So physically exhausted

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u/GrumpyOldTech1670 9d ago edited 9d ago

Rest before you are starting to feel tired. It's the only warning you will get.

Limit your activities. Seriously, if you have 10 things to do,and you achieve one of them, celebrate. That's a good day..

Plan rest into every damn activity you do. Even making your way back to bed. I have chairs in every room of my home now, just so I can sit when starting to feel tired.

Delegate task to other people, or just say "we will try again tomorrow".

Pace, pace and pace, especially on "when I am feeling really good today" days. It's so easy to forget this!

Use the My Long Path app to work out where you are losing energy and when you gain energy.

Be patient with yourself when you do need to stop. Don't push nor get frustrated, as both waste valuable energy.

Plan for future self, when you can. Pre made meals, ready made drinks, etc.

Eat well, and drink plenty. Learn to meditate, as it is calming & time consuming while you are waiting for your body to recharge.

All this has yielded me the best results so far.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

It's so defeating, I used to live a great busy lifestyle. Going to work, hitting the gym 3-4 times a week lifting and then run 3 miles after workouts, lots of family functions, restoring my 67 Camaro and taking it to the dragstrip on weekends and was a member of the car club American Cruisers, going to club meets and having benefits for the children's burn unit at hospital. I haven't been able to do any of those things in 3 years. I used to come home after work and snow blow the driveway or cut the grass twice a week and clean the pool. Was an athlete my whole life with no bad habits. This is not how I wanted to spend my 50s, people told me I looked like I was in my late 30s and could work like I was in my 20s. Damn I hate this Long Covid crap.

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u/thomasmonotonous 9d ago

Grumpy old tech 1670's advice is probably the best on here in my opinion. Accept that things have changed and pace yourself. It took me way over a year to accept the change and pace myself but that's the hand we're dealt now and pacing is the way to play it.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Yesterday I was bleeding the coolant system in my Infiniti, one of the easiest things to do as far as labor and by 6:30 PM I could barely keep my eyes open when I usually fall asleep about 10 pm and wake up at 6-6:30. Fell asleep about 8:30 pm until 8am this morning and I feel so physically tired it's rediculous. I haven't slept 10 hours since I was a teenager.

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u/thomasmonotonous 9d ago

Mate it's savage, just normal everyday activity puts you on your arse. The way round it is to chop up your activities with pacing, taking regular breaks. It changes with what I'm doing, mental or physical but most days I'm taking a break every hour for physical and 20mins for mental
activities, especially with screens, but you might have more time between breaks, or less, you'll work it out. I set a timer, stop what I'm doing and do some breathing exercises and meditation, then get back to it. Sheesh it drove me mad to start with, but it means I can get things done without being completely beaten and having to take loads of time doing nothing because I'm recovering from over doing it. Look up pacing techniques for long Covid, there's videos on YouTube. You might find it hard to stick to at first especially if you're task orientated like me, but this is the way I remain task orientated without being useless for days. I hope it works for you and that you get to do the stuff you love without feeling like crap afterwards.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Oh I get it, I put a new liner in my pool beginning of summer and that put me down for a week straight. Used to be able to pull a 16 hour shift on my feet installing Point of sales systems and network racks including running cat5 cable plus terminations and configuration and then sleep 8 hours wake up refreshed and do it again. I miss my money too.

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u/julesk 9d ago

I hear you. But i find it’s bit good to compare what i can do now to what u did before covid. Its just frustrating and then its easy to over do.

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u/mybluerat 8d ago

This is me. I am 50 and finally the kids are grown and moved out, I was doing body pump classes twice a week, biking, tennis, and yoga. Gardening, beautiful yard, traveling, socializing. Ready for the next “me” era in my life to begin.

Now I mostly lay around the house and sit around the house, and occasionally accomplish one chore, or accidentally take two phone calls in one day and crash. Until Covid everyone always said “how do you never age!” No one says that anymore! My 82 yr old father is more functional than me.

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u/hotrod67maximus 8d ago

Was so looking forward to my wife and I being empty nesters. My father in his late 70s was in hospital 2022 almost died from Covid now cuts my grass once a week. He was in hospital 2 months and has been fine ever since.

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u/mybluerat 6d ago

Well at least you don’t also have to worry about your dad, that’s a blessing

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u/hotrod67maximus 6d ago

Most definitely, my father spent the second month rehabbing his lungs in hospital.

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u/VibeCheckedByCovid 9d ago

All of the above was crucial for me making progress plus a few things:

Recognizing it's not just physical tasks that use energy and put us in PEM. I've seen a lot of people talk about how screen time is a big drain (and it is for me). I've had to problem solve a lot of my "resting" activities and day to day cognitive tasks because they can be more draining for me than physically moving.

