Long Covid Tips

What are phosphenes? Along with all of the crazy symptoms after COVID came an annoying increase in phosphenes, those odd moving bits of light that pass through vision that some people call “floaters”.  If you have ever looked through a microscope, binoculars or a telescope, you may have recognized them as illusory glowing specs that that move around without really interfering with vision.  They are typically not believed to harmful, and everyone has them to some degree, but I found the increase in them to be annoying.   Since migraines often come with auras (overlays of color on your vision a bit like a lens flare on a camera), perhaps my permanent migraine caused me to get more of them Either way, I did some research and learned that lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin can potentially help with them.  I stumbled across these items while looking into ways to boost cognitive function, as higher levels of these within the brain seem to be associated with healthier brains and better cognit

L-Arginine in a Time Release Formula One of the best things that seems to really help my post-COVID energy levels is L-Arginine.  It is an amino acid that is both produced by your body and found in protein-rich foods including meats, dairy products, beans, soy and whole grains.  Research suggests that it can help with a wide range of health issues related to circulation.  It boosts nitric oxide levels and acts as a vasodilator, meaning it can help open blood vessels to improve circulation.  This is one of the reasons why body builders and men wanting to enhance their erections take it, as in larger doses it leads to that “pumped up” look and feel.   It was recommended to me by three people on my neurology team as potentially helpful for long COVID fatigue.  I started out with an ordinary L-arginine pill, but it gave me too much of a rollercoaster with jittery highs and sluggish lows.  I then discovered it in a time release formula that worked great for me.  The pill has an outer quick-

One of the most frustrating elements of my symptoms is memory issues.   This is very common for people with neurological issues and chronic fatigue.    Our memory system consists of several steps: Working Memory: focus, purpose and intent the ability to hold information or a goal in your head long enough to not lose track of what you are doing/hearing/saying; an early stage of short term memory Short Term Memory: temporary storage for a small amount of information for quick recall the ability to retain information from seconds or a few minutes ago Long Term Memory: longer lasting storage with greater capacity but slower access speeds  the ability to remember what you did earlier in the day, last week or decades ago It is common for long-COVID sufferers like me to have issues with Working Memory.  While I have exceptional recall of information before my illness, I struggle to remember what was discussed 5 minutes ago, unless I took notes.  I also forget to take my pills.  My reminder