Let’s dig into why long COVID seems to linger for so many people. For those still feeling like a “permanent guest” at the viral hangover party, the answer could be found in viral persiLet’s dig into why long COVID seems to linger for so many people. For those still feeling like a “permanent guest” at … Continue reading Why Long COVID Lingers: Understanding Viral Persistence and Natural Remedies for Recovery.
Author: LongCovidJourney
Vascular Inflammation After COVID: When Your Blood Vessels Are Throwing a Tantrum
Vascular inflammation, often exacerbated by COVID-19, leads to blood vessel irritation and swelling, impairing normal flow. This condition can result in sticky blood and microclots, contributing to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and chest pain. Effective treatments, including anti-inflammatories and blood thinners, are available for managing these issues.
Navigating Conversations About Long COVID: Tips and Responses
The article offers practical responses for people with long COVID facing the common question, "How are you?" It suggests tailored replies for different relationships, balancing honesty and simplicity without oversharing. The overarching message encourages individuals to share their struggles when comfortable while reminding them that it's okay to keep conversations light.
COVID-19 Is Airborne: What It Means, How It Spreads, and What You Can Do
COVID-19 primarily spreads through airborne aerosols, complicating public understanding due to initial mixed messaging emphasizing hand hygiene. Effective prevention requires focusing on proper ventilation, high-quality masks, and avoiding crowded spaces. Recognizing the airborne nature of the virus is crucial for reducing transmission and protecting vulnerable populations in the UK and Europe.
Yale Study Reveals Link Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Chronic Illness
What It Means for Long COVID and You A recent study from Yale University, led by Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, has investigated why some individuals develop chronic symptoms after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The researchers found that a small group of people experienced lingering health issues post-vaccination, resembling Long COVID. This study does not suggest that … Continue reading Yale Study Reveals Link Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Chronic Illness
Finding Joy and Rest: A Cat’s Guide for Long COVID
Living with Long COVID has taught me valuable lessons inspired by my Siberian cat. Embracing strategic rest, finding joy in small moments, setting boundaries, and accepting quirks are essential. Each day offers opportunities for connection and reflection. Following my cat’s example, I’m learning that a slower pace can still be fulfilling.
Recurrent COVID Infections: What Insurers See That Governments Ignore
A recent Swiss Re analysis warns that recurrent COVID-19 infections are causing long-term harm to individuals, healthcare systems, and the economy. Insurers report rising disability claims and mortality, while healthcare systems struggle under increased patient loads. Governments often ignore the ongoing crisis, leaving individuals vulnerable. Personal protection and advocacy for better policies are crucial.
The Great Mystery of Sudden Sickness: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Context
Media outlets mistakenly characterize the rising rates of long-term sickness and disability as a “mystery,” ignoring clear links to COVID-19 and Long COVID. This oversight reflects a broader societal failure to address post-pandemic health challenges, while advocacy for awareness, research, and necessary workplace accommodations is sorely needed.
The Yellow Card System and Vaccine Side Effects: A Balanced Look at a Sensitive Topic
Vaccines play a crucial role in public health but can have side effects, particularly evident during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The UK’s Yellow Card Scheme monitors adverse reactions, highlighting its importance in safety transparency while facing issues like underreporting and accountability. Improvements are needed for better support and understanding for those affected.
Long COVID: What Your Organs Wish You Knew
The post imagines organs forming a support group to discuss the challenges of Long COVID. Each organ shares struggles and suggests support strategies, highlighting the interconnected disruptions across various systems. The overall message emphasizes the need for care, patience, and understanding as the body navigates this complex health experience.
The Essential Role of Vitamin B Complex in Long COVID Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide
The article highlights the significance of B vitamins in managing Long COVID symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. Each B vitamin, from B1 to B12, plays a unique role in energy production, immune function, and neurological health. Incorporating these vitamins into one's diet may aid recovery, but consulting a healthcare provider is essential.
Monoclonal Antibodies and Long Covid: What Shows Promise and What We Still Don’t Know
Long Covid presents challenges requiring a shift from symptom-based to immunological approaches, focusing on immune dysregulation and incomplete recovery. Monoclonal antibodies are explored for potential treatment, although evidence is inconsistent, highlighting the need for biomarkers for effective patient selection. Research remains essential for understanding Long Covid's complex biology.
Manage Long COVID Symptoms: Key Triggers to Watch
Long COVID can be unpredictable, with symptoms triggered by factors like overexertion, weather changes, dietary choices, stress, mold, hormonal fluctuations, and overstimulation. Monitoring heart rate and employing self-care strategies could help manage symptoms. Each person's experience varies, emphasizing the need for personalized approaches and professional guidance.