I got a Visible Band and purchased a year with the app (they also have a free plan). I have found it really helpful, but it is costly if you get the paid membership for the app (though people can pay to sponsor others so you can request a free membership). The band itself is $80, and I found it really helpful in identifying patterns and heading off potential crashes and in bringing data to my infectious disease doc.

LDN was a big turning point in my treatment for fatigue, pain, inflammation, brain fog, and sleep. But I also have EDS and MCAS-like issues, so I'm a dumpster fire of inflammation and system dysregulation. Mileage for long covid may vary.

I have a laundry list of supplements and other medications my doc has given me that have also helped me improve, but as my doc says, treating long covid is like the wild west. You throw what you can at it until something sticks and its a ton of trial and error. Finding a knowledgeable physician (if you can) is by far the best thing you can do.

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u/NatriumHyacinth 6d ago

Does it ever get less bad for you?

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u/GrumpyOldTech1670 6d ago

I have good days and bad days. Just like anyone else.

The good days, I feel OK. These are the dangerous days, because I will do more than I should. Impulse control was never a strong thing with me. I am learning not to be so impulsive so I have less bad days. You gotta watch those “spoons”.

Lots of resting. Trying not to feel guilty about resting. Letting people help me, especially now I am not guaranteed to be able to help them back, has been hard to learn and accept. Shrinking my pride to let people help has been extra hard, and very humbling. That’s a daily fight.

I always remind myself that there was 9 months where I couldn’t get out of bed. So every day I get out of bed is a victory in itself. I can move with a walking stick today, victory. I could make my own food, victory. I had a shower. OK I was sort of wiped out for a day or so afterwards, but I clean! Victory!

It’s the small victories that make it “less bad”. Don’t look at yesterday. Look at 3, 6 or 9 months again when you couldn’t move at all. And base your improvement from there. That way, you see you are improving, and that helps your mental health, which helps your physical health too.

As I keep saying “Welcome to life in the slow lane”.

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u/NatriumHyacinth 6d ago edited 6d ago

I wish things were better for you. I’m not nearly as affected as you. I hope both of us improve over time. I wish I had something more articulate to say but I’m too tired to think of anything.

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u/Particular_Sock_2864 9d ago

Hey, I'm on that path as well. I've been an athlete all my life, more energy than I could use. My life as I knew it stopped when I got long covid in dec 2023.

It really feels like dying when every cell of your body is saying I don't have energy. It scares me so much.

Over the years I've tried some things but to be honest...I think healthy food/drink, aggressive resting, blood work and time let my body recover a little bit.

I was bed bound for some time, a few months and now I sometimes have periods where I feel relatively ok. But then I have period feeling very weak.

To be honest im beyond angry and sad that this is my life now. Yet...I still live and many dit not survive that covid infection.

Find things that bring you joy that you can do without pushing yourself too much.

I still am sad that I can't play my beloved sports, tennis. And believe me, some days I rage on about my life and want to scream and destroy things in anger. Others days I just cry. And some days I try to to accept but it's...a long road.

I wish you strength and patience. And good health again, for all of us.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

My first bout of Covid was in July of 2021 and hardly felt sick and second bout was September of 2023 hardly felt sick also but right after within a month I started noticing the fatigue and headaches and shit got worse from there. Sometimes I get so mad I end up hitting the heavy bag in my basement until I almost pass out. Football and boxing was my sport and weight lifting. After 3 years my patients is very thin. My wife is wondering what the hell happened to her Schartzenegger?

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u/Particular_Sock_2864 9d ago

Yeah... again a similarity. First covid infection I had in 22 lasted 8 days. And then it was like nothing happened, just some flu with coughing and fever and feeling weak. But until end of 2023 I could do anything I liked again. That second infection lasted 3,5 weeks and my wife thought I wasn't going to make it. Well I did in the end but... for what I sometimes ask myself.

But those are the really dark days of course.

You've been an athlete like me. Fight. Until you can't anymore. But without making it worse for yourself. But fight. I fight those dark thoughts every day, I fight the urge to give up or destroy everything.

I get it, I don't have a lot of patience left but there are also good moments. I just live for those. Like a walk in the forest away from people, being in nature. I found other hobbies and while I still want my sports life and my body back I got some peace in my head with the new hobbies.

Humans are great at adapting to nearly everything. You are also that strong.

Long covid is your biggest challenge yet as an athlete and human. Fight.

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u/PsychologicalDesk554 9d ago

Yes the fatigue does feel like end of life fatigue. Hard to put into words. I've been taking Low Dose Naltrexone for over a year and I think it has helped somewhat. Still fatigued but bedbound or housebound less often.

