Long COVID with crashes, somewhat better now though exertion still triggers PEM
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Mild (working or studying, with limits)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 4 years
- Last post
- Sep 2026
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
Over three years with LC. I’m a male mid 30s.
In context ↗ - At worst: Mild
tried exercising but crashing harder and harder. Until I stopped - got fat(!) and became a couch potato, the crashing went away
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
have my cognitive abilities back, and work doesn’t fatigue me like it did - but moderate physical activity still carries risk of PEM
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Over three years with LC.
Read from 10 of their posts and comments; links to the 6 this page draws on
Summary
Male in his mid-30s who developed long COVID around 2022 while training for an Ironman. Early attempts to keep exercising caused repeated crashes until he stopped all activity. Over the past year his brain fog faded and work stopped exhausting him, but moderate physical activity still risked PEM. Colds brought temporary relief, and he took modafinil and coffee for energy.
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What they tried
Their words about each treatment
- exercising · Worse
tried exercising but crashing harder and harder
In context ↗ - stopping exercise and pacing / keeping within his threshold · Helped
Until I stopped - got fat(!) and became a couch potato, the crashing went away.
In context ↗ - Modafinil · Helped
My Doc has had me on Modafinil for past 12 months, it helps … but getting the dosage dialled in took a few months
In context ↗ - coffee · Helped
I find coffee and prescribed stimulant Modafinil helpful for me
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. The chart starts 3 months 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | struck down with long COVID while training for an IronmanIt struck me down whilst training for an Ironman, I was able to run 30km, cycle 200km+ … held down a busy job.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| first few months | kept exercising and crashed harder and harder until he stopped all activitytried exercising but crashing harder and harder. Until I stopped - got fat(!) and became a couch potato, the crashing went away.In context ↗ | Mild |
| past year (by March 2026) | brain fog faded and work no longer fatigued him, though physical activity still risks PEMhave my cognitive abilities back, and work doesn’t fatigue me like it did - but moderate physical activity still carries risk of PEMIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2026-09-19 | still has long COVID four years in; colds give brief flashes of his old self4 years now with LC. Colds and flus provide flashes of my previous self.In context ↗ | Mild |
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
Today - if I ran a few kilometres or had a hard day at work I could easily crash for a couple of days.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
I still have a line that if I cross I get PEM and brain fog.
In context ↗
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