6x COVID Indections + Rosacea

Back Story

My journey to how I ended up where I am now is that I’ve always been one to catch illnesses like colds, flus, and stomach bugs easily. I was also frequently medicated with antibiotics for many years as a kid. Looking back, of course my microbiome is a mess. 

To date, I have had COVID 6 times (that I know of/positive tests – there was probably more that didn’t “show up” or that I may have dismissed as a cold). 

The first time I had Covid was January 2020, before it was “a thing”. It was later confirmed that it was indeed COVID, with an antibody test sometime in February-March 2020 when I donated blood. I was the sickest I’ve ever been in my life (26yo then, I’m 30 now). My main symptoms were feeling out of breath and lightheaded, as well as gastrointestinal (diarrhea and vomiting) – which at the time, no one was acknowledging that COVID could have any gastro symptoms, so I kept getting dismissed that it couldn’t have possibly been COVID. I was sick for a solid week and a half and it took me about 8 weeks to get back to feeling somewhat normal and not out of breath etc. 

 I’ve missed so much work because of this illness and I just keep catching it – the most recent time being just a month ago. 

I developed the skin condition Rosacea around late 2022-early 2023 which I believe is microbiome related – I’ve tried many topical prescriptions that don’t do a dang thing, and it has since spread to my eyes and I now have Ocular Rosacea as well.

 I’ve always had chronic constipation but it is worse since 2020. I have fatigue and am always tired, no matter how much I sleep. At one point I had high iron, so I was told to donate blood to lower it, but then my iron and ferritin fell so low that I was told to stop and instead take iron supplements to get my iron and ferritin back up – which I cannot tolerate, because it causes stomach issues for me. 

I’d love to figure out how to really improve my microbiome and finally heal from all of this. I’m constantly living in fear that I’ll catch COVID again and lose any progress I’ve made. 

Analysis

  • Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can have systemic effects and comorbidities. While not directly linked to ME/CFS or long COVID, it shares some characteristics of chronic inflammatory conditions. I have encountered several ME/CFS with it
  • Constipation is commonly associated with ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

Both are suspected to be cause by imbalance of gut flora (microbiome).

We see a lot of pattern matching to other people with the same symptoms.

But since we are dealing with a situation with some cross-validation data being available (i.e. lists of things with studies that helps with the symptom/diagnosis), I like to start there. On [Changing microbiome tab].

Updated Analysis

The original draft was done before the Simple UI was released. There was 6 forecast matches over 70%, so I went with symptoms, Despite having 11 symptoms, only 9 bacteria was selected.

The suggestions are shown below

Probiotics

These are the top items, some can be hard to get. Some of my usual sources are:

The above are based on how they are known to alter other bacteria from published studies. Next I swing over to KEGG to see which probiotics can provide metabolites and enzymes that the person is low in. This is a complimentary approach that does not depend on a study being done, rather working from the DNA of the microbiome. I have annotated the above with their [Metabolite/Enzymes] scores above. The highest lactobacillus was 4, Bifidobacterium [7]. One bacillus ranked high, but is not easily available as a probiotic: Bacillus thuringiensis -[15/9]. My preferred sequence would be to start with B.Subtilis and then B. Coagulans.

Foods

The food menu suggests that Turkey and Chicken are the best meats. Kiwis and Soy are next. To avoid: carrots, beans, sweet potatoes,

Vitamins are the usual for ME/CFS

One word of warning — do not use B-Complex. They contain some B-vitamins that are to be avoided. Get the specific B-vitamins shown.

Postscript and Reminder

As a statistician with relevant degrees and professional memberships, I present data and statistical models for evaluation by medical professionals. I am not a licensed medical practitioner and must adhere to strict laws regarding the appearance of practicing medicine. My work focuses on academic models and scientific language, particularly statistics. I cannot provide direct medical advice or tell individuals what to take or avoid.My analyses aim to inform about items that statistically show better odds of improving the microbiome. All suggestions should be reviewed by a qualified medical professional before implementation. The information provided describes my logic and thinking and is not intended as personal medical advice. Always consult with your knowledgeable healthcare provider.

Implementation Strategies

  1. Rotate bacteria inhibitors (antibiotics, herbs, probiotics) every 1-2 weeks
  2. Some herbs/spices are compatible with probiotics (e.g., Wormwood with Bifidobacteria)
  3. Verify dosages against reliable sources or research studies, not commercial product labels. This Dosages page may help.
  4. There are 3 suppliers of probiotics that I prefer: Custom Probiotics , Maple Life Science™, Bulk Probiotics: see Probiotics post for why

Professional Medical Review Recommended

Individual health conditions may make some suggestions inappropriate. Mind Mood Microbes outlines some of what her consultation service considers:
A comprehensive medical assessment should consider:

  • Terrain-related data
  • Signs of low stomach acid, pancreatic function, bile production, etc.
  • Detailed health history
  • Specific symptom characteristics (e.g., type and location of bloating)
  • Potential underlying conditions (e.g., H-pylori, carbohydrate digestion issues)
  • Individual susceptibility to specific probiotics
  • Nature of symptoms (e.g., headache type – pressure, cluster, or migraine)
  • Possible histamine issues
  • Colon acidity levels
  • SCFA production and acidification needs

A knowledgeable medical professional can help tailor recommendations to your specific health needs and conditions.