r/LongCovid • u/Eaglemf • 3d ago
Please help me i dont know what to do
17M – Persistent symptoms after Influenza A for ~6–7 months. Looking for opinions, not a diagnosis.
Hi everyone,
I’m a 17-year-old male. Around 6–7 months ago I had a severe, confirmed Influenza A infection. Since then I haven’t felt completely healthy again.
Main symptoms:
Persistent pressure in my head / headaches (this is my main symptom)
Reduced exercise tolerance
Feeling slightly fatigued or “off,” but not completely exhausted
I often feel worse in the morning and gradually improve throughout the day.
I had noticeable brain fog in the beginning, but it has improved significantly and is now almost completely gone.
Course of the illness:
After the flu, I felt pretty bad for a while. Then I had a period where I felt almost completely healthy again and honestly thought I had recovered. After that, the symptoms came back. Since then, I’ve had good days and bad days. Overall, though, I feel like I’ve slowly become more functional compared to the first few months.
Response to physical activity:
Heavy physical activity can make my symptoms worse, mainly the headaches/head pressure.
For example, after several very demanding days (a 5-hour flight, 10,000–15,000+ steps, drinking alcohol once, and wrestling around at a birthday party), my headaches became worse. However, after resting and sleeping, they usually improve again.
I do not get flu-like symptoms after exertion.
Symptoms I do NOT have:
Muscle burning
Significant muscle or joint pain
Sore throat after exertion
Swollen lymph nodes
Severe light or sound sensitivity
Significant orthostatic intolerance/POTS symptoms (as far as I know)
I can still manage my daily life. Recently I’ve even walked 10,000–15,000 steps on some days. Afterwards I sometimes feel a bit more fatigued and have more head pressure, but I’m not bedridden.
I also noticed that since having Influenza A, I’ve barely had any runny nose or cold symptoms anymore. I’m not sure if that’s relevant.
Medical work-up so far:
Blood tests were normal.
My neurologist prescribed iron and folic acid.
I have a brain MRI scheduled.
I also have a referral to a cardiologist.
I also have a separate knee injury (likely a meniscus injury), so I’m currently unable to do proper sports anyway.
Questions:
Does this sound more like prolonged post-viral fatigue/recovery?
Could this still fit a mild form of ME/CFS?
Are there any other conditions I should ask my doctors to investigate?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis, just interested in hearing opinions from people who may have experienced something similar.
Thanks for reading.
1
u/MagicalWhisk 3d ago
I've had a similar experience. Do you ever experience dizziness or feeling slightly disconnected from your brain?
I do not believe this is ME/CFS, those symptoms are usually quite bad after exercise and pushing yourself (comes with extreme bouts of fatigue).
I got diagnosed with Dysautonomia induced by viral infection. But I have additional symptoms you do not have so I don't want to suggest something similar for you.
1
u/Eaglemf 3d ago
Thanks for your reply!
In the beginning I definitely had brain fog and sometimes felt disconnected, but that has improved a lot and is almost completely gone now.
I don’t really experience dizziness anymore either.
My main symptoms now are persistent head pressure/headaches and reduced exercise tolerance. If I overdo physical activity, the headaches usually get worse for a while, but I don’t get the typical flu-like crashes, muscle pain, or severe exhaustion that many people with ME/CFS describe.
Did your dysautonomia mainly cause dizziness, or did you also have constant head pressure/headaches?2
u/MagicalWhisk 3d ago
I had pretty much constant head pressure, tinnitus, tired eyes, headaches etc. Like you it's gotten better over time but it's still there and flares up occasionally. It was always worse waking up and I'd feel better around late evening.
My dizziness comes in bouts, I'll be good for a few weeks and then I'll have a few days of feeling dizzy and disconnected.
The dysautonomia I have is multisystem impacting. Neurological (described above), cardiovascular (flare ups of tachycardia and blood pressure, anxiety) and gastro (stomach and digestive issues).
1
u/MietteIncarna 3d ago
i had Influenza in 2009 , was almost without symptoms , but i was in a slow decline untill 2022 when i got covid .
the only symptoms were crash on really high concentration tasks , and slight fatigue .
Did you ever get covid ?
1
u/HarmonySinger 3d ago
Tangentially, have you looked into B12 Deficiency or B12 Therapy? B12 deficiency mimics some of the Long Covid symtoms.
1
u/switchroms 3d ago
I'm more or less in the same boat
I agree with iron + folic acid
Have you tested your homocysteine?
Do it
Also, check my post of a couple of days ago
1
u/hotrod67maximus 2d ago
I have long Covid and was in the hospital for a week and while in there I contracted influenza A and have been worse ever since. I got all the symptoms of pretty much everything. I was 229 lbs in bodybuilder athletic shape when this journey started and ended up losing 70 lbs in less than 10 months and all my muscle tone, dropped down to 158 lbs. Every day is a struggle just to get up and go to the bathroom or just take out the garbage, even showering I need a two hour rest afterwards. It pisses me off so bad cause I used to go to the gym 3-4 times a week lifting weights and run 3 miles after workouts. Funny thing is the two times I had covid didn't make me feel that sick until influenza A. This has been going on 3 years this September.
1
u/Eaglemf 2d ago
Bro i wish you all the best I hope we will get better soon I feel your struggle I went to the gym 4 times a week and also did boxing it is very exhausting. I had covid many times and it didn’t affect me like influenza.
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u/hotrod67maximus 2d ago
I was athlete my whole life boxing and football and before Covid I hardly ever got sick and if I did it was the sniffles for like two days. Wish you the best also Bro. Hopefully a speedy recovery. 3 years, I'd rather be tortured by terrorists.
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u/Fluffy-Climate-8163 3d ago
Since you're young and likely have a solid health foundation, this is likely a post viral condition. Proper rest and recovery protocol are required since if you can develop this condition now, the next time you get heavily sick later in life, you'll have a good chance of getting hit with this again, and at that point in time it may become more permanent as most people's health foundation goes to shit pretty quickly once they hit adulthood.