Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think I’ve had COVID 19, and it’s been here a while?

426 replies

VivienScott · 26/03/2020 19:04

After Xmas I came down with what I thought was a terrible cold. Dry persistent cough, terrible fever, worse than I’ve ever had to the point I was delirious, difficulty breathing, though not pneumonia. Saw out of hours and they check oxygen levels, chest etc, said I was ok to be home, but I was not first case they’d seen like this and there was “something really awful going round this year”. Consequently had to see GP who said he’d had to hospitalise a lot more people than normal for breathing difficulties.
It all sounds exactly like coronavirus, it really felt like something dreadful to the extent I deliberately kept myself from others more than I would with a cold. I honestly believe it was, but it’s way before it was supposed to be in Europe let alone here in UK. What do you think, AIBU to think it’s been here longer than we’re aware?

OP posts:
bobstersmum · 26/03/2020 19:57

Well, I believe I had it last March!

TheLadyAnneNeville · 26/03/2020 19:58

Some people are just thick as mince.

NemophilistRebel · 26/03/2020 19:58

January -
Headaches going into migraines for days
No appetite
Sore throat (a terrible one) but only lasted a few days
Nauseous feeling for weeks but no actual sickness
A little diarrhoea
No energy Or strength
Getting upstairs was a strain
This lasted for about 4-5 weeks with maybe the odd few days of feeling a bit better in between
I had a little dry cough but no breathing difficulties and my cough only seemed to be there at night

I’m sure I’ve had it

NemophilistRebel · 26/03/2020 20:00

What also makes me think I had it was I went to London transport museum just before I came I’ll over the Christmas break

It was busy

I had no issues in just doing my normal hygiene routine for London as I would any previous years

Following me becoming ill most of my family and friends were ill with varying versions of symptoms

The two worst affected had pneumonia

Some were only nauseous for a week

Darbs76 · 26/03/2020 20:02

People do realise that there are different flu viruses - so just because you’ve never felt like that before doesn’t mean it was CV. How do people who believe they’ve had it last year think the death toll hasn’t become so much higher? Even if they weren’t tested don’t you think there would have been a huge increase in deaths overall? We would be at thousands of deaths a day by now

MaggieAndHopey · 26/03/2020 20:05

"There is an Oxford uni study just published saying it’s been out a while and prob half the uk population have had it."

No, the study didn't say that.

Mudcakemaniac · 26/03/2020 20:08

What I find strange is that all the people who reckon they've had it all say they were really really ill, yet the vast majority of people who haveactuallyhad an official diagnosis have mild symptoms

This ^^

chomalungma · 26/03/2020 20:10

I know several people who had really bad coughs and were quite ill over Christmas time.

DS had a really bad cough that was dry. It's gone now.

We live in a city popular with Chinese visitors and Chinese students. I do wonder if it has been here a while.

We do need those antibody tests to see who has got immunity.

LellyMcKelly · 26/03/2020 20:11

There are dozens of types of bugs, colds and flu that do the rounds in winter. You may have had it, or something that gave similar symptoms, or two or three things combined - let’s face it, the symptoms could be anything - flu with bronchitis...etc. etc.

SnakePlant · 26/03/2020 20:11

My DB and his partner in Germany had the classic symptoms of it about 3 weeks ago. DB has never had a cough in his adult life. He’s in his 60s. When he described his symptoms (by WhatsApp as he was coughing too much to talk) I said he needed to see the doctor as it sounded like he had a chest infection. The doctor said his chest was clear but that he was wheezy and gave him an inhaler. It gradually improved but he still gets the cough mainly at the end of the day now. He said he had never had anything quite the same as this. His partner who had it too works in an international school with a lot of kids from China, Japan and Korea. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t COVID-19. Ive never known either of them take over a week off work and take to their beds. They are in one of the hotspots for it there too.

cornishdreams1 · 26/03/2020 20:12

I caught something like this noticeable from the awful taste in my mouth and being unable to taste anything, I had the raging fever, the tightness in my chest - we nearly called an ambulance because I was convinced it was a heart attack, it went on for days. The headache was awful, and I did not have the energy to even shower.
I developed a dry cough and I was really ill for five weeks. It took the same again to get back to normal. My neighbours caught it, and were hospitalised with pneumonia. We all said it was the worst thing we ever had.

I am convinced it is a version of Coronavirus, I am worried it was the 'other one' that is being suggested in China, they believe there are two strains of this virus.

I don't know I have definitely experienced it, I would love to find out for sure. If I haven't, then it was something so very similar and I can't believe it is just pure coincidence. I don't believe it is possible for so many people to be so terribly ill with almost the same symptoms with no connection, it seems highly unlikely. I have had the normal flu and it is nothing like it.

