Long COVID Recovery Stories
For some with long COVID, adapting to a whole new lifestyle becomes necessary, but even then, it is important to focus on your successes and recognize that some days, just waking up is the day’s success.
Updated February 14, 2024
Long COVID is affecting 30-50% of people infected with COVID-19. Some people experience similar symptoms from the vaccine. Many are fully or partially recovering within 3-6 months after the cytokine storm settles. For some with long COVID, adapting to a whole new lifestyle becomes necessary, but even then, it is important to focus on your successes and recognize that some days, just waking up is the day’s success.
Your successes can inspire others and give them hope. Share your recovery stories and positive experiences at the bottom of this page for others to learn from.
Posting guidelines
Only post success or recovery stories in this thread. You can ask questions in our FAQs page, but call your doctor for urgent medical questions.
Feel free to use your initials or say anonymous in place of your name.
Don’t say anything you want kept private.
Don’t give your full birthdate, address or phone number.
Your email is required to validate that you are not a bot, but it will NOT be displayed publicly.
Ask your dr about medical questions.
Remember the comments are straight from our followers and should not be taken as medical guidance. Always talk to your dr and research any new ideas before you try anything.
Things you can do to help yourself
Minimizing physical & psychological stressors is essential in recovery from Long COVID.
Nutrition: Try to eat protein and fresh vitamin rich foods daily and avoid chemicals, preservatives, sugars, fast foods, prepared foods and high histamine foods.
Don’t skip meals. Your body needs protein , vitamin C, and vitamin D to heal from any injury or illness. A low histamine or low carbohydrate (sugar) diet is recommended by doctors treating Long COVID (PASC), and many people report a reduction in symptoms within 1-3 days of the diet change, including decreases in sneezing, itching or hives, irritable bowel syndrome, body pain, along with a reduction in swelling and inflammation.Hydration: A minimum of eight 8 oz glasses of plain water daily is recommended.
Avoid drinks with chemical additives. You can easily make a fresh electrolyte drink yourself by adding a dash of mineral rich Epsom salt and a piece a fruit like a raspberry for flavor instead of spending money on commercial drinks like Gatorade that contain chemicals and sit in plastic bottles for long periods of time. Remember that caffeine and alcohol have dehydrating effects.Sleep hygiene: Getting 7-9 hours of sleep so your body can repair itself. You need at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep to get into the restorative phase of sleep.
Avoid stimulating activities after dinner like thrilling movies or books, arguments, negative news or frustrating stimuli.
If you wake up frequently or with a startle, you may be experiencing drops in your oxygen level, which signal your brain to release adrenaline to force you to take a breath. This could be a temporary inflammation issue or more enduring sleep apnea. Ask your doctor for a sleep study to evaluate your need for a CPAP or BiPAP, a machine that pushes air into your lungs when it senses an apneic episode (periods of not breathing).Stress management: Stress affects every component of your life.
The only thing you can control about stress is your reaction to it. Try to avoid or minimize your exposure to stressful situations: Turn off the news, make family visits that end unpleasantly short, wait for the morning to have intense discussions, let go of things that annoy you but don’t really matter in the big scheme of things, avoid intense conversations or entertainment in the evening.
Exercise within tolerance: Pace yourself and do not push your body to extremes in any way.
For some this may mean seated breathing exercises, walking to the mailbox. Rest when your body says to slow down. Gradually build on your activity endurance as your body cues you to progress. This can be hard to gauge, because when you feel good you naturally do more, but if you do too much you may experience symptom flare ups 1-3 days later as the post exertion inflammation builds. Some people describe this as post exertional malaise, others experience severe recovery set backs.
Breathwork: You can literally stop the fight or flight reaction by taking slow deep breaths.
Deep slow breathing shuts down the adrenaline flow, slows your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and decreases stress related histamine release. When you do this, your blood reroutes back to your brain and nervous system to allow you to think clearly. It also allows your body to use its energy and oxygen to heal your inflamed nerves and organs.
Long COVID Support
ProMedView Nurse Coaches - We get it.
Our clinical experts advocate for those with Long COVID.
Individual coaching
Group Q&A sessions
Peer support groups
Educational webinars
Keep moving, keep breathing!
Brought to you by covidCAREgroup, connecting the dots of long COVID through education, research &resources.
Did this article help you? Please consider making a gift, donating, or purchasing a $25 annual membership. The covidCAREgroup is run by volunteers and 100% of our funding comes from community donations are used to support our continued outreach initiatives.
COVID Care Group, LLC, is not a “not for profit” organization. Donations, gifts & memberships are not tax-deductible.
COVID Care Group, LLC is not a healthcare provider and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Resources from covidCAREgroup
Recovery Tools — covidCAREgroup
Education Blog Table of Contents — covidCAREgroup
Long COVID Recovery Information and Resources — covidCAREgroup
Long COVID FAQ — covidCAREgroup
COVID-19 Long Haulers Support Group (Facebook)
Originally published: July 10, 2022