Episodes of intense muscle weakness after covid

[nomoremsniceperson]

I came down with covid just over 2 weeks ago and was positive for about 1 week. The symptoms were mainly exhaustion and slight shortness of breath with a tiny bit of nose congestion and a slight tickle in my throat - quite mild really.

However, 2 days after I tested negative (last Saturday night), I had an episode where my entire body felt extremely weak and shaky. It was a bit like having low blood sugar but somehow different. I felt completely strange, it was an alien, almost out-of-body experience. Then yesterday after work I had the same thing, and then again when I woke up this morning I had this weakness all over my body - the low blood sugar feeling combined with that feeling you get when you work your muscles too hard and they are just wobbly and won't do what you want.

This is combined with a headache and general feeling of malaise. Is this normal after covid? Anyone else experience similar? If so, what helped? It's freaking me out and I'm worried I will have to miss work and school which I really don't want to do.

Would appreciate any advice or info!

I had this when I was very ill with covid in 2021. Couldn't walk for a while it was very alarming. I ended up in hospital for a week.
The headache and malaise I think is part of the fatigue that for some people seems to linger for weeks after covid, even when they weren't that ill with it.

Thanks for your response. I find it so unsettling, the first time it happened I thought I was having a stroke or something! It really helps me to know other people have been through it. I hope you made a full recovery. 💐

I came down with covid about a month ago now. Officially kinda recovered but very tired, not back to normal and definite episodes of weak shakiness OP.
I'm just trying to pace myself (I'm lying in bed right now!) and get plenty of rest and eat well. Slowly feeling better.
Hope you feel better soon @nomoremsniceperson

thanks heldinadream, and I'm glad you're starting to feel better. I was so blasé about getting ill this time because my first two infections were so mild and complication-free. After I recover fully I'll definitely be getting another vaccine I think. This virus is so bizarre and unpredictable!

I also felt worse after testing negative. Its been just over 3 weeks since symptoms started and 2 weeks since i had a negative test.
I think this new strain has had the same effect on a lot of people.
One day your up the next your down.
I'm still left with nausea and dizzy head but a lot better than last week.
Hopefully you feel better soon

Yes!! Omg I thought I was the only one - mine is more now when I do anything which involves me actually using my muscles - like lifting my toddler. I’m on 5 months of this and hoping it goes soon - I’m obv LC now. Some days it’s worse than others but definitely see that when I am more exhausted overall that is worse. It’s my arms and my legs and it’s horrible.

@Cloxs I'm 6 weeks today from 1st day of symptoms. And still having a few symptoms.
Constant sinus drainage and ears are still crackling and still a bit dizzy.
Each day I feel a bit better and manage to do a bit more housework.
But come the night I literally crash and feel awful again.
As for the muscles I keep getting weird sensation in them that comes and goes. Above my knees and in my toes I was getting a strange numbness .
I know it can take a while for symptoms to resolve completely but it's causing me anxiety now.

@nomoremsniceperson I was 100% convinced I had MS- started post covid (and coincidentally shortly after post vaccine as I had roughly the same time)

Started with a weird light headed feeling- really spacey, then had chronic pins and needles in lower legs and feet, followed by one sided weakness in one leg, it felt like one leg felt very heavy and wobbly compared to the other - then developed bad headaches in back of head and neck pain and a kind of internal buzzing in one finger and lower leg (one sided)

Saw a neurologist and had various blood tests

A year later it has all massively subsided - with the exception of a bit of neck pain and a bit of back of the head headache. To be honest at 61- could well just be arthritis

The virus can play havoc it seems with some peoples central nervous system and with some people it's breathing and heart and it takes time to reset- with some people it simply hasn't - in my case it did but I had a horrible 10'months

I lost 2stone, cut my alcohol right down, drank gallons of water , went gluten free and hugely upped my VitD, plus vitamins in general and did lots of deep breathing.

@nomoremsniceperson That's how I've felt these past couple of weeks .
That spacey feeling which I though was related to my ears.
My GP currently gave me a Bp machine and im having to take blood pressure readings daily.
Covid really does mess with everything like you said .

While it sucks that we're all suffering, it's great to hear that it's not only me and that this is indeed the effects of covid and not something much worse. Small update - the muscle weakness episodes got much fewer and further between and now I'm only having very mild feelings of weakness after periods of exertion - what I can only describe as a sort of light-bodiedness, or a gentle fizzing in my limbs. So it does get better. I think what helped has mainly been time but also taking magnesium and B12 supplements seemed to make a difference too.
A guy I know caught covid 5 weeks ago and he was looking still so ill when I saw him yesterday. I'll definitely be getting the vaccine again asap, this strain is no joke!

It’s called mitochondrial insufficiency. It’s well known to happen in any viral illness.

There are a few things you can do to build up again but mostly it’s time and taking it easy.

I'm now 5 weeks since a positive test and still feel.ill but without actual symptoms. I feel.very weak and lightheaded.

I don't think you can even pay for a vaccine at the moment unless you fall into a vulnerable category. I feel like I've been thrown under a bus. It's too expensive to administer the vaccines they have apparently.

@nomoremsniceperson the things that really helped me were vit D spray , magnesium spray on lower legs and a good (read expensive) multi vit every day plus gallons of water, stretching exercises daily and tons of deep breathing from diaphragm and not overdoing it

The neurologist gave me a good tip for the light headed spacey thing. She told me to sit still, look straight ahead and focus hard on a point about 20 feet away without blinking much or moving head and slow breathing- for 5 minutes- strangely it did work

Oh I also too Alpha lipoic acid for a month as that's good for mitrochondial issues

@TropDrôle ahh, good to have a name for it! thank you.

I have this, but without covid. The other day my leg was painful but numb at the same time. Then I had aches down the same side of my body. My hand felt weak but I could still lift things. I thought I was having a stroke, and got my dh to check. later the feeling felt like it was draining out if my body and I felt 98% fine.