Months mostly in one room with long COVID, now symptom-free after time and low-sugar diet
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Severe (mostly bedbound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 3.5 years
- Last post
- May 2025
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Covid positive Christmas 2021, long haul symptoms from Jan 10th ish
In context ↗ - At worst: Severe
I’ve been in the same room since January with the occasional visit to the kitchen and living room.
In context ↗ - Now: Recovered
Today, I’m off BP meds, symptom-free, and in the best shape of my life.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Covid positive Christmas 2021, long haul symptoms from Jan 10th ish
In context ↗ - Says they never had: Post-exertional malaise
But to answer your question I feel no crash or PEM whatsoever.
Read from 36 of their posts and comments; links to the 18 this page draws on
Summary
A 32-year-old man developed long COVID after COVID at Christmas 2021, with POTS-like blood pressure spikes and anxiety, spending months mostly in one room. He improved gradually, crediting time, a low-sugar diet, a slow return to walking and weights, and beta blockers for heart rate; progress was non-linear, about 70% by seven months. By May 2025 he had weaned off blood pressure drugs, was symptom-free and in the best shape of his life, and concluded his POTS-like symptoms had been caused by overmedication with blood pressure drugs rather than true POTS.
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What they tried
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- beta blocker · Helped
I take metoprolol for heart rate/blood pressure which is a beta blocker.
In context ↗ - hctz diuretic · Not said
I also take hctz diuretic separately.
In context ↗ - losartan · Helped
Beta blocker and ARB have slowly worked for me.
In context ↗ - Zyrtec and Claritin · No change
I’ve been doing antihistamines for a month or so now consistently. Before that I was hit or miss with taking it.
In context ↗ - lexapro · Worse
My side effects from lexapro were worsened anxiety and depression.
In context ↗ - radical rest method · Not said
I was “bed bound” by choice for a month or so as I tried the radical rest method.
In context ↗ - walking and body weight training · Helped
I have slowly started to incorporate walking and body weight training in the last few weeks.
In context ↗ - diet · Helped
ZERO refined sugars. Carbs in extreme moderation. This is what has worked for me as of late.
In context ↗ - time · Helped
Time, diet, and a slow reintroduction to moving my body is what seems to be helping me the most.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet · Exercise and activity
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 1 month after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 | COVID-19 at Christmas, long haul symptoms from early JanuaryCovid positive Christmas 2021, long haul symptoms from Jan 10th ishIn context ↗ | Not stated | |
| January-February 2022 | Confined to one room, bed bound by choice, afraid to walk to the bathroomI went from being scared to walk from my bed to the bathroomIn context ↗ | Severe | |
| April 2022 | Gradually walking and doing body weight training againJust finished a 1 hour walk on my treadmill which ended up being 3.5 miles.In context ↗ | Mild | Everyday exercise and activity |
| June 2022 | Trending towards recovery, about 70% versus 30% in MarchI am by no means cured but I would say I sit around 70% now. If you had asked this in march I would have told you 30%.In context ↗ | Mild | Everyday exercise and activity |
| November 2022 | Almost 100% after many ups and downs, back at work in personI have recently been feeling almost 100% but this was not after many many ups and downs.In context ↗ | Near normal | Everyday exercise and activity |
| November 2022 | Dropped from about 90% back to 60-70%last week I was feeling about 90% and today back to 60-70%In context ↗ | Mild | |
| May 2025 | Off blood pressure medication, symptom-free and in the best shape of his lifeToday, I’m off BP meds, symptom-free, and in the best shape of my life.In context ↗ | Recovered |
Adverse events
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)“For me lexapro made it worse, not to scare you as everyone is different.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)“My side effects from lexapro were worsened anxiety and depression. Felt like a zombie all day and just felt…off?” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Beta-blockers (unspecified)“I take a low dose extended release beta blocker which has made my heart rate almost too low at rest(sometimes in the 40’s).” In context ↗ Side effects
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec), Loratadine (Claritin)“Ironically it seems to be worse the more consistent I am with taking them” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Beta-blockers (unspecified)“I tried on my own to take half of a dose a few days ago and it spiked my bp pretty dramatically.” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
- Losartan (Cozaar)“I was overmedicated — and the meds were lowering my BP too much, triggering a sympathetic response that mimicked POTS.” In context ↗ Low blood pressure or fainting
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- POTS & dysautonomia
Pots like issues that are more related to blood pressure than anything, significant BP elevation upon standing.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
Anxiety/depression that seems to be derived from a different source than typically would be
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
Occasional chills/body aches that have slowly become better since jan.
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
Heart rate out of control blood pressure spiking.
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
I had unexplained wheezing for about a month after I had Covid in December 2021.
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
It’s as if you stop breathing or your heart stops as you fall asleep and the only way for your body to “stay alive” is to shock yourself with adrenaline so you wake up.
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
But now as I sit here my head feels like it’s in a vice grip.
In context ↗ - Temperature regulation
racing heart when standing, dizziness, heat intolerance, flushing, fatigue
In context ↗
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