Covid-19

The beginnings: 12th - 23rd March

It's difficult to say exactly when it started. I had a dry cough from some normal seasonal cold back in early February (I found reference to it in an email on 8th February, when I checked back), so almost certainly too early for Covid. But that didn't go away. I was in contact with someone who subsequently tested positive, on Thursday 12th March. On Sunday 15th March (without knowing this contact's test result), I planted out my new potatoes. As I finished, I noticed a bit of a sore throat accompanying my cough, but thought not much of it. The sore throat continued on and off for some days, but subsided.

My last day in the office was on Friday 13th March. I well understood the risks Covid presented, and decided - with permission - to move the remainder of my teaching for the term online. One main reason for this was because I thought it unfair and irresponsible to expose my demonstrators - and myself - to classrooms full of people, with a high chance that at least one was infected. In hindsight this was a very good decision. It was not until towards the end of that week that it became a requirement to move to online teaching.

I went shopping (Co-op, Lampeter) on Monday 23rd March. That was to be my last shopping trip for 3 weeks. Lockdown happened that evening.

Self-isolation: 24th - 27th March

On Tuesday 24th March, I found out about my 12th March contact's positive test, and her symptoms that began 5 days after. I had to self-isolate, though I was right on the margin of the 2-week period that required isolation. Similarly, my housemate, Wendy, who as an "essential worker" was still required to go to work, also had to self-isolate. She started to feel slightly off-colour that day, but nothing specific.

On Wednesday morning, fatigue hit her hard. Without going any further into her story, it's reasonable to date the start of her symptoms to Tuesday 24th March. As I had not, at that time, experienced anything that would definitely point to Covid, it is likely that it was her, and not me, that first brought it to the house.

I went to the GP on Friday to pick up a prescription from her. She and I both hoped this was a recurrence of her glandular fever, along with a bacterial infection, which would be solved by antibiotics (as had happened in the past). I remember saying, when asked if I was OK to go to the doctor, "I am perfectly healthy". That was the last time I was able to say that for some time.

From this point I use the text colour coding very ill, ill, unwell, near normal, relatively normal and fatigue. You can clear this using the button below.

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First symptoms: 28th March - 12th April

We had been due to sail to Ireland on the Friday night. Obviously that did not happen. But I had annual leave booked for the next week. That was a week mostly sitting in a chair in the conservatory, whilst Wendy lay on the sofa, feeling sorry for ourselves, coughing a bit more, feeling shortness of breath creeping in, and worrying. At the same time, I was trying to pretend this was something else, because the thought it could be Covid was too frightening. I don't remember much about that week apart from getting through all the levels of Apple Flinger in a day. It distracted my mind from the reality of what was going on. Short walks up to the post box, and occasionally beyond, did happen. But it was a miserable time. Having said all that, what I had was mild, and I thought that if it was Covid I was getting away with it. My temperature peaked at 37.9°C, which barely qualifies as a fever (though it got to that same figure on a few occasions). I didn't feel feverish. The cough wasn't too bad, and I didn't have any aches - though the odd chest pains crept in over time.

Monday of Holy Week came (6th April); I managed work - which after all was not very taxing. A meeting or two, and talking with students. My breath wasn't feeling good though, and it worried me.

On Thursday 9th April, Wendy received a diagnosis of Covid from the GP (2/5 on severity scale), over the phone (no test - so technically, "suspected Covid"). That evening, I had quite a large meal. I have in the past had a tendency to a hiatus hernia, though it rarely troubles me. But after this meal, I felt a more intense shortness of breath, which could have had something to do with that (I will never know). By some time past midnight, I was on the phone to NHS 111. Because I was speaking in clear sentences, they did not want to call me in for my shortness of breath! However, in going through their checklist, when I said I had a band of pain around my chest (common with Covid) and had had heart palpitations (common with a bad hiatus hernia) they asked me to drive (myself!) in to casualty - possible heart attack, which I knew it wasn't. There I had an ECG and blood tests, and there was nothing to be found wrong with me. They took a throat swab for Covid, but subsequently told me they would not send it off, because the result would not affect my treatment (tests were in short supply and they needed it for others). I was allowed to leave after about 2 hours in casualty. Driving home at about 5:30 in the morning, I felt very relieved, and that was the start of a fairly rapid recovery.

Reprieve: 13th - 16th April

On Monday 13th, feeling a lot better and convinced I was on the mend, I went shopping. Where I live, even the nearest shop is a 16 km (10 mile) journey. So, to that shop - the Spar in Tregaron - it was. And, thank goodness, they had toilet roll!

It's strange looking back at that time, but I took all the care I possibly could. What I had had I felt was so mild (despite the trip to casualty, which my mind now put down to panic combined with a hiatus hernia), that I thought I likely hadn't had Covid. Denial can take extreme forms sometimes. But, truth be told, apart from the shortness of breath, I had had it mild.

By the Tuesday of Easter week I was walking up the path up the mountain, above my house. On the Thursday, I went for a long walk, in the lovely warm early evening; an hour and a half, around footpaths where no-one ever goes, up in the hills. I felt fine, except for being aware of some feeling still in my chest - a sort of band across my sternum.

Then the weather turned cooler. I went out one evening over the following weekend (I can't remember exactly when), and knew fairly shortly after that it was a mistake. The cough which had gone fairly dormant was re-activated by the cold. I felt unwell again.

Plateau: 17-27 April

After that, things plateaued for a while. I didn't go out in the hills again, but did walks along the road in the daytime. Never more than 800m or so from the house.

On Monday 20th, in the evening, I went to Morrisons and Home Bargains, to do the first shop in Aberystwyth for a long time. This should have been (and probably was) fine - after all, the government says you're OK to go out once your temperature has returned to normal; I barely had a temperature in the first place, and that was 3 weeks earlier.

Weekend of 25/26 April: I was feeling pretty healthy and well again. I prepared ground for, and planted out, the brassicas. I put up a wigwam for the runner beans. I mowed all the lawns - the first mow of the year.

Work on Monday 27th was fine. I had online exams to produce, and I mostly did them. In the evening, I took Wendy to the Co-op in Lampeter, but on arrival she was feeling too tired and ill to go in (this was most probably due to her glandular fever; not Covid). She stayed in the car whilst I went and did the shopping.

First relapse: 28th April - 4th May (Week 5/6, days 32-38)

In the morning of Tuesday 28th April I did what I had to but found it a struggle, then found myself not feeling well enough to do any more work. I remember talking to a friend on the phone in the evening. I had a job to hold it together for the 35 minute call. On Wednesday morning, I felt a little better, but filled in the online GP consult form - at Wendy's suggestion (as up to that point the GP had no record of my being ill). The GP phoned, said yes, it probably was Covid, and yes it seems that it can go on for a long time. They now had the record of me having it, but I wasn't actually feeling too bad right then. Over all this time, chest pains had been slowly creeping back in and increasing; the worst of these, around the sternum, but also to the sides and occasionally elsewhere.

That same evening, and I was on the phone to 111 again, with shortness of breath. After being rung back around 11:00 by the on-call GP, who just said "use your inhalers" (I have some from last year, though I have never needed them before - they actually were used to test if I have asthma, and it turned out I don't) and was otherwise fairly uninterested, I went to bed. I think the inhalers probably helped, so it wasn't bad advice. It was just not explained (why inhalers, I thought - I don't have asthma... turns out that because it opens up the air ways, it can help with bronchitis type conditions too, and Covid also interferes with the air ways into the lungs).