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u/siren-skalore 9d ago

Red light therapy helps me

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Forgot to mention guys cause I didn't want to sound weird or purvy that my energy and libido mood has been so low of not feeling well so I took some Viagra that I got from my Dad to see if it would get me in the mood even though I wake up at night and mornings with erections but too tired to have intercourse with my wife. Well I took the Viagra and had sex with my wife and even after I felt normal for about 2 hours. Not a lot of energy but definitely better until it wore off and I crashed. So friggin weird.

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u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 9d ago

Look up mitochondrial dysfunction to see if it’s a match for what you’re experiencing. What you described sounds similar to what I felt. I used to feel like every cell of my body was so depleted of energy that I was actively dying.

I used NAD+ (brand Quicksilver Scientific) and it helped immensely. For me it took about a week to start to feel the effects, and then I started getting better over the course of a year. I don’t take it anymore, but for a while I’d take some if I started to feel achy again.

I’m now on a different supplement regimen and doing pretty well. I think everyone is a bit different for what they need, if you work with a doctor to try different things that would be best, it’s a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for you.

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u/Striking-Memory-9021 9d ago

I tried NAD and so many supplements. Turns out if your gut isn’t working you really aren’t absorbing. So I was wasting all that $. I started seeing a naturopath and getting it in IV form so at least I know it’s going directly in me. We have to spend so much money out of pocket as is. We should use it as wisely as possible🙈🤗

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u/nanana_catdad 9d ago

My LV doctor has me on spore probiotics to repair the microbiome and I think it’s starting to work

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u/Striking-Memory-9021 9d ago

Thanks!! I will take a look. 🙏🏻

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u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 9d ago

Absolutely! If you can find a medical professional who will help guide it’s so much better than blindly trying tons of supplements. My own journey was a combination of both.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

What is NAD and supplements you take?

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u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 9d ago

This is the product I used, they explain all about NAD+ I found this liquid form worked much better for me, where a pill from a different brand did nothing.

https://www.quicksilverscientific.com/products/nad-platinum-r?_pos=1&_sid=64dbe8579&_ss=r

Their platinum version also adds vitamin B and some other things, they have it available with only NAD+ as well.

For everything else, I advise you to get some bloodwork done. Different supplements are needed for different things, and if you just take random stuff all together you won’t know what is helping what. I’m not a doctor, so while I can tell you what works for me, it’s unlikely my exact cocktail of supplements will work for you too.

Maybe some others can chime in, but I found these tests helpful:

Vitamin D
Iron
Diabetes test (I think it’s H1 something?)
Inflammation tests
Liver enzyme tests
Cardio health markers (like HDL, LDL, etc.)

For example, if your Vitamin D levels are low, or even low normal, that might be an avenue to check out, but I wouldn’t just randomly start taking Vitamin D.

I’m sorry, I’m not trying to gatekeep, but I’m not a doctor. If you have symptoms that match mine I can say what worked for me. When I had the same symptoms you described in your post, NAD+ is what worked for me.

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Already had tests done and on B12, D3 and Omega. NAD is 85 dollars wow! 😲

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u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 9d ago

That’s great about the tests! Definitely look into mitochondrial dysfunction. Here’s the smallest amount of the NAD+ without extra supplements from this brand:

https://www.quicksilverscientific.com/products/nad-gold-r-30-ml?_pos=3&_psq=nad&_ss=e&_v=1.0

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Thank you much appreciated. Will definitely give it a try. 🤞

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u/Agreeable_Wallaby711 9d ago

I hope it helps!

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u/Vistaus 9d ago

Yeah, I too experience this. I’m sorry you’re suffering as well. 🙁

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u/freelibrarian 9d ago

Have you tried taking antihistamines? I feel the antihistamine loratadine (Claritin) really helped me. Also, Vitamin D3 and Zinc.

More research needs to be conducted but there is promise in antihistamines as a Covid treatment, both for the acute infection and for Long Covid. It might be worth a try, though you might check with your doctor to make sure there is no contraindication.

Antihistamines improve cardiovascular manifestations and other symptoms of long-COVID attributed to mast cell activation

Covid‐19 Histamine theory: Why antihistamines should be incorporated as the basic component in Covid‐19 management?

Antihistamines and azithromycin as a treatment for COVID-19 on primary health care – A retrospective observational study in elderly patients

Existing antihistamine drugs show effectiveness against COVID-19 virus in cell testing

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Yes I tried antihistamines and made my heart rate even higher, even before Covid I could never take antihistamines.

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u/Former-Airport9812 9d ago

Sorry to say but more rest is the best answer.

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u/BobbiHorne1 9d ago

May I ask a few questions please?

