Post covid fatigue: please someone bring me some positivity!

[Medstudent12]

I'm now day 11 of Covid-19. Mainly felt like a terrible cold but fatigue like nothing I have ever felt before. I'm late 20s, otherwise fit and well.

Feeling a little panicky that I will end up with chronic fatigue/ME sort of picture (I'm a doctor so I am being ridiculous but tend to think of the worst) and just want to hear some experiences of people who've been fatigued and improved! Any any tips you might have.

Basically feeling low about it all, just want to hear it gets better I have never been this tired. I also don't get paid if not working as am a self employed locum so there is a lot of stress around not working.

Thanks :)

Hi OP, I’m a retired doctor, early 60’s. Hospitalised with Covid in the Spring, but not ventilated.
I have been ill with long Covid now for eight months.
I have what is probably permanent lung damage - still breathless at 100 yards, despite being a previously fit slim non smoker.
I had muscle pain (fizzing, burning sensation in all limbs) and severe fatigue for about five months.
I live alone and the fatigue was bad enough that I had to hire a gardener and ask friends to do my shopping for me.
I have now (at 8 months) got my muscle strength back, am no longer fatigued and can manage my own house, garden and shopping. I just wish the breathlessness would resolve!
Don’t push yourself too fast - I found any attempt at more activity caused a relapse of symptoms a few days later. Convalesce carefully and gradually, pace yourself, and you will find the relapses get less frequent and less severe with time.
The recommendation is to not let your heart rate get above 60% over resting rate, and to limit exercise to short periods. Gentle walking is safer than vigorous workouts.
There are an estimated 60,000 of us with chronic symptoms after the first wave of Covid. The NHS is setting up rehab clinics for us - if you are in the unlucky long tail cohort, you can self refer to the clinic for advice from physios and OTs if you feel it might help.
Good luck and best wishes for a faster recovery than I had!

Tips.
Rest.
Rest.
Rest.

Then

Rest some more.

The fatigue is vicious with COVID. You'll probably start to feel better in a few-10 days but dont try and resume your usual activity levels right away. Take it easy, accept good days will be followed by another wave of fatigue, build yourself up slowly.

Some in the US recommend taking NAC to help with recovery. As a doctor you can decide for yourself if that's worthwhile.

I don't know because I had mild covid but I have very severe fatigue from multiple chronic illnesses. If it did happen...you just sort of get used to it in time I found. When I was first diagnosed with what I had i couldn't move for the "hit a brick wall" fatigue...but over the years I've learned to deal with it. I'd say about 2x a week I can't do a damn thing but on the whole I push through. There's always a way

My friend who is a GP said she’d never been ill like it but she is fully recovered now. I’m a worse case scenario planner too so relate to how you feel but you’re still more likely to make a full recovery than get long covid. My friend also says being a GP makes health anxiety worse sometimes as you are exposed to a higher proportion of the worst case scenario side of life in your job.
Sending positive vibes for a speedy recovery x

@Babdoc sounds like you’ve had such a tough time. I’m lucky that I’ve never coughed and not really been breathless. I’m hoping that as I’ve not even had this for 2 weeks that it’s just me being impatient and isn’t long covid. I might take tomorrow off work after all. Pace myself.

@Porcupineinwaiting thanks I’ll try (I’m usually very active so this is weird for me). How long until your energy levels returned to normal?

@OpheliasCrayon I think I’ll have so much more empathy with patients with chronic fatigue, it must be so hard. I’ve struggled and it’s been less than 2 weeks! I just have to hope it resolves. I’m a junior doctor and ambitious and chronic fatigue and my chosen specialty simply aren’t compatible. I just have to hope I’m one of the lucky ones and make a full recovery.

@wondersun thank you. I just want to hear stories from people who’ve got back to full fitness again, when I google I just find stories about people who are still fatigued months later. I’m a hospital doctor and it’s quite fast paced at the moment and I just can’t do a full day at work currently. Really feel I’m letting colleagues down I think as doctors there’s a culture of not taking sick days.

OP, taking a week off sick now, to recuperate, is better than having to take months off later because you rushed back to work before you were fit and then relapsed.
You might even consider a phased return, starting with half days, until you assess your energy levels and fatigue after a shift.

OP, both me and my husband had Covid a few weeks ago. We're both nurses and busy at work so I understand what it's like in the hospital. My husband was absolutely exhausted when he had Covid, sleeping all the time. I was just coughing and couldn't taste anything. He was really tired afterwards and found it hard being back at work, but he said he feels like he's just getting back to normal in the past couple of days. It's 4 weeks since we had it.

