What makes you feel better?

[River989]

Hi everyone,

I joined this site a little while back and wanted to say how helpful I have found it. I have no idea if I am in the right place or what happened to me but my story has similarities with the after effects you share here.

In early 2022 I caught covid with minimal symptoms and bounced back to health. A few months later I had quite a bad throat and chest infection. Again I bounced back, for 2 days.

After that I felt progressively stranger in my body, sudden palpitations, head, neck and back pain and pressure, very hot all the time, confusion/disorientation, unable to tolerate light or noise, my mobility got weaker and finally for a very short time, I was completely immobile. The worst symptom was the head and spine pain, it’s not like anything I ever felt before.

Over the last 17 months I have regained full mobility with exercise tolerance limitations, am back at work, can watch films, read and listen to music again. I still have weird symptoms, palpitations, burning heat, muscle pain and the head pain has never left but is usually much more manageable. I also got a shock when I turned to my GP for help and despite not really going to them much before, was made to feel like I was wasting time and should just go home and lie down for a bit.

With no obvious markers for illness, western medicine has not been able to help me so I have tried several complimentary therapies. The most helpful have been guided meditation (best when I was at my worst), yoga (literally starting with 1 or 2 floor moves a day and building up to weekly classes), massage (for short term muscle pain relief), talking therapy (great to help manage chronic pain and anxiety), physio (helped to start rebuilding strength), the most recent has been acupuncture (which kicked my 16 month long digestive issues into touch after the second session).

I felt so alone trying to fix myself I just wanted to share what helps me in the hope it may help someone else.

Wishing you all the best possible health.

[BChappers]

hi there,

I completely relate to lacking support and information from the western medical system.

I have been left with various symptoms, including unregulated nervous system, tingling, anxiety, muscle pain. Since I caught VM 5 years ago, the most effective treatments have been meditation, psychotherapy, diet, sound baths, etc. I am yet to try acupuncture and I also want to try getting a B-12 injection to re-boost my immune system.

I left hospital with no information or guidance. Considering I had to leave my university course, move city and change environment as a result, it left me lost for several years and only now, am I beginning to put it behind me and move on.

I don’t think I will ever fully let go of what happened. It is what makes me who I am today and hopefully, once I’ve completed my current psychotherapy I can start to understand what happened.

It’s crazy that it takes this long, but when your life completely changes and you feel alone, it takes a good while to build your life again.

I particularly relate to young people whose journey to adulthood is impacted by meningitis. It is completely disrupting to your ability to continue growing at the same pace as others. I’m realising I have been jumping back and forth from childhood to adulthood because of the bumpy journey.

I hope your journey gets better and better and I wish you all the happiness despite all of the obstacles. Keep going and you got this!