Thursday morning, 30th April - bam. Extreme fatigue. This lasted 2 days. Shortness of breath (which had been something of a factor earlier on too) was back, and was partly why I had to rest anyway. But at the same time, the chest pains were gone, and the cough had noticeably disappeared. Almost. At least, it was only there when I thought about it!

On to Friday 1st May - breathing worse. Fatigue ongoing. Early afternoon, I phoned the GP and was put through to the practice nurse. She was extremely helpful and nice, and explained to me why using the inhalers would help. But she also wanted me to talk to the doctor. And as a result of that, I ended up in the surgery car park, having an oxygen level test. All fine - 98%. But he also gave me some very comforting words - "Covid is no longer in your system, you've defeated it. This is just post-viral fatigue". Psychology plays a huge part in this disease, and those were the words I needed to hear.

On Saturday 2nd May, I was well enough to go shopping in the evening (after all, I was supposedly not infectious - so the doc told me on Friday - he himself actually saw me for a blood oxygen test, outside the surgery).

Monday night - fever. And this is odd, because it was my first fever. Although my temperature in the first week had got to 37.9°C, I never felt feverish, so that hardly counts. A classic symptom, but I hadn't had it until this Monday past.

Recovery: 5th - 16th May

Then Tuesday evening, 5th May, I started to feel better. And I rolled along at about 90% for the rest of that week. I had slight pains still occasionally, with coughing only if I thought about it too much, and even then Jakemans cough sweets would stop it.

On Friday 8th May, I actually reported breathing as "normal" in the app for the first time since I installed the app (a week or so before). The thing is, it's difficult to know if that is just psychological, or actually physical. Because my mind had to concentrate on breathing at times, it became something I would think about far more than normal.

Sunday morning, 10th May, and after an excellent night's sleep, fatigue hit again - this time moderate, and it had passed by lunchtime. But sufficient to be a warning not to take things too fast. This was the biggest blip since 5th.

Not feeling so energetic, I sat down and composed this web page. So, up to this point, the story is from past memory. From here on, it is more of a diary.

By evening, I was back to feeling relatively normal again.

And Monday, 11th, was the first day I think I could say I felt OK the whole day - still a slight chest pain, but nothing of any concern.

Wednesday 13th May, well into the 7th week, was the first day I recorded "I feel normal" on the Covid-19 tracker app. No pains, no obvious shortness of breath (beyond at times thinking about it too much), and, apart from a slight cough (not enough to count as an "episode"), nothing else to register. From this point, I thought it would be just a matter of regaining my strength and fitness.

On Friday 15th May, I felt bright enough to mow the lawns - it was needed, having not been done for nearly 3 weeks.

Saturday 16th May started fine - a warmer day. So I was able to do some gardening, including planting beans and preparing the glasshouse for the tomatoes (which had by this time grown far too large for the conservatory - but kept there because of the cold nights which we'd been experiencing the previous week). In the evening, we went on a shopping trip to Aberystwyth, to get in our supplies. I insist on wearing a mask and gloves, because even though I had been feeling healthy I knew I'd already had one relapse, and no-one seems certain that you can't be infectious again.

Second relapse 17th - 19th May (week 8, days 50-52)

Then in the evening of Saturday 16th (day 50), I started to feel a little off - not very, but I started questioning my breathing again.

Overnight into Sunday, I had quite a strange and disturbing experience. I would wake, with my breath held, half way out. And I would have to gasp for more air. I have a habit anyway of irregular breathing, but this was something different. It wasn't that the normal breathing seemed worse; it didn't. But I would wake, gasp for air and need a drink to clear it (I always keep a bottle of water within an arm's reach when sleeping).

And then on Sunday morning - into week 8, the fatigue was back, along with shortness of breath, slight chest pain, a bit of a temperature (37.6°C), and later on - something I hadn't experienced to any great degree in the previous 50 days - a touch of nausea. I was still able to do some very light gardening, but most of the day was spent resting. Notable however was the fact that the cough was completely gone - even when I thought about it (which previously was usually enough to start me off again).

17th May was also the day I joined the Body Politic Slack Covid-19 support group. Up until this point, I had no idea how common my symptoms were, and had described them in my terms, uninfluenced by what others have reported. I have very deliberately not changed anything before this point in this record, so that it remains completely uninfluenced by what I have since learnt.

After a peaceful and long sleep on Sunday night, Monday 18th May started with me feeling delicate, with slight shortness of breath, but with less fatigue and no chest pain, though still a feeling of tightness. I was able to go for a gentle ½km walk along the road at lunchtime.

By Monday evening, the shortness of breath was becoming more apparent, and fatigue was growing, so I went to bed around 22:30. After considering phoning 111 again, I needed to be talked to sleep. In the end I had a reasonable night's sleep (my fit band recording 10 hours and 30 minutes of it!), but stayed in bed until past 10:00 Tuesday.

At this point, the only sensible thing to do was to phone the GP, so I did. She booked me in for blood tests on Wednesday morning.

Recovery 20th - 27th May

Wednesday brought an improvement, as well as a realisation (after much reading, and in the light of very recently published research) that rest is essential. Thursday and Friday I rested a lot, and took a few short gentle walks. The chest pains were mostly gone, though they occasionally crept back. Gentle exercise and stretching would get rid of them. But I noticed my stomach had become very tense; that is of course likely a symptom of nerves and stress, rather than Covid itself. Breathing improved, though was still somewhat variable, but never worse than mild shortness of breath.

The bank holiday weekend brought what I can best describe as a feeling of relative wellness, compared to the previous week, and at times a sense that it was all over, bar the fatigue. There was still slight shortness of breath, but it rarely registered enough to make me concerned. The arrival in the post of a Pulse Oxymeter from Amazon on Friday helped this; if there was any concern, I could always pop that on my finger and allay any fears. The regular Saturday evening shopping trip happened (Home Bargains and Lidl). By the time I was half way round the second shop I was starting to feel a little faint, but I managed OK and felt good for having done it. Other than some very light gardening, I continued to take it easy.

By Monday evening, I was feeling the most "normal" I had felt for a fortnight, and felt ready for anything - except that I knew my muscles were a bit weak from lack of conditioning.

On Tuesday morning, 26th May, I was awoken with a start - the phone ringing, which I rushed to answer, not putting my glasses or shoes on. Then I put my foot on some mouse giblets that the cat had left in the hall overnight. Whether or not it was the stress of this (likely it was), I had a morning where I found the feelings of anxiety, along with shortness of breath, coming back again. By afternoon it had settled again, and I was managing it. Still there, but under control. I was able to do some work.

Although I had felt I was just about back to normal the last two evenings, Wednesday morning was the first morning for a long time that I got up and felt like that. There was still a slight shortness of breath, and a mild tingling in my wrists and hands. A slight productive cough had developed overnight, but not enough to bother me. I went for a 1000-step walk in the warm sunshine before starting work. Only on stretching could I feel any remaining chest pain. Normal physically is, however, not the same as normal mentally. And concentration was not there for computer work.

Third relapse 28th May - 1st June (Week 10, days 62-66)

Thursday morning, day 62, started more in the way I had become familiar with; some shortness of breath, but no pain. After some very light exercise and rest, it had just about resolved by lunchtime, though. But the next two days brought a bit more of that, along with an awareness that the chest pain was still not completely gone (I occasionally felt it when I moved or stretched). Was this the third relapse? If so, then it was mild.

Saturday brought fatigue again though, and although I managed to pick myself up for the early evening shopping expedition, the fatigue lasted through the day and into Sunday morning. I was in bed for over 12 hours on Saturday night. However, I managed to get some excellent sleep, and had no breathing problems that I was aware of overnight.

