Long Covid, ME, PND or just good old fashioned sleep deprivation?

[Aozora13]

I got what I’m pretty sure was Covid back in March 2020. Not hospitalised by very unwell. By 6 months I had the breathlessness mostly under control, by 9 months felt 90-95% recovered in terms of energy and fell pregnant with DC3. Pregnancy was rough (my others were too) and coincided with a very stressful period at work and by the time mat leave came I felt pretty burnt out.

Baby is now 8 months and still regularly wakes every 2-3 hours. She’s bf so I’m up with her - she’s never slept more than 5 hours and that happens v infrequently. I am exhausted. Head in a vice, limbs of lead, what’s my name again exhausted.

It's really affecting my mood - I’m impatient with older DC, I no longer look forward to anything, my self-esteem and confidence is rock bottom and I find loads of stuff (especially socialising) just totally overwhelming. I can just about manage day-to-day but any additional activity completely wipes me out. So for example I can do a day out on a Saturday but Sunday I’ll be so exhausted I struggle to remain upright. So I have to be really careful not to get too much fresh air, do too much yoga etc.

I don’t remember being like this with previous non-sleeping baby. I feel like maybe I should go to the GP as it’s affecting our family life but I’ve been conditioned not to bother the doctor unless absolutely necessary and not sure even what I would say or what they could do - would ADs make a difference?

It's very possible that long covid becomes ME long term and what you describe could be post exertional malaise, which us the key feature of ME. I would not be looking for ADs. I would be looking for as much rest as you can possibly get.

Sleep deprivation is hard anyway but combined with some the underlying issue ( covid and work stress has clearly had a major impact on your body whatever the diagnosis) I'd say your body needs more recovery time than its getting.

I have ME. I don't get any help from the doctor. Best help has been from FB group. Resting is mega important, and even mini rests of 5 mins here and there helps me. And I mean full, lie down eyes shut, body relaxed rests.

I do understand saying just rest is not easy with a baby and family but be conscious of it and factor it in as much as you can. And eat well!

Thank you, that’s really helpful. You’re right, ultimately, whatever the cause, I’m not getting the rest/recovery I need. I just cancelled my plans for today - I hate not being able to do stuff I used to, but it doesn’t change that I can’t do the stuff I used to! I’m sorry to hear you’ve not had help from the doc for your ME - my dad has had ME/CFS for years and the GP has been great, but I hear much more stories of docs being really dismissive/ unhelpful. Which I think has fed into my reluctance to seek medical advice.

have you had your vitamin levels checked - could be linked to low Vit D etc.

I got like this after having a baby, think it was linked to high stress and extreme sleep deprivation. So it could be just that.

I agree have you had your vitamin D levels checked?

I got covid and lost all my taste and smell for a couple of months, subsequently I lost a lot of weight and got very ill with tiredness and joint pains/heavy limbs. I had my vitamin D checked and my levels were very very low.

It could be ME. I would contact your GP. I
Have similar and my GP has been fantastic. I'm now waiting for an appointment with the CFS/ME clinic. I had slight symptoms before I had covid but covid made everything 10x worse.

I agree with @Mumteedum about the lie downs with eyes shut. I did that a few days ago at work for about 20 mins. It made a massive difference.

Thanks all. I think I do need to see the GP, at least to rule out vitamin issues @Cats1234567 & @catpoppet I think I’m reasonably well nourished and try to get in the garden etc but am also bf and I’m sure I read somewhere that it’s hard to get enough vitamin d without supplements. I could of course also start taking supplements not least as I’ve got a bunch of pregnacare left over from pregnancy!

@dizzydizzydizzy that’s good you had a positive response from the GP. If you don’t mind me asking, what were your symptoms? Can I just go to the GP and say I’m unreasonably knackered?!

My symptoms: started having to cut runs short due to feeling tired. Got very dizzy and felt like I was going to collapse during a very short run. Went on a solo holiday for a rest. Felt too tired to do anything. Then caught covid. All the symptoms cleared up except fatigue. Now after a couple of busy days in a row (eg going to work) I need to spend a day in bed. Bad insomnia (never had this before), muscle twitching, ankle pain, throat sometimes sore. After a few rest days, I feel fine.