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Covid

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Original poster

Can Covid (or any virus) 'reset' your immune system

34 replies

BetterSinceCovid · 11/09/2021 18:34

I had Covid a few weeks ok. I was a bit poorly, but mostly ok, certainly not the most ill I've ever been. I'm unvaccinated if it's relevant.

Two weeks after my first positive test I felt completely back to normal. But not back to normal. Really good.

For a good few weeks/month before i caught Covid I had been blighted by headaches and nausea which would come and go to varying degrees but I would find myself taking ibuprofen almost every day.

Since having Covid I have felt much better and haven't had any headaches or nausea and have loads of energy!

Is is possible for a illness to give your general immune system a boost? I can't see any other explanation. It's so odd. I'm very grateful obviously.

OP posts:
riveted1 · 11/09/2021 18:55

I don't think there's much of a precedent for viral infections improving immune system function (although v happy to be corrected!). And I wouldn't say headaches/nausea are necessarily caused by infection anyway?

But could be possible that the behaviours associated with being ill (sleeping more, taking it easy, eating better, cutting back on the caffeine or whatever) improved your health? Or maybe you were more worried about getting coronavirus than you realised, and now you feel you can relax?

CrunchyCarrot · 11/09/2021 20:41

If you were taking ibuprofen nearly every day for headaches, this would have likely given you 'rebound' headaches and possibly nausea. It's a vicious cycle. Were you off the ibuprofen whilst ill with Covid?

Be careful not to start taking ibuprofen again, other than very occasionally. Headaches often resolve with drinking a glass of water, as dehydration is a common cause.

ACreakingGateNeverStops · 11/09/2021 21:11

I really like this as an idea OP but sadly I can't see it being a thing....imagine if it was though people with autoimmune diseases would be queuing up to catch covid and have their immune system set back to normal, that would be great 🙂

ollyollyoxenfree · 11/09/2021 21:31

@CrunchyCarrot

If you were taking ibuprofen nearly every day for headaches, this would have likely given you 'rebound' headaches and possibly nausea. It's a vicious cycle. Were you off the ibuprofen whilst ill with Covid?

Be careful not to start taking ibuprofen again, other than very occasionally. Headaches often resolve with drinking a glass of water, as dehydration is a common cause.

Another vote for this ^^

Medication overuse headache is nasty, it's possible that COVID inadvertently made you do a detox of ibuprofen (if you did stop taking them)

Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 11/09/2021 21:41

@riveted1 thank you for replying. I did wonder about caffeine use making it worse as I thought I felt worse after having caffeine but have been drinking caffeine since Covid without any problems. I guess it's possible it was anxiety about catching Covid but I certainly didn't feel worried in myself!

OP posts:
TeloMere · 11/09/2021 21:46

If you were taking Ibuprofen regularly then that could have caused the nausea.
It can irritate the lining of the stomach.
I had a bad experience with Ibiprofen and ended up with a stomach bleed after only 6 days.

I didn't realise that was the cause of my mild nausea from day 2 otherwise I'd have stopped it earlier.

Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 11/09/2021 21:48

@CrunchyCarrot and @ollyollyoxenfree I did wonder about this pre Covid. I had a work colleague who was addicted to codeine who always had headaches and talked about 'feeling heady' and needing the codeine so was aware of this.

I did sometimes used to take paracetamol and go without any painkillers sometimes because of this.

When I had Covid I had ibuprofen/paracetamol most days, often several times so I'm not sure it would be that, and since then none, but thanks to you both for flagging it up.

OP posts:
Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 11/09/2021 21:56

Oh also I'm always mindful to stay hydrated as I'm breastfeeding so I'd be surprised if it was dehydration.

OP posts:
Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 11/09/2021 21:58

That sounds scary @TeloMere! I'll definitely be more careful about taking it in future.

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1dayatatime · 12/09/2021 20:38

A close friend of mine who had suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for years caught Covid quite badly in December. Interestingly when she recovered from Covid her Chronic fatigue had virtually gone and she she felt 100 times better.

She is now part of an NHS study into this in order to try and better understand long Covid. Apparently it is down to how well the mitochondria in your body recover (or not in the case of long Covid) after a severe viral infection.

