Long COVID
Severe → recoveredIll 3 years before improving or writing
Bedbound with long COVID, now back to pre-COVID self at times after water fasts and diet
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3 years
- Last post
- Oct 2026
In their words
- At worst: Severe
I was bedbound before and now have many good days.
In context ↗ - Now: Recovered
I have been symptom free for nearly a year now.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
after the second infection around the beginning of December 2022, I started to experience anxiety like I’ve never experienced in my life
In context ↗
Read from 152 of their posts and comments; links to the 24 this page draws on
Summary
His long COVID followed a second COVID infection in September 2022; anxiety and insomnia began that December, and by summer 2023 he was bedbound with PEM, cognitive, gut and autonomic symptoms. He credits repeated five-day and longer water fasts, up to 25 days, and a whole-food, low-carb, anti-inflammatory diet. He reports major improvement and feeling like his pre-COVID self at times, but still has PEM and crashes and has not resumed consistent exercise.
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What they tried
What they credit
Extended water fasting· Helped a lot · mainDry fasting· Helped a lotanti-inflammatory, whole food, low carb diet· Helpedanti-inflammatory, whole food, low carb diet· Helpedanti-inflammatory, whole food, low carb diet· Helpeddiet with only low histamine foods· Helpedpacing· Helpedtherapy· HelpedBuddhism / mindfulness and acceptance· Helped
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Extended water fasting · Helped a lot
Started fasting by end of last summer. Built up til I could do 5 days with just water.
In context ↗ - Dry fasting · Helped a lot
I completely a five day hard dry fast in August, and have felt so much better since then.
In context ↗ - prednisone · Helped
I have been doing this for about three months now when a flare comes on, and it seriously helps.
In context ↗ - LDN · Helped
And I did LDN for a while, it seems to help some in general.
In context ↗ - benzo (klonapin) · Helped
they put me on a benzo for a while, about six months, and that helped calm my nervous system enough to be able sleep.
In context ↗ - antihistamines · No change
I tried antihistamines early on with zero improvement
In context ↗ - melatonin · Not said
If you can do melatonin that can help, I personally have always woken up in the middle of the night w melatonin, even when healthy.
In context ↗ - Thorne SF722 (undecylenic acid) · Helped
I have found some success with SF722 from Thorne, a type of acid with major antifungal / biofilm busting properties.
In context ↗ - anti-inflammatory, whole food, low carb diet · Helped
went from a healthy-ish version of standard American diet to anti-inflammatory, no alcohol, no processed foods really, and that helped a lot
In context ↗ - diet with only low histamine foods · Helped
I began a diet with only low histamine foods ... I am seriously feeling great
In context ↗ - exercise · Worse
exercise set me back, I just didn’t know what was going on.
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
have been getting steadily better with fasting and diet and pacing and easing back stressors
In context ↗ - protein powder · No change
I tried that and didn’t move the needle.
In context ↗ - therapy · Helped
working out some childhood trauma was extremely helpful in my healing
In context ↗ - Buddhism / mindfulness and acceptance · Helped
Buddhism helped a ton.
In context ↗
Approaches: CBT & mindset · Diet · Mind-body practices · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2022 | anxiety and then insomnia began after second COVID infectionafter the second infection around the beginning of December 2022, I started to experience anxiety like I’ve never experienced in my lifeIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| summer 2023 | bedbound with full PEM, chronic fatigue, insomnia and dysautonomiaI was really sick that summer, full on PEM, chronic fatigue, insomnia, fasciculations, dysautonomiaIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| early 2024 | moved on to week-long water fasts and improved furtherIn the new year I began week long fasts, and that’s when I really improved.In context ↗ | Moderate | Extended water fasting (3+ days) |
| September 2024 | 14-day water fast brought big gainsand finally did a 14 day fast and that helped so muchIn context ↗ | Moderate | Extended water fasting (3+ days) |
| February 2025 | hiked Ryan Mountain on a family trip, with prednisoneFrom laying in bed more than I care to admit to this. Hiked up Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree a few days ago.In context ↗ | Mild | Extended water fasting (3+ days) |
| April 2025 | a flare lasting two weeks, longer than recent crashesMy crashes were getting shorter and more mild. Not sure why this one has been two weeks now.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| summer 2025 | best summer in years after the 25-day supervised fast; family outings and theme parksI went on to have my first good summer and maybe two or three years, I was able to do a lot of stuff with my familyIn context ↗ | Mild | Extended water fasting (3+ days) |
| July 2025 | crashed after unrestricted eating, wine, a party and stressI pushed too far though and caused a bit of a crash, and am coming out that now, but crash was way more mellow than before the long fasting.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| September 2025 | after a five-day and then six-day dry fast he felt fully well and did not look backat the end of September I did a second drive fast for six days, and same thing I felt incredible after I regained my strength.In context ↗ | Recovered | Dry fasting |
| October 2026 | symptom-free, teaching full time and running againI’m able to run 5 miles again no crashing I’ve been teaching full-timeIn context ↗ | Recovered |
Adverse events
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“Detox herx die off was horrible, but I started to make improvements.” In context ↗ Herx / die-off reaction
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“The first time I did a five day fast, with long Covid, I felt like I was dying.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“Days 4 and 5 my body started to Herx / healing crisis soooooooo bad.” In context ↗ Herx / die-off reaction
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“On days 17-25 my fast got so intense, the pain was crazy. I also could not really sleep.” In context ↗ Herx / die-off reaction
- Melatonin“I personally have always woken up in the middle of the night w melatonin, even when healthy.” In context ↗ Insomnia from treatment
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)“the withdrawal off that drug (klonapin) is horrible. Suicidal ideation, all that.” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
- Undecylenic acid (SF722)“Seems to be causing major herx/die off symptoms after just having felt great for last 3 weeks.” In context ↗ Herx / die-off reaction
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“Then maybe messed up the refeed by eating without restriction too soon, some stress, and symptoms came back after four glorious weeks post fast.” In context ↗ Refeeding or deficiency problems
- Extended water fasting (3+ days)“The first few fasts made me very sick at first, but then my body got healthier, cleaner and adapted.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
Symptoms mentioned
Anxiety & low moodBrain fogGut problemsHeart symptoms & palpitationsLight & noise sensitivityNeuropathy & tinglingPOTS & dysautonomiaPain & fibromyalgiaPost-exertional malaiseSleep problemsTemperature regulationTinnitusVision problems
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Still have not been able to clear the PEM yet, but I have gotten stronger.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
main symptoms in my long Covid were brain fog
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
lots of autonomic dysfunction
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
profound insomnia for the first time in my life
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
which means fatigue, aches and pain in bones and muscles, depression, and nerve pain
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I had lots of issues with my gut from two Covid infections.
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
Light sensitivity
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
heartbeat issues
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
I noticed in summer 2020 I had weird neuropathy in my feet sometimes
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
horrible anxiety and depression and fear
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
Ringing in ears, left side
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
Heat intolerance
In context ↗ - Vision problems
Vision is not like it used to
In context ↗
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