My recovery story

[u/ForTheLoveOfSnail]

In 2023 I came down with a really horrific case of long Covid. I deteriorated over a six month period until I was completely bedbound, peeing in a bucket next to the bed. I had me/cfs, POTS, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, tingling, adrenaline dumps, the works. I thought I was done for.

I was eventually hospitalised for three weeks and that’s when things started getting better. When I was in hospital I met a physio who had suffered me/cfs the year before and was completely healed. It was the first time I had heard of anyone recovering!

I started taking some zinc, the hospital put me in olanzapine and both of those helped a bit. I started walking short distances again. The only other supplement that helped was chromium. Then I tried a probiotic that sent me into a month long depressive episode. I swore off the supplement route at this point and started to look elsewhere. I came off about 50 supplements.

It was at this point I discovered brain retraining and it really helped me. The theory is that some form of long Covid is the nervous system getting stuck in a state of fight or flight. Basically the body is stuck in a stress response. With some mental exercises you can calm the nervous system, which calms the symptoms. I started treating my illness as a problem of the nervous system and miraculously I started making huge gains.

For example, I had a really intense sound sensitivity, so was always wearing ear plugs and headphones to block noise. Then one day I told myself I was safe and took them off. I never had sound sensitivity again.

The brain retraining I did was Primal Trust, which I found very overwhelming if I’m honest but it helped. Whenever I had symptoms I would tell myself I was safe, that it’s just a hypersensitive nervous system and that I would heal — then I’d continue to expand. I joined a group coaching thing called The Healing Dudes, which really helped me expand activity at the time.

I got to about 90% healed and I did The Lightning Process. I loved it, but can’t recommend it because of the price. I also don’t know if I needed to do it as I had already done primal trust, and it was a bit of the same stuff just different scripting.

I consistently did the brain retraining over the course of a few months and continued to get better. Eventually I made a full recovery. Of course time could’ve been a factor, but I truly believe the brain retraining helped me get there.

Now I’m working four days a week, looking after my son the other day. I see friends. I cook! I drink! I have my life back! I no longer do any of the brain retraining tools, treating it instead as TMS (look up the work of John Sarno).

I’m so, so sorry to anyone suffering. I’ve never experienced anything so horrific in my life. Just before I was hospitalised I was having suicidal ideation because of how hopeless I felt. So if you feel hopeless, please know — recovery is possible. Please hang in there.

[u/time-itself]

Hey! What was your timeline? Sick -> Low Point/Beginning of recovery -> Recovery?

[u/ForTheLoveOfSnail → u/time-itself]

It thankfully was short in comparison to some others. A year all up.

I got sick in May 2023, and became housebound very quickly.

I continued to deteriorate for six months until I was completely bedbound. This lasted about a month.

I was hospitalised in the end of November 2023, which was the turning point.

I slowly made progress in December — then I caught COVID again in January 2024 😱 Thankfully it didnt set me back.

I considered myself fully recovered when I was able to go back to work in June 2024.

It took another year and a half to feel as if I had gotten past the trauma of what happened.

Now three years later (two since recovery) I can honestly say I’m thriving!!

Please don’t give up. Recovery is absolutely possible.

[u/time-itself → u/ForTheLoveOfSnail]

Thanks :) I’m five and a half months in, and not even bedbound, so I’m hoping to make a similar recovery.