Good Day, Bad Day: Do you track them with long COVID?
Greetings all. I'm a COVID long hauler and have been for about three years now. My principal symptoms are chronic fatigue and brain fog. One thing I've discovered is that I have good days and bad days in a kind of pattern.
A few months into all this someone (I've forgotten who... blasted brain fog) suggested that I keep a 'health diary' keeping track of my days. Being a bit of data geek, I started recording the time when I got up and the time when I 'ran out of steam' ... when the fatigue became too much for me to keep up activity. Then (OK, I'm a huge data geek), I started plugging those times into an excel spreadsheet, charted them and the pattern jumped out at me.
I'd get about 3-4 'good' hours one day, then 1-2 hours the next, then back to 3-4. The pattern isn't perfect. Sometimes I'll have a few bad days, or more rarely good days, in a row, and the definition of a 'good hour' is still pretty bad by any objective standards, but the pattern consistent enough that I feel confident about it.
Knowing that, no matter how bad a day is, there's a good day coming has really helped me keep my spirits up through this.
I wondered if anyone else has a similar experience.
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Hi!
Good for you for keeping a record of your symptoms! It really helps as you found out! As far as your brain fog, my husband had lung cancer. One time when he had a CT scan, they gave him the wrong medicine. The result was brain fog. I did some research and discovered that electrolytes help brain fog. There are electrolytes in Gatorade or at least Gatorade helps balance your electrolytes. I don't remember which. Anyway, by drinking Gatorade and a lot of water daily, the brain fog started to go away.
For your chronic fatigue get more iron and B12 into your body through food ( good quality red meat, beans, broccoli, peas) and pills both. Your body is fighting a disease and it needs all the help it can get!
Good Luck!
PML