SOS: COVID + skin welts, thrush, strep throat and more

Posted by mandi92 @mandi92, Dec 6, 2021

Hi everyone, I am hoping that someone can give me some guidance or advice on all of the wild issues I’ve been having since June. I would love to make an appointment but I am not in a state local to a Mayo Clinic and unfortunately I have yet to meet a doctor or specialist in PA who has any idea how to help.

Here's what's going on: I got the J&J vaccine in April and then in June I got hit with COVID - not bad enough to be in the hospital, but it was bad. About two weeks after I started getting better, I developed a horrible rash with big red welts all over my body that lasted for 8 weeks, I started feeling hot and dizzy and sensitive to light, breathing felt weird, I started feeling weak and my depression and anxiety were definitely made worse. The rash is the only thing that actually went away so far. I then developed a white coating on my tongue and a metallic taste in my mouth and was told it was probably thrush but no oral or topical medications have been able to get rid of it, and it still has not gone away. Possibly unrelated, but shortly after this started, I strangely had a positive strep throat test but no antibiotics seemed to get rid of the strep symptoms (and I took a LOT of antibiotics). I never really went back to feeling normal. Then in September, I was exposed to COVID again and tested positive, not sure if it was from when I had it in June or a new case of COVID but all I really had was a bad headache. However, around the same time, I started getting weird urinary symptoms that no tests or doctors can explain. Tried more antibiotics for possible UTI, no improvement. THEN 11 days ago (right around Thanksgiving)I got extremely sick, lost my taste and smell, and tested positive for COVID AGAIN (my dad also tested positive so it was definitely a new infection and not a false positive) and I feel the same weird symptoms from June starting up now that I am beginning to get better from my 'active virus' symptoms. Now, I feel like I have strep again and at the risk of sounding insane, I'm wondering could COVID cause damage to throat tissue and somehow activate strep that was previously dormant? Could COVID be causing any or all of my very weird body-wide symptoms that absolutely no one has been able to help me with for months?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

I forgot to ask in my first post if anyone knows whether or not it’s a good idea to get the booster since my immune system is struggling so much already? And if so, can I get a booster besides J&J, even though that was the vaccine I got in April? 29 year old female if that is relevant.

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I would suggest Manuka Honey cough drops for your throat and 3 drops of peppermint essential oil in 8 oz of water for thrush, DO NOT SWALLOW, rinse mouth 2-3 times per day.

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@mandi92

I forgot to ask in my first post if anyone knows whether or not it’s a good idea to get the booster since my immune system is struggling so much already? And if so, can I get a booster besides J&J, even though that was the vaccine I got in April? 29 year old female if that is relevant.

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It’s always best to consult with your doctor about what’s best for you regarding the vaccines and/or boosters. With that said, my husband and I got the J&J initially in March and boosted with Moderna in November. Besides the immediate side effects of the vaccines, my longhaul symptoms neither improved nor worsened, though I do feel better protected against reinfection.

I’m so sorry to hear what you’ve been through. It’s all so confounding! I’m 15 months into Longhaul, 60yo female.

I would suggest reaching out to the Mayo Clinic COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program (CARP) regardless of your location. Much of the consultations can be performed virtually via Telehealth and they make it clear they intend to work with your local doctors on treatment. My GP sent in a referral for me and I am in the process of getting into the program. I’m hopeful.

Physician Referrals
Rochester, Minnesota
Phone Domestic 800-533-1564 Fax Domestic 800-321-1368
Link to Referral Form:

https://mcforms.mayo.edu/mc0600-mc0699/mc0688-04.pdf

I wish you the best in your recovery.

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@jocelyneg

I would suggest Manuka Honey cough drops for your throat and 3 drops of peppermint essential oil in 8 oz of water for thrush, DO NOT SWALLOW, rinse mouth 2-3 times per day.

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Thank you!

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@jrg200911

It’s always best to consult with your doctor about what’s best for you regarding the vaccines and/or boosters. With that said, my husband and I got the J&J initially in March and boosted with Moderna in November. Besides the immediate side effects of the vaccines, my longhaul symptoms neither improved nor worsened, though I do feel better protected against reinfection.

I’m so sorry to hear what you’ve been through. It’s all so confounding! I’m 15 months into Longhaul, 60yo female.

I would suggest reaching out to the Mayo Clinic COVID Activity Rehabilitation Program (CARP) regardless of your location. Much of the consultations can be performed virtually via Telehealth and they make it clear they intend to work with your local doctors on treatment. My GP sent in a referral for me and I am in the process of getting into the program. I’m hopeful.

Physician Referrals
Rochester, Minnesota
Phone Domestic 800-533-1564 Fax Domestic 800-321-1368
Link to Referral Form:

https://mcforms.mayo.edu/mc0600-mc0699/mc0688-04.pdf

I wish you the best in your recovery.

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Thank you so much! I will reach out. 15 months into it sounds awful. What are you still struggling with, if you don’t mind me asking?

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@mandi92

Thank you so much! I will reach out. 15 months into it sounds awful. What are you still struggling with, if you don’t mind me asking?

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I am presuming an initial asymptomatic acute COVID infection because literally overnight, from 9/10/2020 to 9/11/2020, I went from trim, healthy and active with no comorbidities, taking no prescription medications, walking 3-7 miles per day, to suffering shortness of breath; dizziness; chest pain/pressure; brainfog; fatigue; heart racing/palpitations/rate spikes and dips (up to 200bpm/down to mid-40bpm) with little to no exertion – many times while sitting, with nausea, full body flushes preceding these “episodes”; headaches; ribcage soreness, visual changes… overnight. My entire bag-o-symptoms are not always present together nor to the worst degree, but have been always everyday in some combination to varying degrees of severity since onset 9/11/2020. With any level of activity I risk a “crash” involving increase of severity of any or all symptoms lasting sometimes for days.

[After 2 NEGATIVE PCR tests, and 1 NEGATIVE Antibody test, I finally got a POSITIVE T-Detect t-cell test 8/30/2021. I couldn’t imagine it being anything but Long COVID, but after almost a year of this it was nice to get validation…]

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Wow! That was a journey, glad you finally got confirmation. Also good to hear your symptoms are beginning to ease.
Sue

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It doesn't sound to me like jrg's symptoms are beginning to ease. I have been suffering with these exact same health problems for 26 months and counting. I have been on this site before to tell my story about long-haul Mono. I'm still waiting for validation from the medical community that this has been around for decades with no relief. It has not been a priority and people have been suffering for years. We want to be recognized and allowed to join in on the programs that are helping the long-haul COVID patients. We have the same problems and have been suffering longer. Why can't we be included?

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@nataliem

It doesn't sound to me like jrg's symptoms are beginning to ease. I have been suffering with these exact same health problems for 26 months and counting. I have been on this site before to tell my story about long-haul Mono. I'm still waiting for validation from the medical community that this has been around for decades with no relief. It has not been a priority and people have been suffering for years. We want to be recognized and allowed to join in on the programs that are helping the long-haul COVID patients. We have the same problems and have been suffering longer. Why can't we be included?

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It seems the medical world may be starting to connect some dots. Hoping soon the picture will become clearer and we ALL can receive the guidance and care we need to get better ❤️‍🩹

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