Long COVID: What bloodwork and vitamin/supplement recommendations?
My daughter has debilitating fatigue as well as other symptoms (including but not limited to brain fog, cognitive issues, sudden onset nerve pain in feet, cough, shortness of breath). She's looking for non-western medical advice in addition to traditional. Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated?
Two part question:
1) What blood tests do you recommend requesting for LC?
In addition to CBC, my thought was vitamin panel, ferritin bloodwork, CRP. Any others?
2) What supplements / herbs, etc. have been helpful?
All B vitamins, Vitamin D, Turmeric, Quercetin, NAC (not sure that that is, but read it in a posting), Magnesium, Zinc.
Thank you!
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.
Hello I am a survivor of Covid and this is the first I have written. Thank you all for your comments. I have almost finished 3 years since contracting COVID. I was in the hospital and rehab for 5 1/2 months, on a vent for 2 months! It’s been some recovery but I have found now that doctors don’t want to treat me much anymore. They say, you are doing fantastic and better than most people who were not as sick as you!
I am so grateful to be alive, but it is a full time job trying to feel better!
Thank you all for sharing! I have lots to share about my recovery as well as I will !
I have heard reference to long covid recovery protocols from the FLCCC Alliance. Does the Mayo Clinic use these protocols and recommend them?
Good question, @lizpower. I moved your question to this discussion so you can connect with others looking for a protocol that works for them. There remains much to be studied regarding effective treatment of long COVID.
Members like @sdykema @ldropps @arichards3 @baker00l @joanma @mitfit @seidholz @19465 who have been to Mayo Clinic's Post-COVID program can tell you more about their experiences.
I think the overarching messages are:
a) treatment depends on your symptoms and should be tailored for you
b) recovery takes time, can involve set backs and requires patience.
c) there is no silver bullet
Here's some information about Mayo Clinic's approach from Mayo Clinic:
- Post-COVID Conditions - Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2023
Michael R. Mueller, MD, Ravindra Ganesh, MBBS, MD, Ryan T. Hurt, MD, PhD, Thomas J. Beckman, MD
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2023.04.007
Key takeaway
"Because presenting symptoms are often vague, the approach to evaluation should be comprehensive with consideration of other diseases that could masquerade as post-COVID conditioni (PCC). Treatments of PCC are little researched, are largely expert based, and are likely to evolve as more evidence emerges. Current therapies, which are symptom targeted, include medications and nonpharmacologic therapies such as optimizing fluid intake, compression garments, progressive activity, meditation, biofeedback, cognitive rehabilitation, and addressing concomitant mood disorders. Many patients will enjoy significant improvements in their quality of life with multimodal treatments and longitudinal care."
- Interview with Mayo Clinic Long COVID Expert Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn (2023)
Expert blog post by Dr. Ganesh, Mayo Clinic
- Post-COVID Syndrome and Medications https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/post-covid-recovery/newsfeed-post/post-covid-syndrome-and-medications/
Liz, if you would like to request an appointment at Mayo Clinic you can get started here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
What are you main symptoms? Have you been to a long COVID clinic?
I am still in the NIH study and the response is still the same. Symptoms from Long Haul vary from case to case and seem to gradually get better. The thought is that this is an aggressive virus different from any recent viruses in that it attacks each subject differently. Depending the health conditions of those infected, the virus seems to target areas of least resistance. For instance, if there is a weakness in the optical makeup, it may cause pronounced affliction to the eyes
I have heard from some of my medical people that Covid could resemble viruses from past epidemics but because of lack of records, there is no way to know for sure. And no way to look at past instances to help predict how long symptoms last.
The good news is that most are experiencing reduced symptoms with time.
@colleenyoung and @lizpower it's been over 2.5 years since I've been to the Mayo Clinic. I am sure they have learned more in that time. I was treated exactly like I had fibromyalgia except they didn't recommend any fibromyalgia medication. If you view their book on fibromyalgia everything in there is what I was taught. I found this out when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia last spring.
I just spent over four hours typing all my symptoms, diagnosees, medicines, supplements, efficacies, treatments, doctors, and current condition, added a few pictures for visual support and the filed failed to upload to this platform. I lost all of it. This was the first time all was written. I am unable to do this again.
Summary:
Covid and long Covid 11 times, diagnosed by testing, parallel symtomology.
DVT groin to ankle.
SVT (4)
PE (3) both lungs
Covid Viral Reactive Arthritis (25 months)
Brain, lung, heart, GI, laranyx, skin, DNS failures, nerve, joint, pharangeal, etc... symptoms.
Significant medicinal allergies and adverse events so no Covid vaccine or boosters.
Niccotine (patch, gum, pouch)
Stromectol
Magnesium
D3
Spike Protein Supplement (trade name)
THC cream
CBD
CBG
Curcumin
Tumeric
Pepper (s)
Bitter herbs family
Fish oil (high omega)
Korean Ghensing
Cinnamon
Garlic oil
Honey
Solanaceae family
All in current use. All moderate to high efficacy.
Those not listed have all been tried from HDQ to Ozone therapy. Too many too write. Low or poor efficacy or none.
My Ph.D is in pathology and microbiology, focus on plant nutrition, disease and relation to human and animal disease and prevention.
I pray all impacted by SarsCoV-2 have healing from the Lord Father. Amen.
My doctor finally put me on Super B with Folate and on a week the fatigue was gone. It worked for me but I also went to Physical Therapy to regain my strength.
I had all the vaccines before I got the Omicron variant and reacted to all of them with flu like symptoms for a week. No more for me!
Are you doing any kind of exercise therapy. I had to work hard at physical therapy to get my strength back.
I have been unable to to any rehab. Covid four times in 2023, PEs, DVT, SVT, and primarily Vovid Reactive Arthritis weekly have prevented me from starting any exercise. I also had the flu and bronchitis in December with the last covid.
I know the frustrations of losing a long post. I now write my replies in Word and do a copy and paste to the blog. If it gets messed up on the blog reply, I still have a copy on Word. Hope it goes better.