How long are your COVID symptoms lasting?

[Starlilly88]

I think all my family have had the virus but it's going on for so long. Most threads I read are about people better in a few days/week. We've all had temps/headaches/sore throats/painful sinus/no taste and smell/one of us with a cough. I've had muscle aches for 2 weeks now and sick of being in pain every day. Anyone with muscle pain going on longer than 2 weeks? None of us have chest pain issues yet. Haven't felt this ill since the last time I had flu. But I had seasonal flu jab so don't think it's that

[Egghead68]

21 days of symptoms and counting. Mainly fatigue and upper chest (décolleté area) pain now.

[Pinkbubbles12]

6 weeks here, although feel like im finally improving today

[wildthingsinthenight]

Day 28 fatigue chest/upper back pain and croaky/ wheezy

[Starlilly88]

That's awful, feel sorry for all of you. I feel like most of the NHS info on this is misleading as it's all so new and no one knows what we're dealing with.

[Egghead68]

Seems there might be several patterns including get better after a week, get seriously ill after a week, and have varying mild-moderate symptoms that last 4-6 weeks.

[sleepwhenidie]

DD (11) has had a temperature for 25 days. Only started feeling less wiped out yesterday. My mild symptoms (gone from headaches and night sweats to sore throat, painful eyes and aches along with loss of taste and smell but no fever at any point) have lasted a month. DS1 just a few days, DH a week.

[Aveisenim]

Almost 3 weeks and counting. Only started to improve in the last couple of days, my fever finally broke yesterday. Neighbour had a fire in their garden today and it's set off my chest again.

[CoughKeepsOnComing]

Very ill (like flu) for a week, then been ok for the last 3 weeks (ie back to work), but exhausted and cough has continued, aches and pains, chills, sweats. Now cough is starting to worsen (cough when breathing in/can't catch breath as I breathe in) and the runny nose and no taste/smell is returning (it had gone after first week) 🤷

[ShastaBeast]

Day 30 here. Tired and tight chest has returned. Wheezing and coughing at night. I’ve been searching for advice on how long it lasts. There’s so little information for those of us at home.

[Luckingfovely]

Two and a half weeks in, and still feeling dreadful much of the time.

Was like rather bad flu for about ten days - achy, headachy, fever, tiredness, couldn't really get out of bed. Heavy chest, a little dry cough.

And since then, totally exhausted, debilitated, one day a little better, and the next, awful again.

Also desperately emotional - maybe just sick of feeling so rough and tired all the time.

Wasn't admitted to hosp so obvs no testing and can't be 100% sure this was even it - but I'm assuming so.

What do you think?

[wirelessprinter]

Symptoms for 3 weeks today. Mostly feeling okay if a bit tired still but still no sense of smell whatsoever and horrible taste in mouth when waking.

[wirelessprinter]

Have also noticed my symptoms seemed to improve but next day was floored again

[salemcat]

Only had a cough & tiredness , but the cough lasted 4 weeks & has only just started to let up.

[Porcupineinwaiting]

On day 23 here. Feel like I am recovering but a long way to go. Nasty, nasty bug.

[domesticslattern]

3 weeks start to finish. As PP say, very up and down.
GP said this is normal, it's a public health message about 7 days/14 days which confuses us and makes us think the illness itself will only last that long.
To all who are still suffering it's shit. Get well soon.

[Starlilly88]

Just don't hear about it going on for so long in the media. No one here sounds like we have 'mild' symptoms. Having it for a month is not mild. Has anyone else spoken to a GP/111?

[Starlilly88]

With moderate COVID-19:
You may have a more troublesome cough than those with mild symptoms.
Your temperature is more likely to reach or exceed 37.8°C.
You may be breathlesss_ on exercise, even on walking up the stairs, but not to a degree that alarms you, and if you potter around your house or sit still you are not breathless.
It may be a little sore to keep coughing but you are not in pain.
The cough may be, for a few days, very persistent, coughing many times an hour.
Your sleep may be slightly disturbed by your cough, but you do get some sleep, and you are not breathless in bed.
You may get diarrhoeaa. Nausea and vomitingg are, however, unlikely.
You may have a headachee_, particularly if you are hot.
You may show early signs of inflammation of your lungs - you are more breathless than a mild case, where breathlessness is only slight and on exercise.
You may feel tiredd_, but still able to move about your own home comfortably, and you can shower and self-care if you must, even though you may not want to.
You may feel dry-mouthed, from breathing through an open mouth. But when you pass urine it is still pale yellow, the colour of a glass of lager, so you are not dehydrated.
You can sit and watch TV or read a book without feeling you are struggling to breathe, or worrying that you can't breathe.
If you talk to others, nobody thinks you are confused or not making sense.
You may be able to prepare your food and drink, or you may feel too weary to do so, but you are still able to eat, even if it is less than usual. Your ability to eat is not prevented by the need to breathe.
For a few days you may feel so tired that you want to stay in bed.
You may feel miserable, weepy or low.
Moderate COVID-19 is very common. It seems to last about 7-14 days.

[Porcupineinwaiting]

Star lily make that 14-30 days.

[MayDayHelp]

Day 9 here. Day 1 and 5 were the worst, then days 6/7 I felt almost completely better, day 8 splitting headache and today I feel like shite again today. Really thought I was done and dusted.

[Starlilly88]

Porcupine - seems they need to update their information based on this thread! There will be a lot learnt from the symptom research hopefully. I have no idea when I will be safe to go out without passing it on - I have a slight cough and temp now gone but still other symptoms remain and I feel rubbish. Not planning on going anywhere but they need to mention more than the temperature and cough when trying to stop transmission

[EmMac7]

The average clinical course reported in an early study from China was 32 days. I was so angry early on when the government was banging on about a 7 day mild illness.

Best wishes to all of you.

[oncemorewithfeeling99]

Had it 3 weeks so far. Ongoing issues are fatigue and severe chest pain. I was diagnosed (as much as you can be over the phone!) with pneumonia. I think most of us with longer symptoms probably have this. But apparently pneumonia even if you then have a secondary bacterial infection needing antibiotics (as most on the ‘lungs’ thread have) still counts as ‘mild’ according to government stats if you aren’t admitted to hospital.

What mild is to the public and to the government are two very different things. Government means you aren’t hospitalised and will eventually recover. Public think a few days to a week being unwell and then bounce back like a tummy bug. It’s absolutely not like that for many people.

[Porcupineinwaiting]

@EmMac7 seriously? Wish to hell I'd know that last week when I was stressing about not recovering fast enough. Now on day 23 and yes 30 days or so sounds about right.