helped
if I keep my diet clean and I actually cook each time I eat I have 0 issues.
In context ↗ - Oatmeal · Helped
Oatmeal helped a lot.
In context ↗ - More fiber · Worse
More fiber is exactly how I got into this mess.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Radical rest
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2023 | initial COVID infection, deathly sick for six weeksDuring my initial infection I was deathly sick for 6 weeks and thought I would die.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2024-05-22 | five months in, alternating better weeks and crashes, lost routineI suddenly get better for 2 weeks or a month and then back again.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2024 | big cognitive gains from over a month of aggressive restI rested aggressively last year for over a month and I saw massive improvements with cognition.In context ↗ | Moderate | Radical rest |
| 2024-09-25 | relapse of cognitive issues and mood swings after over-exertionRelapse; Cognitive issues and weird mood swings. Am I the only one?In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2025-08-14 | mostly in bed, had to lie flat, crashes from games and sitting upmy body can barely do anything and even if I lay in my bed, I gotta lay straight down just to not over-exert by sitting up-right.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| 2025-08-19 | salt in water cut brain fog and fatigue by about halfI started sprinkling 1/4 tea spoon of salt in my water bottle twice a day ... and noticed my brain fog and fatigue getting betterIn context ↗ | Moderate | Salt, electrolytes and fluids |
| 2025-09-12 | Zyrtec took headaches away within 30 minutesI tried out Zyrtec 10mg today, after 30 minutes my headaches were almost goneIn context ↗ | Moderate | Cetirizine (Zyrtec) |
| 2026-01-31 | symptom-free only while eating a clean, cooked dietif I keep my diet clean and I actually cook each time I eat I have 0 issues.In context ↗ | Moderate |
Adverse events
- Salt, electrolytes and fluids“I did notice I took too much yesterday. Slightly above half a teaspoon was too much for me.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Intermittent fasting“I got headaches later today because I tried fasting. Realized I didnt have enough rice and was getting hunger pangs and headaches.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
I can't play games either cause that just causes me to crash all the time.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I now have cognition issues, confusion, moodiness
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
Dizziness, random spurts of smiling, laughing tiredness and sudden lack of appetite again.
In context ↗ - Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
I've been reacting emotionally and physically to food or exertion.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Having fast/slow and hard heartbeats and poor sleep agian.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
after 30 minutes my headaches were almost gone
In context ↗ - Gut problems
If I lay myself down right after a meal I get reflux.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
excessive crying or anger issues/hopelessness
In context ↗
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