Anyone else experience Weight Gain with long COVID?

Have you ever gained weight before? What does the 30# weight gain represent in terms of body weight? Has it been a steady weight gain over that period of time?

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Me too! I'm an active 42 year old female. The weight has just piled on. No activity changes. And the weight is in places I've never had it before. Did the doctor give you any advice about lowering your cortisol level? I'm so sorry about all of this. I completely understand. For me, it is almost worse than my brain fog. I literally look like a completely different person. It sucks.

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Me too! I'm an active 42 year old female. The weight has just piled on. No activity changes. And the weight is in places I've never had it before. Did the doctor give you any advice about lowering your cortisol level? I'm so sorry about all of this. I completely understand. For me, it is almost worse than my brain fog. I literally look like a completely different person. It sucks.

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When I had Covid (2020) , I had 1 1/2 week long verrry heavy period out of the blue. My hormones— all of them— have gone crazy: having periods out of nowhere, then back to normal. Estrogen testing 0 when on double the heaviest RX Estrogen patch, then back to normal. Thyroid out, then normal. These have all gone back and forth. It makes sense to me that weight gain is happening to you, and that it’s crazy making . Not much help— but I want you to feel heard! I had a Covid ( not Mayo) Long Haul clinic intake NP take down all of my history/symptoms (60 min +) and I told her upfront: I have gained weight, am unhappy about it, my thyroid’s been off and I havent been able to do my cardio, but I’m aware and working on it. When we were finished, she left and sent a nurse in to check me out— no Covid info or follow up instructions— just this:
a handout “What is Obesity…” I was stunned. ( I recently was contacted about my poor experience with this clinic, and I told that story. Sigh.)

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I’m so sorry your were ignored by the health employees and humiliated by their unconscionable assertions that you were just obese.
Many health care physicians don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to us suffering aft having Covid. My primary doc sent in a referral for me to join a post Covid clinic almost 2.5 months ago and I never heard back. My hope is everyone who is experiencing after affects from Covid be allowed to enter those clinics w/ out any problems. These are clinicians that are collecting data and assisting patients who are struggling.

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Often they are, and you are correct. But being in a Long Haul Clinic does not mean you encounter the right kind of help. I mentioned that experience because it occurred IN my long Covid clinic intake, and she should have known better. BUT— unfortunately, we have to be patient. Just an FYI: my long haul flares were triggered by other illnesses. I’ve had months in between where I could live normally. Long haul doesn’t affect anyone the same way, but I thought I’d throw that out for encouragement.

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Thank you for share and I will also share with this group any new information that I find - via my Dr visits and my research. Can I ask what medication was your husband on to loose the weight ? I was put on Lasix and I dropped the water weight and my stomach went down. I have tested going off lasix and the weight returns ...

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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.

Jump to this post

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.

Jump to this post