Sorry to hear that you are feeling fatigued Medstudent 12
I would definitely say rest, rest, rest. As you're in the front line you are more likely to come into contact with cases of the most ill patients and those with severe anxiety, which in turn could make your anxiety worse. I feel a break from that dire situation is what you really need. Wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery.

[quote Medstudent12]@OpheliasCrayon I think I’ll have so much more empathy with patients with chronic fatigue, it must be so hard. I’ve struggled and it’s been less than 2 weeks! I just have to hope it resolves. I’m a junior doctor and ambitious and chronic fatigue and my chosen specialty simply aren’t compatible. I just have to hope I’m one of the lucky ones and make a full recovery.[/quote]
It's tricky - I work despite it doing an extremely demanding phsyical job. It's absolutely not compatible with having chronic fatigue or any of the illnesses I have. But it's the only thing I'd ever want to do so you just learn to deal. Hopefully you recover soon.

My GP was very blunt about the need to pace myself in recovery. And the risks of relapse if I pushed too hard. I had 3.5 weeks off work, went back on a phased return for another 3 weeks. The first week back I couldn't work longer than 3.5 hours before needing a 2 hour rest break. By week 3 that had extended out to about 6 hours.

On week 8 now. Can now work full days but need to rest in evenings and on weekends. Cognitive work is proving every bit as tiring as physical work.

Slowly getting there but pacing yourself is absolutely essential for a good outcome longer-term....

Sorry - made a mistake in that last. Am now 5 weeks back at work, not 8 weeks. Typo!

hi hope everyone is well,would love to join if your fatigue has eased up?im on day 11 been really unwell but can't stay awake!i have young children and this is crippling i'm just so tierd and don't have the energy to get out of bed!also did anyone have bad dry sisnues with this? x

Hi Op

11 days is really early to be worrying! I had a mild dose (headache, sore throat, fatigue, stomach cramps etc) and it was maybe 3 weeks before I felt normal. Since then I’ve had one flare up of fatigue, headache, gastric upset which lasted a week.

Try not to worry, take it as it comes. The odds are still very much in your favour. And REST!

thank you for replying!yes i feel so weak even going the loo is a struggle i felt abit better yesterday but still stayed in bed yet todya i feel like iv been hit again!my whole body hurts cnt keep eyes open awful headache and dizziness too!awful virus this is i can't wait to feel abit normal again x

I had bad fatigue but slept as much as I needed. Even if that was all night and all day. Around the 2 week mark I started to improve. But it took a while

Hi op. I am just about through it, after 8 months.
Fatigue was awful. So awful, that after 6 weeks of groundhog day with it, I decided to take 3 months of just resting. And sleeping a great deal. It also threw up health problems, mainly minor.

So I reiterate @Porcupineinwaiting, rest rest and rest.

Eventually I worked out that elderberry and chilli helped a bit. I dont really know why exactly.

gosh how are you meant to sleep allday with 3kids iv not moved at all again today my eldest whos 10 is getting annoyed i can see,it's so fustrating starting to feel so down!ontop of the fatigue in still really breathless and have awful acid reflux nwo too!i have a oximetere so reassuring myself that oxygen levels are normal but this breathless is horrible too,i have low ferritin so god knws what levels it's at now

No sinus trouble @Mummytoallgirls, but I caught the virus back in March, and I am not prone to sinus trouble anyway.
I dont remember many people talking about sinus back in March.

I ended up taking myself away from home[not that I have small kiddies] because I was not getting better. I asked a couple of people very nicely, to effectively look after me, until I was well enough again.

Hope you get better soon.
And the op too.
And anyone else who ends up with it.
I didnt, and dont now either, have any underlying symptoms.

thank you!one more thing i'm panicking abit when are you out of the danger zone?like you hear of so many passing away and it has really made me feel anxious

I have gone a bit the other way. I take precautions, but feel that not many seem to get it again, so may be that is it for life for me, I may never get it again?
I could be wrong, but that is a bit how I feel.

yes i mean while you have it when is the danger zone over?like the crippling fatigue and headaches and body aches i still have a cough and abit breathless but is that normal now for day 11??i think laying here feeling crap makes you so anxious

You need to rest up but honestly, I think your chances of long term issues are really small. I get that lots of people have had lingering issues but I've known several diagnosed with Long Covid and with all of them, their issues have cleared up over several weeks. One had 3 months of severe fatigue - she was seriously unwell with it - but she is now running up hills again. More than anything don't panic (easier said than done) as that's not good for your CNS. Rest lots, listen to your body and you will more than likely be ok. As a doctor I'm sure you know how amazing the body is at healing itself in many ways. I'm sorry it's hit you so hard, it sounds awful.