Mostly bedridden with long COVID, improved with pacing and time, then relapsed
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 11 months
- Last post
- Oct 2026
In their words
- At worst: Severe
I had to lie down most of my day and nap ... Very seldom I was able to take a 10-15 min walk. I was mostly bedridden.
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
I went from able to do walks and household chores, back to bed ridden and severely exhausted.
In context ↗
Read from 14 of their posts and comments; links to the 12 this page draws on
Summary
Stream 76126 developed long COVID after a mild, untested infection in late 2025 and was mostly bedridden with breathing problems, palpitations, POTS and brain fog for about four months. Radical pacing and time brought a large improvement; by mid-2026 they walked for hours and did light exercise without crashing. Agomelatine then put them back to bed, with severe brain fog, dysautonomia and breathing issues returning.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- lexapro (escitalopram) · Worse
For almost 2 years I took lexapro, before switching to wellbutrin and I didnt like it cause it was making me quite numb
In context ↗ - wellbutrin (bupropion) · Worse
But with MEC/CFS it made me way too jittery and wired, so I had to quit it.
In context ↗ - radical pacing · Helped
Thats when I learned about Long COVID and started radically pacing
In context ↗ - pantoprazole · Helped
once I lowered the dose (and took some pantoprazole) it went away
In context ↗ - migraine glasses · Helped
I got some migraine glasses and they helped with my constant headaches from screens and gaming.
In context ↗ - agomelatine · Worse
So far it’s been absolutely horrible for me. ... I went from able to do walks and household chores, back to bed ridden and severely exhausted.
In context ↗ - fennel tea · Not said
Yes! I use it as a substitute for matcha latte, cause I can’t have caffeine anymore without getting tired and wired
In context ↗ - Garmin and symptom tracker · Not said
I also love my Garmin and symptom tracker for this, even though I find it very hard to see patterns
In context ↗ - time · Helped
In my case I honestly think its just time.. as unsatisfying as it sounds.
In context ↗
Approaches: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| about 7 months before June 2026 | mild sickness with light fever and stuffy nose, untestedI got sick 7 months ago, it was a light sickness with a light fever, some stuffy nose, didnt test myself.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2-4 months in | mostly bedridden, stopped working, breathing issues, palpitations, POTS, brain foguntil I had to lie down most of my day and nap ... I was mostly bedridden.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| 4 months in | longer walks, more household tasks, energy returningThen I was able to do longer walks, do more things in the household, I just got more energy and my symptoms weren’t that bad anymoreIn context ↗ | Moderate | Pacing and the energy envelope |
| 4-5 months in | severe crash, could not stand, carried to the bathroomI also had a really bad crash where i couldnt stand up and my partner had to carry me to the bathroom.In context ↗ | Severe | |
| June 2026 | walks of 2-3 hours, planks, chores, no more crashingLast week I walked for 2-3 hours through the city with my partner ... and I don’t crash anymore.In context ↗ | Mild | Pacing and the energy envelope |
| 2 July 2026 | back to bedridden on agomelatine, dysautonomia and breathing issues returnedI went from able to do walks and household chores, back to bed ridden and severely exhausted. Also my Dysautonomia and breathing issues came back.In context ↗ | Severe |
Adverse events
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin)“Then I was on Wellbutrin, really liked it but when I got sick with LC it was the primary source of my Dysautonomia bc it’s so activating, once I stopped the symptoms stopped.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin)“A couple months ago ive upped my dose to 300mg and I got a really bad gastritis, once I lowered the dose (and took some pantoprazole) it went away” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin)“with MEC/CFS it made me way too jittery and wired, so I had to quit it” In context ↗ Side effects
- Bupropion (Wellbutrin)“I felt a lot better after quitting it (and surviving the withdrawal symptoms)” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)“I was on Escitalopram way too long and absolutely hated it, it only numbed me” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Agomelatine (Valdoxan)“I went from able to do walks and household chores, back to bed ridden and severely exhausted. Also my Dysautonomia and breathing issues came back.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Agomelatine (Valdoxan)“My sleep is even more interrupted than before, I wake up feeling super exhausted and tired (obviously) and like a zombie.” In context ↗ Insomnia from treatment
- Agomelatine (Valdoxan)“However I’m very drowsy, brainfogged and fatigued until the afternoon, which doesn’t feel like my typical fatigue but more like I took a strong sleeping pill.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- POTS & dysautonomia
light POTS ... Also my Dysautonomia and breathing issues came back.
- Sleep problems
My sleep is even more interrupted than before
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
Then came breathing issues
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
my main issues for LC are vagus nerve related, so heart palpitation, short of breath, fatigue etc.
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
constant light fever
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
I got some migraine glasses and they helped with my constant headaches from screens and gaming. Haven’t had migraine or headache since I got them
In context ↗
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