I will be updating this whenever I come across new information. These questions and answers all are based on my experience, what I have learned online and through doctors throughout my own Long Covid Recovery. Keep in mind that I am not a doctor - this is all based on the knowledge that I have acquired since being diagnosed with Long Covid.
What Is Long Covid?
When a previous Covid Infection causes Covid or "Covid-like" symptoms to persist for weeks, months, to years.
What Are The Symptoms of Long Covid?
I have seen my own symptoms, and other people's symptoms to include: aches, pains, tremors, muscle twitching, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, brain fog, restless leg syndrome, low grade persistent fever, night sweats, loss of taste and smell, loss of appetite, headaches, weakness, malaise, irritability, heart palpitations, loss of libido, hair loss, sweaty palms and feet, numbness in extremities, inability to handle exercise and stress and a general feeling not being well.
Why Me?
The majority of people that catch Covid do not come down with Long Covid. I have heard about 10% of those who catch Covid will develop the symptoms of Long Covid. I eagerly await the day for the research to say why some get it, so we can work to keep people from developing the illness of Long Covid.
If you are reading this, I am assuming that you have Long Covid Symptoms. The best advice I could give you is to get on top of it and fight back with the currently available tools!
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Long Covid?
I have heard stories of some people Recovering From Long Covid in a matter of weeks (once they start treatment), while others it can take years. Be patient! We are all different.
How Do Some People Recover So Quickly From Long Covid?
I have heard the duration and severity of Long Covid can be linked to just how many Covid Spike Proteins you have in your system, and the damage over time that was caused from them. Getting rid of these Spike Proteins may be the first step your body needs to Recover From Long Covid.
I Cannot Afford Treatment - What Do I Do?
Try your best to live a healthy lifestyle! Cut out the junk food and avoid anything processed. I have found great deals at Wal-Mart on meat, rice, veggies and fruit. Remember, you are what you eat!
I feel better on days that I eat clean, and when I eat poorly I notice my health is poor as well. You may have a food allergy (gluten, dairy) that is amplifying inflammation in your body. Perhaps this inflammation wasn't noticed when you were healthy. With Long Covid, we are typically dealing with quite a bit of inflammation, and in my experience, it helps to avoid inflammatory foods!
I Think I Have Long Covid, How Can I Know For Sure?
Get a test to check for inflammation, "cytokine storm" and even the Covid Spike Proteins. In 2020 and 2021 it was not common to test for these, however, in 2023 I am finding that most doctors I talk to are able to look for these things.
Why Do I Feel Good On Some Days, And Absolutely Horrible On Others?
Personally, I find that I feel bad for day(s) after I eat inflammatory foods, overexert myself physically or mentally, or go through a period of heavy stress. It is very tough to not be stressed while suffering with Long Covid; Anxiety and PTSD are side effects of this horrible illness!
For me, taking it easy, getting sunlight, eating healthy, staying off of social media and getting plenty of rest helps me to have more "good" days.
Unfortunately, sometimes these "bad" days pop up out of the blue. When this happens, I am just devasted! I find comfort and hope in the fact that my doctors (who have helped people Recover From Long Covid) tell me that I will make a recovery, in time.
Every seven years, we are a completely new person as our cells have a natural process of cleaning out the old cells and making new healthy ones. We will all get better in time, do not give up Hope!
How Do I Get Over The Trauma And Fear Of How Unpredictable My Bad Days Are?
This can be a tough one. Now I am not a doctor, however, I did get a recommendation to try a "Stellate Ganglion Block" to shut off my Fight or Flight and help me get over this fear. For me, this operation did not do a thing.
What I have found that helps with the fear is to keep a Health Journal. I have identified things (like overactivity, stress, certain foods, and even some possible treatments that involve heat or cold exposure) actually makes me feel worse.
Keep a log of things and just remember that the bad days are temporary! Eventually you will start stringing together multiple days of feeling "good".
Eventually, you will get to a point in your recovery where you will "test" yourself with light physical activity or low stress exercises. DO NOT OVERDO IT! There will be some days you feel horrible after pushing yourself. Eventually, however, you will be able to start rebuilding your strength. This process of rebuilding and taking things very slow has naturally helped to build my own confidence and strength (mentally and physically) to be able to go and do more.
When the "bad" days come - just remember that it is temporary and that you are getting better!
How Do I Find A Doctor That Can Help?
This took me some time. Granted, when I first came down with Long Covid not many doctors even knew what it was or how to diagnose it. My advice to you is to be honest with the doctors you meet with and ask good questions.
