Hundreds of millennials are comparing notes about Long Covid on Reddit, seemingly awakening to the fact that they have the illness, with a range of symptoms including vertigo, brain fog and fatigue — and that it can be devastating and long-lasting.
“I feel like prior to Covid I was so much more happy go lucky and didn’t really experience the same level of depression and anxiety that I exhibit now. Would that have happened without Covid or was it just a unique trauma that’s got me messed up? I feel so dull. I also tore my ACL during Covid so I receded from the active hobbies I had and haven’t been able to get back to it with the same vigor. When I’m doing cold showers consistently it helps but I’m just not the same,” a contributor wrote on the subreddit r/Millennials.
Covid research, and Long Covid research, has been weak but is developing. While there is no firm definition of Long Covid, the illness can manifest in 200 or more symptoms including cognitive dysfunction, neurological problems, gastrointestinal symptoms and extreme fatigue. It is generally believed to impact as many as 10 to 30 percent of people who are infected with Covid.
Partly because the definition is so fluid, people who have Long Covid have encountered skepticism from medical professionals and others about the illness. It’s also true that the early description of Covid was that it either is “like a mild cold” or that it kills you — and people who had the “mild cold” version may not be able to understand easily how debilitating the illness actually is. It can also wax and wane, and is described in this recent piece by Fiona Lowenstein as a “remitting-relapsing” disease.
Millennials have Long Covid at a higher rate than other age groups, a recent CDC study found. “Adults ages 35–49 (4.7%) were more likely than those ages 18–34 (2.7%), 50–64 (3.8%), and 65 and older (2.3%) to currently have Long Covid. Adults ages 50–64 were also more likely than those ages 18–34 and 65 and older to currently have Long Covid.”
Here’s a sampling of the hundreds and hundreds of responses on the subreddit. We have alternated regular type with italics to set off speakers.
“I feel this. I used to have a lot of hobbies, was very active, and didn’t spend much time on my phone. I’m introverted but still enjoyed getting out of the house. I was rarely bored and lived a satisfying life. I simply can’t make myself engage in hobbies now. They either aren’t interesting anymore or I just don’t have the energy for them. I doom scroll wayyyyyyyy too much. I’m bored but just can’t seem to fix it.”
‘Getting Covid affected my memory’
“I feel like getting Covid affected my memory in a very frustrating way. And it probably was a nail in the coffin of modern society in an incremental way.”
“Same! I got Covid in November of ’21. It was so bad I couldn’t get out of bed for a week and my husband didn’t survive it. So I don’t know if the brain fog is from Covid, or the trauma I went through of losing my husband, but my memory has been deeply affected.”
“This is a very real consequence of a Covid infection.. it’s a symptom of long Covid. Covid damages the brain, nervous system & other organs. It has maimed millions of people, including me. I’ve been seriously ill & disabled since my infection in late December ‘21. It’s no joke. I’m so sorry for your loss. 🥀😔”
“Same, my head is a little fuzzy at times. It has been getting better albeit rather slowly.”
“Like I don’t remember words for things like I’m 99 years old. It’s annoying as f*k.”
“For me it is similar, I have started to second guess myself when either spelling or doing math problems/computations for work. I sometimes look at a word and it doesn’t look correct so I then end up looking it up online to double check. As for math I have to review my process a bit more than I used to in order to make sure that what I have is it.”
“I caught it in April of 2023 and I’m still dealing with this. I’m constantly grasping for words that are just gone from my brain, and I end up describing things with concepts instead. There are also days that the brain fog is so bad that I can barely function at work.”
“Same. And the first time I got it….my doctor thought I was nuts but my balance was just slightly off. I noticed because for the life of me I could no longer step over the baby gates in my house. This time my allergies swapped lanes. Instead of just sinuses, I also get horrible eczema on my face and in my ears.”
‘I seem to have vertigo’
“Now that you said it – I think I also have problems with the balance after COVID. I seem to have vertigo at times.”
“Be careful about ‘long COVID’ symptoms. Look it up. MANY people have this without realizing it… Source: I’m a healthcare practitioner that works with a brain injury rehab clinic. Yes we work a lot with improving memory and word finding issues, many post COVID. Yes it counts as brain damage.”
