I first got COVID in July 2020, back when things were slowly reopening in Vegas. Even though I had been really careful, I still caught it. What I didn’t know at the time was that this would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Months after infection, I continued to experience symptoms that doctors couldn’t fully explain, and that’s when my long covid journey began.
This is my personal story. The good days, the bad days, the confusing medical visits, and how I’m learning to live with long covid while still trying to live my dream.
The Day I Knew Something Was Wrong
July 27, 2020. I woke up one morning and walked upstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was completely drained. I had just slept a full night, but I felt like I hadn’t slept in days. I went straight to the couch and fell back asleep.
When I woke up again, I noticed I couldn’t smell anything. There was a spot that looked like it had cat pee on it, and I couldn’t smell a thing. We had just adopted Wednesday and she was still figuring out her litter box, so I asked Karl to check. He confirmed it definitely smelled. I was still exhausted and went back to sleep.
The next time I woke up, I had no taste either. I made a glass of lemonade and couldn’t taste the lemon at all. I kept adding more and more until there were probably two ounces of lemon juice in the glass, and still nothing. That’s when it hit me. I knew I had covid.
Quarantining and Hoping for the Best
At the time, COVID tests were not easy to get, and the guidance was clear: unless you were seriously ill, stay home and quarantine. I felt like I had a really bad case of the flu, but I wasn’t anywhere close to needing a hospital visit. So I followed the advice.
I slept a lot, felt miserable, and kept telling myself it would pass. Back then, there was still so much we didn’t know. Information was limited, and no one really understood what the long-term effects might look like. I assumed I would recover, bounce back, and move on.
Before Covid: The Strongest I’d Ever Felt
Before I got COVID, I was incredibly active. I worked out five to six days a week, lifting weights, running, doing yoga, and even pole. I was actually in the best shape of my life right before I got sick.
During lockdown, workouts became my routine and my sanity. I was spending close to three hours a day exercising, plus taking long walks since that was one of the few things we could still do outside the house. My body felt strong, capable, and consistent. I had no idea how quickly that would change.
The Fatigue That Wouldn’t Go Away
After about two weeks, I started to feel slightly better overall, except for one major thing: the extreme fatigue. It wasn’t normal tiredness. I would get exhausted just trying to cook or walking up and down the stairs. Taking Bodhi for a walk, even just to the mailbox, felt impossible. It was like my energy had completely disappeared.
I tried easing back into movement with a gentle yoga practice, thinking it might help. But even during a 10-minute session, I had to stop multiple times to rest. My body just wouldn’t cooperate. That’s when I started to realize something wasn’t right.
When the Symptoms Started Multiplying
Little by little, more health issues started showing up. At first, they seemed mild. Nausea, chills, a rash on my leg, constant thirst, my taste and smell still gone, and my menstrual cycle completely off. Then came the more common long covid symptoms people were talking about, like hair loss, muscle aches, shortness of breath, stuttering, and intense brain fog.
The brain fog was terrifying. I couldn’t remember simple words like refrigerator or food. I once called it “the cold place where we put the stuff we eat.” At a doctor’s appointment, I forgot how to spell my own name and gave them the wrong birthdate. It felt like my brain had been scrambled.
Then there were the strange symptoms. My mouth would randomly taste like I had licked a battery. I had dark circles under my eyes that wouldn’t go away, my face constantly felt tense, and even my urine smelled different.
And then things got scary.
My heart would race while I was lying on the couch doing nothing. I had intense heart palpitations that made me panic. I experienced episodes that felt like mini seizures, almost like someone unplugged my brain for a split second and then plugged it back in. Everything would go black, I’d get dizzy, and then it would pass. I developed severe insomnia. My anxiety and depression became overwhelming. My ADHD symptoms got dramatically worse.
Nothing felt right in my body or my mind. Every week seemed to bring a new issue, and I had no idea if I would ever fully recover. I kept a running list of everything I experienced. It eventually grew to more than 30 different symptoms.
Long Covid Symptoms I Experienced
- Extreme fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of taste and smell
- Brain fog and memory issues
- Heart palpitations
- Insomnia
- Hair loss
- Anxiety and depression
- Worsened ADHD symptoms
- Dizziness and blackout episodes
- Nausea and chills
- Rash
- Hormonal changes
- And more
Searching for Answers and Hitting Walls
I made an appointment with my regular doctor first. She agreed that it sounded like lingering COVID issues, but because I never had a positive test, she couldn’t officially confirm anything. That uncertainty followed me everywhere.
I went from specialist to specialist looking for answers. A neurologist. A cardiologist. A general practitioner. An infectious disease doctor. A neuropsychologist. I had MRIs, ECGs, EKGs, stress tests, vertigo testing, wore a heart monitor covered in wires for a week, did cognitive and brain function testing, endless blood work, and probably a few other things I’ve blocked out.
