Living with Long COVID: My Journey and Insights originally I posted 3 blogs but when my website got revamped I thought i'd combine these 3 blogs that were written over 3 years from 2021-2023.
Long COVID, or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), is an ongoing health challenge for millions of people worldwide. It's estimated that 35-50% of people who contract COVID-19 develop long-term symptoms, making this a pandemic within a pandemic. Despite the growing prevalence, many of us face limited medical support, stigma, and even gaslighting from those around us.
Thankfully my training kicked in and i was able to access resources to help me regain my life. As a natural medicine doctor and someone living with Long COVID since July 2021, I want to share my journey, insights, and the tools I've discovered that are helping me recover. I was diagnosed with Chronic COVID, Dysautonomia, Chemical Hypersensitivity, and ME/CFS.
The Beginning of My Long COVID Journey
I contracted COVID-19 in July 2021. The first few days felt manageable, but by day 4, things took a dramatic turn. I developed a high fever (39°C+), extreme fatigue, body pain, neurological symptoms, numbness, loss of speech and movement, and a host of other issues. If you know, you know! I was bed-bound, unable to speak or even ask for water. It was unlike any illness I’d ever experienced—synthetic, strange, and deeply unsettling. My nervous system became rapidly dysregulated, likely worsened by prior stressors, including adverse childhood and adults experiences. Plus, I was taking antibiotics recovering from a UTI while in a neck brace and cramming writing my P.h.D defense paper. With a one-year old!
Symptoms During and After COVID:
High fever and chills
Trembling and extreme fatigue
Widespread body pain
Neurological issues (loss of smell, phantosmia, strange taste, pins and needles, numbness, vertigo)
Gastrointestinal pain
Light sensitivity and headaches
Loss of taste and smell
Tachycardia and dyspnea
Convulsions - Seizures
Brain Fog, Memory issues, loss of sequences
Loss of speech and movement
Despite some improvement by day 15, lingering symptoms persisted. What followed was a cycle of "crashing" after overexertion, often leaving me bed-bound in a dark room over and over again.
The Emotional and Physical Toll of Long COVID
Living with Long COVID has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. It has tested my physical, emotional, and mental resilience. My pre-COVID lifestyle, characterized by high achievement and perfectionism, was suddenly incompatible with my new reality.
Triggers for Crashes:
Pushing through fatigue
Stress
Alcohol
Learning to pace myself has been essential, but as a mother and professional, it's not always easy. I’ve had to adapt—choosing less physically demanding activities, asking for help, and practicing radical self-compassion. Self-compassion has been one of the major components throughout my healing journey.
Dysregulated Nervous System: The Root Cause
One of the most eye-opening aspects of my journey has been understanding the role of the nervous system in Long COVID. The autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates everything from immune function to hormones, can become dysregulated due to physical (viral, chemical) or emotional (trauma, stress) triggers. Neurodiviergence also plays a role here.
For those with prior trauma or chronic stress, the body is often already operating in survival mode, making it harder to cope with additional stressors like COVID-19. This dysregulation explains the wide range of symptoms seen in Long COVID, from fatigue and pain to sensory issues.
MY JOURNEY IN THE MEDICAL SYSTEM
In Spain the medical system has been supportive although lacking. I have been very lucky, my doctors have not gaslit me fortunately my medical doctor plus all the many specialists I've met have been very thorough and taken me very seriously and carefully diagnosed me. The system can be fatiguing and I have taken breaks throughout, it can very very overwhelming, invasive and disappointing. Nevertheless, I am very grateful to my medical team.
Medical Tests I've taken
Nuclear MRI
Two EEG's (electrocellogram)
Two ECG's (electrocardiagram)
EMG (electromyography)
Capiliaroscopy
Positive for Lyme & EBV
Positive low ANA's (Autoantibodies)
Reflections on Long COVID and Type A Personalities
Long COVID disproportionately affects high achievers. Perfectionism and a constant drive to do more often stem from unresolved trauma, keeping the nervous system in a state of overdrive. Healing requires not just physical recovery but also addressing the underlying emotional patterns that perpetuate stress and dysregulation.
GRIEF AND LONG COVID
4 weeks after I contracted COVID my dog died. He was my furbaby, I think this grief impacted my recovery, and I've seen this theme in others stories too. We were all grieving in mass during the pandemic, our old lives, loved ones we lost, the freedom we lost! Grief depletes emotional energy and creates a heavy mental burden, which can lower resilience and amplify Long COVID symptoms like fatigue and mental fog. The physical body often "stores" emotional trauma, and unresolved grief may manifest as physical symptoms, compounding the challenges of Long COVID recovery.
Tools and Practices Supporting My Recovery
While I’ve faced frustration with conventional medical approaches, I’ve found a combination of holistic tools and lifestyle changes that helped me heal which I thankfully implemented in 2021.
Supplements and Nutrition
Electrolytes and hydration: 3L/day of filtered structured water
Functional Medicine tests: To target specific functions and deficiencies
Magnesium and NAD: Supporting energy production
Gut Microbiome: Targeted strains of pre-probiotics to rebalance the microbiome
Anti-inflammatory foods: Reducing inflammation and supporting healing
Nervous System Regulation
Vagus nerve stimulation: Using a TENS machine, humming, and breathing exercises
Pilates and gentle movement: Releasing trauma stored in the body
Somatic and trauma healing: Inner child work and mindfulness to address chronic stress
Energy Medicine and Biohacking
Red Light Therapy: Supporting mitochondrial function and reducing inflammation, helps with muscle pain and fatigue
Daily sunlight exposure: 20 minutes of natural light for circadian regulation
Grounding: Reconnecting with the Earth’s energy to recharge the body
Emotional Healing
Self-acceptance: It took me nearly a year to admit I was having seizures
Self-compassion: Celebrating small milestones and quieting the inner critic
Creative expression: Processing my seizure experience through drawing what i felt helped me process it
Energy clearing: Receiving remote energy healing and clearing limiting beliefs
Progress and Hope
Today, I feel 90% recovered. The crash cycles have lessened in intensity and frequency, my hair has started growing back, and debilitating symptoms like seizures, tachycardia and vertigo have subsided. While I still face challenges, I approach each day with hope and gratitude.
Healing is Possible
Recovery from Long COVID is not linear, but it is possible. Faith, self-compassion, and a holistic approach to healing have been my guiding lights. If you're navigating this journey, know that you are not alone, and support is available.
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