A positive test- my journey so far

[CovidClara]

I have really struggled to find a description of someone with CV19. So here is my story (so far). I received a positive test back this afternoon.

Friday. I went out to the pub with 3 family members from 2 households. This is significant as my adult DD who lives with me also has CV19 and this is the only time that she has left the house for 2 weeks and so it looks like that may be the transmission point. We are in a tier 1 area.

Tuesday. I wake up with a splitting headache. I am prone to sinus problems and I thought it was that. Take ibuprofen during the day which numbs but doesn't remove it. Have a really sore throat start during the day. My DD wakes up with what she describes as a cold.

Wednesday. Slight cough, mostly dry but some mucousy. Headache continues and throat is really sore. DD still has a 'cold' and a very very slight cough. I decide to order a test online- for home testing. We dont really feel ill- this is like a very mild cold.

Thursday. Feel a lot better. Throat hurts, headache continues and light coughing. Sneezing (so it must be a cold) . Regret ordering a test as we are fine. I dont think I have had a fever, had a few moment of feeling hot maybe. DD says she feels a bit hot. We dont have a thermometer to check.

Friday. I wake up with almost no smell. Still got a headache. Throat hurts (but really very mild sore throat). The post comes and no test arrives and so I book drive through test for me and DD. We have to do it ourselves in the car- I am very skeptical that I have managed to swab correctly.

Turns out the home tests had been delivered by amazon and left behind the bin!

Friday evening I feel really cold in bed (but I live in a cold house so not unusual). Still no smell back. Headache has gone

Saturday. Feel a bit tired in the morning. Sore throat has gone. Have a slight cough. Woke up with a bad headache that took hours to go. Saturday pm- feel fine- spend 3 house gardening.

Saturday evening. I receive a text/email with a positive result. 4 hours later my DD gets a positive test result.

Turns out another person who was in the pub with us also developed a 'cold' on Tuesday and is now booked for a test tomorrow. So all 3 people got symptoms on the same day. The 4th person says they may have had a cold last week ??? but they are fine now.

DD symptoms now are: slight irregular cough. Sore throat gone. Can still smell but a bit reduced. Sneezing from time to time. Odd taste in mouth.

My symptoms are now. Low level headache, slight cough, slightly tickly throat. Sneezing from time to time. No smell, reduced taste.

At this point this is like the very mildest of colds. Lets see what happens now.

[tobee]

Thank you. That's actually very interesting.

[BowowMttt]

This is really useful thank you. I had a very mild cold, passed on from somebody who had tested negative. But then a few days later I have lost my sense of smell and taste so I’ve had a test done today. Waiting for results and hoping for the best!

[ILiveInSalemsLot]

Thank you. It is interesting. Hope you recover quickly.

[kezziethecat]

Thank you. I don't know anyone who has had a positive result so this is very interesting. Really hope you feel completely better soon.

[StandardLampski]

Thabk you for this !

[hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks]

Thank you this is really helpful. I've been unwell with what I presumed was a slight cold for the last few days and have had a very irregular cough for the last day. Tonight it has got a little bit worse but only in odd bursts not continuous
So I had ruled out Covid but now I'll keep an eye as it sounds very very similar to what you're describing down to feeling cold and headaches

[BirdsInTheAttic]

Thanks @CovidClara this is really interesting to read and I’m glad you and DD are feeling relatively ok.

[hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks]

Can I ask which online test you ordered? Thank you

I hope it stays mild for you both

[TheAdventuresoftheWishingChair]

Thank you. I'm glad you didn't have a worse case of it. It's interesting to see how varied it is in terms of symptoms.

[Ilovemyhairbeingstroked]

Thanks for this - please keep us posted , fingers crossed this is the worst it gets for you .

[PracticingPerson]

Really hope you continue with mild symptoms

[CovidClara]

@hellisotherpeopleandhorlicks

Can I ask which online test you ordered? Thank you

I hope it stays mild for you both

Just the NHS one. We had symptoms of a cough. I ordered it Wednesday at 4.30 pm and it arrived Friday pm

[EmilyDickinson]

Thanks, interesting thread. Particularly as both you and your DD at various points thought what you had couldn’t be Covid. It’s also interesting that one of the people you were at the pub with had “a cold” a week ago.

I wonder how many cases are being missed?