By Sunday evening, I was feeling brighter again, and enjoying being outside in the warm weather. But the pains were still lingering slightly.

Monday morning, day 66, a new month - June, and the pains were all gone. But I woke up with a low level tremor, and as I got up I noticed the shortness of breath was back, and worse than recently. I generally felt quite ill, and spent nearly all of the day lying on the sofa. This was my worst day for a fortnight. However, towards bed time it lifted enough to give me hope that it was passing.

Recovery 2nd - 12th June

And then, after a solid night's sleep, Tuesday (day 67) began with little more than a slight tremor and, though it was not noticeable whilst I was in bed, very mild shortness of breath. The tremor soon went, and by late afternoon, even the shortness of breath had lifted, and I could once again take in a full breath of air. That's an incredible feeling, when you've been denied it for so long. With the back lawn growing out of control, sheep over the fence, and warm weather (ie ideal tick weather; really not something to add to the complications at this time), I mowed the lawn. Although the mild headache that had started the day before continued, the only real signs of Covid were a slight pain to the right side of my chest, and fatigue.

Wednesday and Thursday continued in a similar vein, though on Wednesday there was a little more fatigue. The slight chest pain remained. With everything else essentially clear, it actually felt like I was over this, bar the fatigue.

Friday, day 70, started even better, and I managed to do more work than I had done for nearly 2 weeks. But come the evening, and I started to feel very tired. I went to bed at around 22:30, and didn't get up on Saturday until 14:18 in the afternoon. When I did get up, though, I felt energised and well. The weekly Saturday afternoon shopping trip happened, and involved four shops. Whilst aware of a slight dizziness (probably from being in bed so long) I was fine. Then Sunday was probably the best day I'd had for quite some time; I had more energy, and felt mostly well, though there was a return of a slight pain on the right side of my chest. Monday, I actually thought I was on my way to recovery, and doing very well.

Then Tuesday (day 74) came. I didn't sleep well, and then fatigue took over most of the day. I also became conscious of my breathing again (it's an odd sensation - obviously nothing wrong, but it starts to feel laboured). I felt like I had gone back a few steps. But despite that, there were no other symptoms. Perhaps, in my enthusiasm, I overdid it the previous few days. But by the evening I was feeling better. Wednesday was a good day. I ate a hot Madras curry in the evening.

Thursday (day 76), and there were left-overs from the curry, so I ate them. This was a bad idea. The hiatus hernia feelings I had way back in the early stages returned (whether or not it was a hernia, I don't know, but GERD - Gastroesophageal reflux disease - is, I have now learnt, a very common Covid symptom). Whilst they were manageable this time, it caused problems overnight and into Friday. Something has been weakened, and needs time to heal. So, back to small meals for a while, and no hot spices.

Relatively healthy 13th - 22nd June

Saturday 13th June, I recorded "I am feeling normal" in the Zoe app. The only other time I had done that was exactly a month before. I went shopping, including walking into Aberystwyth (where I felt slight dizziness but nothing more) and around the garden centre, to get some seeds. I managed over 11,000 steps in the day and felt good. Sunday I also reported feeling normal, but then a heaviness in my chest developed, along with a slightly tender sternum, and I became aware of my breathing again. Not seriously, but the feeling was there.

Overnight in to Monday, day 80, the sleep apnœa like symptoms were there, where my body would just stop breathing - as if it was too tired to bother. Then I'd be kicked back into action by the subconscious, as it does. This may well have been happening whilst asleep, but was also occurring in the semi-conscious state before sleep; I was well aware of it. A few aches returned on Monday. These could have been due to me falling hard onto grass the night before, when I was trying to get a rainbow picture, however.

These aches remained on Tuesday, and although I managed a 2 hour work meeting at 12:00, I had to go and lie down straight after a late lunch, for 2 hours. That was the first daytime lie down for a while. A similar pattern was however repeated on Wednesday; after a morning's work, fatigue hit in the afternoon and lasted through to early evening. It lifted mid evening however.

After a very good night's sleep, Thursday (day 83) started well with little but the odd ache. I was able to do a full day's computer work, and felt "normal" in myself again. Despite slight tingling in my hands, I reported "I am feeling normal" in the Zoë app, for only the fourth time. Friday, the last day of week 12, continued "normal", with no aches whatsoever (but a little tingling remained). Four "normal" days out of seven.

But then, Friday evening, after a walk, the "Covid Fizz" (as the tingling is often called) became quite intense. It carried on overnight to the point that it disturbed my sleep. No-one seems to know what causes the fizz, but two theories are that it's the immune system, or nerves repairing themselves.

By morning though the fizz had died down and the day was once again a very good day - with shopping (despite a little dizziness) and mowing lawns. My fit band went over the 10K steps once again, and I felt very good about it.

On Sunday (day 86), I did what I'd last done way back on day 20 - 16th April. I went for a 3.8km (2.4 miles) walk up the mountain above my house. This had remained a challenge in my mind since that day in April; I thought that when I could do that again, I could say I was better. And because there's a fair bit of uphill (162m according to my GPS app) and rough terrain, that also got my heart rate up for the first time in a couple of months; without, apparently, any negative effects other than having to sit down for a couple of hours after returning. Monday was also fine.

Fatigue 23th June - 28th June (Weeks 13-14, days 88-92)

Overnight Monday night, breathing issues recurred - an awareness of breathing, and a difficulty in settling down to a regular breathing pattern in order to go to sleep. Tuesday and Wednesday, which also involved online work meetings, were a struggle. Concentration was not there, fatigue was a factor on both days, and although Wednesday started off otherwise symptom free, some symptoms (dizziness and that weird stomach feeling) started reappearing whilst sitting through my online meeting.

Day 90. Despite that weird thing of waking up in the night holding my breath again (just once), I had an excellent night's sleep. But mild fatigue and dizziness continued through Thursday. However, there was no sign of other Covid related symptoms; even the Covid Fizz was gone at this point, much to my relief.

On into week 14, and much of Saturday was spent on the sofa - the "recovery bay". This was the longest spell of fatigue since the very start. And that despite another good night's sleep. On the positive side, all other symptoms were as good as gone, bar that weird stomach feeling I have described before. The weekly shopping trip still happened in the early evening, but I only had the energy to go into two shops, and even then only to go for the essential aisles. Briefly, whilst shopping, a chest pain re-emerged; another warning that I have to be very careful not to over-exert.

Sunday (day 93, 3 months) started similarly, but by lunchtime the fatigue was clearly lifting, and in the afternoon I could feel my energy returning, even though my legs still felt a bit weak. By the evening, the feeling of fatigue was completely gone and my legs felt itchy for exercise (which I know I have to be careful about). However, the chest pain was reasserting itself along with mild breathing issues.

Recovery 29th June - 17th July (Weeks 14 - 16)

On Monday, I managed a full day of work, with online meetings and spreadsheet work. The Covid Fizz was ever present, the strange stomach feeling was also a factor, and breathing was at times slightly odd. But although legs were a little tired, fatigue was only slight. Then, after I finished the last meeting, I found myself shaking a little. I was about to report on the Zoe app, so measured my temperature. 37.7°C. The first significantly raised temperature since the second relapse. I monitored it for 45 minutes or so, and it went back to normal. But this was very odd.

Day 95, Tuesday morning, was a little shakey - a bit of mild fatigue, and a few other minor symptoms, including the fizz. But things improved through the afternoon, and by evening I was feeling back to normal - at least, back to where I had been just over a week before; before the fatigue. I managed a fair bit of work at the computer, and mowed the front lawn (which needed it). Wednesday then became my 8th day of reporting "Normal" to the Zoe app. There was a planned power outage to the house, so normal work was not possible, but work meetings were held by phone, and I was went out for a number of short walks.