“I have a question… do you see people with complaints of excessive sweating? After I got COVID I would go through bouts of sweating, even if it’s cold outside. No fever. And it comes and goes for months at a time, but it’s pretty disruptive people look concerned for me after I just walk from one room to another. I’m in okay shape, and have a very active job where I’m walking all day.”
“Sounds like dysautonomia, which is part of long covid”
“I’ve been dealing with weather change sensitivity, specifically barometric pressure charges. When these crazy systems go from high to low, or low to high, I find myself about to pass out. Even the hour before a major rain storm feels like I walked under a power line with a metal plate in my head, I assume.”
“If you have any of the following experiences, it could be long covid:
- Memory issues
- Issues with taste or smell
- Getting sick more often after your first covid infection
- Unexplained fatigue
- I’d be suspicious of basically any big new health issue popping up in the 6-12 months after a covid infection
“It’s a full body disease because it goes through your vascular system which flows throughout, it doesn’t just stay in your lungs/notes/throat.
“You can check out these communities to learn more:
“And check out these subs to avoid getting covid again (each infection can make symptoms worse, or make them appear for the first time if you didn’t get long covid):
“I’m a millenial but I’m going to mention my mom. She only came out recently and said she retired the other year because of her brain fog and she couldn’t do her job as well anymore. It’s heartbreaking stuff. I’ve not gotten it so far, but long COVID is what makes me so worried about eventually getting it.”
“My mom too. She has neurological problems now from long covid. She got it at the very beginning before they even knew was it was. Was in the hospital and almost died. Now she’s not the same person. A shell of herself. It’s heartbreaking. I haven’t gotten covid knock on wood but I’m terrified too of it.”
‘Incredibly sick & disabled’
“Long Covid is horrific… I have it, and there are millions of others like me. I’ve been incredibly sick & disabled that I can barely take care of myself & spend most of my time in bed. Please protect yourself! This isn’t worth getting..”
“Still can’t smell or taste since Covid 3 years ago. Makes life less enjoyable. No smell of gasoline when fueling car, no enjoying Pumpkin Pie on thanksgiving, no smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. Simple pleasures like the smell of a new comic book or when you open a pack of Pokémon cards, no taste of Halloween candy or Birthday cake or trying new foods. This also has negatives like no smell or taste of expired food, no rotten egg smell if the gas on the stove is left on. Can be scary at times.
“Also breathing issues since Covid. Haven’t slept in my bed for 3 years, constantly feeling tired but sugar and caffeine don’t help as it isn’t like a regular sleepiness. Body constantly sore and feeling exhausted as if you’ve been very physically active without doing much. Needing a fan pointed at your face at night to get enough air to breathe. Less interest in hobbies, friends, or anything except sleeping. Sometimes I wonder if Covid was supposed to kill but decided to stretch it out.”
“Long COVID is a real issue but more than just that, it was a strange period of our lives where our socializing opportunities were changed, our attention span may have shifted, work or school was drastically different. Both the virus itself but also every social/environmental change that happened all around us can impact our physical, mental, emotional well being.”
“Since getting Covid once two years ago (the delta variant I believe) I have never bounced back. My SO doesn’t get it, because he’s always been a nap taker/ sleeps alot. He always tells me I’m just getting old and it’s like, no, you just don’t get it. This isn’t getting older. This is, I went to bed fine one week in July 2 years ago, and woke up sick and have never been the same since. I had to quit one job, I will sleep til 3 in the afternoon if left alone, I need to take a nap (which I find horrifying tbh) after getting groceries which also now takes me 2 hours when it used to take me 20 minutes. No amount of sleeping or time off changes my level of exhaustion. I don’t have the energy to clean or cook most day, I don’t even have the energy to paint or read. Things I actually want to do. It’s crazy trying to explain it, because it doesn’t even sound real to myself. But I’m definitely f*ked from covid. My energy levels and will/desire to interact with people outside of work are completely depleted.”
‘Basically useless all day’
“My mind wouldn’t let me sleep this long, but I am basically useless all day. Especially 1-3. This is pretty typical with people, the post lunch crash, but it’s just so much worse. My mind will fog so much that if someone is talking directly to me I will have no idea what they’re saying. I usually push through and it lifts eventually. It’s almost like normal, but the feeling of tired has so much more impact than it did before.”
