Anyone with long covid feel worse when children are back at school or is it season change?

[Rumipurple]

I’ve had long Covid since 2022. For me, it’s been a continual decline, sometimes stepped (bit like dementia). However, sometimes the trend goes up a bit within that.

Over the summer holidays, (with the exception of 2024 where I had to keep attending a health setting which gave me no recovery between crashes so I can see a clear reason for the decline) I tend to feel a bit better. I’ve always enjoyed the sun, but the weather is generally better before the school summer holidays and there are plenty of days when the sun is shining and I’d love to sit outside, but can’t as I’m stuck in bed.

Within a week of kids going back to school, I tend to decline again. Is it less exposure to viruses (not trying to fight all the viruses from school as kids on holiday)? Is it the pressure of school admn/homework (e.g. have x number of hours a week where I may be able to do something and homework/admin takes my time/energy)? Is it seasonal change to Autumn, (but doesn’t explain times when weather still nice when they’ve gone back)? Can anyone relate or is it just me? Any tips?

Well I have ME, which was triggered by COVID. There is quite a lot of overlap between ME and long Covid and they may even be the same thing.

My ME started as my youngest was finishing school but I could well imagine that I would feel worse in term time - the DCs have less time to help and life in general needs to be more regimented.

More like when the children are off you focus on other things aside from long Covid

might be an idea to consider working? Then you’ll have a focus all year around

ME clinic told us people often feel a bit better from
late spring onwards so yes. Not related to kids at school but the seasons. Not sure whether it’s the light, the sunshine, the warmth, or the psychological effect of one of those.

Try sitting outside with a cuppa and a blanket for 20 minutes every day after you drop them off to get the morning daylight
Could also try a SAD lamp

How offensive. Unless her condition is extremely mild (it doesn’t sound like it), there’s nothing on earth that could “take her mind off” her physical symptoms

@dizzydizzydizzy
agree there’s some overlap with ME for some LC patients (for me anyway). I’m sorry it happened to you too. Less regimented does help.

@2015pls What makes you think I’m not working anymore?

@ForCraftyWriterI try to get outside every day I’m able to - even if it’s on the doorstep in the rain! Some days this will be impossible, some days it might be five minutes, on days I can manage a school run it will be an hour, on great days it can be a few hours. Maybe a SAD lamp would help but would the actual light hurt too much (sometimes I need total darkness)? It went quite autumnal here during summer holidays, but not had step decline until this weekend. Sorry you have ME.

I sit outside with my morning coffee even in mid winter. Makes me happier and also it is supposed to help with sleep.

I have cfs so similar.
I find im slightly better in the warmer weather anyway (the cfs clinic said that was normal). But also when dc are not at school (mine are older teens but one has sen) they can help, I dont feel things need to be done a certain time, dc3 is much more relaxed, just things like someone knocking on the door my teens will answer rather than me having to get out of bed.
Dc3 brought home a virus last week so that has already knocked me off and I'm sure will be repeated many more times throughout the winter months.
I've has 4 phone calls from school in the last week and a half, discussing care plas etc (always worse in first few weeks) which absolutely exhausted me and I cant plan these things (nor do I feel I can say not today to the teachers).
So yes illness, unpredictability and less support at home all make it harder. Ive been ill 11 years now and can see the repeated pattern.

The OP has explained that she has been ill since 2022. (Me too). I lost my job due to
ill health. I wouldn’t be surprised if the OP has lost her job too. I would absolutely love to be well, have my job back and get back to my old
hobbies but I’m not well enough to do any of that, no matter how much I distract myself
with other ativities.

@Bluebooknumber10that makes sense to me, although mine are still little and at primary school. The school bugs too - the summer holidays was virus free for us. I realised how messed up my expectations were when “only” norovirus was brought home from school at Easter and I felt relief. I also cancelled all medical appointments over the summer and am trying to ration them to ones that may actually be potentially helpful. It feels like you are sent to a million appointments for something minor, yet things that are really impacting your life are shrugged off. I wish I hadn’t been so optimistic about help - I’d never really had to seek healthcare apart from having children before. I also wish patients were given the choice about whether to postpone an appointment prior to attending when the healthcare worker is unwell. I hope your current virus clears soon.