Thursday then followed a similar pattern to Tuesday; the fizz, settling down, a fairly good day's work with good resting and fresh air walks in between. But by the end of the day my energy had come flowing back, as it had been before the fatigue the previous week. I mowed a lawn, did some gardening, and had to remind myself that I still need to be careful; otherwise I'd have gone out for another walk.

Finally, Friday, day 98, I woke up feeling normal, and had a thoroughly normal feeling day. I did a normal day's work at the computer. Very low level tingling remained, I felt a touch delicate, and there was very slight dizziness on occasions. But I was essentially normal. And this despite a very wet and miserable day. I also felt normal throughout Saturday, and went shopping.

Day 100, Sunday 5th July. I was awoken in the early hours by some significant fizz - jangling, as I have come to call it when it gets significant. It extended to the chest and legs as well as arms. After getting up to the bathroom and returning to bed, it quickly subsided however and sleep was ample. Again in the morning, I felt fine, except for the fizz, which was slightly greater than the previous two days. It lessened through the afternoon, and by evening I was pretty much normal again, with energy. However, later in the evening after sitting at my computer for an hour or so, I felt a slight shortness of breath. Fortunately it only lasted an hour or so. But it was a reminder not to take anything for granted.

Monday was a relatively normal day of work, with a few strange but mild symptoms, including a mild headache, a pain at the top of a deep breath, right side chest pain which subsided through the day and, in the late morning, a slight breathing issue. But the fizz was largely gone. The late afternoon and evening saw a significant increase in energy levels, and I ended up completing just short of 8000 steps in the day, over multiple short walks and gardening.

Tuesday was a normal day, with no more than minimal fizzing and slight pain - but for the early part of the night before, which had 3 or 4 episodes of the sleep apnœa like symptom (simply stopping breathing for no reason), and something new: a sudden, quite violent twitch which woke me from sleep.

Wednesday was similar, though somehow I didn't feel quite right. But in every measurable way I was. There was one weird episode the night before, which awoke me, and I felt I needed a drink before I could breathe clearly. But otherwise sleep was good.

Despite a little low level fizz, which faded as the day went on, Thursday was essentially a normal day, with normal energy levels.

Over night into Friday, I was awoken four times, aware that I was holding my breath. I was quite warm, and it could have had something to do with that - though the room temperature wasn't particularly warm. There were no other symptoms at the time, and I fell quickly back to sleep each time. The day started with no more than the slightest tingling. I was able to concentrate well at the computer, however I had more significant dizziness when standing than in recent days, and breathing felt a little odd just after lunch - briefly. In the late afternoon and evening, I felt quite a lot of energy; I mowed the front lawn and did some strimming.

Overnight into Saturday, I slept for 8 hours 20 minutes, solid, without a break. I had no recollection of even the slightest stir. In the morning, I felt quite normal apart from a faint fizz. I mowed the back lawn before lunch and felt fit, with quite a lot of energy. In the afternoon I mowed the lower lawn, along with its banks (quite a physical job) and then went shopping.

Sunday was a far quieter day. I had a bit of muscle pain in my chest. I put this down to the physical effort of the past day or two, and my lack of condition. Tingling was minimal, but there was a slight dizziness later in the day. Despite not being able to put my finger on why, I also didn't feel quite so bright later on.

I woke at around 5:50, and couldn't get back to sleep again. But when I eventually got up, I felt fine. A mild tingling remained, but otherwise I felt relatively healthy. However, after a morning at the computer, the fizz returned stronger, and my head started to feel a bit fuzzy. I needed to lie down in the afternoon for the first time in quite a while. This persisted through until evening, and the usual tactic of forcing myself out for a gentle walk wouldn't shake it.

Tuesday was a better day. I slept a full 10½ hours, and did a relatively normal morning's work. Around lunchtime, as the day before, things took a bit of a turn for the worse. But after a short rest and a walk, it calmed down; the fizz faded, and I was able to return to my computer to work. It remained fairly quiet for the evening but it didn't completely disappear.

Despite a little fizz, which faded as the day went on, and slight dizziness at times, Wednesday was remarkably normal. I even managed to sit through a 3 hour online meeting in the afternoon without feeling any ill effects. I had energy, and felt like pushing myself a bit harder and getting my pulse up as I walked.

On Thursday, the fizz just about disappeared, but a headache came in its place. Slight dizziness remained. And mid afternoon, it forced me back to the "recovery bay" for a couple of hours. But other than that, I was able to do most of my usual things, including work. It was a bit of a struggle though. The evening brought mild fatigue.

Overnight into Friday, I woke up around 3:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. The headache was still there, and the jangling nerves came back stronger. Eventually I got up at 6:00, took a short walk outside in the sunshine, and went back to bed at 7:00 with the headache gone, for a couple more hours; I slept then. The headache did not come back during the day, but the tingling and internal jangling continued. I was however able to do some good work in the afternoon, and transport my housemate to her first hairdresser appointment since lockdown, in the evening - by which time the jangling was wearing off. By the end of the evening it was gone, with just a little tingling left. I read up about the Vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system. I did some breathing and vocal exercises, and it seemed to help.

Relative normality 18th July - 1st August (Weeks 17 - 18)

I started Saturday 18th June feeling very normal; there was minimal fizzing, and nothing else, except for a feeling of fragility (ever present in these days). And so it continued, through a rainy day, with a shopping trip in the late afternoon. The day was my best day for quite some time. The tingling was actually absent for most of the day, and as I lay down in bed at night, I noticed for the first time in a long time that my body was peaceful; there was no tingling or feeling of internal tremor anywhere.

Sunday morning, I awoke early with intense tingling in my arm, but it was likely due to the position I was lying in. I went back to sleep. However, there was a very mild tingling which came and went through the morning. I kept up the relaxation exercises. If I felt a tenseness coming, I found I could relax it again. There was a slight dizziness, but I still felt physically normal, though weak. Paul Garner talked about three phases: active illness, recovery and convalescence. It's tempting to think at this point that I'm moving into the convalescence phase.

Monday was another normal day; the third in a row (thus the longest stretch of "normal" for 4 weeks). I did quite a bit of computer work, but had to limit how long I was at the computer in one stretch, as the tingles would re-emerge if I sat too long. But I was able to stop them returning by relaxing.

Tuesday was a very similar day to Monday.

Wednesday was a particularly busy day, with a 3-hour online meeting in the afternoon, students to talk to, and a trip into town in the evening to go shopping. But I managed it, and still felt relatively normal afterwards.

Over night into Thursday I had a touch of "restless leg", though no tingling. It disturbed my sleep a little. During the day, the same feeling was in my arms and hands whilst working at the computer. It was not a problem for other activities, and certainly not enough for me to feel bad, but it was slightly uncomfortable, and a reminder that "Covid normal" is not quite the same as "completely 100% normal". It was also a reminder to be careful with what I eat, and do, in order to try to keep it suppressed. The feeling faded, though did not completely disappear, towards the end of the day. I considered carefully whether or not I should record this as a normal day, but in the end I did.

Friday, and the first full week of "normal"; although early on there was a little of the restless feeling of Thursday, it was mild and hardly troublesome. As the day went on, it more or less completely went. I mowed the back lawn. I felt more normal than I'd felt for a long time.