Long COVID Isn’t Left or Right: When Politics Hijacks a Health Crisis
Long COVID has become politicized, leading to a fragmented response to a significant health crisis affecting millions. It's crucial to recognize that Long COVID transcends political beliefs and demands a unified, science-based approach. Addressing this issue requires bipartisan cooperation, focusing on research, care, and genuine understanding rather than ideological battles.
Long COVID in Children: What Parents and Doctors Need to Know
Long COVID affects children, leading to persistent symptoms like fatigue and brain fog, regardless of the initial illness severity. The First International Meeting on Paediatric Long COVID in Rome, November 2024, brought experts together to address this issue, sharing insights on biological causes, treatment strategies, and the need for tailored care to support affected families.
Long COVID vs. Deconditioning: How to Spot the Differences and Manage Symptoms
Long COVID is a complex, multi-system condition characterized by symptoms like post-exertional malaise, brain fog, and autonomic dysfunction. Differentiating it from deconditioning involves tracking symptoms, monitoring heart rate, and conducting medical assessments. Effective treatments for Long COVID focus on pacing and specialist support, while deconditioning requires gradual exercise and professional guidance.
Long COVID: Affects More than Just the Vulnerable
Long COVID misconceptions suggest it only affects the vulnerable; however, many fit individuals, including athletes, have developed severe long-term symptoms. Research indicates that fitness does not guarantee immunity. This belief perpetuates stigma and misinformation. Awareness and support for those affected are crucial to advancing understanding and reducing judgment around long COVID.
Long COVID and Compliments: How to Handle ‘You Look Great’ With Grace
The Compliment That Hits Differently If you’re dealing with long COVID, you’ve probably heard it a million times by now: “You look great!” Maybe they’re trying to be nice, or they don’t realize you’re battling a hundred invisible symptoms. Either way, it’s tough. You feel anything but great, and hearing it can feel frustrating, even though they mean well. … Continue reading Long COVID and Compliments: How to Handle ‘You Look Great’ With Grace
Traveling with Long COVID: When to Use a Wheelchair
Navigating travel with Long COVID presents challenges, particularly in deciding whether to use a wheelchair. A wheelchair can conserve energy, reduce the risk of Post-Exertional Malaise, and alleviate pain. The decision depends on factors like support, space size, energy levels, and patience. Prioritizing rest before and after travel is crucial for recovery.
Impact of COVID Vaccines on Long COVID Neurological Symptoms
Recent research reveals that COVID-19 vaccination does not significantly lower the risk of developing neurological symptoms associated with Long COVID. While vaccines don't prevent these symptoms, they still reduce overall Long COVID risk and the likelihood of severe COVID-19. Understanding these findings is essential for informed health decisions.
The Impact of Air Quality on Long COVID Symptoms
Clean air significantly impacts the management of long COVID by reducing inflammation and enhancing overall health. Poor air quality can worsen symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath, while clean air promotes better sleep and lung function. Strategies to improve indoor and outdoor air quality can support recovery efforts.
Understanding Post-COVID Elasticity Loss
Post-COVID elasticity loss affects skin, joints, and lungs due to damage to collagen and elastin caused by SARS-CoV-2. Factors like inflammation, scar tissue, poor blood supply, and overactive enzymes contribute to this issue. To support recovery, a diet rich in antioxidants, hydration, gentle movement, and emerging therapies may help.
Understanding Endothelium Damage from Long COVID
The endothelium, a vital lining in blood vessels, is crucial for blood flow and clot prevention. COVID-19 can damage this layer, leading to inflammation, clots, and symptoms associated with long COVID, such as fatigue and brain fog. Tests like EndoPAT and capillaroscopy can assess endothelial health and function.
Finding Strength in the Slow: My Long COVID Journey
Long COVID has drastically altered the author's life, transforming a once seamless narrative into a series of pauses and unexpected shifts. This condition has imposed the need for patience, forcing the author to adapt to new rhythms and celebrate small victories while managing energy carefully. Despite challenges, resilience and gratitude emerge through the journey.
Enoxaparin and Long Covid: Anticoagulation, Microclot and Vascular Dysfunction
Long COVID causes persistent symptoms affecting numerous individuals. Enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, may alleviate these symptoms by thinning blood, reducing microclots, enhancing oxygen delivery, and combating inflammation. Early studies suggest potential benefits for patients with vascular dysfunction, although more extensive clinical trials are necessary to confirm effectiveness and safety.
