I don’t have COVID so what on earth has infected me/brought me down so badly?

[Pleasegivemeyourwisdom]

5 days so far of agonising throat a d swallow

Hacking cough - productive at night, little sleep

Runny nose

Exhausted . Com

(Been PCR’d)

What is this super cold thing?!

I am not prone to colds AT ALL.

This is never ending

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I have a theory that it's because of the lockdowns and sanitising the fuck out of everything and wearing masks everywhere. We don't come into contact with as many run of the mill viruses and germs now. So our immune systems are less active and not as quick off the mark if we do catch something.

This. General bugs are definitely worse than they used to be because we are not exposing ourselves to light infections like we did pre covid when we were mixing with more people in offices, not using sanitiser etc. Our bodies forgot how to cope.

Have people generally forgotten what a cold feels like?

No clue but what ever it is I've had it!
Went to bed one night as right as rain, woke up at 3.00am shivering and alternating with being boiling hot!
Did a PCR which was negative.
Hacking cough etc.
In bed for days.
Turned into a chest infection - deep joy - and was signed off work for a week.
That was A week before Christmas.
Currently still wiped out.

It was horrible.

I've been getting my usual colds etc as I work with children and this was awful. far far worse than a normal cold.

Yes I have this, day 6 and I only feel slightly better, or maybe more adjusted to feeling shit. The cough is just horrible. I was awake 3-5 in the night just coughing and coughing. Just want to feel well again! Also negative pcr/lfts

Yes, I’m just getting Over it too.

Started Xmas eve and Xmas day/Boxing Day I felt awful (shivers, cough, snotty, sneezing non stop). Still a bit cattarry now but much better. Was doing LFT’s every day as I was sure it was Covid but all negative. Most people I know who have had covid this time round haven’t felt as bad as I have though!

I was in bed for a week with this (2 negative pcrs due to new symptoms, repeat negative lfts). Am 4 weeks on and still have the fucking cough - my prolapse is worse than after birthing my huge baby ffs.

Get well soon

I have it and feel almost as ill as I did with covid last year. I didn't have any colds last year and I feel like this is all of my usual ones bundled into one much worse than usual. The fatigue in particular feels very covid-like and makes it impossible to keep going as I'd normally manage with a regular cold.

What a stupid question. There are around 200 respiratory viruses in circulation that affect humans. We never bothered testing for any of them before covid (unless perhaps in rare circumstances that you were hospitalised with pneumonia) so what does it matter???

Everyone who's saying "it's just a cold", have you had this bug? Specifically, in the past two months? Lasting over a week?

If not, then kindly hush. :)

The ones of us who are suffering from this have all had colds, and remember exactly how bad colds can be. And this really, really doesn't feel like a cold.

It's not the case that Covid is a death sentence/hospitalises you and that all other colds and flu have gone away. As ever, viruses and colds exist and can actually make you feel really rotten. It's easy to forget that a nasty virus or actual influenza can make you feel absolutely terrible! Feeling very ill is not a unique sign for Covid, much as the government and media would have it seem that way! Sorry you are ill, and as ever lemsip and rest should have you feeling better within the week x

Hasn't everything gone so weird post covid Can you imagine I Have A Cold being worrisome enough to post on an advice forum pre 2020.

It seems like the safer and more privileged our society gets, the more we find to worry about

I had the super cold. Felt crap for three weeks. Negative pcr.

Now got Covid. To be honest the super cold was quite a lot worse than Covid has been so far (I’m on day 5) but perhaps that’s my vaccines doing their job.

@AlbertBridge

Everyone who's saying "it's just a cold", have you had this bug? Specifically, in the past two months? Lasting over a week?

If not, then kindly hush. :)

The ones of us who are suffering from this have all had colds, and remember exactly how bad colds can be. And this really, really doesn't feel like a cold.

Agreed! I’m in the same situation as others in that I’ve caught cold after cold over the last few months but I’ve still not had COVID (that I know of).

I was so sure that what I had now is COVID but I’ve just had the negative PCR back. The cough and shortness of breath is rubbish. It seems to be just the same symptoms of COVID that most people are having (temperature/exhaustion/sore throat) but without any sympathy because it’s ‘just a normal winter bug’. Arghhh!!!

I had a "super cold" twice in the final third of 2021, after 18 months of full health. Off work for three weeks in total and still suffering from post viral fatigue. It's utterly grim.

Covid was a walk in the park in comparison and mere colds, inconsequential.

There have always been fucking gruesome colds and flus about. I had a terrible one in 2001 that gave me ME that I still have residue illness from. It's not a new thing. Covid however was worse for me in the short term.

I started with it at 3am on Christmas Day. So spent Christmas morning getting a PCR. My daughter also started with symptoms the day before and was waiting for a PCR result so we went ahead with Christmas day as usual, but with us both masked with FFP2s.
Both negative, so glad we didn't abandon Christmas.

I'm still coughing and sinusy

We're 'blaming' 2 year old DGD/DN who we'd seen a few days earlier and who was snotty with the latest nursery acquired bug.

Yes I have it and OH slightly more worse. He gets cold quite easily while I haven't had one for 8 years.

I'm coughing like mad and got through a few pairs of knickers

Influenza or another cold virus. COVID-19 is just a particular strain. There are many many more out there in circulation still.

I've never had a cold or the flu, have also never had covid. I just get tonsillitis for about 4/5 days once/twice a year.

I've never had a chest infection or a cough either. I'm in my early 30's 😳 I think I'm weird.

Well if current conspiracy theories are to be believed..... In order for Bojo to allow Xmas to go ahead, PCRs are to be either not 100% tested or false results being sent back.

I'm not an anti vaxxer..... Before anyone starts.

However, my best mates DH tested positive on LFT, she didn't, both ill as shit, his PCR positive, hers negative. 🤔

What a mixed bag of responses.

Thanks for the nice ones 😃

This really ISNT A COLD. It’s a beast 😰👍✔️

I’ve had a cold for 3 weeks now. It was awful for a week, then became mild but then has ramped up again. I’m exhausted from it and still feeling awful. Meant to be back at work Tuesday but I’m not sure I can manage, however I can’t take time off for a cold!

Sounds like influenza

I had this and it lasted 3 weeks 😣 I never normally get colds this bad (last one was about 5 years ago)

Why are you so convinced it's not a cold, though?

Colds can be utterly horrendous - I've had some that have totally knocked me off my feet and made me feel absolutely horrific. I've just colds that have left me vomiting, in bed with a temperature and feeling like death for a good few days.

Colds are worse at the moment because nobody has been exposed to anything for about two years now thanks to masks, extra sanitising and social distancing - so we're all being hit like a tonne of bricks.

These bugs have always existed and will always go on existing even when we're living through a pandemic.