Saturday, day 120, was a shopping day; we went to Newtown. At just over 40 miles, that's the furthest I'd been from home since early March. I felt fine, except for slight light-headedness at times. I also had occasional stabbing pains in my upper left chest area. I'd had them elsewhere in my chest before (though not for a few weeks), so was not concerned. The area in my arms which had previously had tingling felt slightly weak.

Overnight, I felt that weakness in the arms, and briefly a similar feeling in my chest (a milder version of the tremor, I suppose), which for a short time kept me awake. There was also a lightheadedness, which persisted into Sunday. That wore off in the morning though, and I was left with the weird feeling in my arms. I went for a more strenuous walk than for a month, involving a footpath and steeper inclines. I felt I wanted to get my heart rate up a bit more.

After a very good night's sleep with no more than minimal symptoms of the day before, Monday - my first day of annual leave - started feeling completely normal. Only on typing at the computer could I feel something slightly unusual in my wrists. I went into Aberystwyth town centre for some shopping, and it felt like just any normal shopping trip. I had a mild headache for much of the day which did not respond to Paracetamol. That built up to something worse in the evening. I am a little prone to random headaches anyway, so I suspect this was not Covid related.

Tuesday 28th July: 4 months after "day 1". The headache of the day before persisted until I got up in the morning, at which point it promptly disappeared. I was aware of a very mild tingling before getting up, and during the day that "restless" feeling in arms and wrists. But otherwise I was fine. I went to the tip, 21 miles away, did some shopping, and in the early evening I mowed the front lawn. A couple of times whilst shopping, and then later in the evening, I felt dizzy and had to pause. I had a light headache later in the day, which became worse in the evening. At one point in the evening I felt the jangling building in my arms, but a gentle walk more or less solved the problem. A muscle in the left of my chest was a little painful - I think I had pulled it in the past 24 hours or so. Weak upper body muscles seem to be a thing after Covid.

Around 8 am I was aware of that restless feeling in my arms, and I took paracetamol for a mild headache when I got up (which worked). But I felt very normal. I went for a shortish (~1600 steps) but strenuous walk in the evening.

On Thursday, after a sound night's sleep, I woke up with no symptoms other than the slightest tingling in my arms. I felt completely normal. And so the day continued. I mowed the lower lawn, played the piano, went on the boardwalk at Cors Caron in the evening, and racked up over 14,000 steps in total (my highest for over 6 months!). Playing the piano still felt slightly odd, as did typing at the computer, but apart from that everything was normal.

Friday started with a slight tingling again, though possibly slightly more than the day before. It faded. But in the morning I needed to use my relaxation techniques again. Not for anything specific, other than a feeling of tension building up, as it had done before. The "restless" feeling in my arms was still there, but nothing else. The tense feeling could have been connected to the dentist appointment in the afternoon!

There were no obvious symptoms at all on Saturday, except that strange "restless" feeling in the nerves, mostly in my arms. It felt quite uncomfortable at times, but didn't stop me doing anything. I went to Aberteifi, at around 50 miles the furthest I had been since early March. The feeling got less through the day.

Nerve surge - 2nd August - 10th August (Weeks 19 - 20)

Early overnight into Sunday, I had a few unexpected breathing issues; stopping breathing in the night for no apparent reason. However, I got a good night's sleep. There were no noticeable symptoms whatsoever on Sunday morning, and I felt perfectly normal. After lunch, I could feel the nerves a little bit again, but not significantly. This died down again towards evening.

Monday, and back to work. The day started much like the past few days, with the restless feeling but no more. A headache developed through the morning, and my wrists started feeling awkward whilst typing. The headache went with lunch and a couple of paracetamol, but crept back through the afternoon. For a couple of hours from about 17:00 I felt tired and ill, but the headache went at tea time and didn't return. I still felt a bit off through the early part of the evening though. Having said all that, this is a pattern of headaches with me; I get random days like this, where a headache builds through the day, peaking in early evening with quite an ill feeling. This probably has nothing to do with Covid.

Overnight into Tuesday, I woke early with two symptoms I hadn't had for a while: a mild tremor, and a smell that clearly wasn't there (a clean rubbery smell). They didn't last very long, and I slept on reasonably well. During the day, it was clear that the nerves from the previous days had not relaxed, and my stomach was starting to feel tight again. Despite this, I was able to complete a good day's work (and so book off the following 9 working days). I was functioning relatively normally, but there was am uncomfortable tension in my body throughout the day that would not lift. I also had mild gastro-intestinal issues, which may or may not have been Covid related (this wasn't a symptom I had had before).

Although Wednesday was a little better, it was certainly not normal. The tremor did not reoccur, but nerves continued to make themselves felt strongly, particularly in the wrists (making, e.g., typing very difficult). I had a tight feeling in my head. There was also generally a very nervy feeling that made me feel unwell. I went to see my GP, who agreed I should avoid stressful situations, and gave me a note to this effect for 2 months, for work. Wednesday was also the first day of my second period of annual leave - for just short of 2 weeks this time.

Things seemed not to be going the right way by Thursday. Although there was some calming of the nerves, there was an increased feeling of aching or tiredness in the legs, and neurological breathing issues started to become apparent for the first time in a very long time. At the same time, it still felt like I should be on the edge of health: if only the nervy feeling and leg tiredness would go away, I'd practically be there.

Friday was quite a busy day, active, and I felt pretty much normal whilst being aware of my nerves in the background.

Saturday was essentially a repeat of Friday in terms of how I felt.

Overnight into Sunday I awoke with a reoccurrence of the internal tremor, though it was fairly mild. I was able to calm it by relaxation techniques. The day then proceeded essentially as the previous two.

In the early hours of Monday morning, I was kept awake by some nerve jangling in my legs. I was able to get back to sleep after a couple of hours. When I got up, I felt my nerves very much still on the edge, but unlike previous days I was unable to keep them at bay, and the jangling grew. This was the most nervy day (without tingling) that I'd had. There was a slight tremor at times, but other than that it's difficult to describe other than the restless feeling I've mentioned before. At times there was a feeling of pressure in my head. There were no other symptoms, but the jangling nerves were quite horrible. By late evening I managed to calm them down enough to go to bed, and I slept extremely well - the best night's sleep for a fair while.

Nerves calming - 11th August - today (Weeks 20 - )

Tuesday started much as the earlier part of the week - nerves on edge, but under control. I started to creosote the shed. The day ended with a trip into Aberystwyth, some shopping. and a very much appreciated massage. My symptoms remained low level.

After a very hot and humid night, Wednesday started with a low level tremor. That soon went, and the rest of the day was, for the first time in a very long time, essentially symptom free. Only if I thought about it could I feel anything odd in my muscles. A slight tremor came back in the evening, but not enough to bother me.

Thursday 13th August began with me lying in bed feeling symptom free - not something I was accustomed to. When I got up I became aware of more weakness in my leg and arm muscles than normal, and on sitting at my computer and typing, I found that a little uncomfortable for the muscles in my arms (upper arms, strangely, not lower arms). I recorded "normal" in the Zoe app - too early. Through the day the nerves started to jangle quite a lot, and although I managed to finish creosoting the shed, my nerves were quite uncomfortable. Through the evening, with a gentle walk, they calmed down again.

Friday was fairly normal day, with nerve symptoms ever present, but mild and staying below the surface for the whole day. It was a day of light gardening.

Saturday 15th started much as the day before; a slight feeling of nerves, but nothing which was going to stop me doing anything. I also had a slight headache and as the morning progressed I felt tired. After lunch, I recorded "normal" in the app, and then (typical!) the nerves began to play up a bit more. But they didn't become too bad. I went out shopping to Llandrindod in the afternoon. The day's main problem was the headache, which - as is their wont with me - got worse, before eventually subsiding mid evening. Such headaches are normal for me; almost certainly not a Covid related issue.

