The Unseen Nightmare: My Encounter with Long Covid
The Terrifying Months of Living with an Invisible Nemesis
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I contracted Covid-19 on a plane, flying back from an extraordinary evening at the theater celebrating my cousin's directorial debut. It began like a severe flu but spiraled into a surreal world of hallucinations within a week. After ten days, I felt almost normal, only for a new nightmare to begin.
The Early Days
I spent the next 4-5 months in a state of perpetual dread, convinced I wouldn't wake up the next day. My heart raced inexplicably; my head spun; my body felt like it was being shaken by unseen forces—what I describe as "earthquakes."
Hallucinations and Burial Thoughts
Amid this chaos, my mind wandered to morbid places. I envisioned various ways my family could bury me: in the greenhouse, in the woods, through cremation, or even as compost. It reached a point where I empathized with the ancient Egyptians who were buried with their pets—I couldn't bear the thought of leaving my dog behind.
The Road to Discovery
After months of struggling to find medical professionals knowledgeable about Long Covid, I stumbled upon online discussions about H1 and H2 blockers. I had dismissed these as irrelevant since I thought histamines were only tied to seasonal allergies. How wrong I was.
The Revelation
Turns out, I was experiencing histamine reactions to nearly everything—food, air, sunlight. My love for life's simple pleasures had turned into a kind of allergic torment. It was likely that I had post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which had triggered Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
Upon realizing this, I modified my diet, avoiding high-histamine foods. To my utter surprise, I felt significantly better within 36 hours. This was the breakthrough moment, but it was also a Pandora's box. Knowing what was wrong was just the tip of the iceberg - who knew I was going to need a deep-sea submersible to get to the bottom of it.
To Be Continued...
How do you adjust to a life where every morsel you consume could be a ticking time bomb? Stay tuned.
Jess