Devlesko · 26/03/2020 20:13

Me and dh think we both had it in December, but of course would never know.
Both had a dry cough that neither of us is susceptible to with normal colds. No fever, but the cough took until well into January to go, and we both had flu like symptoms like aches and pains.

The normal flu is still about too though, and will kill more than this virus will. If the immunisation doesn't work like a couple of years ago, when hundreds of thousands died in the UK according to WHO.
I don't understand why we didn't have lockdown then, because if this is more contagious than the flu we'd be losing at least a million.

princessTiasmum · 26/03/2020 20:15

My daughter, sister, nephew and niece had this for over 6 weeks, all over Christmas. and new year too,all had 3 lots of antibiotics, steroids and a hacking dry cough, painful chest
They don't all live close to each other, my sister and family live on the other side of the country,so didn't catch it off each other
I am convinced it was the start of coronavirus, so are a lot of others, Dr said he had seen a lot of this and antibiotics were not making any impressionMy daughter was sent for an X ray, and had a shadow on one lung, but they said it wasn't pneumonia as thought

MiniTheMinx · 26/03/2020 20:15

I had a dry cough, slightly breathless, headaches and slight fever end of February, lasted two weeks. Still have a bit of a cough. The headache lasted the whole two weeks. It didn't feel like pneumonia, I have had it once before a long time ago. But I am wondering if it was Covid-19 because I had absolutely no cold symptoms. I would like to try the test kit when they are available.

NemophilistRebel · 26/03/2020 20:16

Everyone I know said how much worse the colds and flus were this winter

Also don’t forget there are teo confirmed strains , a milder one and a more severe one

Also people react differently to it

LivingDeadGirlUK · 26/03/2020 20:20

I saw an article about this on Facebook but surely if its been around for longer than we think it would have spread uncontrolled and we would be well into the thousands dead by now. The case modeling that is being done currently doesn't seem to line up with the theory?

oohnicevase · 26/03/2020 20:21

I've heard stories of nurses saying it's been around since last November .

whyayepetal · 26/03/2020 20:22

My DD reckons many at her halls of residence had it in early January. They all put it down to fresher’s flu round 2 at first. Latterly they have realised that students came back to halls after Christmas from all over the world....including Wuhan. Some were ill for a long time, some had milder symptoms.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/03/2020 20:23

Oh this again....

I had a really bad cough and a fever back in December 2017. Absolutely matched the symptoms, maybe it was around then too? Hmm

HarryBlackberry1 · 26/03/2020 20:23

So pleased I found this thread. I was desperately ill with this over Christmas. For two full weeks. I ended up at A and E as the pain in my chest was so bad. Had a chest x ray which showed my right lung had filled up with stuff and had partially collapsed. All the symptoms of coronavirus. My partner was very ill with it too and had to use my inhaler, even though he's not asthmatic. Never had anything like it. I'm still not quite over it.

MrsExpo · 26/03/2020 20:24

Not BU at all. My DH had exactly those symptoms in January too, to the point I nearly called an ambulance as his breathing difficulties were so severe - literally fighting for every breath for several nights in a row, severe headache, temperature, cough: it was classic CV19.

The issue is that, as he rarely goes out, he must have caught it from me. But apart from a mild “flu” which left me with a mild, but persistent, cough contracted between Christmas and new year, I have had no symptoms. Quite scary really.

Bowerbird5 · 26/03/2020 20:24

My best friend had similar. She used to be a nurse it has crossed her mind. She looked absolutely dreadful. I have never seen her look so ill in thirty years. It took her weeks to get over and she was very fatigued afterwards. However no one else got it. Her husband is diabetic an has just had a heart op. I have a dicky immune system and asthma.

I hear what you are saying but I think it must have been something different or we were all lucky not to have got it. Husband, sister, three sons, twelve grandchildren and myself plus all her clients.

Nicolanomore24 · 26/03/2020 20:24

My 16 year old was ill in late Nov. For a Young very fit boy he was completely floored. In bed for a full week, high temp, dry cough, nose bleeds, no appetite etc. I have never seen a child so unwell (that isn’t obv gravely ill) I honestly think he may have had corona then.

Duchessofblandings · 26/03/2020 20:27

Thymelord

What I find strange is that all the people who reckon they've had it all say they were really really ill, yet the vast majority of people who have actually had an official diagnosis have mild symptoms.”

Presumably because anyone who had mild symptoms, if it were circulating earlier, has forgotten about it by now.

Fcukthisshit · 26/03/2020 20:31

I believe I’ve already had it too. It started just before christmas and it’s literally taken me forever to get better. The initial illness took about 5 weeks to recover from but it left me having recurrent tonsillitis / sinusitis and chest infections. I literally never ring in sick at work but I was forced to take a couple of weeks off. My GP told me that he’d never seen anything like this year with how many people got ill and how severe the symptoms were. I’ll definitely be buying one of the tests if they become available.