Every doctor said some version of the same thing: it sounds like long covid. But without a documented positive test, no one would formally diagnose it. I felt like I was being passed around in circles, not fully believed, stuck in medical limbo.
I even tried getting into multiple long covid clinics, but they all required proof of a positive test. Without that, they couldn’t see me. It was exhausting, frustrating, and incredibly isolating.
Trying to Work While Falling Apart
Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I got called back to work. The problem was that there was no way I could do my normal job. It required standing for eight hours a night and doing constant math. At that point, walking up the stairs felt like a workout, and I couldn’t remember basic words. There was no universe where that was going to work.
I went back briefly, then immediately took a leave of absence so I could focus on figuring out what was happening to me and how to get better. I researched endlessly, tried countless supplements, and experimented with anything that seemed remotely promising. Some things helped a little. Some did nothing. A few made me feel worse.
It was terrifying trying to troubleshoot my own body while feeling like it was slowly breaking down. I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I still had almost no energy. It took months before I could go for short walks, and even longer before I attempted any kind of workout. During that time, I gained 20 pounds, which only added to the mental toll.
Eventually, I went back to work on a very part-time basis. Even then, I struggled. Every shift felt like something I had to recover from.
Hoping a Fresh Start Would Help
During all of this, I was also preparing for our move. I held onto the hope that a change in environment might help my body calm down and recover. The dry climate and altitude in Las Vegas felt like they were working against me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something more moderate would make a difference.
I also hoped that stepping away from a high-stress job, long hours on my feet, and staying awake through the night would give my system a chance to reset. I didn’t know if it would fix anything, but I needed to believe that a fresh start might help.
Small Improvements in Tavira
Once we arrived in Tavira, I started to notice some small improvements. The lower altitude and added humidity seemed to help my breathing, which was a relief. I was able to take longer walks than before, though I still dealt with heavy fatigue and had to pace myself carefully.
At the same time, moving to a new country and navigating a new language came with its own stress. It wasn’t exactly a calm, spa-like recovery period. But I focused on doing what I could, when I could, and tried to listen to my body instead of fighting it
Living With Long Covid
I still struggle. I have to be very careful about how much I do because if I push too hard, I relapse. After our Porto and Lisbon trip, I crashed hard. Everything in my body hurt, and for three days I could barely function. I would sleep, wake up to eat and shower, then go right back to bed.
I have started working out again. I lift weights and do Pilates, and while cardio is still difficult, I am getting stronger. I have not lost all the weight I gained, but honestly, rebuilding muscle and strength matters more to me than the number on a scale.
Some symptoms are still here. I still struggle with breathing, though I do breathing exercises to help. My taste has never fully returned, and most food tastes muted unless I load it with salt. Brain fog still shows up, especially when I am tired. My anxiety runs high, and my ADHD has been harder to manage than ever before. It affects my daily life in ways it never did before COVID.
I take supplements and try to focus on reducing inflammation, since research suggests that ongoing inflammation may play a role in long covid. I saw a doctor here about it, but I didn’t walk away with much clarity. I still hope to find better guidance at some point.
What Has Helped Me
- Pacing and not pushing through fatigue
- Strength training instead of cardio
- Yoga and Pilates
- Breathing exercises
- Anti-inflammatory focus
- Anit-Inflammatory supplements
- Moving to a lower altitude
- Being kind to myself and giving myself grace when I’m not ok (this can be a struggle)
This is just my personal experience and not medical advice. Long covid looks different for everyone.
If you’re going through this too, I see you. It’s scary. It’s frustrating. It can feel incredibly lonely. Keep advocating for yourself. Keep listening to your body. You’re not crazy, and you’re not alone.
Three Years Later: Where I Am in My Long Covid Journey
It has been three years since I first got sick. Three very hard years.
I don’t know if I will ever fully recover. I do see progress, but I have no idea if it will completely go away. The mental side of this is sometimes the hardest part, especially now that I’m finally living in Europe and want to travel and explore. I don’t always have the energy, and sometimes I feel like I’m missing out.
I constantly remind myself not to push too hard because it always backfires. I am learning to be gentler with myself and to actually listen to my body. And I try to keep perspective. It could have been so much worse. So many people lost their lives to this virus. So many are sicker than I am. I am grateful it wasn’t worse.
I still hope that one day there will be more research, more answers, maybe even a breakthrough. Until then, I do what I can. I pace myself. I rebuild slowly. I try to live the best life I can with the body I have today and stay grateful that I’m still here.
If you’re interested in what it’s been like moving to Portugal while dealing with long covid, you can read more here
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