What do you do for exhaustion and brain fog...?

I suffered since Aug ‘22 with these symptoms plus several others- was beginning to think life wasn’t worth living if I never got better,
I did a lot of reading of professional medical papers & tried micronutrients that showed possibilities- one ( that I had to get from a pharmacy in Italy) gave me 1 or 2 days per week of some improvement in energy only. May 13 I felt really bad, so went to my plan C- getting a script for Paxlovid as I had read some people had really good results, some only had relief from some symptoms.
I was able to get a teledoc to sent a script to Walgreens- had to wait a few days as it was out of stock but when I got it - cost was $0 as they had told me ( fed gov covers the cost-$525.00) CVS told me that that program ended on May 10, but Walgreens said that wasn’t accurate
5 days of doses (2 doses a day)Only side effect was metallic taste in mouth
Evening of 3rd day- I felt so much better- no brain fog- next day energy started improving as well as pain, depression, & shortness of breath! Miracle!
2nd day after finishing doses- woke up with the symptoms- knew this was the Paxlovid rebound I’d read about so just prepared to wait it out ( I read that when taken for active Covid rebound lasts a few days)
Amazing that very afternoon it went away so it may b different with long Covid
Since then I have become the pre- long Covid me!!! It really was a miracle for me!

I divide my activities into two categories-Cognitive and Physical.
Cognitive: word/number puzzles, paying bills, reconciling the bank account, reviewing the 'to-do' list, planning my day/week, emotional therapy, learning a new task, trip planning & packing, legal affairs, medical bills & appointments, driving someplace new, airports
Physical: ADL's (activities of daily living-meals, hygiene, dressing, walking), errands, gardening, grocery shopping & cooking, doing laundry, vacuuming, making the bed, washing-drying-styling my hair (yes, that gets me out of breath!), stairs, airports, social gatherings.

My "allowance" to spend is 2 hours of each per day, that's it, no more, done. In addition, 8-10 cups of water per day. When I stay within my limits, I can avoid that horrible crash the next day with overwhelming & incapacitating exhaustion, severe headache, chills, muscle pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, mental fog.

When I know I have a draining event coming up I plan in advance-2 days ahead I figure out directions to get there, what I will wear, gather some snacks to take along, plans for the dog. The most I will do the day before is shower and do my hair and maybe a puzzle, have meals cooked ahead. Otherwise I am still & quiet all day, watch movies, read. The day of I am still quiet, nap if it's an evening event, dress and go. I also plan nothing the following day in case some of that crash shows up.

Life just happens, and sometimes I spend more energy than I have in my body bank. I do what I have to and eliminate the rest; prioritizing is HUGE. Very few things can't be rescheduled, it may be a giant pain in the ***, but it is still better than knowingly setting myself up for a horrific day curled up on the couch in silence with the shades drawn & whimpering.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. I know I am not capable of ANYTHING if my brain & body is falling apart. Caring for myself is my #1 top priority, anything that puts me in harms way has no place in my life for right now. It's been 2 1/2 years and I have finally accepted this as my post covid life.

Good stuff about how to accommodate for our limitations ! Planning brief naps prior to a commitment really helps me. Also, washing my hair wipes me out too !

Ok first I hope it doesn’t last forever. Second, I do something then rest. Any exertion can be exhausting. I have finally made a routine of working for 10 minutes and resting at least a half hour to an hour. It really sucks to get so little accomplished, but I find the longer I work the more exponentially I am down. Unfortunately it’s not 50/50. If you work for an hour, you might be put down for three. You have to find what works for you. The last thing you want though is to do too much and put yourself out of commission for days as opposed to just an hour or two. The after effects of Covid suck, but you have to have some sort of life. The most healing for me which I found out the hard way is to listen when you’re body says to rest. That way you can get more accomplished during your designated times of movement. As for the brain fog, I haven’t tried anything yet except for a 6 day pack of steroids the doctor gave me of which I’m on day 3. So far it hasn’t helped with energy or brain fog. I’ve actually noticed no difference so far, but I will finish it just in case it helps. Not sure if this info will help you, but at least you’ll know you’re not alone.

y it is rare that I got Covid again for the second time on December 8, 2023. My health care team was concerned about me going back to work. I was out again almost a month. Financially, I had to go back. The fatigue is still unreal. Yes, I get so tired from the little things and really fatigued from the big things. I have a real physical job and I am almost 72 years old, but I get up 2am and need to be on the clock before 5am. I have lost friendships because of this , no one understands the long term effects from this virus. I have been so isolated over the last few years and lonely. Thank heavens for my cat to keep me company. He became ill after my last positive Covid , I had to take him to the vet last saturday also. They say it is rare for an animal to get covid, but he he had a ear infection and a respiratory illness also. I bought a humdifier the other day and I think it is helping both of us. I am grateful for this site as we can get tips and give tips to others what works for us. I did some physical therapy last week one session and the therapist wanted me to walk in the mall daily for at least 20 minutes as well as some exercises. Wishing I could get some energy back. This is my new normal also. Wishing all of you a healthier 2024. We need to stick together. Sincerely, Kitty2

Thanks for your reply. It is very isolating. I have animals too and they are my number one priority. They also keep me going. The thing that disturbs me most, as I am new to this message site is the number of people who have given up or are in the process of giving up. I am still hopeful, but it is discouraging to hear the way Covid is taking away/over people’s lives. Unfortunately, with it being a new illness, I think we’re the Guinea pigs. That doesn’t bother me so much if what they find out from me helps someone else down the road.

Take a nap. It’s the only thing that saves me and lets me accomplish anything. Do a little. Rest. If you fall asleep, you needed it. I found, contrary to advice, little naps helped my sleep at night. If I just pushed on, I got too riled up to sleep deeply at night.

I do and it's wonderful! Thank you for confirming the needed nap. Blessings....

I asked my new internist who works at university-affiliated physicians center about Paxlovid for my LC and he kinda laughed and said it was only Rx’d for active Covid. I told him I’d read it was also used for LC and he said I should stop googling. So frustrating! So all I can do is keep up with supplements to try and repair my mitochondria.

Can you see a different doctor? It doesn’t sound like this one is going to be helpful. My primary care physician did something similar, but two of the specialists I see are very sympathetic, and one of those is going to prescribe paxlovid (once I wean off the drugs I’m taking that it interacts with).

In my experience nurse practitioners have been much more sympathetic than MDs.