Post viral fatigue/left with “ME-like” symptoms?

[LaneBoy]

I saw some info suggesting that some of those recovering from the virus are left with ME type symptoms - fatigue, muscle pain etc.

Just wondered if anyone here is now in that stage? In as far as we can guess we’ve had the virus without testing of course.

I am fairly sure I have had it in the last week and although the worst actual symptoms have luckily passed, I’m now feeling exactly as I did in 2012 when I first got sick. That had started as a severe chest infection, and when I never fully recovered I was diagnosed as ME (also now have diagnoses of PoTS and fibromyalgia).

I have had flare ups in the intervening years - usually caused by other illnesses, to the extent even having a cold makes me A Bit Nervous. But nothing, at all, like this. This is like coming down with ME from scratch, all over again. The virus I’ve had (whatever it was - obviously I can’t say for sure) was nothing like I’ve had before either.

It is ridiculously early days clearly, so I’m trying not to be too worried obviously - it could just be that (as usual with any bugs I pick up) I’m taking a little bit longer to heal after the main symptoms have gone. Or it may just be that this is still the actual virus?! But it feels different from when I’ve had even other chest infections since the first one in ways that are very hard to describe so I just wondered if anyone here thinks they’ve had it and is now struggling with similar?

Coronavirus: 'I survived, but am now living a nightmare'

www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/

"Dr William Weir, Consultant in Infectious Diseases with a special interest in ME, in partnership with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is planning research into ME by collecting blood samples from people who had Covid and are now experiencing Long Tail Covid. It is highly likely that a percentage of them will develop ME and this will be a great opportunity to observe changes in the blood as the disease develops."

forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/me-research-proposal-by-dr-willy-weir-and-the-london-school-of-hygiene-and-tropical-medicine.81180/

Another research project looking at long covid and CFS
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8750657/Why-fit-healthy-women-risk-long-Covid.html

www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/doctors-with-long-covid

Doctors who contracted COVID, and thought the symptoms would be over in weeks, tell Jennifer Trueland about their continuing pain, exhaustion and – sometimes – struggle to be believed

There are an estimated 60,000 patients with long tail Covid in the UK just from the first wave. There will be many more after the second.
I had Covid in March, hospitalised in April. I am still struggling with breathlessness at 100 yards, and have obvious lung damage on my latest chest X ray, taken yesterday.
I was previously very fit, no comorbidities, a 64 year old retired doctor.
I had four months of muscle weakness and fatigue, including that characteristic “fizzing” sensation in my muscles, described by a professor and fellow sufferer. My strength has slowly returned and I can now do my own shopping and mow my lawn, with pauses to rest. But I am concerned that the lung damage may be permanent. The implications for the NHS and the economy of having potentially thousands of respiratorily disabled people to care for are alarming, quite apart from my personal fear of a reduced life expectancy/quality of life.

I was sick in March and not right now but I'm not sure what I have is ME. No fatigue, brainfog or sob any more (though had those for a good 4 months) but a cough that comes and goes, a painful throat that comes and goes, and constant burning skin/pins and needles/fizzing in my arms and sometimes my abdomen.

Here are some video presentations from the last London ME conference, if anyone needs to learn about ME it's somewhere to start.
investinme.org/IIMEC14.shtml#presentations

What is the fizzing like? Is it like this?

"Alison Hunter used to say she had lemonade in her legs and "shimlers" in her face. Still in primary school when she first became ill, those were the words she chose to describe the bizarre and frightening sensations that afflicted her."

Hi, I’m glad to see this thread as I’ve just logged on to MN specifically to find a support thread for Post Covid Syndrome. I haven’t posted about Covid for ages but unfortunately need to again.

I was on the long-running Covid lungs threads earlier this year. I contracted Covid in March the week before lockdown and was very ill for months, needing hospital treatment at around the two month stage.

It wasn’t until August that I began to get some of my fitness back. I was more or less back to normal (after six months!!) until the cold & wet weather started coming in this month. I’ve started regressing again. My GP ordered a lung scan for me a month or two ago but I’m still waiting due jr. will chase.

Sorry to hear others are still suffering. It’s an awful illness. The fatigue has been unreal. And yes to the fizzing legs thing. It’s very uncomfortable.

CFSKate, it’s very like the fizzing sensation of lemonade on your tongue, but inside your arm and leg muscles. The professor who suffered it described it as like Szechuan chilli peppers fizzing and popping in a frying pan.
Mine has more or less settled, and my muscle strength has improved, but I am left with very damaged lungs, limited exercise ability and needing oxygen at night on my worst days.
Just trying to do one minute of sit/stands from a chair sends my heart rate over 150/min and leaves me gasping for breath. I used to comfortably play 2 hours of table tennis, climb hills, and go for 8 mile hikes. Not any more, sadly.

My muscle dizziness feels like a build up of pressure or bubbles. A sort of internal itchiness and restlessness and there’s no relief.

I have the same symptoms ( sorry not read the full thread)
Spoke to a locum doctor as was to be arranging a face to face appointment and to see if I should have an echo or ecg.
Basically it's all in my head according to him. Look at self help on the internet and come back to us if things get worse.
I could cry

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-i-have-a-chronic-illness-i-know-what-the-covid-19-long-haulers-are/

time.com/5897992/long-haul-coronavirus-me-cfs

twitter.com/search?q=mecfs%20longcovid&src=typed_query

For me the feeling is like pins and needles in my hands and on my top lip, and burning, as if from deep heat or chillies, everywhere else. And it moves around, a few days here, a few days there. On a 20 hr cycle.

And no fatigue at all, not for months.

www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/1/2/a-geneticists-biggest-challenge-curing-his-own-son

Mostly about ME, but a small bit about Covid.

"He launched the first study into long-term molecular changes in COVID patients and he is years ahead in his research on why some patients cannot recover easily after a severe viral infection.

“This could be a turning point to figuring out how ME/CFS gets triggered and how to stop it before it starts,” Whitney typed in a text shared by his parents. “They are taking blood from coronavirus patients and monitoring their progress so they can see, in real-time, the transition from coronavirus to ME/CFS.”"

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/21/were-about-to-see-a-wave-of-long-covid-when-will-ministers-take-it-seriously

I'm pretty sure I had Covid in March, and was left with post viral fatigue for a few weeks afterwards. Actually the pains and aches took about 3 months to really subside.
I have had post viral fatigue before - from shingles and swine flu. I think it is normal for some of us when our immune systems have taken a bashing.

Has anyone here with ME had their vaccination yet?

I had the AZ jab 2 weeks ago. (Have had ME 20 years & Fibro last 5 years)

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/14/super-spreading-long-covid-professor-press-coverage

forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/findings-from-the-uk-nhs-long-covid-clinic-treating-patients-with-neurological-symptoms.83800/