How to Explain Long COVID to Friends: A Kid-Friendly Guide
This guide assists children with mild Long COVID in explaining their condition to friends. It outlines symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and dizziness, providing relatable descriptions and suggesting ways friends can offer support. By fostering understanding and kindness, kids can strengthen their friendships despite the challenges posed by Long COVID.
Navigating Winter Holidays with Long COVID Symptoms
The article provides strategies for managing long COVID symptoms during winter holidays. It emphasizes the importance of planning, pacing, and setting boundaries to balance festivities and health. Tips include dressing warmly, staying hydrated, monitoring food choices, using air purifiers, and scheduling recovery days to ensure enjoyable gatherings without overwhelming fatigue or discomfort.
Long COVID and Christmas: How to Support Your Child During the Festivities
Christmas can be overwhelming for children recovering from Long COVID, but thoughtful planning can help maintain joy during the season. Suggestions include slowing down activities, adapting traditions, communicating needs with family, focusing on small joys, and embracing meaningful moments. A manageable, love-filled holiday is possible through careful consideration.
Why Wearing a Mask While Traveling is Smart
In 2024, wearing a mask while traveling evokes mixed reactions, from confusion to sympathy. The author, who has Long COVID, explains that masking is a protective measure against various illnesses in crowded spaces. Despite discomfort and odd assumptions, they prioritize health, humorously navigating societal perceptions of masked individuals.
Advocating for Children with Long COVID: A Parent’s Guide
Long COVID impacts children significantly, presenting unique symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, and emotional changes. Parents face the challenge of advocating for their child's needs amidst dismissive healthcare responses. Awareness, detailed documentation, and collaboration with schools and communities are essential for securing proper medical care and educational support for affected children.
Navigating Christmas with Long COVID: Tips for Joy
Navigating Christmas with long COVID presents unique challenges, including fatigue and sensory overload. Balancing festive activities requires strategic planning, such as pacing tasks and prioritizing self-care. Embrace simplicity, establish boundaries, and cherish small joys while adapting holiday traditions to promote well-being. Ultimately, surviving the festive season becomes a significant personal achievement.
Why Are We Forgetting About COVID This Winter?
As winter brings seasonal festivities, COVID-19's presence fades from media attention, overshadowed by flu and RSV discussions. This shift reflects pandemic fatigue and a strategic choice by health officials to avoid controversy. Ignoring COVID risks undermines public health awareness, complicating healthcare systems and neglecting ongoing long COVID effects. Transparency is crucial for safety.
Understanding Long COVID: Key Strategies for GP Support
The leaflet developed by Long COVID SOS, the Clinical Post-COVID Syndrome Society, and the Royal College of General Practitioners aids GPs in managing Long COVID. It provides insights on symptoms, holistic support, referral guidelines, and valuable resources to improve care, validating patient experiences and addressing this complex healthcare challenge effectively.
Winter Getaways for Long COVID: Explore Wisely
Winter retreats in the mountains can be challenging for those with mild Long COVID due to altitude and cold exacerbating symptoms. However, with careful planning and a focus on gentle activities like short walks or relaxing in cabins, individuals can enjoy the scenery while prioritizing their health and well-being.
What is Post Exertional Malaise? Causes and Triggers
Living with Long COVID and Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) is characterized by unpredictable energy levels, making everyday tasks a challenge. The author details their fluctuating experience, balancing activity with the risk of exhaustion. They emphasize the importance of pacing, self-kindness, and recognizing small victories while adapting to this complex relationship with their body.
Role of Galectin-3 in Long COVID Symptoms
Prof. Resia Pretorius and Dr. Douglas Kell's research reveals why long COVID can induce blood clotting issues, focusing on abnormal clots and the protein galectin-3. Their findings suggest potential treatments, such as targeting galectin-3 and repurposing amyloid therapies, while emphasizing the need for further study on long COVID's implications for millions affected.
Living with Long COVID: Navigating a Forgotten Pandemic
Life feels like it’s split into two worlds these days. There’s the world of people who have “moved on” from COVID—living life as if the pandemic never happened—and then there’s ours: the world of people with long COVID, and other Chronic Illness, where every step forward feels like climbing Everest. For many of us, life … Continue reading Living with Long COVID: Navigating a Forgotten Pandemic
Common Nasal Problems in Long COVID Patients
Long COVID can significantly affect nasal functions, causing persistent congestion, loss, or distortion of smell, and sinus infections. Conditions like Mast Cell Activation Syndrome may exacerbate symptoms. Simple remedies include saline irrigation and humidifiers, while professional treatments like nasal endoscopy and olfactory training may help restore normal function.