After what my fit band recorded as a reasonable night's sleep, I didn't want to get up on Sunday morning. When I eventually did, I was up for an hour or so before returning to bed until lunchtime. I didn't have any other symptoms beyond a very slight internal tremor, and - strangely - slight neurological breathing issues. In the afternoon, my nerves became a problem again. I went for a couple of walks, which helped at the time, but it was an uncomfortable day with my nerves in general.

I awoke Monday morning after a good night's sleep, feeling pretty much symptom-free, except for a feeling of general weakness. I stayed in bed for a good hour and read, before getting up. The weak feeling persisted. I went out for the afternoon, and felt progressively more normal as the afternoon proceeded. This carried on into the evening.

I did not dleep well overnight. So Tuesday started slowly, improved through the morning as I returned to work, but went downhill at lunchtime, with nerves, muscle ache (especially legs) and mild fatugue becoming an issue through the afternoon. By early evening however things were better again.

Wednesday started with a very slight, general, internal tremor, which would come and go. The nerves, which were calm first thing, built up during the morning. The day saw a continual improvement towards evening.

First thing Thursday morning, I had to reach for the paracetamol to try to prevent a headache, which seemed to be beginning. Other than that, I had a slight nervy feeling in my lower arms but little else. As the day went on, the headache continued mildly, and I found myself running short of energy. But generally the nerves were fairly well behaved.

Friday was a very good day. I rested quite a lot, but went for one longer walk - a 2km walk amongst trees which had some quite steep sections. I felt my quad muscles quite a bit, but otherwise coped well. I had a short nerve surge in the late afternoon, but apart from that it was a very "normal" day.

Saturday 22nd started well, though with a touch of light-headedness creeping in towards lunchtime. Again there was a short nerve surge, around early evening, but otherwise the day was good, including the usual Saturday shopping trip - this time to Llandrindod.

Although I did little but some light gardening, Sunday was a very normal day with any nerve feeling very much in the background. Only on coming to my computer to type this did I notice anything particularly out of the ordinary (typing was awkward - a sort of carpal tunnel like feeling). At night however, I had considerable "restless leg" - actually just in legs and feet this time, but sufficient to stop me sleeping for a while.

Monday morning started with a slight nervy feeling, and the feeling of my legs being weak when I walked. As the day went on - a more stressful day than usual for a few reasons - I was OK. In the evening I mowed the front lawn, having to take a break half way through. I got a bit of the same right chest pain that I've had before, as a result. Later, I found mysef getting random stabbing pains in my chest, as I had many weeks before. When I went to bed and put my light off, my body had a low level general tremor again, but it didn't stop me sleeping.

Tuesday started with a very low level tingling back in my arms and hands. This was the first time that had been an issue for a week or two. I did quite a lot of work, marking assignments that were going to be difficult for someone else to pick up, and dealing with student enquiries. I could feel my system getting back into the anxious mode - "fight or flight", as it is often referred to, with a tenseness coming back in my stomach. The right chest pain lingered, though mildly. In the early evening I started to feel slight breathing issues again.

Overnight into Wedenesday I had a strange pain on the left side of my head, as if I had knocked myself at some point. There was nothing to be seen there though, and it could be unrelated - but it is worth recording. It persisted. My nerves were not calming but there was nothing else specific. The day went fairly well; I did some marking, and I had a massage in the evening which was great. When I lay down in bed with the light off, once again I felt a low level tremor.

A headache developed on Thursday morning, and there was a general nerviness about my body as the day proceeded, and particularly in my arms. The nerviness died down somewhat in the afternoon, though the headache persisted until late evening and made me feel rather unwell at times. I think this was probably not covid related; it's just one of those random headaches I get from time to time. Again there was a low level tremor when I lay down and put the light off at night.

The 5-month mark dawned with the low level tremor still there in the morning when I woke up, it but was not noticeable once I was out of bed. During the day I felt quite a bit of energy, I also had a larger than usual appetite. In the late evening, I felt nerve issues in my lower arms, and right leg, but it was relatively mild.

On Saturday morning, I didn't notice anything in particular other than a general tenseness. Walking around shopping in the afternoon, I felt the same chest pain on the right side as before - though only slight, and there was a slight nerviness in my hands and lower arms as I typed, but this was probably the closest day to normal that I'd had since the very start. When the light went off for sleep, I felt my nerves starting to jangle again. But this time it was a little worse than recent nights, involving both arms, and my right leg (which is odd, because before such things have tended to be symmetrical). It kept me awake a while, but I slept eventually.

My nerves were OK again on Sunday morning, but the discomfort returned through the day. This nerve event was at a time when I had no reason to be stressed whatsoever; it's a reminder that, although relaxation and avoiding stress are important, they are not the whole story. They then calmed down again in the late afternoon, though the mild chest pain re-emerged after digging potatoes.

Bank holiday Monday continued the slightly nervy theme; not too serious to stop me doing normal activities, but enough to be of concern.

Overnight into Tuesday, 1st September, was particularly bad for nerve issues; and again, it was my right leg mainly, but at times there was a general low level tremor. It kept me awake for quite a while, and probably as a result of this I awoke with a slight headache. The tenseness in my stomach returned. When I got up and stood on it, my right leg felt weak. What followed was, not surprisingly, a day of fatigue, along with a low level but nagging headache, which lasted right through until an early bed - along with 2 more paracetamol. The "recovery bay" (the sofa) saw its first use since day 111. I felt generally unwell for the first time in a while.

After a full and peaceful 12 hours in bed, I woke, and, still not feeling like getting up, I stayed lying down for another hour, and caught up with news and email on my phone. After getting up, I felt a little tired (the "day after" feeling I suppose), but otherwise OK. The day proceeded well, until late evening, when once again my nerves started to play up a bit.

Despite some mild nerve issues, I had a good, full night's sleep. on Thursday morning, my muscles in arms and legs felt a touch weak, but OK. Both lower arms caused mild discomfort when typing. This gave way to a general feeling of weakness later, but I decided to try to go for a walk anyway - up the mountain, a total of 3.1 km, and the longest and most strenuous walk I'd done for 10 weeks. I actually felt good for it by the time I got back.

Friday was similar, though the nerve issues were not noticeable for most of the day. I went for a 3.2km walk. It was a bit of a push, but following the success of the previous day's exercise I felt it was worthwhile. I am also aware of the need to regain fitness as part of the recovery. My nerves stayed at a low, hardly noticeable level all through the day.

Overnight into Saturday my the nerves in right leg played up again, as they had 4 nights earlier. I still managed around 6 hours sleep, but that's far less than I'm used to. The discomfort persisted through the day and into the evening. Apart from my leg, it was a fairly normal, active day, topping 10K on my step counter for the third successive day. As I lay down in bed and put the light off, fully expecting trouble with my leg, everything went strangely calm, and I had a very good night's sleep.

Sunday started off very normally, with no issues. Even the nerves were relatively quiet. The first sign of anything was as I sat to type this; the nerves in my arms still don't like computer work. But that was relatively minor. I drove to Oxford with Wendy - the furthest either of us had been since March, to take part in a Covid study. The journey went well.

After a poor night's sleep (because of the hotel and a poor bed - just one flat pillow! - not because of nerves), I was up early to get to the Coverscan study by 8:45. There I had an MRI scan of organs they believe might be affected by Covid, as well as an ECG, and a few vials of blood (results to come in a few weeks' time). The journey back went fine, though I was tired by evening - not surprisingly. From a Covid perspective, these were two very good days. I had a theory that being in the surroundings in which I'd been so ill was part of the problem, and this would suggest I might be correct. I went to bed early, and slept like a log.