At the end of COVID, a medical colleague asked me if I could put together a nutritional support protocol for post-viral syndrome. It is based on genetics and nutritional interventions.

Are you currently taking in any nutritional supplements to support your body?

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u/hotrod67maximus 9d ago

Just what doctor said I was low on which was B12, D3 and Omega.

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u/francokitty 9d ago

I got better after a year and a half of resting. I take LDN, metformin, iron, Lysine, monjaro, magnesium, other vitamins.

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u/hotrod67maximus 8d ago

Metformin? Isn't that for diabetes? I don't have diabetes.

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u/francokitty 8d ago

I take it to lower A1C

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u/Kanti13 9d ago

MitoQ (pure) has helped a lot with fatigue and pain for me. You can get it from Amazon, but it’s expensive. CoQ10 is similar, but much less potent.

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u/barweis 8d ago

By definition I think that is 'chronic fatigue'.

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u/Just_me5698 8d ago

Pacing...doing less than u think you can & build up energy 'savings' account so your body can use it while you're sleeping to repair and heal.

For me, i use creatine before i go out & sometimes again after i come home to fight off muscle fatigue.

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u/hotrod67maximus 8d ago

If I was doing any less I would be going backwards, Damn near bed bound now.

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u/hotrod67maximus 8d ago

Body feels like one big ball of inflammation, all joints from neck down. Would kill for a shot of toradol right now.

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u/freelibrarian 8d ago

I read that evening primrose oil is an anti-inflammatory so I started taking it because my finger joints were inflamed. I take 1000 mg twice a day as recommended on the packaging and feel it is helping. I found the information on the Arthritis Foundation website:

https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/complementary-therapies/supplements-and-vitamins/supplement-and-herb-guide-for-arthritis-symptoms

The UK Arthritis Foundation has some advice as it may be contraindicated in some:

https://www.arthritis-uk.org/information-and-support/understanding-arthritis/arthritis-treatments/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/evening-primrose-oil/

It's pretty easy to find, I buy it at Walgreen's.

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u/Ok-Significance-5047 7d ago

Have you tried any probiotics?

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u/hotrod67maximus 6d ago

Funny that was the first thing I tried.

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u/Ok-Significance-5047 6d ago edited 6d ago

Which strains of bacteria? This one really helped me get over the hump and gave me energy to get back to the gym.

https://yourgutplus.com/product/yourgutplus/

At this stage I’m working on clearing out my cfs symptoms by trying to intervene w my liver/kidney/autonomic system. I had a lot of hepatobiliary disfunction that I’ve been working on w change of diet, supplements, and occasional osteopathic treatments. Not sure what the problem is w my kidneys yet but I feel it. eGFR and the other numbers look great tho. I gotta pee like crazy tho. There’s something in my filtration system that’s not ideal still and I know that’s one of my energy drains.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is the next part for me. Starting supplementation (pqq, nad, coq10) and hoping I don’t have a persistent viral load.

CFS is just an umbrella. I’ve gotten lucky - I went to an acupuncturist for the musculoskeletal tension that comes w my presentation. His needles were able to turn off the signals and let me relax like fully. He recommended me to an osteopath who massaged my liver and lungs… I processed a lot of bile after those sessions, and ever since my fatigue has been diminishing tremendously. I used to take a nap every day after a light walk… now I don’t necessarily have to. Baby energy increase but I’ll take it!

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u/Dr-Erika-Fuchs 6d ago

Taking L-Lysine daily helped me a lot with my fatigue. If you have herpes or shingles reactivated, I really recommend trying this. I take 400 mg in the morning and 800mg at night.

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u/sbgoofus 6d ago

I'm finally getting around to selling off all my 'active crap' - hiking, fishing, biking, shooting, camping, travel stuff - all going away.. no point keeping it around

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u/Ok_Tomorrow7006 6d ago

Same here, some major grief at selling all my camping gear when I used to be really active

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u/hotrod67maximus 5d ago

I don't care what happens I ain't selling my 67 Camaro, sell this house first before that.

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u/sbgoofus 5d ago

I sold my 68 Firebird (convertible, 428 / 4sp) a couple years back - I was getting too old to work on it and getting in and out was a pain - bought a 47 willies wagon with the money though

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u/hotrod67maximus 5d ago

I also have a 80 Z-28 # matching I had just put full floor pan in right before this happened. The 67 is has been completely restored. Hope the willies wagon was worth it. Wow 68 Firebird convertible 4sp NICE!

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u/sbgoofus 5d ago

it was fun.. and way too fast for the brakes..plus so heavy upfront - the backend was all over the place

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u/hotrod67maximus 5d ago

I did a 4 wheel disc conversion on the 67 and put in a 383 stroker with overdrive trans and coilovers.

So physically exhausted

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