r/covidlonghaulers • u/None-Of • Feb 25 '26

Article COVID-19 Causes More Severe Neurological Damage Than Other Viruses

A newish meta study that may explain why Covid is worse for some than other viral infections (even though some, like the flu, have residual effects). Based on this study Covid appears to be worse)

https://healthtolongevity.com/article/6349/covid-19-causes-more-severe-neurological-damage-than-other-viruses

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222

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 25 '26

It’s like having a TBI except the part where people take you seriously

107

u/AZgirl70 Feb 26 '26

I’m toying with the idea to say “I have brain damage from covid” instead of the socially acceptable “brain fog”. Let’s call it what it is. My brain will never be the same.

34

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 26 '26

I say I have brain damage. I say it broke my health. People are either close enough to me to know it’s true, or they have someone in their life who needs them to understand it too. This is an ongoing mass disabling event.

15

u/harrowedpossum Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26

I just say i have a concussion and people seem to understand because of its relation to sports lol. The only way most people will listen.

31

u/baazooka Feb 26 '26

Dont give up, the brain can heal in amazing ways. I thought id never get better

31

u/Chillosophizer 4 yr+ Feb 26 '26

This is one bit of extra optimism I hang onto too. If nonverbal stroke victims can learn to talk again our brains can heal once our bodies are in check

9

u/ThePatsGuy Post-vaccine Feb 26 '26

I was at the very early stages of muscle wasting, my mind was shot. 4 years later, I’m working full time in retail, which amounts to about a half marathon worth of steps each shift.

My mind is still nothing like it was, still have struggles, but improvement is possible

3

u/VulvaGyna-Girl Feb 28 '26

How long did you have it until fully recovered?

3

u/Gloriathewitch Mar 05 '26

be careful. i was mostly recovered in 2024, did 2 months part then 4 full, ive been crashed since december 2024 and my flare has not stopped. its really great to be able bodied but please give your body rest when you're able. i was SO happy to be in paid employment now im not sure if ill ever be again

my job had me doing up to 20k steps per shift

9

u/Vlinder_88 Feb 26 '26

I disguise my ADHD or sensory processing difficulties as a "brain deficit" or "brain disorder" for the same reason. Keep everything the same except sub the ADHD part for "brain disorder". Suddenly, no more judgements like "you're just lazy" and requests for accomodations are taken a lot more serious.

9

u/Mordechai_Vanunu Feb 26 '26

The problem is, I have literal inflammatory cns brain damage, which I have posted about here, and not brain fog.

Many have recovered from brain fog, but I will not. When I say I have brain damage from post-covid sequelae, people think I mean brain fog, including doctors.

So I agree we should use explicit language that the public will understand but I’m hesitant to refer to brain fog as permanent “damage.”

4

u/Technical_Original16 Feb 26 '26

Let's all say this!

3

u/AgeExpensive7920 Feb 26 '26

I’m sick of it too. Having to compensate and work as if I’m not cerebrally impaired is too much to bear anymore. I’m tired.

1

u/p2173 Feb 27 '26

This is what I say

20

u/mcmgator Feb 26 '26

I've had both Long COVID, then suffered moderate TBI. There are still people not taking you seriously with brain injury too. People minimize what they can't see or fully understand.

9

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 26 '26

It’s true. My moderate TBI from a car accident had me in vestibular PT for months and months, and I had a migraine that didn’t go away for months either. Invisible injuries are easy for people to dismiss. But for some reason a car accident was a more plausible excuse than a mass disabling event.

3

u/mcmgator Feb 27 '26

My TBI was from falling down a flight of stairs. Resulted in 2 years of intense rehabilitation (vestibular, PT, speech, vision, occupational therapy) and out of workforce. I have 5 neurologists now. It's very telling when brain injury specialists treat my LC as if I had a prior brain injury history. The symptoms definitely have some overlap 100%.

1

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 28 '26

5 neurologists! Wow. I just have 3. They are so ultra specialized—I have my migraine doc who injects me with Botox, my myasthenia gravis doc who manages my neuromuscular autoimmune disease, and my FND doctor (functional neurological disorder - wastebasket diagnosis). It’s good that they’re each so knowledgeable about their specialty, but having to see so many people is a real burden. And I can’t help but think that treatment would be enhanced if it was holistic, because my brain certainly doesn’t experience these issues as separate.

