I’m looking for some insight or reassurance from those who have been through this. I had a relatively mild case of COVID back in mid-September (cleared it and tested negative by day 8 or 9). I’ve definitely improved since the acute phase, but at 5 weeks out, recovery is taking long than expected.

My day-to-day energy is just lower than normal. While I can handle work, light chores, and gentle movement (like beginner pilates or easy yoga), any attempt at intense activity totally sidelines me. Last weekend I tried doing 10 minutes on a stairclimber and an hour of weights, and I woke up the next day completely drained and sore. I took it really easy after that and recovered in a couple days but not trying that again.

I have a constant, lingering "tight" feeling in my sinuses and one ear feels blocked. It’s not a runny nose or active mucus, just a pressurized sensation that won't clear. I’m about 5-6 days into using Flonase and not seeing much change.

I have a doctor's appointment and a full blood workup scheduled for tomorrow morning to rule some stuff out.

For those who had "mild" cases but hit a wall with exercise intolerance and lower battery capacity around week 5, did your timeline look like this? Is this normal?

Started having diarrhoea last Tuesday night, it is now Sunday. By Friday I was feeling much better, fatigue, body aches and fever had all gone away but diarrhoea continued. It is now Sunday and I’m still feeling good apart from the diarrhoea, it is still watery, no matter what I eat. I spoke to my pharmacist who advised it can continued for up to 2 weeks. She advised again immodium as it will trap the stool and increase viral load in the gut.

I am taking probiotics and eating bland foods, but looking to hear personal experiences on how long it lasted for you and how to get rid of it!

Hey everyone, I've seen that my post has gotten a lot of engagement and would like to make a response. It is going on Day 9 and so far almost all of our symptoms have passed. For the record, we are half and half vaccinated due me being a Military family. (Only implying because I've seen some saying I was unvaccinated, me myself am vaccinated and still getting bent over and fucked in the ass :(, funny enough my brother (unvaccinated) is doing the best out of all of us) Now the remaining symptoms are still just as serious, I personally am dealing with brain-fog, immense suicidal thoughts, heart-pounding anxiety, voices & hallucinations. It's gotten to the point that we decided to give our firearms to a family neighbor for the time being (safely) Now before COVID I have been dealing with various issues. I experience being killed in my dreams and being bale to feel the pain & wake up into sleep paralysis. I am used to this and get help but it has currently been WOW! I am losing my mind, my family and I are a very hardcore logical family. I mentioned before we force each other to drink & eat, we don't give a fuck how each other feel you better do what's needed to survive. Oh and yeah, this fucking taste and smell. We have a constant "rotting" stench in our taste buds 24/7 & can smell it. It's horrible, I've brushed my teeth 4 times and it doesn't go away.

Now I'd like to say we are doing much better. The only medicine we took was Tylenol & Mucinex and drank as much water as we could. Still concerned about developing long COVID.

Also some of you misinterpreted what me calling COVID a joke meant. I was being sarcastic and really mean this disease is from hell, it fucking sucks.

I wish you all the best and I apologize if this response is kind of all over the place. Heads a mess. We still have a long road to recovery.

EDIT: As of OCT 17th 8PM EST I am still positive for COVID, but symptoms are still not as bad as Day 6

I am 30 and otherwise healthy, first time getting covid.

Man it has knocked me out!
One of the most frustrating/weird symptoms I have (alongside w/ just a generally sore chest) is a weird “icy hot” feeling in the center. As if the medication were applied.

I went to a follow up at my diagnosing DR just in case as I try not to play around with chest pain/etc, and after a physical evaluation she seemed unconcerned because “covid can do a lot” and “chest pain is expected, it is a respiratory virus.”

It is quite uncomfortable, though I am breathing fine and dont feel short of breath or dizzy. Anyone else experience this when sick? Ive never heard of that one from friends!

(They had me take paxlovid despite not being at risk, so my other annoying side effect is that super yummy burnt rubber grapefruit taste lol!)