Questions like "do you have any other patients suffering with Long Covid?", "have you diagnosed anyone with Long Covid?" and "have you treated anyone with Long Covid?" are questions I ask whenever I see a new doctor or specialist.
A doctor who can help may not be near you. I would not worry about this too much! A simple search online for doctors/labs who can help treat Long Covid virtually would be a good start.
Everyone, Even My Doctors, Think I Am Going Crazy - What Do I Do?
I had doctors think I was crazy! If you are reading this and feeling this way, I know that you are not crazy. I had to get out of my comfort zone and demand that the doctors I saw help me. All too often I was told I was just exhausted and that I would get better. Unfortunately, I even came in contact with doctors who just seemed to want to grab my copay, bill my insurance and move on to the next patient.
There was an instance in the doctor's office where I said, "what is the point of me being here, I need you to help me!". I told them my full story, and how it seemed that no one wanted to try and help me to get better. This seemed to get me somewhere. Once you find a good doctor, stick with them. There are some excellent PCP's that have a real passion for healing people and can feel empathy for your situation.
Do not give up! This can be discouraging but there are doctors out there that can help. If you can't find one local, look online!
How Do I Find A Support Group For This?
I have a few doctors that I see often. They have said they will stick with me through the end.
There is a Patient/Physician Confidentiality and every time I saw one of my doctors, I told them that if they have any other clients who are looking for someone to talk to about this that they could text me.
Through this method I have been in contact with people local to me that are also suffering. This has helped so much! I feel for these people, and they feel for me. We share out stories and treatments that we are doing and how they are helping.
The most helpful thing for me was joining my local Church. My faith in God has brought me through the depths of this illness. I would recommend that you reach out to your local church and see if there is a Disability/Chronic Illness group. Developing relationships with those of faith who are also struggling with chronic illness is spiritually healing.
Jeremiah 33:6 - "Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security".
I started this site to help people who are suffering with Long Covid. Sign up for my email list and we can be in contact. This illness is no fun and I feel for all of you!
Why Is There No Definitive Treatment For This?
This is the case with any novel disease. Fortunately, there are studies done (I covered these on this site) which show certain supplements that help that you can get over the counter.
I look forward to the day when a definitive cure is found!
Is A Cure For Long Covid On The Way?
At the time of this writing, there is not a definitive cure for Long Covid. That does not mean that people aren't getting better! The doctors that I trust tell me that everyone with Long Covid will get better in time.
I am not sure on the exact dollar amounts, but I know the government here in the U.S. has granted a significant amount of money to the research of Long Covid. There are a countless number of us who are suffering with Long Covid, and to be frank, this provides a tremendous amount of financial incentive to the HealthCare/Pharmaceutical industry to develop a treatment. Whether the treatment is preventative, or something administered after you come down with Long Covid, I have faith that a cure will be developed.
I am constantly reminded of human ingenuity. The advances in HealthCare in the last 200 years are absolutely miraculous! There are very smart minds working on this - we just have to be patient.
Do not give up Hope!
Is There A Genetic Predisposition To Long Covid?
This is purely my own speculation, but I would guess that those of us who are predisposed to autoimmune diseases may be more prone to develop Long Covid after an initial Covid Infection. This is because a lot of the Long Covid symptoms are due to the subsequent inflammatory "cytokine storm" where our immune system seems to be going haywire.
I have also heard that those who are already unhealthy or immunocompromised may be more susceptible to Long Covid. In reference to the previous question - there are some brilliant medical minds working on this right now and eventually I trust that we will know more on the reason why some people develop Long Covid while others do not.
How Do I Know If There Is A Deeper Health Issue Going On?
This can be a tough one! For me, doctors had done countless tests for basically everything else.
I would recommend asking your doctor if they think something else is going on. For me, it took quite a time for the Long Covid Diagnosis because my doctors were ruling everything else out.
Even with ruling other things out, I have had to be stern (respectable of course) with my doctors to ask that they test for other diseases and do other screenings.
When you are sick, nothing else seems to matter! I would recommend you take this time to devote the energy you have to your health and also to asking your doctors to really dive into your bloodwork with detailed labs to see if something else is going on.
Will I Ever Get Better?
Yes! From what I have heard from my doctors who have experience with helping those diagnosed with Long Covid - they tell me that everyone will get better. It may take a while, but we will all get better!
This is a tough journey - but do your best to not be discouraged to never give up Hope!
How Can I Help My Friend, Family and Loved Ones Understand What I Am Going Through?