After over 9 hours of good sleep, I was awoken by Taliesin the kitten, climbing onto my bed. There was a slight nerviness about my body, but nothing more than I had become accustomed to, and certainly none of the troublesome restlessness.

After a brief nerve surge just before I got out of bed, Wednesday was an extremely normal day.

Remaining issues being no more than annoying feelings in the nerves, I decided to finish the daily updates here. I will add anything of significance after this point. 10th September 2020.

Thursday 17th September was the first day I had essentially no symptoms for the whole day.

Friday 4th December. A long time has passed since my last entry, and for good reason. Those of us going through the neurological symptoms of Covid (and I am in touch with a number of others) have long since realised that the best path to recovery is not just relaxation, but also a positive mind, and a belief that we will get better. And there comes a point when dwelling too much on your symptoms is not going to help.

Since my last entry, nearly 3 months ago, I have certainly improved considerably. I am not 100% all the time, but I am 100% most of the time. Physically, I am fitter than I have been for quite a while, as I exercise my way back to fitness with regular walking in the hills. Sometimes, especially perhaps in the quiet of the night, my peripheral nerves (mainly lower legs) will start to feel like they are vibrating again, or feel like there are insects crawling around under the skin, or perhaps become restless. Occasional chest pains still occur; either around the sternum, or intercostal muscles (the latter could simply be strain from becoming weakened during the months without significant exercise). But I've experienced no further neurological breathing issues - the last was at the end of August. One other symptom has appeared during this time though - in late September (so days 170-190) I got random super sensitive patches on my skin, hair, temples, and hands. These sensitive areas would last for around 24 hours, then go, and reappear somewhere else. This seems to be another peripheral nerve issue. I also realised during this time that I had difficulty mentally, with multitasking - something I am normally good at. So, for example, when I went back to a fairly complex computer program to try to edit it, I couldn't hold in my mind all the variables and functions I needed to be able to understand a line of code, that I previously could. This ability seems to have returned over recent weeks. Having said that, I still find myself getting aggravated if I am doing one thing, and another competes for attention; it's still difficult to cope with that sort of thing. This, I am told, is typical of the "brain fog" many report.

There is another thing that I should write about here, because those who have experienced it will understand. But I hesitate to write it for fear of misunderstanding by those who haven't experienced it. I've talked a lot about nerve issues, and have been careful to point out that this is due to peripheral nerves, and not what might commonly be described as "nervousness". And this clearly is the case; my mind has been as relaxed as it has been for many a year, these last few months. Yet my nerves have not always been relaxed. Sometimes they feel on edge. Sometimes even that feeling of tension in the stomach that I mentioned in the diary before, comes back a little. Others might see these as symptoms of nervousness - a nervous person, and I feel that has already been the cause of significant misunderstandings; not just for me, but for others in my position. When I talk about nerves "on edge", there is certainly often a feeling of tension elsewhere in the body, but that is not necessarily any reflection on the state of my mind. It sounds bizarre, but that's one of the things Covid does. However, it's also (not surprisingly) made worse if there is stress; and that is why avoiding stress, seeking relaxation, and keeping a positive mind, is so important.

Mid December passed with some nerviness, but nothing significant. This faded, such that by 23rd I was saying I'd been symptom-free (as good as) for 4 days. On the previous day, 22nd, I had the flu vaccine - as advised by many (though I was a little sceptical, given that I guessed there would not be much flu around this season). I then had nerve issues - to the extent that it was making sleep more difficult - for four consecutive days. This was a worse spell than I had had for probably a couple of months, and affected both legs and arms, as well as having the return of that odd tense feeling in the stomach area. It wasn't until later that I made the connection with the flu vaccine; it seems a likely one. The nerves quietened down again on 28th.

22nd January 2021, and I am 2 days out of quite a rough fortnight with my nerves; playing up again as they did in December. This also caused the tiredness to return - needing (or wanting) 12 hours or more in bed, with more rest in the daytime. As it faded, yesterday (day 300), I was left with legs that felt tired from the continuous vibration. It now seems to have passed. There's no obvious trigger, other than that I started back to work (working from home) at the beginning of the month.

I had 9 days in a row of feeling essentially 100% normal (to Thursday 4th February)! That doesn't mean no symptoms at all, but what symptoms I had were no more than background noise, and didn't stop me doing anything I wanted to do. Those remaining symptoms were just peripheral nerves, not completely quiet (especially in the dead of night). This was despite a busier time of work than I'd had for many months. The 9 day run came to an end 2 days ago when they played up more significantly again, but the following day (Saturday 6th February) was again quiet. And then I had a night when they played up a little more, to the point where the restless feeling returned and interfered a little with sleep - the first time that's happened for a while. It wasn't particularly significant, but it was a reminder that it's still there.

After my last entry, February only improved. I had a couple of headaches (turning on one occasion into a full-blown migraine) which, I have assumed, is not related to Covid (I've mentioned these before). They brought with them a couple of days of the Covid nerve-like symptoms and tiredness. Otherwise, the rest of the month, through until the beginning of last weekend (5th March) was essentially one of any symptoms being no more than background noise, and having amounts of energy that I haven't known for years. Then the nerves subtly crept back, without any particular reason. I have found myself lacking in physical energy, although the mental energy is still there - which is frustrating, because I want to do things, but my body is saying no. There's a feeling of very slight vibrations in my legs a lot of the time. As I write, a bit of a headache has returned. I was on the verge of saying that I was recovered. In fact, I think I probably said that to one or two people. But despite these last few days, I still think I essentially am; these blips are getting fewer and further between, and the time in between is getting longer, and more completely normal. I have not yet been tested with prolonged periods of concentration, and I am not sure how I will cope with that when it comes.

And one day later, I appear to be back to normal, any symptoms being background noise only. That was a 3-day blip.

It's exactly one year since what I called day 1, and unless something significant happens after this, I'll close the blog here. My current situation is that I consider myself recovered. Although I still have occasional, slight feelings in the nerves of my legs (mainly right leg) on turning the light off at night, it really is nothing more than a slight annoyance. And most days I don't even get that. Chest pains don't happen any more, even on fairly strenuous exercise. I've had a few headaches/migraines in the last 2 months, which have led to a day or two of fatigue, but I suspect these are not Covid related (I've had similar before) - though of course I can't rule it out.

Mentally, I've taken a hammering because of Covid. That sort of thing still takes time to recover from. Being off work, or on reduced duties, for so long, it's not easy to just jump back in. The whole experience has also caused me to re-evaluate my life priorities, and that might yet have implications for work; I haven't worked through this completely in my mind yet, and I think it's still too early to do so.

I am fitter now than I've been since 2001, when Foot & Mouth closed the outdoors, and my regular exercise up the mountain above the house was closed for a full season. Since September, when I found I could exercise without relapsing into fatigue, I've concentrated on regaining my fitness. I wasn't unfit a year ago, but I knew I could have been fitter. And I'm now once again regularly up those paths, and enjoying the outdoors more than I have for 20 years. I am quite convinced that my fitness has been a key element in my recovery.

What still concerns me is that when it comes to the harder aspects of work mentally - sustained periods of concentration - I might struggle. I still have times when I feel my mind isn't quite present in the moment. Whether that's related directly to Covid, or indirectly via the mental hammering of it all, I don't know. I suspect it's more the latter than the former.

