Long COVID with fatigue and ear problems, somewhat better on antibiotics and an antifungal
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 6 months
- Last post
- Apr 2021
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I’ve had a lot of post-Covid issues that have slowly been resolving
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
my entire life has been messed up from these symptoms.
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I’ve had improvement for the first time in 5 months. That said, it’s so bad that even with improvement it’s still fairly severe!
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
Had Covid November 2020.
Read from 10 of their posts and comments; links to the 8 this page draws on
Summary
Orchid 33087, 40, developed long-COVID symptoms after a mild Covid illness in November 2020: loss of taste and smell, fatigue, memory problems, worsened tinnitus and severe ear and sinus problems. Ear tubes helped her right ear, but tube placement caused a severe reaction; emergency surgery after a GI test added GI problems. Around five months in, culture-matched antibiotics and an antifungal brought the first improvement, though symptoms stayed severe.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- myringotomy and ear tubes · Helped
I think you should get the myringotomy and ear tubes, it helped my right ear SOOO much, like 80-90%.
In context ↗ - decongestant nasal spray / steroid nasal spray / etc as drops · Helped
Before I got the ear tubes this was the ONLY way I could get any relief using nasal sprays.
In context ↗ - botox injections · Not said
botox injections around jaw to help (?) with jaw pushing on Eustachian tube (not sure it’s helped yet it was just done)
In context ↗ - oral and nasal antihistamine · Not said
oral and nasal antihistamine
In context ↗ - oral and nasal steroids · Not said
oral and nasal steroids
In context ↗ - antibiotics · Helped
started an antifungal and an antibiotic that works for those bacteria’s and I’ve had improvement for the first time in 5 months.
In context ↗ - ADHD medications / stimulants · Worse
Put on ADHD medications that helped fatigue but actually made my concentration / memory issues even worse so had to stop
In context ↗ - Eustachian tube surgery / balloon dilation · Not said
I’m having Eustachian tube surgery in two weeks.
In context ↗ - sinus procedures · Not said
I’ve had several procedures done on my sinuses.
In context ↗
Approaches: Antibiotics · Antifungals
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2020 | acute Covid: comparatively mild illness with bad sinus congestion, total loss of taste and smell and fatigueHad Covid November 2020. No fever or cough, but bad sinus, total loss taste and smell, fatigue etc.In context ↗ | Mild | |
| 2021-01-30 | post-Covid symptoms took over her life: daily fatigue, memory problems, severe ear/Eustachian tube problems, constant appointmentsNow I feel like I have a part time job of doctors appointments, and my entire life has been messed up from these symptoms.In context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2021-04-17 | memory, taste and smell, fatigue and Eustachian tube problems slowly resolving, while chronic sinus infections did notI’ve had a lot of post-Covid issues that have slowly been resolvingIn context ↗ | Moderate | |
| 2021-04-26 | first improvement of the chronic sinus infections on culture-matched antibiotics and an antifungal, though still fairly severeI started an antifungal and an antibiotic that works for those bacteria’s and I’ve had improvement for the first time in 5 months.In context ↗ | Moderate | Antifungals (unspecified) |
Adverse events
- “as soon as the myringotomy hole was put in the eardrum I went into a vasalvagal type response — I immediately poured sweat, my vision went splotchy then I lost all sight” In context ↗ Low blood pressure or fainting
- “It was insane pain ... I threw up over and over and over uncontrollably ... I had the loudest ringing in my ears ive ever experienced for 3 hours” In context ↗ Side effects
- “I lost consciousness and passed out falling out of the chair and hitting my head, and I was sick like that for over 24 hours.” In context ↗ Low blood pressure or fainting
- Stimulants (unspecified)“Put on ADHD medications that helped fatigue but actually made my concentration / memory issues even worse so had to stop” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Stimulants (unspecified)“Stimulants that I even tried that made everything else way worse like the tremor and my GI and nasopharyngeal / sinus symptoms etc.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Antibiotics (unspecified)“All of the antibiotics I already took that never helped the infection probably made the candida worse.” In context ↗ Side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Loss of smell or taste
Still only have about 40% of my smell back
In context ↗ - Brain fog
Memory / cognition issues I’ve never had before
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
I’ve also developed tinnitus
In context ↗ - Gut problems
Now I really have bad GI issues after having to have that emergency surgery
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
fatigue, body aches etc
In context ↗ - Flu-like symptoms
Left side of throat and left ear the worst. Tonsils feel swollen
In context ↗
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