I have similar issues with Joint/Muscle Pain but with different variables. I had Covid in Feb 2020 (2 and a half years ago) and had symptoms all over the board including intermittent muscle/joint pain. Finally in August 2021 My PCP referred me to an Allergist. He immediately identified my constant flushing and heat intolerance to underlying hives with mast cell involvement and started me on Xolair shots. In looking back at my past medical history I probably always had an underlying auto-immune shin disorder. The hives resolved with the Xolair but I did not respond as expected. I continued to have debilitating symptoms that finally indicated Kidney Failure in my labs (GFR 14). By a fluke I had stopped my Lipitor (STATIN) a few weeks before we re-ran my labs and my labs improved by double. So, in retrospect, my PCP (who resigned as my doctor the same day my labs showed AKF) started me on Lipitor in June 2021. He ignored my symptoms and repeatedly turfed me to the Allergist. I was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis by the Nephrologist. None of the Physicians seem to know much about Rhabdo. It causes severe joint and muscle pain and should resolve around 3 months after you stop taking the Statins. Instead, about 2 weeks in the joint and muscle pain went from occasional/intermittent to constant excruciating pain. I'm 8 weeks post stopping the statins and it's starting to subside a little now, but along with it I also have significant Angioedema in my shoulders, neck and face. This started Dec 2021 and was probably related to the Statins too.
Here's where I have questions no one can answer. Why would the muscle pain get worse? At this point I have to also question the possibility of IMNM (Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy) which is also caused by statins but unlike Rhabdo is auto-immune. This could change the recovery from 3 months to life-long. This is where I question of Covid's impact on our immune system could have triggered this as well. Considering Covid most likely triggered the skin disorder it seems likely it could also cause a Myositis disorder.
I asked the Allergist to run a Myositis panel including the specific anti-bodies but he ran a basic panel which did not include the specific HMGCR antibody test so my panel was negative.
So now I'm stuck. No referral to a Rheumatologist. I have to sit in bed for possibly another month to identify that the Rhabdo is/is not resolving. I tried Mayo but my POS PCP resigned and Mayo wont take me without a PCP. It takes 3 months to get a New Patient appointment for a "half-decent" PCP that may have knowledge of my illness. I have to basically start over. The sad thing is treatment is Prednisone and I could return to a fairly normal life. So simple. But someone has to take responsibility and diagnose and prescribe.