Autoimmune symptoms continuing for 12 months post Covid - no answers

God Bless You & I am praying for you right now! Sounds like we are in the same boat. I am older than you, but, have fibromyalgia, both thyroid diseases and osteoarthritis almost all over. I just went to a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with borderline lupus yesterday via a phone message. I have so much pain, stiffness & fatigue that I can't function a lot of days. My faith is what keeps me going. I am awaiting a call back from the nurse today. It is very frustrating when doctors do not listen. Covid ramped up the inflammation in my body (last August I had a significant case) and I am trusting the Lord to get answers. I empathize. Keep trying. Don't give up my friend. Hugs & Prayers....

@cheart0405. I can tell that you’re having a difficult time but the doctors can’t seem to come up with any answers. That’s a real bummer. Have you given any thought to finding a university hospital or comprehensive medical center somewhere near you? When I was very sick and getting nowhere, my husband called the university hospital in Denver. They were able to see me and right away knew what was wrong. These hospitals usually have more specialized doctors who can help.
Or you can check with GARD https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/contact/. They should be able to help you find a doctor in your area
Can you please let me know what you learn?

This sounds very similar to my 14year old daughter after Covid. Get tested for APS. She now has APS, Lupus, PE, DVT & Heart Hypotension, on warfarin for life. Hope you find some answers soon.

Are you on thyroid medication?

No thyroid meds

I had very similar symptoms after the vaccine. Have you been checked for EBV. If you've ever had Epstein Barr it can cause it to reactivate. Also your thyroid. It attacked my thyroid and took almost 3 years and 5 Drs. to find it. Shameful when all it takes is connecting dots and the right tests. If your numbers are good make sure they check your parathyroid too and sonogram of your neck. Best wished. Keep researching and pressing for answers 🤗

Gout versus pseudogout. Both cause deposits in the joints. Gout is caused by uric acid excessive uric acid. I don't know the cause of pseudogout. As I understand it colchicine is treating for gout. You might even be able to have both at the same time. I understand the test for a pseudogout is to withdraw some of the fluid from the joint and look at it in a microscope. Gout is usually caused by running a high blood sugar. It's the body's way of protecting itself. But the problem is when you become dehydrated then uric acid crystals can form in the joints. It is especially excruciating in the toes. Knowing your blood sugar will often help reduce goutishness. I just made that word up. There's also an enzyme that's responsible for helping you reduce or get rid of uric acid. In a small proportion of the people that fails and they are helped by actually taking medication to bring up the level of enzymes. Eating rich foods like shellfish and fatty meat promotes high uric acid. So do beans. Uric acid is based on an amino acid called purine. In ancient times people would drink donkeys milk which has more whey and less casein. I figured out that I could buy whey isolate as a source of protein and have the equivalent of donkeys milk. Oh avoid cheeses. And ask your doctor if what you have is a gout or pseudogout or both. He probably thinks he's already explained it.

Lowering your blood sugar will probably lower your uric acid levels.
(I'm correcting my first comment)

If you are willing to wait about 4 months you can get your entire genome tested for $400 ay sequence.com. if you want it fast it's just short of $2000. But almost everybody is predisposed towards getting gout or lupus or several other things because they're related to your metabolism and not really much genetic variation. I mean usually a German will be much more resistant than a Hawaiian. Because Germans ate heavy meat like beef and sheep and Hawaiians were eating fish and pork? So when they all start eating beef then the Hawaiians going to get diabetes first. A really trans fats ,saturated fats, and fructose corn syrup are the villains. I used to have a theory that you could eat twice as much unsaturated fat as saturated fat and stay healthy. But then fructose raised its ugly head. Fructose gets stored in your liver. It gives you something called fatty liver. One quarter of the population has fatty liver. It's light gray on the ultrasound rather than dark. If you have it you're well on your way to having hypertension and diabetes. But the good thing is almost always you can head this off by changes in your diet and exercise. And even when you first get type 2 diabetes I think you can still radically diet and exercise and get rid of it. My dad used to do this.
There are videos on YouTube by a doctor Lustig?. He was the pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF and he was the first to start warning about fructose. His videos will take you through the chemistry of it. He has a passionate hatred of sugar and fructose. But I think you can get away with some here and there. Buy a blood sugar testing device and test your own blood sugar. Your initial test kit will cost about $30.

I have an autoimmune disease (MCTD) and suggest you follow some of the practical advice even though you are undiagnosed. It would be nice if the Dr would do the lab panels anyway and start you on plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine). Some of the issues are chemical (diet) and some are physical (stretches) Start with a clean, non-processed, anti-inflammatory diet. Avoid sugar, nightshades (potatoes/tomatoes), moderate dairy and whole wheat. Watch salt content of sauces as well. Make sure you stay hydrated and keep up your electrolytes (I use Propel). Take a daily walk (two short walks do as well) , or do water exercise to keep flexibility and strength. For joints, I usually request images and a referral to PT--stretches really can help. I find Dr Jo on you tube as helpful for some basic moves, but a manual PT would be wise. For leg swelling, compression socks, elevation against the wall for 20 minutes, leg edema massage (gentle, from toes to torso), pumping motion with feet elevated, etc helps. I often do use a heating pad just before bed, but a cool pack may be more your style. I bought "The Stick," for massage of legs and other annoyed areas. If you take Aleve/Ibuprofen, make sure you take them with plenty of water and some food.