To me it seems like we should widen the criteria for testing and in particular we should look at the first symptoms people experience so as to catch cases early and get people isolating early in the course of infection.

hellis are you going to request a test?

[LocalHobo]

This is really interesting thanks.
Can I ask roughly how old you are? And do you have any other of the issues that could cause Covid to be more serious? Sorry for being nosy.

[Okayokayok]

Very helpful post, hope both you & your daughter feel better soon & continue to have a mild version 😊

[amicissimma]

This is interesting in the light of the growing idea that most people don't really spread Covid at all and a very few spread it a lot.

Assuming your '4th person' was your source, which is by no means a given but the most likely if the pub was Covid secure, and three of you caught it, this person could be a spreader. It would be interesting to know if other people s/he met since just before developing the 'cold' have also been unwell.

[CovidClara]

@LocalHobo

This is really interesting thanks.
Can I ask roughly how old you are? And do you have any other of the issues that could cause Covid to be more serious? Sorry for being nosy.

I am mid 50s, they are 21.
I am overweight (BMI over 25 but less than 30)

[MrsJackRackham]

Saturday- did a shift in the pub I work in. This was the only time I'd left the house, apart from shopping, in the past week.
Monday night- felt 'wrong', tired with a headache.
Tuesday- still felt rubbish with a bit of dizziness. Not all the time, just when I moved my head too quickly. Sore head still there.
Wednesday- same as Tuesday but now a soar throat and a cough. Just occasionally though. I was down to work in the pub Wednesday night and we have a few elderly customers so didn't want to risk it so booked a test and swapped my shift.
Thursday- positive test. Still rubbish, no cough or sore throat but feeling of grottiness would come in waves. Totally shattered. Still got sore head. Smell and taste gone.
This continued till the following Wednesday when I woke up with no headache and felt normal. At no time did I feel unwell enough to 'take to my bed' I was still wfh although reduced hours, doing housework and up and about as normal. I did need to sit down and rest though.
Three weeks later I still get bouts of feeling shattered and my taste and smell are returning but randomly. Can't taste tea or garlic. Can't smell vinegar or whisky.
No breathlessness, no significant cough. I think I had a temperature at the start but I don't have a thermometer so who knows??

[CovidClara]

@amicissimma

This is interesting in the light of the growing idea that most people don't really spread Covid at all and a very few spread it a lot.

Assuming your '4th person' was your source, which is by no means a given but the most likely if the pub was Covid secure, and three of you caught it, this person could be a spreader. It would be interesting to know if other people s/he met since just before developing the 'cold' have also been unwell.

We will probably know when the test for the 3rd person comes back. The 4th person is going to get a test as well but it may be too late for a positive.

[MrsJackRackham]

Oh, and I think I got it from the other shift member who also tested positive. He'd visited a local 'hot spot' earlier in the week.
DP has had no symptoms which is the most irritating thing of all

[CovidClara]

@MrsJackRackham

Oh, and I think I got it from the other shift member who also tested positive. He'd visited a local 'hot spot' earlier in the week.
DP has had no symptoms which is the most irritating thing of all

Your symptoms are very similar to mine.

[Feelingconfused2020]

Thanks so much for sharing, do you know though your symptoms and timeline are so similar to mine it's crazy. I had a sore throat and slight cough Tuesday. Woke up weds with headache and cough had worsened so I tested. My headache has been nasty all week and my sore throat too but cough has subsided.

I just received a negative test a couple of hrs ago.

I could have written your post up until the poi t of your test result.

[ResplendentAutumn]

Thanks for this.
My dd have a cold with a slight Cough. I may call for a test tomorrow then.
It's so worrying and yet we are told a cold is a cold? What on earth should be do. I imagine I would be pilloried by some for getting her a test as it's.. Just. A. Cold..

Corona is part of the cold family though isn't it!

[CovidClara]

@Feelingconfused2020

Thanks so much for sharing, do you know though your symptoms and timeline are so similar to mine it's crazy. I had a sore throat and slight cough Tuesday. Woke up weds with headache and cough had worsened so I tested. My headache has been nasty all week and my sore throat too but cough has subsided.

I just received a negative test a couple of hrs ago.

I could have written your post up until the poi t of your test result.

Did you swab yourself?

I read something that said there is a big % of false negatives due to poor swabbing. It was quite hard to do.

[CovidClara]

To add- my throat was sore but not swollen- which I thought was a bit unusual.