Welcome @rmfe. What other long COVID symptoms have you experienced? What has your recovery experience been? Anything different in your life that coincides with the weight gain?

I had sever covid in 3/2020, was not hospitalised and recovered at home over a 4 week period with my PCP calling 2x daily. in June and December 2020 , I still had very high covid IGM and IGG although I have tested negative for covid. I continued to have memory fog and tiredness which partially subsuded post getting my Pfizer covid shots in 4/2021 - both shots did bring on 2/3 days of flu like symptoms. Got the booster covid shot 10/2021 - which also brought on 2 days of flu like symptoms. In 2/2022 - noticed unexplained weight gain , primarily in the stomach area which was " hard": to the touch. There were no changes in my diet and or lifestyle and I am a very fit 61 year old man who exercises daily. Post seeing my PCP, my immunologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, neurologist and a kidney specialist it was determined that all of my major organs and my blood work looked fine ( perfect was the word used) and my weight gain was associated to / connected with my unique covid history and it was suggested that I look into the Mayo clinic and MGH ( my primary hospital) long haul covid studies / clinics.

I’m on the same timeline as you with Covid March 2020. Bilateral Covid pneumonia diagnosed in the ER but I told them i would be fine at home with a pulse ox (I work in healthcare) Oxygen went down into 80’s and even in 70’s occasionally. Unfortunately I was so out of it I couldn’t even get myself back to the hospital. I’m lucky to be here. Been dealing with long haul stuff since then. I’m on bipap at night due to central/mixed sleep apnea that began when I had Covid. I never had any kind of sleep apnea before then. I noticed last month a sudden weight gain of about 8 pounds in my belly area. I have not seen the dr for it because… I feel like… what’s the point? Till they know more…. My mind and body can’t take much more of being told it is anxiety or depression or that there is no link. Thank you for making me feel a tiny bit less crazy.

I had Covid in February 2020. Very sick for two weeks with a more digestive type illness. Could not eat due to nausea and extreme fatigue and lost 10 lbs. Developed Long Covid, really bad for a year with fatigue, dry cough, exercise intolerance, dizziness, strange pressure in head, headaches, poor memory, brain fog, depression/anxiety, edema, elevated blood markers for risk of blood clots, the list goes on. Was getting a little better and then symptoms were exacerbated by one dose of vaccine in January 2021. Vaccine injury with nerve pain, terrible memory and cognitive problems. Can't get another vaccine. Two years from illness I was feeling generally better, with fewer Long Haul episodes, but had developed inflammation in my blood vessels, elevated triglycerides, pre diabetes and sudden weight gain in belly area with extreme edema in abdomen. No reason that makes sense. I eat a healthy, organic diet, walk daily and practice holistic medicine. Weight increasing and I can't seem to stop it. I am at risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, despite my history of being slender and fit. Somehow, Covid did this to me.

You have no idea how happy I am to have finally come across this discussion after months of searching! March 2020 infection as well. Long Hauler. Rapid weight gain 100lbs! It came on in 6 weeks!

I was a triathlete when I got sick. I was in the best shape of my life. Age 42 female. Hyperactive, always on the go, always happy seeing the positive in everything.

I’m now destroyed. Please help.

My PCP and other doctors within USFHealthCare are focusing on my diet and exercise.

First off I can’t exercise due to fatigue and secondly I’m barely eating at this point. I’m on mainly none solid foods. Juicing and things like that. I’m 5ft 1in and now 245lbs which is crazy.

I was also prescribed a diuretic which was supposed to help me shed “water weight”, but it only made the leg and feet swelling worse. My mouth tasted like the ocean. They even doubled the dose thinking it wasn’t quite working. It just made it worse.

I took myself off of it and the swelling of my legs, feet, and ankles drastically improved if not gone completely.

When the rapid weight gain started it was so scary. I could even see the fibrous outlines in my legs like the adipose tissue was swelling uncontrollably pressing through, it was like a grid on my legs.

My stomach hard which made its way higher and higher working it’s way to my chest and my neck. I developed a fat hump on my upper back at the base of my neck. Testing negative for Cushings. Couldn’t have been caused by high cortisol I don’t think.

I did end up in adrenal failure. That part I don’t quite understand.

I do have hypothyroidism but it wouldn’t have caused this VERY rapid weight gain. My TSH levels went sky high only during a short period of time. It was around initial infection.

However, they still don’t have my hypothyroidism under control and keep trying to treat me with T4 even though my previous doctors had always treated me with T3 because my body just doesn’t convert T4 to T3 effectively. My previous doctor told me I had Hashimotos but these doctors are telling me I don’t have Hashimotos. I think this is a secondary issue.

Rapid weight gain was after initial infection. 100lbs in 6 weeks. It’s when I feel my long COVID started.

It’s like they think I’m eating a ton of junk food sitting on my butt all day. They aren’t listening to me. They can’t get this weight fixed.

Any advise please.

I use a walker now. I’m walking about 3 miles on average a day just with steps taking my dog outside.

There has to be some link with the adipose tissue and COVID. I wasn’t obese or overweight when I got sick. Like did COVID somehow cause my fat cells to replicate like crazy while COVID cells replicated within it? Is there still COVID infection in there now? Is there a medication that gets rid of this potential viral debris?

Please share any and all doctors that you’re having success with.

I’m desperate here. My body is Completely destroyed.

I cannot continue to be ignored any longer, I need help. I need a doctor to figure this out.

I am single and live alone. No support system. Work-a-holic.

Central Sensitization Syndrome would be very helpful to inquire about. I was treated in Jacksonville by the Comprehensive Pain Rehabilitation Program. For symptom management id you’d like insight to the major malfunction.

this is a reply to Vawaid

I had covid during the first week of the New Year. I gained 40lbs in less than 3 months after I had it and have not changed my calorie or water intake at all nor changed my exercise routine. I'm still so stumped and honestly it is making me depressed. I have been experiencing horrid body paid from the weight gain too. I don't know what else to do.

Hi, I’m 10 months post Covid. I was very active and now have no energy. I’ve gained 15 pounds. I’m in the long Covid clinic and am hoping that I will get some info at my follow up appts this month.

Finally I find experiences I can relate to.

I am a healthy middle age female and I've always been on the same weight all my teen-adult life. I did exercise regularly and even lost pregnancy weight pretty quickly after having my kid. I never got tested for Covid but my husband did (he had it twice, different years). I only had a bad cough just for one day, no other symptoms so I assumed I never had it but then the extreme fatigue and headaches started and lasted for like 6 months or more, I also had extreme back pain, maybe kidney stuff? At the same time I started gaining weight very fast (40pounds in 2 months) and have been unable to lose it despite eating extremely healthy and swimming 3 times per week. Like if I move away from the routine, weight starts building up again. I have tested my blood, thyroid, hormonal profile, kidneys and all comes back normal. It really scares me, I have reached 165 pounds in 4 months when I have forever been around 110. Currently even if I try, I cannot exercise the way I used to or I become extremely fatigue, its like my metabolism got screwed.

I was also discussing this with a friend of mine and says she is in a similar situation (she has always been very slim until recent months) she also relates her weight gain with Covid...

I hope this gets investigated to find the cause of it. It really sucks to have no control over my weight anymore.