I've been feeling pretty rotten this past couple of weeks but had clear x-ray results and a negative test, so been looking for other ways to ease what looks like Post Viral Fatigue...
Taken from Facebook, a post by Ruth Blindell in the Covid Long Haulers group;
"For those suffering fatigue.
I will share my 5 year long experience managing this condition. It is possible but it takes time. Everyone is different and for some of you it will just lift... mine didn't so for those experiencing chronic fatigue this might help you...
Background: glandular fever 5 years ago
Result: 17 weeks bedridden and management of the condition ever since (a heavy fatigue returned in March due to 'flu followed by post viral uncontrolled asthma'... so my medical records state. Mmm.... I'm waiting on an antibody test) This illness has brought back fatigue but not as bad as the first time 5 years ago.
Symptoms: heavy limbs: especially the legs. Like someone had poured cement into the body and it hurts and the body is hard to lift.
Brain fog & Tired tired tired. Awake max 2 hours per day at first.
Lightning strikes through the nervous system. I usually wake up to these. They are awful. Like molten metal is pulsing through the body.
Treatment: there isn't one... but you can help the fatigue lift with:
-non cardio exercises (weight/strength training)
-diet (white sugar and alcohol is your enemy)
-planned rest (don't rush about on good days and only rest when fatigued)
-magnesium baths
-inverted legs up the wall
For me my arms were pretty much ok whereas the legs were so heavy just to lift out of bed. Although the palms of the hands felt like a rock was stuck the middle of them and it was an awful feeling: not pain but very uncomfortable.
I was told by Occupational Therapy after the 17 week fatigue began to lift a bit, that I had to start moving, or my body might fully seize up and I could go into a permanent cycle of M.E. and might never get up properly again.
I was advised that If I began to move the upper body: the part that worked better, it could lift the fatigue in the lower part of the body which was still painfully full of cement: feeling like wearing heavy moon boots that you can't take off.
In terms of exercise It's very important that the light weight training you choice is non cardio. Cardiovascular will run down your energy battery and leave you flat out tired and fatigued in no time: fit only to sleep exhausted.
Weight training works... noone knows why (I have theories though!)
So I started by doing arm exercises with light weights (cans of food will do). Bare in mind that you may see a slight dip in fatigue when you start this before it gets better. Be patient: this recovery is long haul. After a couple of months I got an over door bar and I would go for a walk to the door and continue for a short while walking with a soft pillow under my sore feet lifting myself with my arms and little by little this worked for me.
This was where my relationship with aerial sports began. I am off my feet in the air! I don't need them.
It worked in conjunction with an alkaline diet (google) with no white sugar or alcohol (sorry but these are poisonous substances to the condition of post viral fatigue and the fatigue won't lift easily with these in your body: if you can't cut them out completely... cut down! Also google esp. Alcohol and post viral fatigue syndrome).
Food: For help here you could try recipes by Deliciously Ella (who healed her body with food). If you want a sugar free chocolate recipe. .. I can add in the comments below 👍
I use coconut sugar these days: which is from a different branch of sugars away from traditional sugar cane and I use honey but no refined white sugar at all.
Planned rest: In conjunction with gental weight training and good food you need to balance resting on good days, so the sofa doesn't become the place you flop exhausted in fatigue but is also a place where you go feeling well and resting & managing fatigue. This is important that the body has time at rest while feeling well. If you have a good day and rush around like a mad thing getting all those catch up jobs done you will sabotage your recovery.
Magnesium baths: salt baths help the body heal and take the heavy weight of fatigue away for 20+ mins giving you a rest. I don't mean one cupful of bath salts but at least 5 in one bath. Buy it in bulk. At the height of my fatigue I would crawl in a bath every day. It was my only joy.
Feet up the wall. Lie on your back with you bum at the wall and rest the legs directly up the wall. Rest in this position every day for 20 mins. Inverting the legs helps with the heaviness: it might not seem like it first time you do it: trust me it helps 👍
I hope this helps. For the last 4 years this condition has been something I managed. For the first year, whenever I got sick again : like a common cold, it put me back into fatigue and compromised me for a month instead of a week, but for the last 3 years it's been ok.
I have even enjoyed some white sugar and the occasional gin again in the last year until I got this weird flu 3 months ago.
I still can't talk properly, still have some breathing difficulties and still have fibromyalgia in my heels (only my heels... not my whole leg. So I hope you can see that this condition lifts slowly from your body. For me, if the heaviness stays below the knee I can handle it: if it creeps above the knee I can't and I'm bedridden again and so tired).
I am a full time primary school teacher and Fitness instructor but not these last few months and it's been a fight to be heard.
Fatigue is a blimin' nuisance. It took away my hiking days I loved so much and my social life which I miss dreadfully but I gained aerial sports (which I now instruct) and I have a 6 pack in the middle of my shoulder blades: silver linings we must always seek. Xx"