Went to A&E to be safe, might catch COVID?

[Anxiouslikenoneother]

I am just so terrified and angry with myself at the same time. I am sitting awaiting my turn at A&E and on the verge of tears. I am
pregnant and suffer from anxiety. I have had an incident that was fairly minor but I thought I’d be responsible and call 111 to check it out and to reassure myself. instead was sent to A&E. Whilst waiting there I spent good 30 minutes about 1,5-2m from a man who was coughing a bit from time to time but very small cough. But then after a while I saw a nurse taking a swab of his nose and what looked like was doing a lateral flow or pcr cover test. This completely terrified me.
they did not do it to me or other patients. And I am so besides myself as I perhaps overreacted and shouldn’t have been to A&E and now facing a prospect of getting covid close to the labour and the pregnancy had some bumps in it… I just can’t cope anymore.

You followed medical advice, and what's done is done. Even if it was Covid, you may not catch it. Even if you catch it, you may not get ill. Even if you get ill, it may be very mild. Overall, the chances that following the medical advice you were given will result in you getting serious problems from Covid is pretty low, and the situation was unavoidable anyway — going to A&E when 111 sent you there was the right decision.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie thank you for replying to my rumblings. This is all true. No one knows what’s going to happen and what’s done is done. I am still going to feel really terrified but just just hope it will be okay.

I hope it'll be okay too. I get why you're freaked out but remember the incubation period for Covid has come down — with Omicron, if you were unlucky enough to catch it from him you should get some symptoms in three or four days.

I've never been pregnant but I've had anxiety and it's shitty — even knowing that you're probably causing more pain to yourself with the anxiety than you'd likely suffer from the thing you're anxious about doesn't make it go away. But it's really true that worrying can't affect the outcome either way, so it's useful if you can find a way to park the worries. I know some people write them down, so every time the worries pop up they can remind themselves that the worries are securely saved on paper and don't need to be kept in mind.

I know it'll be the really serious outcomes you're worried about but even in the really high peaks when it felt like everyone was infected, we had no knowledge of how to treat it, and hospitals are overwhelmed, the vast majority of women and babies did fine.

I hope you can get some sleep tonight (I've heard from pregnant friends that's not always a given ) and things will feel less terrifying in the morning when your brain's had an opportunity to do its overnight processing.

Fwiw I caught covid at 37 weeks, I felt really rubbish like I had a bad cold for two days and was tired for a week. Had my DD on Saturday, no issues.

Chill out. I have a 2 month old and sat in hospital many times heavily pregnant in crowds with people coughing and I was fine. Covid is just a cold.

Are you vaccinated?

I spent 4 hours in a car with a friend who had covid but didn't know at the time, I didn't catch it.

7yr old DD caught it and she was sleeping in my bed and I didn't catch it.

The nurse sould have taken him in to a cubicle to these tests for obvious reasons.
I would complain to whoever was in charge of A+E ( the concultant) and to PALS.
I think it's disgraceful/

thanks to everyone for your replies and for reassurance, it’s helpful to keep some perspective and not go completely mad whilst I am still waiting here. I think it’s just my other issue that I did call to 111 with was so so minor , most probably wouldn’t even think of calling. It’s feeling that I brought it on to myself and put baby into harms way that is the absolute worst. I kept telling 111 clinician that yes I do have that particular Simpson but only because I think it is due to my high anxiety and I only stay eyed feeling it after they mentioned it on the phone. So feel like a complete idiot. Well I stocked up on LFTs so testing will begin after a few days…. If I get seen by that point of course…..

And yes it’s been disturbing to watch and they also let them sit with everyone once the test was being performed. Not sure what the outcome of that was I heard the nurse who did the test calling her colleagues/ and calling out his name about 20 -30 minutes later so did not look good.

Are you getting treatment for your anxiety? This is something you will need to get a handle on before your child is older.

The impact on a child of severe parental anxiety far outweighs the risk of cqtching covid from someone sitting 2m away from you in a hospital waiting room.

Yes I am getting support and will consider medication if things get worse. I know it’s not good, and it is the anxiety that has driven me here in the first place and believe me I hate being like this

@EarlofShrewsbury yes I have had three doses of the vaccine but the last one was back in January, plus with the new variants they might be less effective.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie thank you for being so kind. And yes I had bad anxiety before pregnancy but it really amplified now.

My sister caught it twice in pregnancy
Once at 11 weeks and once at 35 weeks and she was fine both times
She was ok, and 3 day old baby went over due and is fine and dandy

@HeyBlaby and @Potato28 thank you for reassuring stories. It’s good to think that even if someone catches it it can still be okay.

i do hope that I’ve learnt my lesson in an easy way (with no consequences) though. Have been seen and it was really pointless- no bloods done, which is right as I don’t have any proper symptoms, so not unhappy with them, just with myself. The only symptom I had that 111 flagged was due to anxiety and I knew it, I should have just said “no” to that question. Sigh.

OP,
Here's the things I've learned through the past 2.5 years. I hope they provide some peace of mind.
Most hospitals will still make covid positive patients wait in a separate room, maybe you can tell from their reaction when they called him that 30 minutes later.
.
Having contact doesn't mean you'll automatically catch it. I was at FILS house for the day with covid- I had no idea. He didn't catch it. Not even from his wife when she caught it.

This current strain, plus the 3 jabs meant covid was virtually a cold. Our baby recovered very quickly. Infact I have to say, I've been more ill several times in my life- all with run of the mill colds and infections- and my money system is bad!

Please try not to ruminate on it. I've got several anxiety disorders. Covids been a massive fear, now covids endemic and most of us are jabbed, it isn't the situation if once was

If you’ve had vaccinations I really wouldn’t worry. I would worry a little if I hadn’t.

Massive overreaction. Relax and consider treating your anxiety or this will spiral when your babies born.

I have been in hospital a lot since Covid came. They swab people like this routinely if they're being admitted to a ward. It does not mean they think he's got it at all. Everyone gets swabbed.

The test in the public area plus being then called suggests he was being admitted to a ward. I hope that helps a little.

What I mean is being admitted for any reason at all- not for Covid. If you have your baby in hospital I'd imagine they'd swab you then. It's completely routine. They usually don't even tell you the result if it's negative

It's an anxious time isn't it.
Currently 24+3 and had covid at 14 weeks and hrs hideous. FWIW my sister recently had covid and the day before she tested positive I was round her a lot even right next to her and didn't get it x

It was*

Are you no longer wearing masks in health care setting ? That would have protected you a bit....

My dad died on a covid ward. I saw him twice while he was dying. As did my brother. Each of us took mum so she was there 6 times. None of us caught covid.