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My Long COVID Journey: What Happened, What Helped, and What I’m Still Learning

Updated: Feb 12


New Year’s Eve 2024, I was dancing at a festival, feeling alive, healthy, strong. Three days later, I caught COVID from my kids.


At first, it followed the familiar script. Hard flu-like symptoms, completely flattened, in bed for two weeks. I assumed I’d come out the other side like before. But instead of improving, something shifted.

Two weeks passed — and then my symptoms changed.


When COVID Became Neurological


What followed was unlike anything I had experienced before. I had a taste of it when I had COVID in 2021 - a tingly face, some slow movement for a day or two.. but that time I dodged it and recovered.


This time I developed neurological symptoms that lasted.. and lasted: an exhausted hum through my body, light & sound sensitivity, muscle weakness, breathlessness, heart palpitations so intense it looked like I was having a heart attack, tremors so strong it appeared I was having a seizure.


My husband was ready to take me to hospital.


I didn’t go — not because I wasn’t scared, but because I knew this was that beast they call LONG-COVID. I was in the 10-20%.


I researched what a heart attack should feel like. What I was experiencing felt different, but no less frightening.


Over that month, the acute intensity eased, but instead of disappearing, the symptoms embedded themselves. What remained felt autoimmune and neurological in nature — similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis).


I got puffed reading a text from a friend. I wanted to sleep after eating lunch. Simple tasks made me feel like I had run 10kms (which I had done previously). I had restless legs, inability to move, weakness, tremors, muscle pain and squeezing on my lungs. I took painkillers daily for nearly a year.


For around eight months to a year, I suffered intensely to moderately. Episodes slowly became further apart, but even now I would consider myself immunocompromised.


I still experience flare-ups. A mosquito bite recently caused peripheral neuropathy — tingling and muscle weakness in my arms and legs. That was a stark reminder that my nervous and immune systems were still fragile.


My identity has changed from being an all powerful 'pocket rocket' I felt expressed in my love of hiking, trail running, mountain biking - to being a slower version of myself.


With Long-C -

Sacrifices are made.

Opportunities, fun and friendships are lost.

Career is stalled.

Identity is remodelled.


On this new path, self-kindess was tested and new friendships emerged.


I am still making sense of it all and building my new identity day by day.



Living With Flare-Ups


Flare-ups can be triggered by physical or mental overexertion, but the worst ones come with another immune hit — a cold, the flu, an injury, an allergic reaction, or even an insect bite.


Symptoms include extreme weakness, post-exertional fatigue, and nerve-related issues.


But the most distressing symptom by far was something I didn’t expect: Parkinsonism.


I experienced bradykinesia — slow movement, a frozen body, slow initiation, a body that wouldn’t respond the way my brain asked it to. I later learned that infections can trigger Parkinsonian symptoms, and that post-viral Parkinsonism has been documented since the 1920s, particularly after coronaviruses and influenza.


Knowing that didn’t make it less frightening — but it made it make sense.


I saught natural supplements to help this too, while I took a holistic, neuro-plastic and anti-inflammatory approach to my healing.



The Medical Gap (and Why I Looked Elsewhere)


Early on, I refused ECGs and heart testing. Not because I didn’t care — but because forums were full of people disheartened after normal results, despite severe symptoms.


Eventually, one doctor said something that stuck with me:

“It’s a bit like having brain damage.”

At the time, reading and moving could send me straight back to bed, completely exhausted.


My healing journey leaned far more towards Eastern medicine than Western. I used Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, supplements, and — importantly — self-education. I spent countless hours in Long COVID forums, comparing experiences, protocols, reading reputable research and outcomes.


Mostly though, healing required something deceptively simple and brutally hard: rest. Crashes after exerting energy are common and I had to learn to pace my energy, be patient and go much slower than I liked.


It also took unwavering support from my husband and family to give me the rest I needed to recover - support I am eternally grateful for.


What Is Long COVID, Really?


Long COVID is more accurately referred to as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). It occurs after the initial flu-like phase.


Around 80–90% of people recover fully after the acute infection. But for millions of others, PASC becomes chronic and debilitating.


Long COVID is now understood as a multi-system inflammatory condition, affecting neurological, cardiovascular, immune, and oxygenation systems — all deeply interconnected.