“Covid apparently gave me brain damage resulting in physical disability and neuropathy. I have lesions of unknown origin in my brain as well as abnormal nerve response tests. I am 34 and now walk with mobility aids. I’m being evaluated for MS for the 3rd time because nobody knows what’s wrong with me.”
“Sounds exactly like what my wife is going through. She has been tested for MS as well. She also completely lost function of her foot for like 2 months. She works in healthcare and has had Covid several times.”
“Wow! I also worked in healthcare and was exposed constantly. I had three actual infections and got vaccinated all within 6 months time. A month or so after my last infection, I started tripping and falling and thought I was just exhausted. Went home early to get some rest. Next day, my partner had to carry me to the car and take me to the ER. I am no longer able to work in hospital settings and luckily am still able to work in an office. I go through ‘flares’ where my neurologist just tells me to go to the ER for IV steroids because they just don’t know what else to do. I’m so sorry to hear your wife is going through this too, but is also nice to know I’m not alone.”
“I’ve had it 5 times (Jan the year it hit and another that autumn were really bad for me!) vax and boosted but in education/childcare so germs everywhere no matter how safe I played it. I have cognitively not been ‘right’ for a while.”
“Wow. Okay this is so interesting to me, i didn’t realize there was research about the affects on the brain. Here I was thinking it was just the trauma of the events and what not. I’ll be reading into these for sure, so wild. I take some mushroom supplements and I notice a cognitive difference, more lively, less brain fog, happier, and overall better emotional regulation. Might just have to be persistent with those… take note of what does and doesn’t help mitigate the feeling”
‘It makes me sad’
“Pre Covid my brain was quick and snappy. Functioned very fast. Post Covid I’m literally slow. Struggling with math speed and reaction time. I can tell the difference and it makes me sad.”
“I feel hopelessly brain-dead after COVID. I feel like I’ve lost some critical thinking abilities, I forget stuff, and am depressed all the time (worse than before). Nothing feels real anymore.”
“It broke my brain as well. I also lost my taste and smell after a 2021 Covid exposure. It’s been depressing to lose my senses, and a little dangerous. If a gas leak occurs, or something (food) has spoiled, I could end up in the hospital because I cannot sense what is a bad smell, or taste. I think there are so many people going through this. No doctor I have seen will acknowledge this. Just because something has not been seen before in the medical field, does not mean it’s not possible or feasible.”
“I’m forever changed. I almost died from covid and spent 6 months with long covid. Now I’m a shell of myself.”
“I got covid once before the vaccine came out and I haven’t been entirely the same. My brain feels foggy, I’m tired all the time, and it seems my adhd symptoms are worse than before.”
“I got covid for the first time 5 days after it was declared over. to this day, I think I still have brain fog. I still can’t recall decent chunk of my vocabulary from before I was sick. I say a sentence then forget what word I was thinking of and it completely derails my thought. it feels bad”
‘Generational trauma’
“Covid/the whole pandemic was a generational trauma. A lot of what you see going on in our country right now are trauma responses. So yes I think lots of people feel damaged after the pandemic. This makes total sense. It was a pretty awful thing to live through and we are all still recovering from it.”
“I thought quarantine was a nightmare, but I had no idea how bad it could be until I got long Covid. I very seriously almost didn’t make it. I think I’m through the worst of the long Covid symptoms (I better be, goddamnit), but my mental health is still at an all time low, with no end in sight. I honestly have no idea how to get through this feeling of being “not myself”, and well, I have no idea what to do anymore. You’re not alone.”
“I have a really hard time remembering things post Covid. My memory is shit now.”
“True that – I had tough COVID with breathing difficulties and I think it messed my head up. I’m more forgetful and I think I didn’t have the same joy to life. I’m not so energetic and smiling as I used to be.”
“Struggling at work to remember where things are. Struggling to find any faith in humanity anymore. Struggling to afford things because everything spiked in cost. I honestly wish the f*king thing killed me. Tried taking a vacation to feel something, but came back feeling worse to because I needed help there, and realized I’m likely never going to be able to do something like that again too. I’m not a person anymore. I just exist. F*k Covid.”