Husband tested positive last Friday, symptoms started Thursday night - congestion and mild sore throat. For 4 days had congestion, body aches and fatigue but generally not too bad. By Weds tested negative. It is now Saturday and he is complaining of a sore throat and feeling like he has a cold. Is it a rebound? I caught Covid from him and was sick Tuesday - Friday, feeling better today but still fatigue. If it’s a rebound, can I also catch it from him again?

I had Covid 2 weeks ago. my case was mild. no fever, pulse ox normal, HR normal (resting is 50-60), BP low end of normal. I also have health anxiety and OCD so that’s been a treat to deal with. my main Covid symptom was fatigue and blowing my nose. I’m all better now and worked out yesterday. I did some weights and ran 2 miles. I’d been feeling lethargic from not working out as I’m a pretty fit 31F and runner. anyway, last night I started getting a random chest sensation. not pain. it happens at rest when I slouch or stretch weird. but obviously super concerning anything in the chest area.

I made the mistake of asking Claude and he mentioned post covid heart inflammation :/ is it possible? before Covid I had a normal EKG, 7 day Zio patch that was normal, CRP blood test low (overall low to 0 inflammation). clean work up. the reason I had these tests was I started getting chest pinches 4 months ago. I got an iron infusion 2 months ago and this pretty much stopped the pinches. so after the clean heart workup from my doctor I was like ok I’m in the clear. now with Covid it feels like I cannot be sure I’m in the clear.

im thinking it’s likely muscle strain from trying working out after taking weeks off. but damn why is it allows in the left side? never the right

So for ~ 3 weeks now I’ve been dealing with something - and it’s odd because it will feel like the very beginning of a cold coming on - a little nasal drainage, slightly raw throat, slightly drained of energy; the it’ll get better - not 100%, but better for a few days. Then come back. Then go away. I blamed allergies, but I knew it didn’t feel like allergies. This past weekend, I started to feel a little worse than I had been. Monday morning a little worse. It kind of leveled out for a day and then progressively got worse from about Wednesday night until now (Fri night). Worse = more stuffiness / runny nose, some dry coughing.

One odd thing is I never had that “ick” feeling like I do even with a cold, where I just want to lay down and rest/sleep and have no energy for anything. Throughout all this (even this week), I’ve continued generally feeling good, working out, walking etc. Just dealing with the annoying nasal/throat/cough symptoms which can be draining in itself. I’ve also had a bad headache some days which I blamed on congestion.

I also had a rash around the time this started…first my neck would be super itchy, then my hip, arm, foot, leg etc - it would kind of pop up and disappear. I even told a friend I wondered if it was a viral rash bc I was also dealing with the odd and on mild cold symptoms so maybe I was fighting off a virus.

Anyway, I finally took a home Covid test today and it came back positive. Tbh it makes sense bc I knew all along it wasn’t allergies and it didn’t make sense to be a cold bc I didn’t have that ick. But the really strange part is it stared off SO mild, off and on, and then 3 weeks later is now hitting me harder. Has anyone else experienced anything similar with Covid lately?

Hey there, So currently going through COVID recovery, been fever free for more than 24 hours already (looking at around 72 to be exact) but ever since fever went away i been having these chest aches/pains in the upper middle part of my chest where my ribs go to the center. I'm a 22 year old male. Been resting ever since I got sick. But unfortunately haven't been taking it too easy on my body since fever went away. Anywho what would you guys think this is before I take higher measures. I think is Costochondritis but without a proper evaluation i cant be 100% but this is what I'm leaning towards

I caught covid roughly 4 weeks ago, was testing negative by days 8-9, and have slowly been rebuilding since then. I’d say my energy is around 80-90% of my usual so I’m doing some yoga, pilates and walks but avoiding anything intense and adjusting based on how I feel after. Heart rate and blood oxygen seem normal too. But for some reason I’ve become insanely caffeine intolerant. Even a few sips of a brewed coffee have me flushed, anxious and panicking. I’ve swapped to decaf which has a little caffeine but I seem to tolerate it better. Has anyone else noticed this? Did you get your caffeine tolerance back?

