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

I had my covid booster and flu jab on the 9th Dec. Felt horrendous, and went to bed for 2 days. On the 13th, tested positive for Covid. Was literally on my knees with fever, night sweats, headache....... but by day 6 was negative LFT and recovered really quickly.

We were out of isolation on 23rd, so hosted Christmas. Then one of my grandkids gave me this bastard of a virus. 100 x times worse than Covid...... hacking cough that I'm almost vomiting with, popping ears, snotty nose, aching limbs and absolutely no energy. I wake up every morning feeling just as bad as I did the day before, and wondering how the hell I'm going to manage work on Monday............

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.

Totally agree with this.
Its a cold, but a horrendous, really bad cold.

I’m on day 6 and feel so ill. DP had it too and he’s never ill. I just can’t wait to feel better.

I read recently that there are well over 200 respiratory viruses in circulation so I mean, it could be one of those?

Yep had it 3 weeks ago, still coughing . Its certainly a good way to gain personal space . 3 clear LFT

Same. I've been in bed since Boxing Day, high fever, chills, headache, cough, cold, sore throat. Negative lateral flow. Still waiting for PCR results. Haven't felt this awful in years

Yes it's been awful. I'm day 16 now and only just starting to feel better. Still coughing, no sense of taste and so full of snot. My poor 3 year old and 7 month old have had it too. My dh manages to avoid this one some how.

I hope you feel better soon.

My son has had high temperature and chills since yesterday..tonight temperature 39!!Lft negative and fully vaccinated..am assuming he just has a different nasty virus. Hope you feel better soon X

Same here op, this is no ordinary cough/cold! It lasted about 3/4 weeks and still hasn’t totally gone. The mucus build up on my chest especially during the evening/night and early morning was like nothing I’ve ever felt before, it just wouldn’t budge and made it really difficult to breath. I think I passed it to my daughter.

I don’t usually get badly affected by coughs colds but either this is a super strength bug or my body has forgotten how to fight viruses. I’ve previously had Covid and this was much worse.

I had this in September and it floored me. I was so shocked as it's been ages having had a cold or chest infection due to all the sanitiser I've been using the past year.

Totally gutted to get it again on Christmas Eve. Full on sore throat,ears,cough only started a few days later,PCR negative, no smell or taste, sore chest. Considered ringing gp, felt so terrible today I wish I had done before nye closures.

And on top of it all I've been coughing so violently I've had to buy some tena lady.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

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???

What a thoughtless (and witless) answer. Of course there are many respiratory viruses in circulation; the OP knows this. It must feel particularly awful to be suffering one with some similarity to Covid and have to test all the time for it. I know this as my own family is suffering from a nasty respiratory virus ATM - in summer, during a huge Omicron wave in our region.

Ive just done a 4th LFT and its negative. Bonus for the family is my voice has almost disappeared!

I hardly slept, couldn’t lie flat cos i couldn’t breathe but the coughing has really slowed down. And im not achy and chilly anymore.

I can cope with zero voice!

If you have what I had, it is a beast of a bug. I ended up on antibiotics for the cough, and had several days off work. It look about 8 weeks of virus and post virus fatigue before I felt human again.

Hope you don't take as long to recover, it's brutal.

Its the mucus on the chest that gets me. I cough and cough to get rid then i end up feeling sick. So it stays there. Im
Hopless 😂

Feel this is the worse it gan get now so I’ve decided not to test anymore. Its not covid after 4 negative tests.

I got ill with this the last week of November and it is an absolute beast of a bug. It keeps coming back as well. As soon as I feel like I might have kicked it, the sore throat re-emerges. Sending sympathy, it's a horrible one.

Yup I’ve had it too. My elderly parents had it first. Mum not long out Of hospital and she’s only just getting over it now about 7 weeks later. I’m at almost 3 weeks. Shattered, still waking coughing. pcr negative. Christmas has been a wash out.

@Neurodiversitydoctor

Dd and DS had this before Xmas DS a healthy 17yo was coughing for over a week. All LFTs negative.

Without a pcr it could have been covid. Lfts don't count if you have symptoms.

Colleague had awful cough, runny nose, 10 neg LFTs as we test x 2 weekly but he wanted to make sure. PCR negative also. Now positive. Same with another colleague. Very weird.

Oh poor you and all of us
I got a nasty nasty cold at the end of October, I then got the most agonising sinus pain and a middle ear infection. I was in bed for SIX weeks. I’ve never been so ill for so long in my life.
I had an MRI about a week before Christmas and ended up in hospital, where I had I intravenous antibiotics. Thank God. Still not 100% now, but I can function albeit slowly. I’ve got to go back to ENT. I just hope it’s not something I just have to live with forever, still have sinus pain and waves of dizziness, still blowing my nose.

Not covid.

Just a bad cold.
I've had loads for the last 2 years, never covid.
Unfortunately with a toddler it's just part and parcel of living..

Yes, I’m just coming out of it. Cough started as a tickle and then got worse over about 10 days. Then settled on my chest. Then the cold started on Christmas Day - no sore throat but awful gunky cough and the most congested I’ve ever been. Light-headed, knackered, couldn’t eat, raging thirst. I’m a bit resentful that it wasn’t covid!

No one else in the house got it.

My work colleague had the cold badly early December. She said it was worse than when she had Covid.

@ NeedWineNow I can't believe for instance that in Winter 2020 it was reported that we didn't have a single case of flu!

Do you actually believe that no cases of flu were officially reported, or are you saying nobody said they had flu in conversation?