A Swiss study found that 17% of people with confirmed infection had not recovered after 24 months, with 10% reporting mild, 4% moderate, and 2% severe impairment.


Fatigue and post-exertional malaise are the most common symptoms, alongside breathlessness and cognitive difficulties (“brain fog”).


Proposed mechanisms include viral persistence, immune dysregulation, microvascular dysfunction, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gut dysbiosis.


COVID is now also considered an endothelial disease, meaning it affects the lining of blood vessels throughout the body — including the brain, heart, lungs, gut, kidneys, skin, and eyes.


This explains why symptoms can feel scattered, contradictory, and impossible to pin down.


Women, Hormones, and Long COVID


One of the most under-discussed aspects of Long COVID is sex difference.


Women are around 45% more likely than men to develop Long COVID, particularly between the ages of 40–54. This strongly overlaps with perimenopause.


Emerging evidence suggests that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may play a protective role, increasing immune resilience and reducing COVID-related morbidity by up to 50%.


For me, adding HRT was not only about optimisation — it was also about immune survival. The anxiety you feel about getting viruses again is horrible. This anxiety, along side the musculo-skeletal pain, insomnia and low energy for me improved on low levels of HRT creams.



Supplements & Strategies That Helped Me

(This is not medical advice — this is my lived experience.)


My approach evolved over time, informed by research, forums, and how my body responded.


Immune & Mast Cell Support

  • Antihistamines (to calm autoimmune and mast cell activity)

  • Estrogen & progesterone (via low level HRT cream)

  • GABA (supporting nervous and immune regulation)


Anti-Inflammatory & Mitochondrial Support

  • L-glutamine and NAC (oxidative stress and glutathione support)

  • Creatine (ATP production and movement recovery)

  • Pycnogenol (vascular, endothelial, and antioxidant support)

  • Quercetin (anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory)

  • Vitamins D & C, Magnesium

  • TCM formulations like AViil-X (anti-inflammatory, antiviral, neuro- and cardioprotective)


Antiviral / Spike-Protein Focus

  • Bromelain (alone and in combination with NAC)

  • Nattokinase (fibrin and spike protein degradation)

  • Nicotine


Brain & Neurological Support

  • Alpha-GPC (this was a lightbulb moment — my slow, foggy brain suddenly sped up and I could talk normally again)

  • Citicoline

  • GABA

  • Mucuna pruriens (natural L-DOPA for Parkinsonian symptoms)


I also trialled the Nicotine Protocol, based on the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain. The goal was to dislodge viral proteins from those receptors. This was experimental and not without side effects — but it was part of my exploration.


Movement, Carefully Reintroduced


As a movement professional, this was one of the hardest lessons.


Graded Exercise Therapy is controversial for a reason. Progress must be microscopic. For me, one rule became three times more rest than movement. I used a Fitbit and monitored my heart rate so it would not go up too high. I assessed my peak level was 110 BPM - walking pace! I used this as my guide and made sure to rest lots.


Breathwork, gentle core activation, and nervous-system-safe movement were the bridge back — not intensity, not discipline, not pushing through.


I now share some movement practices publicly because no one should have to reinvent this alone.


Slow movement with some resistance or weights when you are ready can help to keep muscles strong without the cardio element.


I can't stress enough that you have to go sooo slowly and watch your overall stress on the system with any movement approach you are taking.


*If you have POTS and feel dizzy - stay lying down for exercise.


Where I Am Now


I am better — but far from unchanged.


I still live with an altered immune system. I still pace. I still respect my nervous system in ways I never had to before.


Long COVID took away my certainty, but it gave me something else: a deep, embodied understanding of fragility, resilience, and how interconnected our systems truly are.


If you’re in this — you’re not imagining it, you’re not weak, and you’re not alone.


And if you’re an active woman in midlife, we need to be talking about this more. Loudly. Clearly. Together.






REFERENCES


Sex Differences in Long COVID Shah, D. P., Thaweethai, T., Karlson, E. W., et al.