Did anyone from India or any other region face erectile dysfunction due to taking both doses of the covid vaccine ??

Exposed to Covid through my husband, who tested positive Friday.

Stayed away from each other s much as possible but I had been with him up until the point he was positive.

Early hours of Tuesday woke up with nausea and a headache, felt hot and sweaty but didn’t take my temp. Woke up for work later in the morning really hot and sweaty with a racing heart. Felt nauseous all day and lost my appetite. At 7pm had chills and 11pm had a low grade fever 38.1 and diarrhoea. Fever went away by 2am. Had back ache.

Wednesday had severe watery diarrhoea throughout the day, but nausea had gone away. Had some mild back ache, fatigue and general unwell feeling. By the evening diarrhoea had got slightly better and felt more energy.

Thursday (today) no more watery diarrhoea but loose stool and lots of stomach gurgling. Appetite is back but eating bland foods. Tiredness and general unwell feeling but not too bad. Update late in the day Thursday - feel way worse than I did earlier when I posted this, I ate some dry toast and my appetite has completely gone. Still have loosing stools, body aches, bad fatigue and general feeling of being unwell.

No respiratory symptoms, fever only for a few hours and testing negative. I haven’t left the house since my husband was positive on Friday, so it seems unlikely to be a stomach virus.

Anyone had similar?

First, let me be clear: I know the Covid booster did not give me Covid. I was already having very mild symptoms that I attributed to seasonal allergies. I didn’t test until starting to sneeze incessantly later in the day. I was shocked to see a positive test result — I haven’t had Covid in years and didn’t realize it was surging in my area. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

Has anyone been in the same situation? I received the Moderna booster today, which historically has given me worse side effects than Pfizer. A quick Google search suggests the side effects may be amplified by an active infection. I’m curious to hear others’ experiences.

i’m on day 10 and the past three days i’ve noticed my eyes are swollen. if this a normal thing with covid?

I can't taste or smell anything besides this constant foul disgusting filth that lingers in my mouth. I lost my voice, get shivers & the chills. Vomit & have diarrhea. Constant painful ear-popping & I can't hear as well. Ridiculous head & body aches. I feel my organs & limbs hurting & weak. Fatigued like no other. My eyes are puffy & blurry. Drenched from the cold sweats & horrible hallucinations.
Congested with a irritated throat and constant saliva build up, the saliva just falls out our mouths from how heavy it is. Top of our mouths are irritated. We have no appetite once so ever and have to force & convince each other to eat. Drinking water makes us want to throw up. Constant burping & hiccups. Pain in our fingertips & toes. Breaking out on our chest & backs (this isn't directly caused by COVID but made worse, runs in our family) Constant pissing, from clear to yellow despite drinking lots of water. We usually black out, wake up and start hallucinating. Snap out of it and take a swig of some fluids. Confusion and memory loss (which I'm sure is brain fog) and so much more. This is a disease from hell. Symptoms have been off and on at random. We are well educated and prepared but I am pissed we got infected from visiting a hospital. We've got COVID before in 2023 but have never gotten shots/vaccines due to personal reasons & beliefs. Just wanted to share what we've been going through and I wish y'all the best & speediest of recoveries.

I'm just afraid of developing long-COVID.

Hello, I was wondering. I only got the first vaccine and never anything else cuz i lost the vaccine card whenever it was mandatory? Do they still check the cards?

If not, how would that work? Like which vaccine would they give me? The first one again or a booster?

I tested positive on 9/29. I was still having symptoms last Thursday so I went to urgent care. My xray was negative for pneumonia and my d dimer was negative for blood clots. I still feel very miserable but now my heart rate is increasing pretty substantially (a short relatively slow walk a few hundred feet increased it to 125), my chest hurts and I have pretty bad shortness of breath when doing any physical movement, etc. Is it possible that it could be pneumonia or blood clots now? or if it was negative on Thursday would it still likely be negative?

Pls tell me I'm not panicking because I couldn't trust what google has been telling me. On one side, it tells me it's normal, and on the other hand, I'm positive.

