Post Covid Chest Inflammation + Fatigue

Oh and forgot to mention that I am double vaxxed and boosted!

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I have the Post Covid Fatigue and I am sleeping 10-11 hours at night and then some afternoons 2 -3 hours. I have found that if I get a sore throat I have done too much and it is followed by the tightness in the chest. It means I have overdone it and I need to lay down and rest or sleep until it goes away. It may take a day or two but it does goes away. All of my chest x-rays etc also came back normal. I found a post-Covid Clinic near me and have signed up and am on their wait list. You need to rest as much as possible. You don't want to push it to the point where your chest hurts because then you are not getting better your body is simply fighting off more of the symptoms. You want the symptoms to completely go away. The infectious disease doc put me on another anti-viral although it is too soon to see if it is working. I hope this helps and Good luck. You have to work with the energy you have and try not to go beyond it.

Hi @angelicaaustrich and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
We have an older discussion about Costochrondritis/ Tietze syndrome that you might like to read:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/costachrondritis-tietze-syndrome/

More information : "Tietze syndrome is a rare, inflammatory disorder characterized by chest pain and swelling of the cartilage of one or more of the upper ribs (costochondral junction), specifically where the ribs attach to the breastbone (sternum). Onset of pain may be gradual or sudden and may spread to affect the arms and/or shoulders." --- Tietze Syndrome - National Organization for Rare Disorders: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/tietze-syndrome/

With your chest x-ray and EKG reading normal, did your doctor give reason as to why they felt it was tietze?

Given the symptoms, I was having and my medical history, I had tenderness in the area of my chest, and how it started as a gradual pain. He sent me a helpful article explaining the occurrence of this syndrome in a post-covid 19 patient. I can't post the link, but happy to share if you know another way for me to share.

I normally have low energy due to a low number of red blood cells. But, after a 5 day bout of Covid I , too, am totally exhausted. I used to need 9 hrs. To feel my best, now it is 11. Plus I fall asleep soon after dinner while I’m reading or watching TV which I’ve never done. I don’t think I have any other post Covid symptoms, except maybe more than normal tight coughing at times. I do take a Solaray High Energy vitamin pill which seems to help but may be psychological. It didn’t dawn on me until today that this was related to Covid. I am 76 yrs. Old and figured I was really winding down quickly. Thank you so much for your comment ; I feel better just knowing that this could definitely be related to Covid. Good Luck to you.

My fatigue is next level. I got Covid over a month ago now and have developed tons of new symptoms. Head pressure, jaw pain, bloating, extreme fatigue, bad taste from certain drinks, anxiety, vertigo, blurred vision, and now ear ringing. It’s insane. Trying to explain this to doctors and friends is like talking to a brick wall. We know our bodies and we certainly are hyper aware when something doesn’t feel “right”, and know it’s something different than normal. It’s scary and when you keep getting sent home with different meds it becomes stressful and frustrating. By the way also a healthy youngish female. No other related health concerns besides I had neck surgery for degenerative disc this year. I’m 38!

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that! I understand the feeling completely. Have you tried going to a Post-COVID Clinic that may be near your home? The waiting lists may be long sometimes, but openings happen, and you can get earlier appointments! They hear you out with these symptoms and can help you get better care by seeing them in the bigger picture. I used to have similar symptoms before we figured out it could be migraines because of long covid (head pressure, jaw pain, vertigo, ringing in ears), but it's different for each person. I still have to see a neurologist, but I'm scheduled to go next month. Don't give up on how you're feeling; reach out to the Clinic and see if they can help you.

Also, try (if it's possible) speaking to a therapist, it's helped me with my anxiety pos-covid, and even though I still suffer a lot from it and struggle, they help me put things in perspective. I also try to do yoga, meditate, listen to music, watch shows and movies, and do grounding exercises, whatever helps because, sadly, we don't know when this will end but believe me, we will get better. Hoping this helps!

I had intercostal and diaphragm soreness from lots of cough. Chiropractors can treat intercoastal tightness and good massage therapist who know how to relieve it 🙂

Hi Angelica, I thought I would check in to see how you are doing. Your post to @rasmussen1502 was so kind and helpful. Judging from your post, am I correct in assuming you went to the specialized post Covid care clinic? How are you doing with your fatigue and mental health?

Hello Colleen! Thank you for checking in; that's very kind of you. I did go to a specialized post-Covid care clinic where I live. They referred me to the neurologist I'm scheduled to visit in September and did an overall check-up. They determined that I was dealing with Acute Post COVID-19 Syndrome with headaches, they've been okay to follow up with new symptoms that have come up, like fatigue, but I've gotten more response from my Primary Care Doctor. I've started taking Magnesium as a supplement which has helped with the fatigue and my energy levels, still, not 100%, but it has helped. My mental health has struggled a lot, but I found a new therapist who I think has helped a lot. We talked about that in part my anxiety is about how traumatic getting COVID was for me and I'm bringing a lot of that into my journey with long-COVID. It's a day by day process and I'm confident that we can only get better from here, it's the only way for me to cope with it.