Sudden loss of upper body strength
One wonders: Did they have strep throat shortly before the sudden loss?
It settles in cartilage and the shoulders have a lot of cartilage. Circulation to my arms and hands has improved a lot with strep die off in the shoulders causing improved blood flow to the arms and I probably am less of a weakling. I was the same height as my mother but never had her hand and arm strength though I lifted weights at one time and did push ups and had noticeable biceps. Both of us cis female.
HRT fundamentally changes the hormonal balance and that impacts immune function. So even if they had strep before, it may have acted differently.
I suspect some of the dysphoria, utter misery and suicidal ideation in trans people is due to immune dysfunction from being the wrong gender.
Footnote
Originally published elsewhere on 03/24/25.