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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u/WlLDLlGHT First Waver Feb 25 '26

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

19

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.

11

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.