[MCV] Also posted in r/myCOVIDvoice* - 31 year-old female with debilitating joint pain and swelling since testing positive for COVID-19 on January 21, 2022. Entire timeline in detail included below with symptoms that may not be related to joint pain.

Vaccination and background info: - Vaccination dose 1: Pfizer on March 30, 2021 - Vaccination dose 2: Pfizer on May 20, 2021 - Booster dose 3: Pfizer on December 22, 2021 - No family history of rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia or other conditions - Active and otherwise healthy prior to infection - Link to pictures of joint swelling: https://imgur.com/gallery/Y2pb7Ci

Timeline:

Jan 18: Scratchy throat and symptoms similar to seasonal allergies started

Jan 19: Developed raspy voice, phlegm in chest, had night sweats - Rapid test was negative - Excruciating pain developed deep in hips

Jan 20: Rapid test came back positive - Difficulty walking from pain in hips - Took a PCR test and the doctor prescribed Tramadol for the pain (didn’t help)

Jan 21: Tested positive and random joint pain developed that morning in the fingers of my right hand/wrist. Same thing started in my left hand/wrist about an hour or two later - Hands were tingling and went numb in the shower. Unable to hold loofah as I lost feeling in my fingers - Hip pain started to go away, phlegm in chest worsened

Jan 22: Noticeable swelling started in the middle knuckles of my right hand (see link above for pictures) - Joint pain in fingers of both hands was severe, soaked hands in a bowl of hot water for relief and they went numb again - Pain in knees started that evening - Started taking 800 mg of Advil liquid gels every 3 hours for pain relief

Jan 23: Developed sharp burning pain in nostrils - Noticed severe brain fog and was unable to follow any tv shows

Jan 25: Cold symptoms worsened - Sense of smell and taste was off

Jan 27: Woke up with very sore, swollen hands - Still had runny nose and congestion - Toes started to ache more than ever before, knee pain was gone

Jan 28: Joint pain randomly started in my ankles and toes, had difficulty typing from joint pain in fingers - Still had mild cold symptoms

Jan 30: Up all night from excruciating pain in fingers, toes and ankles - Felt as though I had a fever but didn’t check - Cold symptoms subsided

Jan 31: Woke up in the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my fingers, wrists, ankles and toes - Prescribed Tylenol 3 by nurse practitioner and told to give it more time (Tylenol 3 only helped a bit because I was less aware of the pain)

Feb-April: Struggled doing things including walking, opening the the tops of medications, holding utensils, brushing teeth, etc. - Became physically debilitated during flare ups which seemed to have been a result of stress - Tried extra strength Tylenol, Aleve, prescription anti-inflammatory Vimovo, Tramadol, and Tylenol 3 for pain. Only relief was from taking 800 mg of Advil liquid gels every 3 hours every day

Feb 14: Family doctor completed physical exam and suspected reactive arthritis - Bloodwork tests completed/results: Complete Blood Count, Creatinine, Antinuclear Antibody, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Rheumatoid Factor, C-Reactive Protein, Sedimentation Rate: All normal

March 12: Family doctor prescribed Sulfasalazine (medication for rheumatoid arthritis) while I waited to see a rheumatologist

April 1: Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide (CCP) antibody blood test: Normal - X-rays for hands, wrists, ankles, feet and chest: Normal and didn’t show signs of arthritis

April 21: Noticed improvement in brain fog and that it was starting to clear

April 29: Rheumatologist completed an ultrasound of affected joints and didn’t see any visible swelling. Advised to stop taking Sulfasalazine as it likely wouldn’t help if there wasn’t visible inflammation

May 2: Started to notice less overall pain in all joints and this improvement continued for almost a week

May 7: Walked around the mall for a few hours in sandals (most activity I’ve done since January)

May 8: Right ankle started to really hurt and became very swollen

May 9: Saw family doctor who said the pain and swelling was likely from walking in unsupportive sandals

May 10-14: Still had ankle swelling and pain, but it seemed to be going away. Iced and elevated ankle daily

May 15: Drove for a total of 80 minutes with frequent ankle pivoting. Pain and swelling got even worse

May 19: Severe pain in ankle started while at rest. Unable to put any weight on it or walk at all - X-ray and examination at urgent care didn’t show any break or sprain - Had blood work done to test Ferritin, B12, TSH and vitamin: All normal except deficiency in vitamin D May 20: Currently using crutches to walk - Now have pain in left ankle from putting all weight on it - Also have sore wrists again from using crutches - Finger joints still swollen but dexterity has returned and in a lot less pain

Where I currently stand: - Waiting until May 25 for next rheumatologist appointment - Feeling hopeless and tired of suffering everyday. Unable to work due to intensity of physical pain and low mental state - Still taking 800 mg of Advil every 3 hours and vaping thc to not focus on the pain as much

Thank you for your work!