T-Cell Exhaustion in Long COVID: What You Need to Know
Long COVID fatigue can be attributed to exhausted T-cells, crucial white blood cells in the immune response. Prolonged infection leads to T-cell dysfunction, contributing to chronic symptoms. Research indicates T-cell exhaustion persists post-infection. Strategies like immunomodulators, supplements, and a healthy lifestyle may aid recovery and restore T-cell health.
Understanding Cognitive Decline in Long COVID Patients
Emerging research reveals that long COVID can cause persistent brain inflammation due to lingering SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, leading to cognitive dysfunction and structural changes. MRI scans indicate reduced grey matter, potentially accelerating neurodegeneration. New diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are crucial for addressing these long-term neurological impacts in affected individuals.
Long COVID and Nail Changes: What Your Fingernails Are Trying to Tell You
Nail changes, such as Beau's Lines and Mees' Lines, can signal health issues in individuals with long COVID. These alterations reflect inflammation, poor circulation, or nutritional deficiencies. Tracking these changes may aid diagnosis, and maintaining a nail diary, proper nutrition, and professional consultations can support overall health during recovery.
Long COVID: The Real, Invisible Challenge
Long COVID is a serious, physical condition that goes beyond ordinary fatigue, impacting daily life. It manifests as debilitating symptoms like extreme tiredness, brain fog, and unpredictable energy levels. Society's misunderstanding creates stigma, hindering support. Increased research, accessible treatments, and medical training are crucial for proper recognition and care for those affected.
Perching Stool for Long COVID and POTS Relief: How a Simple Stool Became My Recovery Sidekick
The author shares their unexpected journey with a perching stool, initially viewed with skepticism due to its unappealing design. However, it soon becomes a vital tool during their Long COVID recovery, providing comfort and stability, particularly for those with autonomic dysfunction. The stool proves functional, despite its lack of aesthetics.
Understanding Muscle Weakness in Long COVID
Long COVID significantly impacts muscle strength due to factors like damaged mitochondria, inadequate oxygen delivery, lactic acid buildup, and inflammation. Managing muscle weakness requires pacing activities, gentle physiotherapy, alternating hot and cold therapy, and potentially using supplements. Recovery is gradual and should prioritize body kindness and patience.
Homemade Electrolyte Drink for POTS Relief
The author shares their experience with long COVID and autonomic dysfunction, specifically POTS, which causes dizziness and fainting. They found electrolytes helpful for managing symptoms and offer a recipe for a homemade electrolyte drink. This drink aids hydration without added sugars, benefiting those with similar health conditions. Always consult a doctor before trying new remedies.
Living with POTS and Dysautonomia after Long COVID: Symptoms, Tips, and Daily Life
Post-COVID dysautonomia, particularly POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), leads to symptoms like dizziness and fatigue when standing. It often results from COVID-related inflammation or nerve damage. Daily life includes struggles with heat, exercise, digestion, and brain fog, requiring humor and adjustments, such as increased salt intake and hydration.
Long COVID: Busting Common Myths About Fatigue, Brain Fog and Breathlessness
Long COVID is a serious and misunderstood condition characterized by lasting symptoms like chronic fatigue, brain fog, and muscle pain. It is not imaginary or caused solely by stress, laziness, or a positive attitude. Awareness and understanding are vital for providing support to those affected and dispelling myths surrounding this complex illness.
Celebrating small victories: Living with Long COVID
The author reflects on the significance of small victories while living with long COVID, such as walking for a cappuccino. They highlight the emotional complexities tied to these moments, describing shifts in the perception of success and self-care. Celebrating minor achievements is emphasized as essential for resilience and finding joy amidst challenges.
Long COVID The Real Invisible Challenge
Long COVID is a complex condition distinct from simple deconditioning. It presents unique symptoms like brain fog, nerve pain, and post-exertional malaise (PEM), where exertion causes severe fatigue. Autonomic dysfunction further complicates recovery, making exercise challenging. Research indicates it’s not linked to laziness or lack of fitness but involves systemic issues needing careful management.
WELCOME TO LONG COVID JOURNEY!
This site aims to provide insights and resources for understanding and managing long COVID. It offers support for those affected and is in development, featuring guides, personal stories, and practical tips for symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. Visitors are encouraged to return for updates and support.
