Thread by @KellyMMeiners

With so much attention given to Paul Garner’s N=1 Long COVID story, I’d like to share mine. @bmj_latest

My credential and background: PT, MPT, PhD, ATC, CSCS.
1/10

I spent 22 years treating orthopedic and sports medicine patients, taught exercise physiology and related topics to doctoral students, and maintained an active research agenda.

I practiced what I taught—ran marathons and exercised vigorously 6 days a week throughout adulthood. Yes, I’m an expert in sports medicine and exercise.

I had a mild C😷VID infection in October 2021. Seven days later, I began experiencing cognitive issues, difficulty walking and speaking, and involuntary muscle movements. Two hospital visits in the following month resulted in being told my symptoms were psychosomatic—

“we have never seen C😷VID cause symptoms this severe”, my doctor said. Their advice: exercise and CBT. Unable to read or research for myself, I followed their orders. I bought a recumbent bike since I couldn’t stand for long.

I started with 15-minute sessions at low resistance, RPE 10, three times a week. I documented my steady decline—shorter sessions, more spaced out. Eventually, I had to belt myself into the bike as a seizure would knock me off a few minutes into the session. Still, I kept pushing

I deteriorated to the point I couldn’t walk, speak, tolerate light or sound, or even roll over in bed without overwhelming fatigue. I became 100% bedridden. On good days, I still did theraband exercises in bed—until even that triggered PEM.

I tracked everything: exercise logs that went from neat pen to crayon scribbles as motor control faded, smartwatch data showing rapid decline. I was fully bedridden, nonverbal, and unable to comprehend conversations and in horrible pain.

It took a full year before I could look at my phone and realize how damaging that medical advice had been. At Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Long C😷VID—top 1–2% in severity. I believe following that early advice directly contributed to my condition’s progression.

I did try CBT. The home-visit therapist concluded it wasn’t indicated—I had a positive outlook and was certain I’d recover if I just kept pushing.

#LongCovid #pwLC #POTS #severeME #ME @PutrinoLab @sunsopeningband @calirunnerdoc @drseanmullen @loscharlos @PaulGarnerWoof @bhanlon15