Long Covid was tough on all of my relationships. from friends, family, and loved ones - it just seems like no one really understands.
I can't tell you how many times my friends would just say "oh you are just dehydrated! "or "I bet it's the allergies!", and even to my loved ones saying that I was crazy and thinking it was all in my head.
This can be the toughest part. I truly feel that only those around me who have genuinely seen me on my bad days understand the severity of Long Covid.
Once I was diagnosed, I even went to the extent of sharing my diagnosis paperwork to them. This was a bit overkill, but to people now I just spent time to educate them on what Long Covid is and what the symptoms are.
My Doctor Says My Bloodwork Is Fine, But I Feel Horrible, What Do I Do?
I had to deal with this when I first had Long Covid, but the doctors didn't know it yet as I had not received the initial diagnosis.
If you are reading this then I am guessing that you were, or are, in a similar situation.
If I could go back in time, I would have been sterner with my doctors when my symptoms first arose. Most of us suffering with Long Covid will have our routine blood work come back normal. There are other blood tests to show vascular inflammation, spike proteins, and cytokine/inflammation levels.
Ask your doctor for further tests! If you doctor will not accommodate you, I would recommend seeking the help of another doctor who is more knowledgeable about treating those with Long Covid.
Is The Damage Done To My Body From Long Covid Permanent?
From all that I have learned and heard; I would say that the answer to this is NO. The human body is exceptional. Every ~7 years or so we are completely different person as our old/bad cells die off and new ones are created.
Some of us may need to be more cognizant of how we treat our bodies and the nutrients/supplements that we put in it. My advice to you would be to prioritize your health and never give up hope!
Can I Predict When I Will Have A "Bad" Health Day? How Can I Mitigate These?
My advice to you would be to keep a health journal. We are all different - learn how your body responds to different foods, activity, and even how you sleep.
Didn't sleep well? Take it easy. Had a cheat meal? Take it easy.
I have found that my "bad" days have dropped significantly in severity and duration over time through being conscious of what I am doing.
The random, unpredictable bad days can come out of nowhere - but staying on top of a healthy diet and proper supplementation should help in giving more "good" days over "bad" days.
Am I Contagious While I Have Long Covid?
I am not a doctor, but I have heard from my doctors that you are not contagious. That doesn't mean you can't catch additional viruses (even Covid!) if you currently have Long Covid - so better to play it safe here. Get to a doctor right away if you think you are sick.
Is My Immune System Compromised While I Have Long Covid?
My doctors have told me that my immune system is compromised while I am suffering with Long Covid. The reasoning for this is that my immune system is already busy trying to fight off the Long Covid, so another virus is just insult to injury.
I have found that little viruses that seem to give my friends mild symptoms, end up giving me much more severe symptoms!
I would recommend living a healthy lifestyle, and to seek medical attention immediately if you get sicker or think you have caught something.
Why Do Some People Have Different Symptoms Than Me?
We are all different. Viruses affect us differently. We have unique immune systems. I found that it is best to not dwell on the "why me" of why I was so sick with Long Covid, but instead focus on the "how can I get better" part of Long Covid.
The battle with Long Covid is full of up and downs, discouragement and heartbreak. Develop a support system, find good doctors who will stick with you. Don't give up hope! We will all get better in time!
Keywords: Long Covid, Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), Long-haul Covid, Chronic Covid Syndrome, Long Covid symptoms, Post-Covid Syndrome symptoms, Long-haul Covid symptoms, Long Covid recovery time, Long-haul Covid recovery, Post-Covid Syndrome recovery, Do I have Long Covid?, Long Covid diagnosis, Long-haul Covid diagnosis, Long Covid doctor, Long-haul Covid specialist, Post-Covid Syndrome doctor, Long Covid support group, Long-haul Covid support group, Post-Covid Syndrome support group, Long Covid treatment, Long-haul Covid treatment, Post-Covid Syndrome treatment, Long Covid supplements, Supplements for Long Covid, Vitamins for Long-haul Covid, Long Covid cure, Is there a cure for Long-haul Covid?, Post-Covid Syndrome cure, Long Covid predisposition, Risk factors for Long-haul Covid, Who is at risk for Post-Covid Syndrome?, Long Covid bloodwork, Blood tests for Long-haul Covid, Post-Covid Syndrome blood tests, Long-term effects of Long-hauler syndrome, Organ damage from long covid syndrome. Immune system and long covid. Immune response to long covid. Is long covid contagious. Can you spread long covid. long covid transmission.