Easter Sunday, 4th April: Today at 16:20 I had the AstraZeneca vaccine. Apart from a little soreness in my arm, I had no other symptoms. I went for a walk in the evening.

Easter Monday, 5th April: In the middle of the night, around 03:00, I awoke feeling slight pins and needles; very much of the type I felt last summer. After a little positive thinking, they disappeared. If that sounds weird, then I guess you haven't experienced Covid neurological symptoms. I then slept normally. I felt a bit tired after lunch. I went for a walk, then almost exactly 24 hours after the jab I felt completely wiped out, and lay down for 5 hours - except briefly rising for food. During that time, I felt I had a temperature, and measured it at 38.8°C. I felt a slight pain to the right of my sternum, just like in the earlier stages of Covid. But I didn't feel especially ill. A stiff neck came on, on the left side of my neck (I had the jab in my left arm). Nothing that ibuprofen wouldn't solve, but quite noticeable. I managed a walk in the cool air around 21:30, before going straight to bed for a long, sound night's sleep.

On Tuesday, I woke up feeling pretty much fine. I lay on the sofa for an hour before really getting moving. I walked, did a little out in the garden, and generally felt no effects - except my arm was still a bit sore. Then in the evening I went for a walk, and I had the chest pain back - the band, that I'd first experienced a year before, and last experienced in February, and seems to be classic Covid. It wasn't severe, but clearly it was there again. It went soon after. I also noticed two very tender patches on my scalp, and one above my right knee; I think, a recurrence of the peripheral neuropathy that I had mostly in September. Like then, these lasted around 24 hours. The stiff neck continued on and off, and was kept at bay with ibuprofen.

After a long lie in, all seems to be back to normal today, except my neck; still stiff on the left side (not whilst sleeping; just during the day).

Monday 26th April: Last night, for the first time since the first week of February, I was kept awake by nerve jangling. Clearly there's no external reason for this; work is not demanding right now and I have no particular stresses. It occurred in both legs. The nerves had been noticeable the night before, but not enough to disturb sleep.

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Recovered

I described my nerve symptoms to someone in the autumn, and they said that it sounded like the reverberations after being struck by lightning. Now I don't know what being struck by lightning feels like (fortunately), but somehow it sounds like a very apt description. The reverberations continued, slowly getting less and less. They are now, a year later, little more than background noise, and soon they will fade completely into the background.

Intersetingly, this analogy corresponds well with what is being found out about the imbalances in the body caused by Covid, and the body's strive to regain its usual equilibrium (or "homeostatis").

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List of symptoms I experienced

Dry cough

first few weeks, then intermittent until week 7

Shortness of breath

on and off until second relapse, thereafter intermittent and mild to week 11

Breathing issues, laboured breathing, sleep apnœa

up to week 12, and occasionally later (not so laboured after around week 7).

Productive cough

mid stages; sometimes first thing in the morning later on

Sore throat

early stages (possibly the first sign, on 15th March), fairly mild

GERD/Hiatus Hernia

week 2, then week 11. I am unsure what exactly it was, but it accompanied or caused a shortness of breath.

Frequent throat clearing

early stages

Feeling of lump in throat

early-mid stages. In later stages (through to week 37 - ongoing), it would manifest as a point of tickle on occasions.

Chest pain (sternum and either side)

early to mid, then occasionally and usually mild later (through to week 35, slight to month 11, brief recurrence after vaccine in week 54)

Assorted other pains in chest and back

on and off, petering out week 12 but returning in weeks 31-34

Random short sharp "stabbing" pains, especially in chest

especially week 12

Phantom smells (phantosmia, but not anosmia)

early to mid stages, occasional.

Trigger smells

early stages: Certain real smells, mostly chemical, e.g. Deep Heat muscle rub, could trigger my breathing issues.

Fever

significant only during first relapse

Headache

occasional; second relapse, week 16, week 18, week 19, week 35, week 46, week 47, week 50. Possibly nothing to do with Covid.

The "Covid fizz" (tingling) - mainly lower arms and hands

from around week 2, on and off up to around week 22 but more persistent and stronger from weeks 13 to 16. Brief recurrence on vaccination, week 54

Internal tremor

this first occurred in week 10, and later seemed associated with the fizzing that occurred in weeks 13 to 16. It later occurred at times, mostly mildly, with the jangling described below. The last significant occurrence of this was day 175 - week 25

Nerve jangling

this went along with the tremor and tingling to some extent, but became a symptom in its own right from week 19 to week 43, generally very mild and less frequent thereafter; the last resurgence of significance being week 50. It's best described as a sometimes quite intense "restless" feeling in muscles, and at others, a feeling of vibration, pulsating, or of small insects crawling under the skin

Fatigue

first relapse, and then at times later, especially week 13. Last experienced following fairly intense exercise, ~week 29 (also briefly following vaccination, week 54).

Difficulty concentrating

on and off throughout but especially from week 8 to week 13. Described as "brain fog" by some, I found it especially difficult to cope with more than one thing at a time. This lasted through to week 33, at which point it seemed to clear.

Tender patches on head and hands

Lasting typically around 24 hours each; super-sensitive areas to the touch. Weeks 24-26, week 39 (briefly). Also following vaccination, week 54.

Dizziness & light-headedness

on and off to around week 24; significant at times early on, and in weeks 13-18

Tinnitus

this is something I suffer from quite often anyway, but it was more noticeable in week 15; though maybe only because I read it was a possible symptom

Loss of appetite, weight loss

in the very early stages and then again during the first relapse. I lost around 3.5 Kg (half a stone). Sadly I put on twice as much in the subsequent recovery phase.

General feeling of malaise

initially, and during all relapses

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Current symptoms

As of 10th September, the main issue remaining is in the nerves; arms, wrists, legs - and they come and go. It's mild and manageable. I get occasional passing light-headedness, and still get the odd breathing issue where I stop breathing for a while, before my body sends the emergency "breathe now!" message. It's odd, but doesn't really concern me anymore.

Update 6th December: the nerve issues still come and go, though they are less common, nearly always mild, usually at night, and usually confined to lower legs. Light-headedness has gone. Breathing issues are never something that bother me, but have woken me once in the last fortnight.

Update 9th March 2021: the only remaining issue now is the nerves in my leg not being completely quiet. Usually it's no more than background noise now, and sometimes they are actually completely still. Headaches are ongoing but I think not Covid related. Chest pain seems to have gone in the past few weeks, even on relatively strenuous exercise.

Update at 1 year (28th March): still occasional leg nerve issues in the quiet of the night, but most nights it's clear now.

Days I recorded as feeling "Normal"

These are the days I recorded feeling "normal" in the Zoe app. Had I been using the app earlier, there would also have been "normal" days in weeks 3 and 4.

Note that when I use the term "normal", I mean that it has little or no impact on my life as I led it on that day. It does not mean symptom-free.

And every day since, except immediately after vaccination. The first symptom-free day was day 174. There have been other symptom-free days since then, but it is often difficult to say what is a symptom and what isn't. There's often an "on edge" feeling in my nerves, which although not pleasant is hardly a bother, and some days (especially from around day 200) that is my only symptom. [Edit: day 301 - the optimism of this last sentence has not really been borne out by later nerve issues, though to record anything other than "normal" would probably confuse the researchers more than it is worth, as well as not helping me psychologically.]

There is little doubt, in retrospect (day 366) that entries in the above table became more optimistic as time went by. This was not deliberate at the time, but my mind needed to have hope. After all, how much did Zoe really want to know about my nerves going crazy the night before? Positivity helped my recovery. Declaring myself unwell to Zoe would have set me back. So these entries need to be viewed in that light.

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