Managing Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM): What can help?

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

I have been back to work and daily activities for just a week since having Covid for the first time. Each time I try to do a light workout, I end up feeling exhausted and unwell. Following this thread in hopes of answers!

Do NOT try to exercise right now! Google "post exertional malaise." At the moment, pushing yourself could lead to long-term worsening of symptoms. Rest as much as you can for the next month or two, then gradually increase activity and see if you can tolerate it without feeling worse the following day.

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences! I appreciate your support and advice. I had been pacing myself fairly well since I had the crash that prompted me to reach out to this community, but I am back in another (albeit milder) crash that started yesterday. I think this time it was triggered by driving - I was in the car for about 2 hours driving back/forth to appointments. I really find driving to be very exhausting because it’s just constant focus.

It’s really frustrating to accept that this is my life now, and really scary to not know how long it will last. Up until yesterday, I was feeling pretty good. Pacing myself for sure, but also functioning fairly well within those constraints. I had even convinced myself that I was improving and would be back to normal soon. The crash this week has made me realize that I am not out of the woods, that I am still vulnerable, and it scares me.

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

It’s been about five weeks since I got Covid, and I am struggling with the push-crash cycle of post exertional malaise. I was feeling good over the weekend and foolishly pushed my body too far with a 45 minute walk in the woods. Three days later I am still almost completely incapacitated by fatigue and plagued by muscle aches and headaches. My husband wants me to push myself a bit through the fatigue by getting back into our normal routine of walking the dogs for 15 minutes in the morning (which I had been tolerating), but I am not sure if that is a good thing to do while I am in the crash recovery phase.

I would like to get some advice on whether I should strictly rest until the fatigue subsides, or if it is better to add some light exercise into the mix so I don’t decondition even more. Honestly, I am terrified that I might do something that will prolong the fatigue, because it is having such a negative impact on my ability to work.

At the risk of being redundant, I crashed after doing a 20 minute walk video. This was my first, and I need help. What do you do all day while recovering?
My crash is a feeling of weakness, deeper fatigue. I am able to do the same things but I just feel like moving slower. Any suggestions would be so appreciated.