Sunday - sore throat begins and it felt like the beginning of my sickness.

Monday - took an absent, my body was feeling heavy, I was kinda hot and I got cold

Tuesday - kinda got a little better, but still got the clogged nose, heavy breathing, and no coughing yet. I had dance practice about it 6 hours and walked my way home.

Wednesday(today) - Dry cough that gets me panting after several coughs, and there are moments I'll lose my smell and taste. Earlier, I can smell but can't taste. I got them back after taking chamomile tea. And now tonight, I can feel my throat beginning to get itchy.

Is this normal sickness or do I need to tell my parents?

I’m on my second day of infection, yesterday I had nausea and a low grade fever, but during the night I started having severe watery diarrhoea (like peeing). Every time I drink even small sips it triggers it, and I tried to eat a banana and that made it worse. I am luckily not dehydrated, urine is light yellow and have been sipping electrolytes. The diarrhoea is so extreme I am struggling to sleep as every few minutes my stomach feels like a washing machine. Anyone had the same? Any tips? I have taken pepto but it has done nothing.

So it took 6 years but we finally caught COVID. Lots of previous tests but all negative, this time positive. I was vaccinated and boosted, husband vaxxed but not yet boosted this year. He got COVID first, then me. Infection was mild with no loss of taste/smell, only tickle cough and fatigue.

Fast forward to basically the first day I tested negative and I can smell some people’s breath to the nth degree. Like, my husband’s breath fills the entire house. My friend’s breath was gross. I walked into the gym lobby and could smell breath even though no one was near me.

It’s not everyone nor every place. It smells like metal and rot and vomit. It’s been 5ish days of this.

Anyone had this? Any advice on what helps?

I tested positive at the doctor's office today (yesterday? It's 2 am) and was prescribed Paxlovid as I am considered high risk. I was on day 4 of symptoms when I tested positive and am going into day 5 now. My symptoms started with a scratchy throat and body aches that quickly developed into a really bad sore throat and coughing. Then the hoarse voice, severe congestion, and the feeling of clogged and painful ears. The congestion is the worst I have ever had and that is saying something. The sneezing is violent and often. Between the sneezing, coughing, and body aches I am hurting so bad. I can't breathe through my nose. I even resorted to breathing in steam from a pot of water on the stove just to open up my nose a little bit but obviously it clogged back up as soon as I stopped. I am using Sinex but I try to mostly only use it at bedtime so I don't take it too much. I am taking regular Mucinex, ibuprofen, and using cough drops even though I usually hate menthol. None of it is working well except for the Sinex and that only lasts so long and you can't take it often. And Paxlovid has a laundry list of drug interactions so there aren't a lot of things I can take to just try and get through this. I am desperate for relief but worried that it is a long ways off. I just don't know what to do, especially for the congestion and cough. It makes it very difficult to rest. Somebody please give me some hope that this is going to get better soon. Hopefully Paxlovid helps make a difference soon.

Has anyone been able to get Paxlovid in the UK?
I want to prepare for when I get this horror show again and be able to tell my family what I will need if I can’t (it’s a year today that I got the virus that up-ended my healthy, fit and well life and made me extremely sick all year long… Long Covid.)

Husband had COVID 5 days ago, I woke this mornnng with a low grade fever and felt nausea all day did not eat anything it’s not 11.30pm and I have just had watery diarrhoea and a fever. I have emetphobia and scared I have the stomach bug version! Any advice

Hi everyone! I’ve been feeling like absolute garbage for the past 8 days: headaches, random sore throat, a super dry and frustrating cough, sinus issues, and severe exhaustion.

I dug up an old COVID test, and it turned positive within a couple of minutes , a medium/soft pink line, but very clearly positive. I took a second, super expired test, and that one showed a very faint line.
My husband is telling me I don’t actually have COVID because the tests are expired. Where are we at with expired test accuracy nowadays?

Also, is COVID having a autumn surge right now? I’m feeling significantly worse with this than I did when I had Omicron about 3 years ago.