Symptom Triggers: What makes your symptoms better or worse?

Hi yinzerific. There are so many ways people experience post covid.
Going thru all the resources it seems most helpful keeping a journal of your activities and symptoms they create in the simplest way you can, as know even that creates symptoms, but it will give you roadmap for true daily changes you need. Keeping in mind any actions one day, like thinking/talking/reading, walking to the bathroom, can cause symptoms up to couple of days later. The battery analogy most helpful for me- need time resting for your body to recharge energy and if you dont you experience crashing which can vary greatly and can find what your triggers are from your journal to help you maneuver every minute to avoid crash. Allow kindness and patience for yourself with the understanding this is a long process that takes much time and will go faster if you can really stick to it and avoid set backs. Pacing is critical- small task and long rest with stopping everything early in day, listening to your body and dont allow to get tired or exert anything by truly stopping when an alarm you set goes off or you feel something and say to yourself “oh I can do just a little” and shouldn’t 🙃. Sounds simple but this is what causes set back and lack of healing. Focus on all the littlest of improvement and happy moments to see you are recovering! You’ve got this and much info shared thru this clinic to help your healing journey 🌈

I just realized that the smoke from the Canadian wildfires are likely triggering my symptoms today. (I live in the greater NYC area.) It's crazy. So sad for those affected by the fires...

Hi - I agree with law59 but the resting/patience routine is easier said than done. When I'm feeling relatively well, I have a hard time not overdoing. I know that moderate exercise leads to symptom triggers. My triggers include shortness of breath, weak/tingling legs, unbalanced, ringing in the ears, blurry vision, headache, feelings of disorientation. I guess I've decided that I'm going to do some of the things I love in moderation and suffer the consequences. For instance, playing 9 holes of golf with a cart - used to walk 18 holes or gardening with much less vigor but doing it.
I am 99% sure I suffer from PEM - post exertional malaise. I've been Long Covid symptomatic since my onset August 2020. Best to both of you!!

I'm in Brooklyn, and my brain fog and fatigue have significantly increased with the smoke (today was especially bad). On the news they're saying that one of the major effects on people is an increase in inflammation, and not just in the lungs.

The Weather Channel website has an "Air Quality Index" on the right side of the homepage, scroll down, next to the Hourly Forecast. This looks at particulates in the air and their effect on those with respiratory and cardiac issues. Wildfire smoke certainly has an effect. I feel ok with an index less than 50. Yesterday it was in the 80's and the weather service issued an air quality warning. I am much more out of breath with walking and cough continuously when the index is high. I close all the windows, put on the AC, drive in a closed up car, eliminate walks and gardening and take advantage of the handicap parking placard my Dr. got for me to lessen the walking. It has become a great tool for me to judge how I will tolerate outdoor activity. I find my regular inhaler is not enough and wind up using my rescue inhaler multiple times a day. Remember, even though you may be inside a store, the ambient air is in there too with doors opening and closing.
The EPA has detailed information here:
https://www.airnow.gov/sites/default/files/2018-04/aqi_brochure_02_14_0.pdf
Air Quality Index for Chicago today:
"58, Moderate
Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Primary Pollutant: PM2.5 (Particulate matter less than 2.5 microns)"

Use air-conditioning in car also

Those triggers you are talking about are not something new erupting but rather your damaged body telling you what it can no longer tollerate with your post covid body. My suspicion is your lungs after Covid can no longer tollerate smoke from Canada or California or the diesel car in front of you so you cough. My belief, along with sadly only one of my medical care takers ,believe Covid 19 is a hyperactive immune system disorder resulting from either Covid or the vaccines. I also suspect the other triggers are simply old experiences that the immune system no longer tollerates. I've had my home on less than 63 F for the last 14 months because its what the body demands. So cool filtered air is good, Food not so good, thinking is horrible, exercise exhausting and pain eternal - the only thing my immune system doesn't have an opinion on is water - guess its next.

Your vegus nerve controls every thing in your body,covid has damaged this nerve this is why I had about every organ in my body hurting,learn how to message your vegus nerve in your neck and behind your ears you can also by a stimulating device called tens stimulator this helps to get this nerve working again this has helped me tremendously,

Sunlight, dust,physical work,golf,environment, these are nerological problems learn how to stimulate your vegus nerve should help your symptoms

Mild exercise, including laundry, getting dressed, curling my hair, walking, gardening, cart golf, getting off of airplanes and out of cars after more than an hour's drive, household jobs, mild physical therapy, etc - most things I can do for a small amount of time but then, experience PEM - post exertional malaise. PEM = shortness of breath, weak/tingling legs, blurriness, unsteady, fatigue, etc. Doing exercises on the floor/prone doesn't seem to bring on symptoms.