Have you had COVID?

[Whitepriv]

Pretty convinced I have though no antigen test yet. Awful cough and bedridden for a week in early March. Relatively healthy/fit before but now a 2 minute run has me out of breath. So grateful it wasn’t worse though 😞 Anyone else think they’ve had it and on the road to recovery?

[thatmustbenigelwiththebrie]

My sister has it (tested). No symptoms at all.

Brother in law had it (tested) and was in bed for a couple of days

They work in a hospital.

My uncle caught it in his care home and died. It took 48 hours from catching it to death.

It's strange how it affects people so differently.

[thatmustbenigelwiththebrie]

My sister had it, that should say.

[Colabottles64]

I was one of those totally convinced I’d had it, I’d been commuting daily into central
London, colleagues were confirmed to have it and I had many of the symptoms for a week in late March (fatigue, temperature, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, loss of taste) - but antibody test this week (in person at a private clinic) was negative. So I guess I just had one of the many other viruses doing the rounds and had convinced myself it was covid!

[LellyMcKelly]

My sister got the test as she was convinced she had it. She didn’t - it was just another bug. It’s useful to remember that just because COVID is happening it’s not the only thing happening. All the usual bugs are still doing the rounds too.

[InsanityRocks]

I think so. The illest I've ever been - in bed for two weeks mid March with delirium, aching joints, pain in head, cough. No sense of taste or smell which still hasn't come back, utter fatigue. Then finally to round it off, a terrible two days of diarrhoea.
I am much better now but I wouldn't say I was 100%. Still getting days of severe fatigue, mouth ulcers, and cough.
I was very scared at its worst and I am normally very healthy, very fit, under 50 with no other medical conditions.

[TheGlitterFairy]

Convinced I, DH, DF and his partner had it in Jan/ Feb. Classic symptoms of COVID. Couldn’t breathe properly, dry cough that lasted for ages, fatigue, awful temperature, felt absolute dreadful. Ended up going to urgent care as couldn’t breathe. They said they thought it was “just a virus”. At that point, they were only concerned with those who had traveled to China. Took weeks/
months for all symptoms to go. Would love to know how to get an antibody test to see if I’m right and we have indeed had it.

[Iloveappleproducts]

I haven't had it and neither has anyone I know including my family, friends and the homeless people I work with

[claireyjs]

Think I had it at Christmas. I was I'll for 6 weeks with an unexplained chest infection, treatment included: inhaler, 3 lots of antibiotics, steroids, oxygen, nebuliser, 2 trips to A&E, 3 ECGs.... I relayed this when giving blood a couple of weeks ago and they have since called me for a teat and to give convalescent plasma if I test positive... roll on next Friday

[dottiedodah]

On the fence paint .Yes I was the same as you .Went to a charity supper and felt ill about a week later ,terrible chills ,awful headache loss of smell / taste and a sore tummy! Everyone else seemed fine .Iike to know for sure!

[lonelySam]

I was sure I had it in early March. Took the antibodies test and it came back negative so actually, I did not have it. Must have been something else that was going round around that time.

[flowerycurtain]

How are you all getting these antibody tests?

[LockdownMayhem]

For those who have taken the antibody tests -where are you getting them from? Are you buying then privately? I've seen some advertised but wasn't sure how reliable they were.

We were all ill around that time and DD had a persistent cough that lasted for weeks, but she is prone to those anyway, so not sure really.

[polkadotpixie]

I'm not sure. I had diarrhoea and a sore throat for one day, fever for 10 days and loss of sense of smell/taste but wasn't tested as this was late March and they weren't testing much then

I should be getting my antibody test at work soon so I'll know one way or another

[miri1985]

Anybody whos interested in finding out if they did have it should consider registering to donate plasma (www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/convalescent-plasma-clinical-trial/).
I haven't had it but a friend who did registered and was given an appointment (shes based in central london) fairly quickly. She'll be notified within 2 weeks if she has covid antibodies in the plasma she donated

[Megatron]

Another one asking how people are getting these antibody tests?

[aquashiv]

The vast majority of my friends describe similar symptoms mainly in February..I had terrible headache temp dizziness shortness of breath and tight chest. Assumed it was menopause flu..I'd love to know if I've had it and wear a t shirt to show it's unnecessary to act like a cat encountering a cucumber when they come near.

[modgepodge]

I think antibody tests are available now to health/care workers, maybe everyone who has said they’ve had one works in that sector?

[redwoodmazza]

No. Not me nor DH.
But we know several that have - way back in early April. Well, they all had the symptoms but there was no testing available. They self-isolated.

[sunlightflower]

Almost every single adult person I know (literally, bar one or two) thinks they have had Covid. People have a mild cold and think it was Covid. People have the same seasonal illness they have every year and think it was Covid. I know someone normally intelligent who swears he had Covid, because he "got a headache on Monday night and felt queasy and headachy until Wednesday, so it was definitely Covid".

This mirrors my experience. It's ridiculous.

I know some people who forked out £70 for the antibody test and even when it came back negative they're STILL convinced they had it because the test "isn't 100% accurate".

I also know someone who claims to know categorically that it was here in November because she had it then

[SoMuchToBits]

For those asking about getting the antibody tests, yes I will be getting mine as I am a health care worker.

[Ghostlyglow]

I had all the symptoms in February. It's the illest I've been for years. No proof it was It, though.

[Conks]

Yes. Bad cough and a little breathlessness. If it wasn’t Covid I’d have been able to work no problem at all.

[ghostmous3]

I wouldn't be surprised I've had it. I developed a cough, fever, headache, fatigue, pit of breath a bit and loss of taste and smell early april. My symptoms were mild but they lingered for weeks and i have only just felt like I'm getting back to normal. My dp had headache, cough and temp as did my 2 dds. My eldest dd however was worse, she had a bad chest with her symptoms.
2 people in work tested positive for covid and were in hospital so I I presume I caught it from them.

[shakalaka]

OP - I could gave written your post, but am now much more normal (eg I can run my usual 5k but March and April I struggled to walk to the local shop). Both DH and I think we may gave had it, more likely as DH was travelling a lot in Feb with work to areas where it started popping up. But until there is a test I cannot say for certain.

[zafferana]

No, definitely not, unless I had it completely asymptomatically and didn't pass it on to DH or my two DC. We live in an area that was hit hard early on though, DH was working in London until mid-March, DC both at school, so I think we've been lucky so far.

I know several people who believe they had it. One was in hospital with her unwell DC and they both got something that sounds a lot like Covid (and that hospital had lots of cases and quite a few deaths). Others were working in London and several people in their office came down with something that was probably Covid - all the symptoms. The people who got something in November/December though it's unlikely from what I've seen and there are nasty viruses/chest infections around at that time of year every year. Not everything is Covid. I remember in the early days of the pandemic, back when the UK was offering tests to everyone who wanted one, and hardly any were positive.