Long COVID exhaustion and pain, reflux eased on low-acid diet then relapse after vaccine
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- 17 months
- Last post
- Aug 2021
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
I'm totally fed up as I have been long hauling since March 2020 and feel worse now than I did a year ago.
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I haven't been able to work for a year
In context ↗ - Now: Relapsed
I had a two month period of constant improvement back in November and December which convinced me I was finally over it, now I'm back to crushing exhaustion and chest pain.
In context ↗ - Began after: COVID
I'm totally fed up as I have been long hauling since March 2020
Read from 24 of their posts and comments; links to the 14 this page draws on
Summary
Beech 23989, a man in the UK in his early fifties, caught COVID in March 2020 and was still ill 17 months later with exhaustion, breathlessness, a chronic cough, digestive problems and later widespread muscle and nerve pain. A low-acid diet eased his reflux; an AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021 brought tingling, a severe headache and muscle and nerve pain that persisted. He had not worked for a year and remained unwell at his last post.
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What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- steroidal inhalers · No change
I was initially given steroidal inhalers as the gp thought I might have asthma
In context ↗ - omeprazole PPI · No change
Then I was given omeprazole ppi to help with the lump in my throat and trouble swallowing that I was experiencing. None of these helped much.
In context ↗ - low acid diet · Helped a lot
It wasn't until I cut out certain foods and adopted the diet regime that things started to sort themselves out.
In context ↗ - high alkaline water and baking soda in water · Helped
I found the water good at soothing the lump and the breathlessness
In context ↗ - vitamin D3 · Not said
I took between 8,000iu and 20,000iu over the space of a month - varying the dose each week.
In context ↗ - probiotic · Not said
I'm taking vitamin D at the moment and a probiotic
In context ↗ - vitamin C · Not said
3 x 1000mg vit C
In context ↗ - niacin (vitamin B3) in flush form · Helped
The only things that give me relief from the muscle pains are hot baths, the niacin flush and alcohol
In context ↗ - magnesium and zinc · Not said
a few other supplements like magnesium and zinc
In context ↗ - H1 antihistamine · Not said
I am taking an h1 antihistamine but not h2
In context ↗ - COVID vaccination as treatment · Worse
Next morning I woke up with tingling/burning all over my body, a splitting headache, exhaustion like I never felt in the previous year of longhaul and my whole body ached all over.
In context ↗
Approaches: Diet
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 |
|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | caught COVID; mild initial infectionThe initial infection was mild. After two weeks I felt betterIn context ↗ | Mild |
| April 2020 | crash with exhaustion, breathlessness, chronic dry cough and a collapsed lungtwo days later I was hit with exhaustion, breathlessness and a terrible chronic dry cough that hurt every time I coughed. I had a collapsed or blocked lung for a while.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| summer 2020 | two-week period feeling almost betterI remember having a two week period back in the summer where I felt almost betterIn context ↗ | Mild |
| autumn 2020 | crashed back down to earth with worse symptomsthen - bang - I came crashing down to earth with worse symptomsIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| November-December 2020 | two months of constant improvementThen I had a two month period of constant improvement back in November and December which convinced me I was finally over itIn context ↗ | Mild |
| March 2021 | back to crushing exhaustion and chest painnow I'm back to crushing exhaustion and chest painIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| March 2021 | new tingling, headache, exhaustion and muscle pain after AstraZeneca vaccineNext morning I woke up with tingling/burning all over my body, a splitting headache, exhaustion like I never felt in the previous year of longhaul and my whole body ached all over.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| July 2021 | family holiday: best week in a long time, pains much more manageableI had the best week in a long time! My pains were much more manageable and I felt like my old life was almost back in me.In context ↗ | Mild |
| August 2021 | good few weeks, then sudden new symptoms and feeling awfulthese last 6 days I've suddenly developed new symptoms and I feel awfulIn context ↗ | Moderate |
Adverse events
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Next morning I woke up with tingling/burning all over my body, a splitting headache, exhaustion like I never felt in the previous year of longhaul and my whole body ached all over.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- COVID vaccination as treatment“Had a shot of AZ back in March and I'm still dealing with terrible muscle pains in my lower back, buttocks and legs.” In context ↗ Nerve pain
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Pain & fibromyalgia
The frustrating chronic muscle and nerve pains are predominantly in lower back, buttocks, thighs, calf muscles and soles of feet
In context ↗ - Neuropathy & tingling
I've just developed tingling, prickly numbness in various parts of my body out of nowhere
In context ↗ - Breathlessness
My main problem was feeling breathless after eating
In context ↗ - Gut problems
I'm not totally cured as certain foods that I reintroduce make me feel like the old problems are coming back again
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
Had insomnia, blurred vision and racing heart rate.
In context ↗ - Vision problems
I've had chronic cough, digestive problems, breathlessness, optical issues, chest pains and more, but they have all passed eventually.
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
It's this backwards and forwards of feeling better and then it coming back that really pushes the worry and anxiety.
In context ↗ - Tinnitus
Since then I've developed tinnitus
In context ↗ - Headaches & migraine
Next morning I woke up with tingling/burning all over my body, a splitting headache
In context ↗ - Light & noise sensitivity
I now scare easily from loud noises and can't play video games or engage in anything fast or requiring quick reactions
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
every time I relapse its because I've started doing normal things and behaving as if I'm fully fit and back to normal
In context ↗
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