My mum (80) has long covid

[WeIoveyouMissHannigan]

Hi

My mum clearly has long covid and I am so worried about her. She’s turned from energetic chatty and upbeat to a little old lady who doesn’t speak much. I actually thought she had dementia or a stroke but brain scans were clear.

Shes sleeping about 6 hours a day on top of usual sleep and has moved in with me because she can’t look after herself at all.

Has anybody tried IV infusions? Just wondering what I can do to help her.

Has she had blood tests? Get her to get a copy of her results and see what her results were against the reference ranges. B12, vit D and folate are good to check. They need to be in the top third. Then you'll have an idea of what might need supplementing.

The best thing she can do in these early times is rest so she'll have the best chance of recovery. So anything you can do to lift the load will help - preparing meals for her, cleaning, providing quiet companionship so her mental health doesn't decline.

I've got me/CFS that developed after a virus over 8 years ago now - long covid can develop into me/CFS.

Thanks for replying.

hwr bloods are fine, she has had two UTIs since then and they’ve done a full blood screen so I know the fundamentals are fine. Can I ask specifically for B12 D3 tests?

I have had CFS too so a good understanding of what is needed I was so exhausted I couldn’t even bear a sheet on me in bed so I was definitely worse but so much younger - it’s the ageing/general decline that terrifies me the most. We are trying to play board games with her but she’s not really got the energy so we end up sitting chatting and that’s about it.

we are going to start juicing today.

Honestly, see a Kinesiologist. My DD was poorly and docs wouldn’t listen - I took her to our local kinesiologist, and yes, I was very skeptical, but they literally changed her life and she has been thriving since. I know some people say it’s hocus pocus, but, hand in heart, I believe they really did more than any GP did (GP said DDs condition was in her head until I saw kinesiologist and they gave us treatment)

Yes, the surgery will normally just print them all off or you might be able to access them through the NHS app. Having CFS yourself will definitely help you support her.

Could you listen to podcasts together? Nice and passive.

I would also do some reading into low dose naltrexone. It might be worth her trying it. It's not available on the NHS but you can get private prescriptions through Dickson's chemist or Roseway Labs in the UK.

if you've got an apple watch or similar it might be worth her wearing one got a few days so you can look at her sleep. She might not be getting enough deep restorative sleep at night. Nortriptyline helps me as I have nerve pain as part of the me/CFS but it has the added effect of helping me sleep better. I didn't realise how much I was waking at night-time.