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Welcome to the Surviving Long COVID website. We are survivors of long COVID. We are not among the 6 million who died from this pandemic. We are SURVIVORS! But, as survivors, this illness has left us with often debilitating symptoms and unexplained medical challenges that traditional medicine has all to often been unable to find solutions for. In quiet desperation, by the millions, we have taken the route of medical experimentation.
Hi, my name is Josh Champagne. I am a Long COVID survivor. I created this website to share my Long Covid journey in the hopes that it will help you on yours. I have tried the diets, the protocols, the therapies, the supplements, the substances (yes, I know), the specialists, the tests, the imaging, and more. In short, I’ve tried ALL THE THINGS in a quiet Herculean effort to restore my mind, body and soul to some semblance of my pre-COVID conscious existence. If this sounds like you, welcome to the journey, and I pray you find healing and wellness.
What is Long COVID and Co-infections?
Long COVID, also known as Long Haul COVID, or PASC (post acute sequelae of Covid), or chronic COVID is (according to the Mayo Clinic) any new, returning or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after getting COVID-19. These symptoms and their severity are somewhat unique to your body, genetics and immune system, which is part of what makes the illness so difficult to manage and treat effectively. The SARS-COV-2 can also activate other dormant illnesses including EBV, Lyme Disease, and other pathogens as it pushes your body into an immuno-compromised state of being. All that being said, here is a short list of some of the common symptoms of Long Covid. I have linked several of them to resources I found helpful for treating them in my journey to healing from this illness.
Symptoms of Long COVID
General symptoms
- Exhaustion or fatigue
- Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort, known as PEM (post exertion malaise)
- Fever or inability to moderate normal body temperature and feeling of histamine or “allergic reaction” inside your body
Respiratory and heart symptoms
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (SOB)
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Elevated heart rate or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations)
Neurological symptoms
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”)
- Headache
- Sleep problems / Insomnia
- Dizziness when you stand up (lightheadedness)
- Pins-and-needles feelings
- Change in smell or taste including “smell memories”
- Depression, extreme anxiety, adrenaline dumps, panic attacks, feelings of impending doom
Digestive symptoms
- Diarrhea / Constipation
- Constipation
- Swallowing difficulty
- Gastrointestinal pain and/or swelling
Other symptoms
- Joint or muscle pain and swelling
- Rash
- Changes in menstrual cycles