Post Viral Recovery
A documented account of living with post-viral syndrome: tracking interventions with data, reading the evidence honestly, and navigating the NHS. One person's careful record of what's happening and what (if anything) helps.
The site is organised into four areas: Testing covers interventions I'm trying with data where I have it; Evidence is my reading of the research; Tools includes free trackers and interactive questionnaires; NHS is practical guidance on getting care.
I write regularly about symptoms, interventions, and evidence. If you'd like to follow along, you can subscribe to get new posts by email.
Intervention logs
Structured write-ups of specific things I'm trying: Nurosym, diaphragmatic breathing, recumbent exercise, medications, supplements, with HRV and RHR data where available.
EvidenceEvidence reviews
Accessible readings of the research behind interventions and diagnostic concepts, written from an educated-amateur standpoint with appropriate caveats.
ToolsTrackers & questionnaires
Free Google Sheets for tracking HRV, symptoms, and stand test results, plus interactive versions of validated clinical questionnaires including COMPASS-31 and the Nijmegen questionnaire.
NHSNavigating the system
Practical, experience-based guidance on getting appropriate care for post-viral conditions through the NHS: what to ask for, how to frame it, and how to advocate for yourself.
Recent posts
-
What drugs work for NDPH?
TLDR: We don't know as NDPH might have different causes for different people, but below are the most commonly tried and their intended mechanism
-
9 ways to enjoyably spend your lazy time with POTS, ME/CFS and/or long COVID
Pacing, rest and recovery are the right things to do and the most boring. Nine low-effort ways I fill the sofa hours without making myself worse: chess, podcasts, gentle games, and a bit of recumbent cycling.
-
Does Nurosym work for POTS and dysautonomia?
Five months of daily Nurosym taVNS for post-viral POTS and dysautonomia. HRV has doubled and resting heart rate is down 16 bpm — but an amitriptyline taper, ivabradine, and midodrine overlap the data, and symptoms haven't changed. Here's what the numbers can and can't say.
-
The CHOP and Levine exercise protocols for POTS: what they are and what the evidence shows
The Levine protocol and the CHOP modified Dallas programme are the most cited exercise programmes for POTS. This review explains where they came from, what the studies actually found, who they are not suitable for, and how to approach them cautiously.
-
Nurosym at 3 months: autonomic metrics holding, symptoms still flat
Three months of daily taVNS. HRV is up roughly 35% from baseline and resting heart rate is down 5 bpm, but day-to-day symptoms haven't shifted. This post covers the full dataset, the June regression, and what I think it means.
-
Ivabradine for POTS: evidence, dosing and side effects
What the evidence says about ivabradine for POTS: how it slows the heart without lowering blood pressure, the randomised trial data, the long-COVID findings, typical dosing, side effects, and how it's prescribed off-label in the UK.