When Stacey developed a slight cough and a sore throat, she thought she might have strep. Her first COVID-19 test came back negative. It took 17 days after the onset of her symptoms to receive a positive test result on January 4, 2021. Given the mildness of her symptoms, Stacey assumed she’d “shake the Rona pretty quickly.” Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

Long COVID sets in

By the middle of January, she’d developed severe joint and muscle aches, along with fatigue. By the end of the month, she could barely walk. “I lived with that alone for months,” she says, “researching on the internet the best I could, since my doctor’s office didn’t seem to want anything to do with me. By June I was in despair and deeply depressed.” 

Fortunately for Stacey, her work in public education meant that she had some time off in June. She used that time to lie “on the couch, binge-watching and resting,” and wondering if there was any help for her or if her condition “was going to last a lifetime.” She heard many stories of other Long COVID sufferers who had been brushed off by their physicians, and finally concluded that “the Western medical world had nothing to offer me.”

Hope on the horizon

At the end of June, Stacey’s son told her of a friend’s mother who was a four-time CrossFit® World Champion. The woman had started training people from her home gym, he said, and he encouraged Stacey to call her. 

“At first I was resistant,” Stacey said. “I was so emotionally beaten down by COVID and the lack of support out there.” As her pain and fatigue worsened, however, she found the will to take the first step. 

Stacey started training with the friend’s mother. She even took things a step further, and consulted a team of practitioners specializing in functional, Chinese, chiropractic, and homeopathic medicine. By September, she said, “I could walk a bit better, though I still had a limp, as well as really rough days.”

A breakthrough in her healing journey

Just two months later, in November of 2021, Stacey had what she calls “a breakthrough in my healing journey.” Her homeopathic specialist had found a remedy that “changed everything,” she says. “Overnight, 80% of my pain disappeared.”

By January 2022, a year after her initial COVID-19 diagnosis, Stacey had completely lost her limp. “I still had a long way to go,” she says, “but I was on the right track.” Then, at the end of February, two days after her birthday, Stacey received a “crushing blow.” She tested positive for the Omicron variant. This time, however, Stacey had a team of health practitioners that she knew could help her. 

The second time around

Her team gave her a bunch of herbs to take, and her acupuncturist gave her a treatment to boost her immune system. Unlike her Western doctor, whose office had “shunned” her the year before, she says, “these people fought for me.”

In addition to providing their own treatments, the practitioners also referred Stacey to a physician specializing in functional and complementary medicine. Overall, this second round of treatment was aggressive. “I was taking over 60 pills a day, between herbal and prescription meds,” she says. “I was on breathing treatments. I had a pulsometer to monitor my oxygen levels and heart rate.” 

The intensive regimen was a success, and Stacey’s recovery took “about ten days.” While she had some residual issues from the treatment, she says, “over time these issues resolved, and much to my surprise, so did the last of my Long COVID issues.” 

Where is she in her journey now?

These days, she says, “I have a little bit of achiness behind my knees on occasion, but otherwise my symptoms are gone.”  She admits, however, that her body “has been beaten up by this virus.” During the 14 months since her first positive test, Stacey gained 25 pounds, lost muscle strength and tone, and developed cardiovascular issues.

Considering that she used to teach Zumba, she muses, “I have a long journey back to restore my body.” Despite that, she insists, “I no longer consider myself as someone with Long COVID.” 

Advice from a former long-hauler

To those who are newly-diagnosed with Long COVID, or are struggling with their symptoms, Stacey recommends getting in touch with a medical practitioner who is “cutting edge,” and exploring alternative modalities such as homeopathy. 

Last, but certainly not least, she says, “The battle is as much mental and emotional as it is physical,” and community is crucial to healing. “Fight,” she urges other long-haulers. “Draw on others who are in this battle with you. Refuse to give up.”