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Anyone else experience Weight Gain with long COVID?

Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 | Last Active: Sep 21 8:51am | Replies (400)
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@vawaid

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.

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Replies to "You have no idea how happy I am to have finally come across this discussion after..."
mamabear22 | @mamabear22 | Jun 30, 2022

I am so sorry to hear you have had such a terrible time! This virus, and for some, the vaccines, are very destructive. I have just started working with a new holistic doctor. Like all the docs, she is just learning what to do about Long Haulers.

I just tried to share some links to Long Covid clinics, but this site won't allow it. Do a google search for Long Covid clinics. There are many popping up in our country.

I don't know how the spike protein operates in the body once the acute phase is over, but I think the task of patients and health care providers is to find out and eradicate it. I will share any further information I come across.

Hang in there! Somehow there has to be answers.

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makeithome | @makeithome | Mar 22, 2023

Hi, I’m so sorry. I also feel desperate to get better. I’ve been doing biofeedback and it gave me a bit more energy and something to work on. It’s not an overnight cure but it’s something.

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Avery Lyn Ramsey | @aramsey6 | Apr 15, 2023

Hello I had had a nearly identical experience. Have you found any help? I would love to discuss more with you!!

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emillkim | @emillkim | Apr 17, 2023

Hi,

I found your post. I was curious about long covid and idiopathic weight gain. I had the same issue as you. Disproportionate weight gain from getting sick. Almost seemingly resistant to any exercise or diet modification.

My background is both in allopathic medicine (went to med school) but I was primarily an acupuncturist for 16 years. What the sum total is that I was used to thinking outside the box from regular western medicine answers.

Why I wanted to reach out is to ask if you ever heard of the theory of long covid being the product of microclots? Amyloid fibrin clots. Long story short one of the best over the counter solutions to amyloid fibrin clots is Nattokinase. It's derived from Natto, fermented soybeans.

My own symptoms besides weight loss was extreme fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath. Adrenal fatigue. Constipation.

I've really come a long way, I'm mostly a trainer now. With weight lifting regimen and self care things have gotten way better but it's still not perfect. Do some googling and personal research about nattokinase and amyloid fibrin clotting. I am using this protocol and I'm starting to see results.

I'm reaching out because your post came up when I googled long covid and thought you might benefit from this tip.

Good luck and God bless you.

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j77 | @j77 | Apr 20 1:37am

I am so sorry that you are going through this.I am going through the same thing right now.I did not test for long covid,but I know it got me.The problem is I got an Iron infusion around the same time and thought that was causing all my issues.I was in really good shape like you and my life has been stolen from me.I had a reaction which I believe now was covid attacking my whole body.I went from walking on the bike trail 8 miles a day to basically being disabled.I just got tested for Cushings as well because of my massive weight gain of over 100 pounds.The test came back negative though.I also have thyroid disease.I have been on 50 mg of synthroid,but they raised it to 75 mg because my TSH was a little elevated.At the beginning of this I was only a little over 100 pounds and I am 5'11.I could not swallow so I could not eat.I thought I was going to die,but luckily my primary put me on steroids which gave me the ability to eat again.I believe Covid does change the cells or DNA.I don't even look like the same person.I use have really nice long hair and now I have what looks like chemo hair.It is like nothing I have ever seen before.I have lost all the strength in the trunk of my body,arms and legs.My upper arms and legs are huge though.I feel like Marshmallow State puffman when I walk.I have had every test you could possibly imagine and they can't find much of anything.One neurologist thinks I haveva metabolic muscular disease,but the Endricinologist does not think so.It could be Metabolic.Nothing in my body is working properly.I have even lost strength in my face for talking,chewing,swallowing and facial expressions.Addisons and some other diseases are low blood pressure and weight loss.I am the opposite.My cortisol is fine too.The only thing they have found is low DEHA Sulfate,low carbon dioxide in the blood and low testosterone.I am in my mid 40s so I am in perimenopause.I am sure that did not help matters.The Doctors just don't have a clue though.It is hard because unless you are going through this yourself people don't understand.

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