Is it possible to be suffering from long COVID when I’ve never had COVID?

One thing I’m trying on her advice is to take paracetamol four times a day just for four days to see if the headaches improve. They haven’t up to now but I’m sleeping a bit better.

Thanks for the update Luckylegs, I have been watching this thread for news. I hope your blood results give you the answer and treatment you need.

Thanks for updating, luckylegs.
My predictive text wrote 'lickylags'
Would still be interested if you choose to update again when your blood results come in, just because my own health is awful and I'm a nosy sort.

Here to report back as I have at last seen a doctor face to face! I’m still having the headaches every day and the exhaustion, aches and pains etc etc. As some of you suggested, she arranged exhaustive blood tests including inflammatory markers, thyroid etc which I had today and I also had to have a chest X-ray. She actually took me seriously and got me an appointment to see a different doctor next week as she’s not there and is going to get to the bottom of this long list of ailments.

Hurray, I feel that I may be able to get somewhere now at long last! She did question why I’d put up with this so long but you can’t believe it would actually go on and on like this for six months with no letup. Obviously now I’m worrying about fibromyalgia and the other suggestions but hopefully something can help me get out of this depressing and painful rut soon.

Thank you, both of you. I made myself go to my Fitsteps class this morning as I’m embarrassed to keep cancelling the poor lady. I did it very halfheartedly but I did it! I also pottered around shopping a bit. I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow but I do feel I’m very inclined to just sit on my iPad and be lazy if I can get away with it. I’m going to take it easy tomorrow though. Only two more weeks before my appointment with the GP!

Interesting.
I felt ok on Monday so I did a lot but have been wiped out since but felt guilty.

That is also what is now happening with regard to things like fibromyalgia and other autoimmune conditions.

The advise used to be to exercise, but now it is to place yourself and save the little energy you do have instead of wiping out the next 3 days because you did some exercise.

This was in between your post and mine:

But instead of helping, her new exercise regimen only exacerbated her symptoms. “I had never felt worse,” said Ms. Hollabaugh, 31, a lawyer who lives in Portland, Ore. She found she had to start taking daily naps, that her heart rate would skyrocket even when she was at rest and that she was so tired she couldn’t concentrate.

It won't let me copy any more.
Basically, though, it says that people can end up worse than ever for exercising.

This worsening of symptoms after engaging in even just a little bit of physical activity — what is sometimes called “post-exertional malaise” — seems to be common among long Covid patients. When researchers performed an online survey of 3,762 people with long Covid, as part of a study published in August, they found that 89 percent reported post-exertional malaise.

When Natalie Hollabaugh tested positive for Covid-19 in March 2020, her recovery felt extremely slow. Eighteen months later, she was still suffering from a litany of symptoms, including fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches and joint pain. She saw a cardiologist and a pulmonologist, who both ruled out other health problems, she said. And they advised her to start exercising, suggesting that some of her symptoms may have been a result of being out of shape. So Ms. Hollabaugh dutifully began using an exercise bike, speed walking on a treadmill and walking her dogs several miles a day

Thank you for that, Nannee49. I’ve tried to read it but apparently I’ve read some NYT articles and they won’t let me read any more. Can you see any way of making it available to me anyone please?

Please reconsider pushing yourself luckylegs. Yes, a walk is fab, exercise is fab but not if it leads to exhaustion and guilt over not doing it.
At first, the medical advice was to do paced exercise to battle long covid but this has largely been discredited...there's a very informative article in the New York Times "What we know about exercising with long covid" - sorry I
can't do links - which may help if you Google it.
Plus, realising that although it's a consequence of covid, long covid is really quite a serious condition so don't feel bad about taking it seriously and not doing stuff which exhausts you.
I've found a lot of help, information and support from post covid19 syndrome support on Facebook. It's a closed group but welcomes new members.
Hope you find this useful. It's a rotten, frustrating, confusing way for your body to be.

My husband needs a GP appointment too so I was letting him try first

What is it they say on flights?
"Put your own oxygen mask on first before you help someone else."

Thank you for all your thoughtful replies. I’m already diagnosed and treated for low thyroid, polycythemia Rubra Vera, asthma, anxiety, statins (of course) etc etc. I’m going to look into polymyalgia rheumatica. My husband is at last taking me seriously and realised I’m jiggered and not emphasising so much that he’s much worse! My right arm is so painful, I’m beginning to consider tennis elbow as well as LC and other things. I’m sorry but I’m just not up to a ‘brisk walk every morning’ as advised but I know I have to push myself. I went to an art class this morning but of course, trying to drive there and paint hurt my arm. My husband needs a GP appointment too so I was letting him try first but I think I'm going to have to go into battle tomorrow! I’ll let you know what happens.

I would ask your doctor to check your inflammatory markers . It isn’t always tested for but raised markers can be a sign of polymyalgia rheumatica . Your symptoms seem similar to mine .

That's all very lovely and soothing effalump but I would recommend having blood tests to eliminate any illnesses that may need medication first.

It's probably a mild form of PTSD with everything that's happened in the last two years. I say 'mild' because it's obviously not the type suffered by service-men who have been in wars. Look into any of the following:

Taking magnesium (relaxes the muscles); breathing techniques; listening to binaural beats of various frequencies (look on YT); taking a brisk walk every morning, doen't need to be long, 15 minutes will suffice and my favourite is (on YT again) listening to the monks at Plum Village singing a compassion mantra. Search for 'Namo'valokiteshvaraya Chant - High quality'. It's 22 minutes long. Get comfy and listen to this, it's beautiful.

can be

Please go and see your GP

MissAdventure

I have a terrible skin rash!
How strange.
And I am shedding hair so much that I have bald patches, too.

I hope your GP has done thorough blood tests and investigations MissAdventure.
I don't want to scare you, but it could be an auto-immune condition eg lupus which and be managed well if diagnosed.

Apologies.......my last message is in totally the wrong place ??‍♀️

I do agree!

I have a terrible skin rash!
How strange.
And I am shedding hair so much that I have bald patches, too.

I had a bad reaction to my first AstraZeneca jab and was advised not to have any more. I have virtually isolated since the start of the pandemic. Since the jab, I have been extremely tired, many headaches, had nose bleeds and some skin rashes. I have no energy now and used to go to a gym 3 times a week. I fear it's the jab that's made me feel this way.

Shysal, I did too, that was my first thought. a doctors appointment is required for sure