Long COVID breathlessness; time and eating less helped, then reinfections set him back
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 5.5 years
- Last post
- Sep 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
1 year 5 months long covid sufferer
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
I am functional, I have been able to go to the gym in the last few months though I am not able to do what I used to. I am not bed ridden or paralysed.
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
Improved a few years ago. Got covid again, fully reset. Happened again this summer. Still cant breathe properly.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I caught covid in April 2020
In context ↗
Read from 7 of their posts and comments; links to the 7 this page draws on
Summary
Petrel 17523, a 25-year-old man, caught COVID-19 in April 2020 and has had long COVID with breathlessness and swollen lymph nodes for over five years; early on he also had manual breathing. His first six months were the worst; he improved over the following years, relying on time and eating less, and was able to return to the gym. Two COVID reinfections, the latest in summer 2025, reset his progress, and he still cannot breathe properly.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- anti depressantand anxiety medications · No change
He prescribed me various different anti depressantand anxiety medications over the period of several months all of which did nothing
In context ↗ - mirtazapine · Worse
it made me insatiably hungry. I put on weight without realising ... stopped taking it. Didn't see many improvements to my overall health from taking it but was only on it for ~2mo
In context ↗ - telling myself that it's all in my head · No change
when I feel out of breath I should just sit down and tell myself that it's all in my head ... It hasn't helped once even though I've tried it
In context ↗ - fasting · Helped
I have tried fasting for health and fell out of it when I changed jobs but I recall feeling generally better when I would stick to a routine rather than eating whenever.
In context ↗ - time · Helped
Improved a few years ago. Got covid again, fully reset.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet
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 3 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 2 steps have no time and sit in story order between the steps around them. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2020 | caught COVID-19I caught covid in April 2020In context ↗ | Not stated | |
| first 6 months of illness (2020) | first six months absolute hell, stopping breathing at nightFirst 6 months were absolute hell. Couldn't fall asleep without waking up because I was stopping breathing randomlyIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021 | doing very well, breathing somewhat under control, back at the gymi was doing very well and had it somewhat under control ... I have been able to go to the gym in the last few monthsIn context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2021-09-08 | minor heatstroke at the beach on his birthday brought a bad lung flare-upRight now I am having my first extremely bad flare up of lung issues since maybe februaryIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021-12-26 | manual breathing mostly goneManual breathing is gone unless I have a particularly bad episode, otherwise I just have standard breathing issuesIn context ↗ | Mild | Time and spontaneous remission |
| 2021-12-27 | bad breathing flare-up after holiday food and excitementI am currently having a pretty bad flare-up owing to the shit I've eaten over the last few days and the excitement of the holiday periodIn context ↗ | Mild | |
| a few years before 2025 | improvedImproved a few years ago.In context ↗ | Near normal | Time and spontaneous remission |
| before summer 2025 | COVID reinfection reset progressGot covid again, fully reset.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| summer 2025 | second COVID reinfection reset progress againHappened again this summer. Still cant breathe properly.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2025-09-24 | still cannot breathe properly after repeated reinfectionsStill cant breathe properly.In context ↗ | Mild |
Adverse events
- Mirtazapine (Remeron)“it made me insatiably hungry ... I'm past recovered from an ed and it set me off massively” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Breathlessness
Still cant breathe properly.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
Couldn't fall asleep without waking up because I was stopping breathing randomly
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
I have swollen lymph nodes 24/7 and a sickness in my throat
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I had a mental breakdown last year and I trashed my bedroom
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I have a lot of fatigue and struggle with more complex things
In context ↗ - Vision problems
my vision went blurry
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
thought I was going to pass out several times
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
I had a minor heatstroke today in 28°C weather
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
I am currently having a pretty bad flare-up owing to the shit I've eaten over the last few days and the excitement of the holiday period
In context ↗
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