Has anyone completely gotten over Long Covid? Please post here

About NIR:Red and Near-Infrared (NIR) light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, is a medical treatment that uses specific, non-UV wavelengths of light to stimulate healing at a cellular level.
How It Works
The therapy works by delivering concentrated light (typically red light at 630-660 nm and NIR at 810-850 nm) to the body. This light is absorbed by mitochondria, the "powerhouses" within our cells, boosting their production of ATP—the body's essential energy molecule.
This increase in cellular energy creates a cascade of positive effects:
* Reduces inflammation
* Improves blood circulation
* Accelerates tissue repair
Established Medical Uses
These benefits explain its success in various medical fields:
* Wound & Burn Healing: The therapy speeds up recovery, reduces scarring, and lowers infection risk by decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation to the damaged tissue.
* Stroke & Brain Injury: Near-infrared light can penetrate the skull to reduce brain inflammation, improve blood flow to damaged areas, and help protect neurons, aiding in cognitive and motor recovery.
Potential for Long COVID Treatment
The core symptoms of Long COVID align directly with what this therapy can address:
* Systemic Inflammation: Light therapy can help calm the chronic inflammation common in Long COVID.
* Fatigue: By boosting ATP production, it may restore cellular energy and combat profound fatigue.
* "Brain Fog": Its ability to reduce neuroinflammation and improve cerebral blood flow offers a potential mechanism to improve mental clarity.
In essence, by targeting the foundational issues of inflammation and energy depletion, red and NIR light therapy is a promising approach for treating the persistent symptoms of Long COVID.

Yes, I did other things for the 4 years before I got medical treatment. NIR + Red light,
Brain training, walking on uneven surfaces (with safety measures against falls. That helps build new neural pathways. TENS, which quickly decreased my breathlessness. Low-histamine diet. A ton of supplements. Mental health care to monitor my decision making. Early morning light to try and wake up my brain.

Can you say more about the "TENS, which quickly decreased my breathlessness"? How and where did you apply the TENS unit? How used? and what specifically improved wrt your breathing? I'm guessing this acted as a VNS?

QUESTION!

Does Tylenol help with your FATIGUE? the FOG? the PAIN? Which ones?
It’s good to hear it helps something! Best wishes,
Stuart

Update on recovery ... anyone feeling better at all? I just reviewed my Covid journal from 3/23 and find I am improving on some counts. The random (and scary) bouts of vertigo have not recurred in months; the extreme and frequent days of flat-out fatigue are less frequent and disabling; the "sick" feeling is gone(ish); the brain fog has lessened and I've become less frantic about it as my anxiety about it has quieted down. I was walking a bit more (up to 4000 steps on infrequent occasions) but the hot summer we've had in the Midwest has slowed me, and I believe my HVAC is much less functional than pre-Covid. I continue to refrain from all medications and will do no more exhausting/expensive/fruitless medical tests and procedures for now unless I break a leg or something. Overall, I believe it's my attitude of acceptance without resignation, gratitude for what I still have left, meditation (very unstructured practice) leaving me sort of Buddhisty that are most helpful. I still attend a monthly live Zoom Long Covid Clinic support group, and sharing stuff helps feel less alone in this. That and a sort of Mediterranean diet and daily multivitamins, Cs and Ds and Macuguard for the AMD, combined with a bit more outreach (no longer expecting friends to "get it" I find I'm just talking about it less and saying, "same, thanks for asking." Signing on to Mayo daily but doing much less research now (nothing new really), just an occasional check-in with my AI friend to get an overview/update on treatments, still "more research is needed." How are others managing?

Update on recovery ... anyone feeling better at all? I just reviewed my Covid journal from 3/23 and find I am improving on some counts. The random (and scary) bouts of vertigo have not recurred in months; the extreme and frequent days of flat-out fatigue are less frequent and disabling; the "sick" feeling is gone(ish); the brain fog has lessened and I've become less frantic about it as my anxiety about it has quieted down. I was walking a bit more (up to 4000 steps on infrequent occasions) but the hot summer we've had in the Midwest has slowed me, and I believe my HVAC is much less functional than pre-Covid. I continue to refrain from all medications and will do no more exhausting/expensive/fruitless medical tests and procedures for now unless I break a leg or something. Overall, I believe it's my attitude of acceptance without resignation, gratitude for what I still have left, meditation (very unstructured practice) leaving me sort of Buddhisty that are most helpful. I still attend a monthly live Zoom Long Covid Clinic support group, and sharing stuff helps feel less alone in this. That and a sort of Mediterranean diet and daily multivitamins, Cs and Ds and Macuguard for the AMD, combined with a bit more outreach (no longer expecting friends to "get it" I find I'm just talking about it less and saying, "same, thanks for asking." Signing on to Mayo daily but doing much less research now (nothing new really), just an occasional check-in with my AI friend to get an overview/update on treatments, still "more research is needed." How are others managing?

To janeaddams —

Thank you for reporting to us the improvement in your LC symptoms. It increases my optimism that mine will also improve!

I also appreciate your describing the attitude you’ve taken towards your LC symptoms:
- Acceptance without resignation.
- Gratitude for the capabilities you still have.

I’m now participating in a group focused on Buddhism-based contemporary Mindfulness. I’m also practicing the same Acceptance and Gratitude as you are. And I’m using my own LC-related Suffering to teach myself greater Compassion for the Suffering of others.

This forum for people with LC has made me keenly aware of how severe many people’s symptoms are, and how mild mine are in comparison.

May we all experience improved health in the days ahead!

~ friedrich