Research showing that women are approximately 45% more likely than men to develop Long COVID, with highest risk between ages 40–54, overlapping with perimenopause.(Study widely cited in sex-based Long COVID research)


Female hormones and COVID-19 outcomesExplores how estrogen supports immune response and may reduce COVID-related morbidity by up to 50%, highlighting the protective role of HRT in women.Balance Menopause


Treatments & Supportive Strategies

(Shared for education and lived experience — not medical advice)


Immune System Support


Antihistamines and Long COVID symptomsEvidence that antihistamines may improve cardiovascular and systemic symptoms in Long COVID linked to mast cell activation.


Hormone Replacement Therapy (Estrogen) Discusses how estrogen enhances immune resilience and reduces COVID-related morbidity, particularly relevant for perimenopausal women.Balance Menopause


GABA, Nervous System & Immune Regulation


The GABA and GABA-Receptor System in inflammation and COVID-19Explains how GABA receptors are present on immune cells and play a role in inflammation and immune modulation.PMChttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9953446/


GABA to limit the impact of COVID-19Highlights early research suggesting GABA may help reduce disease severity and support nervous system balance.UCLA

Health


GABA dysfunction in COVID-19Links GABA signalling disruption to neurological and systemic symptoms in COVID and Long COVID.PubMed


Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Oxidative Support


Quercetin

Suggests favorable outcomes, including reduced inflammation, increased respiratory rate, accelerated viral clearance.  Investigation of potential effects of quercetin on COVID-19 treatment: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials - https://clinscinutr.org/article/view/86


L-Glutamine in COVID-19 recoveryReviews glutamine’s role in reducing oxidative stress and supporting immune and gut health during and after infection.


Glutathione and NAC in oxidative stressExplains how NAC supports glutathione production and reduces inflammation under physiological stress.


Pycnogenol® in post-COVID recoveryDemonstrates antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and endothelial-protective effects in post-COVID patients.


Pycnogenol® and microcirculationShows improvements in vascular health and endothelial function following COVID-19 infection.


Spike Protein & Antiviral Support


Nattokinase and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteinLaboratory evidence suggesting nattokinase may degrade components of the spike protein.


Bromelain: antiviral and anti-inflammatory effectsReviews bromelain’s mechanisms, including inhibition of viral entry and inflammation reduction.


Bromelain + NAC against SARS-CoV-2 variantsDemonstrates enhanced antiviral activity when bromelain is combined with acetylcysteine.


Bromelain inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell modelsEarly laboratory evidence of bromelain’s antiviral properties.


Brain, Cognition & Acetylcholine Pathways


Alpha-GPC and brain healthExplains how Alpha-GPC supports acetylcholine production, relevant to brain fog and cognitive slowing.News-Medicalhttps://www.news-medical.net/health/Alpha-GPC-What-Science-Says-About-Its-Role-in-Brain-Health.aspx


α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in Long COVIDExplores how SARS-CoV-2 may interfere with acetylcholine signalling, contributing to neurological symptoms.


Citicoline and COVID-related neurological complicationsDiscusses citicoline’s neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties in COVID-related brain symptoms.


Parkinsonism & Post-Viral Neurology


Spectrum of Parkinsonism and viral triggersDetails how infections can lead to Parkinsonian symptoms, including post-viral cases.


Parkinsonism and influenza across historyDocuments neurological complications following viral infections throughout the last century.


Mucuna pruriens for Parkinson’s diseaseSystematic review of clinical trials on natural L-DOPA supplementation.


Nicotine & Acetylcholine Hypothesis


Nicotine as a potential Long COVID interventionOutlines the hypothesis that nicotine may displace SARS-CoV-2 proteins from nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.


Leitzke et al. — acetylcholine dysfunction in post-COVID syndrome

A small but influential study proposing impaired acetylcholine signalling as a driver of Long COVID symptoms.PubMedhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36650574/


Movement, Pacing & Recovery


Using a heart rate monitor to prevent post-exertional malaisePractical guidance on pacing activity to avoid crashes in ME/CFS and Long COVID.Solve ME/CFS Initiative


Understanding fatigue and post-exertional malaise (PEM)Clear explanation of why “pushing through” worsens symptoms in post-viral conditions.


My Movement Resources


My YouTube channel – nervous-system-safe movementGentle Pilates, breathwork, and recovery-focused practices designed for fatigue and nervous system

Rest-focused movement protocol (3× rest to movement)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQTTyREWasE

 
 
 

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