Chronic diarrhea: The evolving symptoms of long COVID

Sorry, I don’t have anything to offer about diarrhea. But, did you have any smell/taste problems?

It seems Covid messes with the biome of the bowel. Some of us get diarrhea and some get constipation.
Especially with diarrhea, replacing electrolytes and staying hydrated is important.
I see a lot of LC sufferers get help using Liquid IV. It’s a powder electrolyte mix to add to water.
I have the opposite problem and I’m using GutRhythm, to try to balance my gut biome again, and get my bowel moving. It is helping me, but still not back to normal.
GutRhythm is available only online. Liquid IV is available at Costco, and I think other places as well.

Just this morning I read an article from Goats and Soda on NPR site, stating how easily and cheaply chronic diarrhea can be treated especially in children.
Not sure how to post here, but you can find the article on NPR.
Search NPR ..Childhood diarrhea can be deadly. One treatment is effective-but underused: Goats and Soda
I think this would apply to anyone with chronic diarrhea.

I lost smell taste during covid, for a few days.

Not during long vivid. About a week ago my smell and taste were almost psychedelically acute. Better than 30 years ago. That has since subsided

I have tinnitus (inner ear inflammation?) diarrhea and dizzy spells, where I almost pass out but never do.

A year ago I had 20 dizzy spells per day. Now 4 to 6.

I have noticed they subside quicker if I breath fast and deeply.

What ever the dizzy spells are. At least one Bozeman Mt Dr said "not vertigo"

Interesting that you mention acute taste. I recently had that too. I lost taste and smell during Covid, but recovered with a somewhat dulled taste. Recently, (after TWO years) my taste seemed very acute. I was eating chili verde and I tasted every note in the dish! Like you, I don’t think it lasted, but it was something!

On vertigo, doctors don’t call “dizzy” vertigo unless you feel the room is spinning. With me I have “disequilibrium “, but not true vertigo.
I always have disequilibrium unless I am seated or lying down.

Yes, deep breathing helps me too.
Good luck to you.

I wound up getting my ulcerative colitis back from covid after being in remission for over 20 years...I had the highest Calprotectin lab result they had ever seen. What a journey..nothing helped until I got off all the medication they were having me take for the Colitis.

My digestive bloating and pain resolved quickly after removing gluten from my diet. Apparently long covid initiated gluten sensitivity, as it has in others. Next I found I had become shell fish intolerant. The diarrhea took about months to disappear once I had stopped the foods I was sensitive to. Joint symptoms remain but this is a real improvement. I had added a number of supplements during this process and they may have helped as well, eg ARMRA colostrum which might reduce gut permeability. There is very little evidence on the supplements. I did do a microbiome test a month ago and I had done one before I got Covid. My new results aren't back yet but I plan to compare the composition of my microbiome pre and post Covid and use supplements to try to address any negative changes. Research has shown that microbiome changes correlate with long Covid--causal direction unclear.

I have diarrhea and constipation and both seem to be related to LC, and exacerbated by heat over a baseline around 73 F. Heat seems to throw my GI system into a frenzied freakout. This began in over a year ago and has not fully resolved. My GI specialist put me on supllements for mitochondrial health, as well as a stool softener, probiotics, magnesium and fiber. Either the cooler fall weather or the supplements have led to intermittent diarrhea and eliminated the bloating, cramping and pain, but hot days, or exertion in temperatures over that baseline will still set it off again.

Both here as well. Prompted me to request a colonoscopy . Had to fight to get it because of my age. In the interim during the looooooong wait to get it scheduled, did a 6 week fast that ended about a month ago. I am working on becoming consistent about taking digestive enzymes with meals, however small, and probiotics daily since breaking the fast. Both diarrhea and constipation seem to have resolved resolved themselves. Fingers crossed. Had the colonoscopy done done last week and all appeared normal.

Double check with doctors to make sure you don’t have a G.I. neuroendocrine tumor situation going on. G.I. NETS is pretty rare but a friend of mine had diahrea and facial flushing for a year and a half and 2 colonoscopies and a scope didn’t find it. Took ultrasound and CT scans to find and it is stage 4 grade 1 and she had surgery at U of Iowa by Dr James Howe who has over 30 years experience with this disease

thank you for sharing, I am wondering if you could share a little more about your fast and which enzymes you take. thank you so much!!!