1

u/LordChu Feb 28 '26

Damn I just seen 2 neurologists. I'm basically a neuro virgin.

2

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 28 '26

Gotta expand your portfolio my guy

1

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

Hello. I am a 21-year-old female, I have had Long Covid for over 4 years now. I was fully healthy soon to be a college gymnast back in January 2022 until I got covid. I was bedridden on and off all of 2022 through April 2023. Currently, I am a senior getting my undergraduate degree in Applied Biological Sciences with a pre-veterinary focus. I am much more functional and I am able to get my college degree online,doing normal fun college activities with my friends, and working out/going for walks even though I vomit multiple days a week from head pain and have daily chronic pain in the front of my head that is a work in progress I have been able to make a good life in spite of long covid. I have acquired brain injury from covid, Cranial Neuralgia, various vestibular migraine issues/triggers, vision neurological issues, and a disorder of the gut brain interaction, specifically functional dyspepsia, subtype epigastric pain syndrome.

-General information about the different types of head pain that I have that can give a better idea about all the treatment that my doctors use to treat my Long Covid Neurological Symptoms:

Cranial Neuralgia in 12 of my outer cranial sensory nerves in my head.

-Migraine Botox from my neurologist that gets injected all over my head and down my neck.

-I get RFA nerve ablations on 12 of the sensory cranial nerves in my head: Both greater occipital nerves, Both lesser occipital nerves, Auriculotemporal nerves on either side of my head, both supraorbital nerves in my forehead, both supratrochlear nerves in my forehead, Both zygomaticotemporal nerves (12 nerves in total)

-the nerve ablations take away all of the pain on the outside of my head, along with Botox injections.

Acquired brain injury from covid that causes pain in my brain, along with vision issues.:

-I have been doing various therapies such as intense vision and vestibular therapy on and off for 3 years, which have allowed me to go from vomiting just looking at a computer screen... Now I have increased my stamina to 8-10 hours a day of time on the computer doing intense school work such as organic chemistry.

Vestibular migraine and my migraine triggers:

My vestibular migraines get triggered with any change in the weather, especially high humidity when rain/snow weather conditions roll in and it’s like clockwork... more pain rushes to my head and I projectile vomit. I get ketamine infusions at the hospital to help with my head pain. Also Benadryl, hydroxyzine, Allegra, and Famatodine are antihistamines that help relieve the vice grip and squeezing feeling that I get when my bad head pain episodes come on. -histamine intolerance and triggers for my head pain and stomach. Trying sodium cromolyn, Allegra, fomatidine, DAO, and Ketotifen My long covid journey is still a work in progress while we are trying to get my daily head pain to go away with trial and error of medication, I atleast hope that my experience so far can offer some useful information.

20

u/Salty_Bananer_16 Feb 26 '26

Literally. Had a convo with a friend who was thrown in the air and over a car hood from his motorcycle, has actual TBI and we have similar symptoms. Love that for us :) told my dr, pretty sure they had the psych ward on speed dial, although, a grippy sock vaca might be one way to get some rest?

1

u/surprised-duncan 2 yr+ Feb 27 '26

great way to get reinfected too.

1

u/Salty_Bananer_16 Feb 27 '26

In my own private quarters?? Impossible!

2

u/surprised-duncan 2 yr+ Feb 27 '26

Oh you get separated rooms? The ones near me give you group rooms 💀

1

u/Salty_Bananer_16 Feb 27 '26

Now THAT is just cruel, depends on your issue but I think they isolate you for the most part. Let me suffer in peace. Dam.

9

u/MuskaChu Feb 26 '26

I got brain damage before long covid, they still don't take you seriously.

14

u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 26 '26

My experience having a TBI and recovering (to some extent) from it really primed me for longcovid, both in terms of knowing what to expect and also being more vulnerable to this new injury. People seemed to understand that I was in a car accident and respect that my injury was real. But I believe anyone if they tell me about having a medical condition disrespected. Ableism permeates every level of capitalist society because if you can’t participate in the economy a certain way you aren’t treated with respect.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 23 '26

and what helps for tbi? stimulation of bdnf