“This is definitely not in your head”: FT readers share their struggle with long Covid

I have had Covid for almost 2 years now. It has no odor yet, and the taste buds are almost non-functional. It wasn’t getting any better and I had to adapt. The end result is to reduce the amount I eat because I’m no longer very satisfied with any food. That’s a bad thing and I can live with it. The loss of odor was much worse and the emotional connection to memory was lost. It’s as if part of me died. I’m otherwise very healthy, under the age of 40 and have no previous medical problems. The doctor has no answer. — — Grumpz, Via FT.com

I got Covid in July 2021. I was 34 years old, had no existing health problems, did not smoke, had a very healthy diet, a lot of exercise, and was not overweight. I had one jab at a time, but now I have a second jab.

My long Covid’s symptoms are still very bad and I now have a chest infection that makes my symptoms even worse. I have private medical care, but they don’t know how to treat me, even though I’ve been in and out of the hospital for 5 months for various tests.

I couldn’t even climb the stairs for three months. There was a fog in the brain. I was scared. As I speak, I completely forget what I was saying and what I said before. The night is still bad. High fever, strange dream.

Fatigue is the worst. I woke up with a hangover most of the morning, even though I quit drinking (which actually helped). One morning I feel fine, but the other morning it takes an hour to feel close to humans. It affected my entire life. I had to give up the most intense exercise and social life. There are no scars, but the lungs are only functioning in 45% and have black spots throughout. It was a terrifying experience. — — Mr. PJT, Via FT.com

Vivid ultra-realistic dreams shocked me. Moreover, the fact that it can take up to four hours to stand upright and take effect after waking up is not understood by most people. — — OhMyOhMy, Via FT.com

Fatigue goes in and out. What about fitness? I moved from cycling 250 miles a week to walking about 20 miles a week. Hopefully it will come back.

My loss of odor means that I didn’t have to endure the new puppy Audtian, but almost poisoned my family with off-chicken! — — Drug hunter, Via FT.com

Morning hangovers, insomnia, and really vivid dreams. Fatigue is like being unplugged. Before I got Covid, I was a very healthy triathlete.

My symptoms peaked in 4-6 months, gradually improved in 12 months, and with relative care I was able to live almost normally. But I still can’t exercise.

I am a doctor and am amazed by the ignorance of my colleagues. This is definitely not in your head. Just because medicine cannot be explained yet does not mean that it does not exist. — — NW3doc, Via FT.com

My partner was infected with Covid in December 2020 and suffered from Covid’s long-term symptoms most of last year. Now she seems to have finally emerged from that grip 12 months later.

It seems worth the money to get private treatment from a breathing specialist last summer at a cost of £ 100 per hour. They provided a plan for the exercise (and an explanation of what went wrong).

Her two line managers didn’t help at all. Contrary to instructions from the Human Resources Department, they have always bullied her and returned to work in the office, including simply a strict return-to-work schedule. They ignored the two occupational health reports (probably because their conclusions were not what they wanted to hear or convey to their own senior management). The resulting stress caused a relapse and probably delayed her recovery. — — ricadus, Via FT.com

Yes, long Covids are painful, but there may be a relatively easy way. I have been suffering for several months since I was infected in March 2020. I experimented myself and recovered my previous health (even better than before).

I took Wimhof breathing and cold showers, standard supplements (B complex, C, D3 / K2, zinc, magnesium, selenium), plus quercetin, resveratrol, N-acetylcysteine ​​(NAC). Start your day with a good intake.

My diet now consists mostly of bio-organic foods, eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, and is much less meat, protein, and unhealthy fats. Of course, this is not medical advice, but you can try it at home. — — Castor e Pollux, Via FT.com

Long covids will pose significant financial challenges, as millions of people remain unproductive due to long covids. Employers, corporate groups, and governments need to plan for this underproduction right now. — — The guests, Via FT.com

We hope this will stimulate a wave of new research on postviral chronic fatigue syndrome and produce positive results. CFS has been around for years and probably has millions of patients worldwide. — — Eumustbejoking, Via FT.com

I almost died of severe covid and pneumonia in March 2021, but I still have chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and malaise. .. .. I think this is a long covid. I don’t know when and how it feels normal again. — Twitter @ Suemc64S

I have a long Covid. My doctor / Covid Clinic is targeted for symptom management and was diagnosed with CFS / ME. I take a small amount of ADHD medication in the morning and a small amount of sleep / painkillers in the evening. It’s progressing slowly, but it seems realistic to get a new job in 2022 — @nvcanucklehead on Twitter.

It’s been over 12 months since I had Covid. I’m still out of breath, tired, and foggy in my brain. I would like to know the answer. I intended to work as long as possible, so I had to retire. I was always very healthy before that. — Twitter @christenebooboo

I’m almost 18 months old. I have a fever several times a day. Fatigue, lung tissue damage, it’s all real. — Twitter @ToxiclownRob

As many scientists around the world are working on this, evidence shows that long Covid is an autoimmune / inflammatory problem, so it may be possible to obtain answers / cures for other autoimmune diseases. I think not. It can change millions of lives. Pretty silver lining. — Twitter @TheBlondePI