2.5 years in

Posted , 18 users are following.

Hi everyone,

During the first year of this illness I couldn't even imagine having a normal life again. The symptoms were just so scary and never ending (from the typical fatigue, sore throat and dizziness to sensory hypersensitivity, painful scalp, dry mouth, hives, rash and awful anxiety) and I felt the life I led before the virus had all but disappeared. For these reasons I also spiralled into depression which of course didn’t help anything. But there is hope! I'm pretty much back to 100% again now, working 36 hours a week, socialising like before and I even went on two overseas trips last year. The awful lingering symptoms of anxiety and dizziness have now FINALLY gone and I'm getting on with living my life again.

An important lesson I have learned for the best recovery is this: do not expect recovery to be a sprint race – it is a marathon for sure. You can’t fast track recovery by trying to push through and rush back to what you were doing before. It’s a grinding zig zag process of feeling like you’re recovering and then feeling like you’re right back at square one again, over and over. This is the normal recovery trajectory for this virus. Please continue to listen to your body and if you are tired, experiencing symptoms, not coping, then it’s probably your body telling you that you need more rest and care. I ended up taking 10 months off work in total. This virus isn’t anything to take lightly either. It’s been linked to more serious conditions which makes it all that much more important to take care of yourself now. Wishing you all lots of rest and support, and as quick a recovery as possible.

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  • Edited

    Hey KS! This is great news to hear. I'm at almost 3 years. Still struggle if I push outside my abilities (still cant exercise but can go on 15 min walks) and have found ways to adapt. I work from home now with a few creative projects a year outside the house. Also my diet is super important. I have hope that I'll eventually totally heal. But have stopped despairing over it. I cant wait till I can hike/swim/dance/yoga again!

    • Posted

      Hi Lisa, Thank you for your message. I'm sorry to hear that you still struggle with symptoms. Everyone's healing journey is different and you too will eventually totally heal. Keep hope and faith that your future days will be filled with yoga, hiking, swimming and doing all the things you love. Hope is what kept me going too.

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