Long COVID with chest pain and brain fog, close to normal after vaccine and couch-to-5k
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 11 months
- Last post
- Oct 2022
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Long covid sucks.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I could barely do 40 minutes without chest pain.
In context ↗ - Now: Near normal
only thing lingering for me is brain fog. if i could kick that then i'd be mostly back to normal.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I had covid in october
In context ↗
Read from 47 of their posts and comments; links to the 18 this page draws on
Summary
A US runner in their late 30s got long COVID in October 2020 with chest pain, breathlessness, high heart rate, brain fog and tinnitus. They kept working through months of chest pain and a relapse in April 2021; a COVID vaccine and couch-to-5k training came with slow gains, and they were about 85-90% recovered at a year. They had a full relapse after binge drinking in early 2022, ran a slow 5k by month 16, and two years on said they had mostly recovered, though brain fog lingered and memory problems had worsened.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Benadryl · Not said
took benadryl the 1st time, but not the 2nd.
In context ↗ - Pfizer vaccine · Helped
I think the vaccine may have helped with all the brain fog stuff. Who knows though.
In context ↗ - loratadine · Helped
i've been doing loratadine & famotidine, i feel like they helped after a while when i started.
In context ↗ - couch to 5k program · Helped a lot
I honestly feel like i made the most progress when i finally started a couch to 5k program. That was in august, I ran a 5k today, no issues.
In context ↗ - hydration and sodium · Helped
mainly hydration and getting more sodium in my diet.
In context ↗ - diet · Not said
did my best to control the things i can (diet, hydration, exercise, etc)
In context ↗
Approaches: H1 antihistamines · H2 blockers · Physiotherapy and rehab
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2020 | COVID-19 infectionI had covid in octoberIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| March 2021 | felt basically normal, looking up marathon training plansMonth 5 I felt basically normal ... I felt the best in March (covid month #6), to the point I was looking up marathon training plans | Near normal | |
| May 2021 | brain fog lifting after vaccinationI think the vaccine may have helped with all the brain fog stuffIn context ↗ | Mild | COVID vaccination as treatment |
| June 2021 | 10 mile hike, short bike ridesI did 10 miles on this past friday and felt pretty good about itIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| August 2021 | started couch to 5k trainingi made the most progress when i finally started a couch to 5k programIn context ↗ | Mild | Graded rehab and self-made programmes |
| October 2021 | about 85-90% recoveredmaybe 85% to 90% recovered, since I can now do activities that I would do in my pre-covid lifeIn context ↗ | Near normal | |
| January 2022 | relapse after first binge drinkingfirst time i binge drank i had a full on relapse. felt like i had covid againIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| February 2022 | running a slow 5k againi can do maybe a slow 5k now (12 minute miles)In context ↗ | Near normal | Graded rehab and self-made programmes |
| July 2022 | doing pretty good, brain fog lingeringI'm doing pretty good after 20 months ... only thing lingering for me is brain fog | Near normal | |
| October 2022 | mostly recovered at two yearsi'd say i've recovered or mostly haveIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“dose 1 felt like covid: elevated heart rate, chest tightness, etc. ... both times had a small reaction to the doses.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Brain fog
only thing lingering for me is brain fog
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
i think most of my cardiovascular symptoms resolved about around 1.5 years
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
7 months of chest pain and shortness of breath so far
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
my doc said i was a few bpm shy of a pots diagnosis back in September
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
I had issues with brain fog and tinnitus which have also been substantially better lately
In context ↗ - Gut problems
occasional brain fog, maybe some related stomach / gut issues too
In context ↗
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