To feel guilty for testing positive

[55larry]

I take part in the Zoe app and having reported that I was sneezing and a runny nose they suggested I got tested. I didn’t have to get tested as I have none of the NHS symptoms but thought I should be tested. As I was told that I didn’t need to isolate until I was confirmed positive.

I went yesterday and woke up this morning to a positive test. I now feel so guilty about who I might have infected even though I thought I only had a cold. Be careful.

Instead of feeling guilty feel grateful and proud that you were forward thinking and using the Zoe app. Otherwise you’d be out and about until the 1st classic symptom showed.

If you didn't have a dry cough, loss of taste/smell, or a temperature then you had no reason to think you had covid.

Shame on this government for not adding the other symptoms to the list of symptoms.

Don't feel guilty. But, how do you feel OP? What goes Covid feel like?

No, op, you shouldn't feel guilty, if anything you should feel proud that you tested and discovered you were positive even though you didn't 'have' to.

You shouldn't feel guilty for having Covid.

You'd be quite within your rights to feel guilty at putting others at risk if you had chosen to not follow the basics - face covering in public, not social distancing, meeting with people unnecessarily etc.

Who have you seen over the past few days???

Sorry that sounded really accusatory, I was merely asking who you have seen.

You did everything right, you have nothing to feel guilty for. So many people are looking for someone to blame, that if you catch it you've been breaking the rules. The reality is that most catch it when living within the rules, and often they're not aware because we've been told to only test for three symptoms.

Your title doesn't refectory your post.

No you shouldn't feel guilty for TESTING positive.

But I wouldn't have gone out etc until the result came back.

Surely we all know by now that the 'top 3' list for testing is out of date & many people testing positive without one of those three symptoms. It's been long known other symptoms show sooner, with most people still getting one (or more) of the 3 later.

They need to update the criteria for testing.

So you followed the rules, but I think people need to go further than theur out of date rules.

You’ve done nothing wrong

It's not your fault the government have only listed three main symptoms. The first two days I had covid I had a sore head and throat so I carried on as normal (back last March) wasnt until the third day my temperature shot up and even then I never coughed once the whole time. Alot of people think the coughs the main thing but I know alot who never had it and started with a sore head and throat. This is likely why transmission is still so high.

I’m positive and feel guilty too. I’ve been careful 🤷‍♀️

My dc had head colds. Blocked sinuses, ear pain, headache, catarrh, sneezing.

Neither of them coughed once or lost their sense of smell or taste and DD had a fever (maybe, felt warm but shivery) for only a couple of hours.

If we didn't know about Covid or they hadn't tested positive, it would have looked and felt exactly like a bad cold.

Both ended up with vomiting/diarrhoea on day 5/6 too.

I feel like I have a cold and not much else. My 3yr old grandson was in contact with his Childminder’s son before Christmas who also only had a cold but he infected his mother with COVID. Dgs was tested before Christmas but was negative but now dd is wondering if it was a false negative as I haven’t been close to anyone else inside for weeks.

Zoe COVID study are trying to find which other things are symptoms. I would recommend everyone sign up to the Zoe COVID 19 app as all information is needed.

How did you get a test OP? Is it through the app? I have a cold - sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, but don't qualify for a test.

You've contributed to research so you should feel rightfully proud. You are not responsible for the Government's blind adherence to their symptoms for testing which are increasingly not those that positive cases present with at all. I hope you feel better soon.

I have pregnancy rhinitis. I’m constantly snotty but I can’t get tested every day in case I have I have COVID.

No-one should feel guilty for catching or unknowingly passing on any virus or disease - it's a sign of bat shittery to try to make others feel guilty, so YABU to feel guilty, but YANBU to have tested positive (and it might even be a false positive).

You did exactly what you were told to do, so don't feel guilty. It wouldn't even occur to me to get tested unless I had one of the 3 main symptoms.

I’ve had a positive result today. I changed my mind about having a test after posting on a thread the other day.
My symptoms were only muscle pains and joint aches, very very slight loose bowel and one bright red eye. No temp, no cough, smell and taste is fine.
The symptom list needs to be updated.

@Minky37

I’ve had a positive result today. I changed my mind about having a test after posting on a thread the other day. My symptoms were only muscle pains and joint aches, very very slight loose bowel and one bright red eye. No temp, no cough, smell and taste is fine. The symptom list needs to be updated.

I had a really bad tummy back in November, achey and tired and sneezing but I put the sneezing down to my allergies though that was probably daft as I had been taking my antihistamines. At the time DC was put in isolation for 14days as well as half term so we were isolated for 21 days basically so I knew I wasn’t passing anything on to anyone. Didn’t qualify for a test either.

DC just had a bad headache and was tired.

You have me wondering if We may have had covid or if it was just a bug. I know it wasn’t bad food because DC would’ve had the bad stomach too 😬

I signed up to the Zoe app early on and have so far been asked to test 4 times (all negative luckily), even though I haven't had any of the typical symptoms that our govt insist we should have before we get tested.
This is how the people behind the Zoe app refine their algorithm to figure out when they should send people for tests.

YABU for feeling guilty !
IMO it's much better to know that to not know !

Yeah we all had colds too. I only got a test as I was nhs and had been exposed to a ton of covid. It was an interesting wake up call that you really don't know what's covid and what's not. We did lose our taste and sense of smell much later though

Just a note, as Zoe are requesting tests for research purposes, there's no NEED to isolate if it asks you to book a test and you don't have any of the main three symptoms. Having said that, there's nothing preventing someone from isolating themselves if they wish to - this is a free country, apparently.

@EveningOverRooftops it’s certainly pos, but the problem is it’s all very vague. I’m a total convert to thinking asymptotic testing is the way forward now.
I had belly ache high up all day, then x2 loose (but not diahorrea) bowel movements. TBH I’ve had worse after a night on the wine or a curry. I wasn’t going to get a test as I thought I was being dramatic. The fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain have persisted but manageable with paracetamol. The eye unit have called me and are very interested in my ‘covid eye’ as they’ve never seen one yet. Fingers crossed that the symptoms remain mild.