Stellate Ganglion Block for Long COVID?

@potudy -

Where is the source of pain for you and while I understand the SPG block, what is the goal for it w/ Long Covid?

Yes, I have had 3 so far and will be going for a 4th in a few weeks. I lost my taste and smell in December of 2022, due to Covid. Here it is April 2024 and only a slight improvement with the injections. They are used, in my case to increase taste and smell. It has only helped minimally, where I get a stronger salty, sweet or sour/bitter taste in my mouth, no flavors however. I can smell ground coffee almost every morning, but the scents are fleeting. I live in the Chicago suburbs and have these injections done at our Northwestern Hospital in the city of Chicago’s Pain Management Clinic. They use an ultra sound to guide them where the injection needs to go into your neck and inject you with Lidocane. It isn’t painful, but the side they inject you on, your eyelid will droop for a while and your sinuses on that side will be stuffed up for about 2 hours. Other than that, it’s quite painless. If you’re considering doing this, be sure you’re going to a reputable hospital that knows what they’re doing. I’ve been told Cleveland Hospital is doing it as well. I wish you all the best!

I have also been wondering this same thing. I’m not sure if Mayo does this procedure for Covid patients though, that is what I need to know.

Thank you for your response. I decided to try the procedure and it helped with my fatigue, brain fog, and mood. I have heard that it does not seem to do for loss of smell/taste, but a friend told me she recovered her sense of smell after a few sessions of red light therapy with one of those platinum LED 900 machines. Could that help with taste perhaps?

SGB is now used for other ailments besides pain. For example, it seems to provide relief for PTSD. There have also been several recent publications on SGB helping with some Long Covid symptoms.

In my experience, Mayo does not provide services that aren't fully tested and approved for Long Covid.

I responded before and now I’ve had my 4th Stellate Ganglion Block Injection and what it did for me this time is it gave me more energy. I noticed I had more energy at the end of the day and I feel I sleep better as well. My taste and smell hasn’t changed much more than my first post, but I can still smell my coffee grounds in the morning, but most things I am able to smell are fleeting and I haven’t been able to taste anything.

You may be interested in this related discussion:
- Have you tried this treatment? Stellate Ganglion Block study
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/have-you-tried-this-treatment/
Studies about nerve blocks at Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayo.edu/research/clinical-trials/tests-procedures/nerve-blocks/

Have you checked your zinc levels?

My 5th SGB injection seemed to help my anxiety, but it hasn’t brought back my taste/smell totally, only slight improvement there. I’ve not heard about this LED 900 machine. Is it something you can purchase for home use or is it used in therapy. I’ll try just about anything at this point.