Hi, my name is Lori, and I’m from Connecticut, United States. My journey likely started after receiving the Pfizer booster shot. I got it on a Sunday, and by 10 AM Monday, every joint in my body hurt, and I had intense chills. I worked that day, but by 5 PM, I was in bed, barely able to move without extreme pain. However, by Tuesday morning, I woke up as if nothing had happened and went about my day.
By Wednesday, I started experiencing severe chest pains and shortness of breath. At first, I wondered if I was having a heart attack. A few days later, I visited my primary care physician. They did an EKG, which came back normal, followed by a lung X-ray and CAT scan, which were also fine. I was then referred to a cardiologist for a stress test and echocardiogram. For a year, I dealt with recurring chest pains, which were eventually diagnosed as costochondritis (inflammation of the chest wall).
In December 2022, I contracted Covid for the first time. The symptoms came on quickly but weren’t severe. I took Paxlovid, and the symptoms disappeared almost immediately. However, I rebounded a week later, though the symptoms only lasted two days. Shortly after, I became busy taking care of my mother, who had moved in with me temporarily for surgery.
Once she moved back home, I started noticing new symptoms in March 2023. My left knee felt as though it was swollen internally, and I developed a burning pain at the base of my neck, where it meets the back. Despite an MRI and physical therapy, nothing helped. Soon, I started feeling bizarre buzzing or vibrating sensations in my body, particularly in my feet. Along with this, I experienced brain fog—I’d walk into a room and forget why I was there, struggled to remember names, and couldn’t finish sentences.
I also began feeling fatigued, with worsening shortness of breath and chest pains, particularly when climbing stairs. By October 2023, while traveling frequently for work, I developed significant joint pain. I’d wake up feeling like I had been clenching my fists all night, and my knees would crack when I bent them. Squatting or kneeling became excruciating, and getting up was even harder. My torn rotator cuff, which had been dormant, began flaring up again, causing sharp pain.
The pain in my neck eventually subsided, but it was replaced by severe pain in my knees, hands, and feet. First thing in the morning, the soles of my feet hurt so badly that I had to ease into standing. Recently, I developed intense jaw pain that makes eating difficult.
I’ve been back and forth between neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians. Currently, they suspect Covid-induced psoriatic arthritis, as I have joint pain, swelling in my fingers, brain fog, jaw pain, and lower back pain—all the classic symptoms except for the skin rash.
It’s frustrating to have seen so many specialists without definitive answers. I recently visited a pulmonologist about my shortness of breath, and he confirmed my lungs are fine. I’m seeing my cardiologist next week and am scared they’ll find something wrong with my heart, like a blockage. It’s so disheartening to feel completely fatigued and out of breath from simple tasks like mopping my kitchen floor.
Thank you for welcoming me into this group. It’s comforting to hear stories from others with similar experiences. Hopefully, one day, we’ll have answers and a cure for long Covid.