Summary of ideas that have helped me better live with my Long Covid

 Accessible Long Covid help

On this page I will be bullet pointing tips that have helped me better manage my Long Covid. This advice has been placed under headings describing each of my symptoms and will detail specific advice on ways I have managed my symptoms. Everyone experiences Long Covid differently and I have no Long Covid related qualifications but these tips have made my life slightly easier and could help you too. If you have any ideas that have helped you, please feel free to comment below 😃. 

Food Ideas Summary

Listed below are some quick and accessible tips on how I have dealt with my Long Covid altered sense of taste and smell. Everyone seems to experience this differently, but this advice has worked for me.

• If you have altered smell, eating food cold could help eliminate unpleasant smells.
• When eating with family who have hot foods that smell unpleasant to me, I burn a candle. I am unsure whether this entirely works as I am unable to smell the candle but it seems to make a slight difference. Just ensure that the candle does not have an unpleasant smell to you. 
• For unpleasant smells, I have also found that wearing lava beads steeped in lavender oil can help.
• When cooking, leave windows open and put the fan on at full capacity to remove odours where possible.
• In meals, try to incorporate foods with a good texture such as crunchy vegetables, nuts or nachos to make food slightly more enjoyable.
• If, like me you are unable to eat meat, try substituting meat for nuts, seeds or lentils to ensure you are getting enough protein. Also, I have found that I am able to eat fish as long as it has been steamed or bought ready cooked and is broken down into small pieces. If this is still a struggle, try taking fish with a spicy sauce.
• When buying sauces, always check the ingredients list as they can often have garlic or onion in them. I have found that Aldi chilli jam is particularly good and it does not contain any of my trigger foods.
• Try adding spices or fresh herbs where possible as I have found I am often able to taste these.
• I have found fried foods are to be avoided so most of my food is now steamed in the microwave.

Sense of smell Ideas Summary

Altered smell has impacts so many daily aspects of daily life. It is impossible to avoid all smells but there are some methods that I have found reduce the impact of this symptom.

• Many people have reported improvements in their sense of smell after using 'scent pots' which are pots with certain essential oils in them that they sniff twice a day at five minute intervals. For me, this method has had limited success so far but I have found that I am now able to smell lavender and eucalyptus occasionally. 
• Linking to the 'smell pots' I have found that spraying my face mask with lavender oil has reduced the impact of food smells when I have passed fast food shops on the street. I have not found this suggested anywhere else but thought it would be worth a go and it seemed to help me a bit.
• I have also been using lava beads sprayed with essential oil (See toiletries page for more information)
• I have found that many toiletries have an unpleasant smell now too. Where possible, I have been using unscented products. Click here to view my toiletries for altered smell page. 

Shocks at nerve endings ideas summary

Although I have mostly discussed food and smells in my blog, another of my symptoms is shocks at nerve endings. I have not found much advice on this symptom apart from eating certain foods to repair cells but unfortunately I am unable to eat most of these foods due to my altered taste and smell. However, here are some tips that I am currently trying in an attempt to improve this symptom.

• Yoga has been suggested to help Long Covid. I can become tired very easily but am try this when possible. I hope yoga will also help with my muscle and joint aches. 
• My doctor has also advised that I rest a lot as this can help repair the cells around my nerve endings more quickly.

Pains in chest summary

This is another of my symptoms which is a bit of a mystery. I do not have any visible issues with my lungs when looking at X-rays but am still experiencing these unexplained pains. 

• I have tried to ease the pains in my chest using Vick and Tiger Balm. This has had limited success but seems to help slightly. As I have been retraining my senses with eucalyptus, I am able to use these gels but it might be helpful to check that you can tolerate these if you have altered smell before applying it to your skin.
• I have recently been trying various muscle ache creams and will update any successes on the toiletries page.

Eye pains

The first time this happened to me, my eye was so sore that I went to the local chemist who referred my to the optician. However, they could only see that the eye had been damaged from excessive rubbing so provided me with some eye drops. 

• Since the first incident, I have been wearing my glasses more often which has helped slightly.
• Whenever the pain does start, I try to rub my eyes as little as possible so I do not damage them though excessive rubbing,

Pins and needles in tongue and lips

This is a very strange symptom often brought on by toothpaste or lip balm but occasionally by water too.

• So far, the only way I have been able to reduce the frequency of this symptom is by frequently changing my toothpaste and lip balm.