According to her, this positive reaction is much more common than you would expect as I have since know of someone else who also recovered to a state much better than before. It's just that people tend not to go their GP or report a favourable health outcome.

That said I would strongly urge you to at least report what has happened to you to your GP as the NHS are keen to learn more which will hopefully help those less fortunate with the opposite outcome suffering from long Covid.

meringue33 · 12/09/2021 20:47

Interesting. My son had molluscum contagium which finally cleared up when he had covid, I wondered if the covid virus killed it. He had had it for about six months though which is often the duration anyway.

Delatron · 12/09/2021 20:48

Interesting. Completely anecdotal but my brother had Covid and a couple of weeks after he recovered he was running up and down mountains feeling stronger and fitter than before. Maybe it was the bed rest that did it though! He has an active job so being forced in to bed for a week may have had a positive impact.

LemonCake79 · 12/09/2021 20:49

This is such an interesting thread. I suffered from cold sores my whole life (at least 3 a year) until my first pregnancy in my 30's. Never had another one since and DD is 9 now... I've been told this is impossible but it's what happened to me.

I agree with @1dayatatime, there is so much we don't understand about the immune system.

Starface · 12/09/2021 20:55

@LemonCake79
Pregnancy also reset my body. No more IBS, thank goodness.

I'd say it makes more sense that pregnancy does this than Covid though!

HopeYourHighHorseBucks · 12/09/2021 21:16

Exactly same here Lemon

It's been 4 years now since I've had one. I used to regularly get bad coldsores, often multiple at a time.

LemonCake79 · 12/09/2021 21:31

@HopeYourHighHorseBucks, so pleased to have found someone else this has happened to! Dr SIL and Dr BIL think I'm making it up even though they saw how bad my sores were pre DD.

@Starface, yes, you are right. It's much weirder that Covid could have a similar impact!

Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 13/09/2021 06:53
  • She is now part of an NHS study into this in order to try and better understand long Covid. Apparently it is down to how well the mitochondria in your body recover (or not in the case of long Covid) after a severe viral infection.

According to her, this positive reaction is much more common than you would expect as I have since know of someone else who also recovered to a state much better than before. It's just that people tend not to go their GP or report a favourable health outcome.*

That is fascinating! And really lovely to hear. I would tell my GP but it's so hard to get an appointment when you're actually ill!

OP posts:
MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 13/09/2021 06:56

Join the Zoe app and tell them.

Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 13/09/2021 06:57

Also interesting regarding pregnancy. Before having DC1 I constantly has a runny nose and had to blow it all the time. I mean roll of tissue on my desk at work all the time, tissues all over the house. After baby was born it just completely went away and has never been like that again.

OP posts:
Original poster
BetterSinceCovid · 13/09/2021 06:59

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

Join the Zoe app and tell them.
The problem is I didn't take a PCR test so I'm not sure they would accept it.
OP posts:
3WildOnes · 13/09/2021 07:38

Researchers might send you an antibody test if they want you to be part of a study. I was given an antibody test as part of a study.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 13/09/2021 07:47

You can ask for an antibody test with Zoe.

There are opportunities to give info when you report daily findings.

Itstheprinciple · 13/09/2021 18:39

When ibwas pregnant, my heyfever stopped and stayed away for a good many years afterwards. It's creeping back up again but DD is 14 and it's still no where near what it was before.

IceMonster · 13/09/2021 19:25

I haven’t had a cold sore since I had my first COVID vaccine. I used to get them a LOT particularly in winter, when stressed, when I had a bad cold.. since my teens.

But they suddenly stopped - I can still feel the tingling sometimes, when I have a cold for example or the beginning of a tiny blister , but then it just stops, so much so that I haven’t even thought about going to the chemist for cream anymore as I’m confident my body seems to fight them off quickly.

Probably just a coincidence- but when I was pondering over it recently all I could think of was that I had the COVID vaccines and since around that time I don’t suffer with them anymore!

TeloMere · 13/09/2021 19:49

BetterSinceCovid
The problem is I didn't take a PCR test so I'm not sure they would accept it

OP if you didn't take a PCR test then you may not have had Covid.
Perhaps you had a random virus for a few months that eventually got worse and then you recovered and felt better.
You mentioned a positive test so I'm assuming it was a lateral flow test.