To ask if you've had covid recently and how you fared?

[RudolphTheGreat]

It's just hit our household for the first time. Ds tested positive Tuesday. I've felt rough all night, coughing, chills, achy - oh the achy hips are very annoying. Ds complained of an achy back and legs and not being able to sleep and after a very disturbed night myself can see why. Dd is also feeling similar to me.

How long did it take you all to recover?

I hate being ill. I must ring work but feel guilty even though it can't be helped and they definitely wouldn't want me in.

I tested positive for the second time on Wednesday, so we're in a similar boat.

I had covid for the first time in April and it hit me badly, it was very clear that it was covid as it felt so 'different' to anything I'd experienced before and I felt very unwell very quickly. I had a fever, lethargy, swollen glands, achey muscles, headache, couldn't move from the sofa/bed, lessened sense of smell/taste, sore throat (that was quite something, swallowing really hurt!), a cough and cold symptoms (but only a mildly runny nose as far as I can recall).

This time I thought I just had a sniffle of a cold (started last weekend) that developed into a streaming cold on Tuesday, at which point feeling feverish began. I also developed a relatively mild sore throat along with a cough. I've had achey shoulders, hips and legs (to quite a startling degree) too. I think Tuesday/Wednesday was the worst point for me and I've started to feel steadily better since.

If I had to guess, I'd say I've had a different, milder variant this time. Or perhaps my body has dealt with it better as I've had it before (I haven't had a recent booster so that's not a factor).

Should have said...

Recovery the first time was slow. I was still symptomatic and testing positive at day 16. At three weeks I said I felt 'better' but it probably took a good 6 weeks in reality and I still had some post viral fatigue going on after that. I did, however, start from a place of being quite run down and on maternity leave without any chance of proper rest (breastfeeding and baby not sleeping well).

This time around I can tell that I'll feel better sooner. I suspect the cough will linger but I don't feel as though the illness has made as much of an impact. Again, maybe due to different variants? I guess time will tell...

I had it for the first time last month.

I was feverish. very cold and needed a nap the day before I had it but those symptoms started a few hours after my flu jab. Felt mild cold symptoms the next day and tested positive for covid. It was actually very mild and I recovered quickly- I had a cold the month before which as much worse.

We've just had it for the first time. It's 10 days since I started and I still feel drained. I'm also still positive. You think you feel OK and then just suddenly run out of energy. I'm full of catarrh now which I hate and doesn't seem to be shifting. Hope you feel better soon , try and rest and drink plenty.

Had it for the first time in October, triple jabbed. Only tested as husband got stomach symptoms on top of cold/flu.

I was surprised at the veracity of the test line on my lateral flow test, it was an instant, strong line that appeared before the control line.

Felt rough for 3/4 days, mainly a headache/aches and blocked nose. Breastfeeding so couldn’t take anything beyond paracetamol & ibruprofen, if I’d been able to take Day & Night Nurse that would have helped a lot.

Baby also got it and was poorly for about 36 hours (angry/crying & stuffy).

Now a distant memory!

Got it for the first time in October (from husband, who caught it first). Massively unwell: fever, headache, backache and then vertigo... I couldn't sit up (much less stand!) without vomiting. I threw up 10x in 12 hours, and got scared. I was becoming seriously dehydrated and my husband called 999. Told an ambulance would take 7hrs so we gave up and I contacted my father (an oncologist). He told me to get a sports drink to help correct resulting electrolyte imbalance and just "stay low" and let the fluids drift down the back of my throat. Not even sips, really. Scary as anything!! Gradually improved in the following 24 hours but I vomited again 5x. Took 10 days to start to feel remotely normal. Awful disease.

I’ve just tested positive again yesterday. DS1 got it first, he had a cough for a couple of days and a bit of a sore throat but is fine now. Last time I caught it it wasn’t too bad so I’m hoping this time will be the same.

Anecdotally, everyone I know who’s getting it for the first time now seems to be having a tough time.

DH started feeling ill last Tuesday. He did a test last Thursday, which was a strong positive (bright red line straightaway). It was like a cold, but with backache, shortness of breath and nausea as well. He’s not as “ill” now - it’s just the nausea and exhaustion at any exertion. He finds if he’s trying to work, he forgets what he’s talking about on the phone - a bit of brain fog! Yesterday was day 10 and still positive!

We had our 4th booster in October!

First time 2 weeks ago, triple jabbed. Miserable for 5 days in bed, fever headache that took 4 days to get any relief from, achey, sorest throat ever. Upset tummy with bad cramping, lost my taste gradually on day 4, still not right on a few things. Didn’t lose smell but its dulled.

Tested positive on day 9, negative day 10. Fell asleep on the sofa around 9 every evening for the full week after, still croaky, have barky cough, bit phlegmy and slight fatigue.

Ironically Id had flu jab 2 weeks before but opted to have separate appt for booster which I then couldn’t attend. In two minds now when to get as hoping I might have some natural immunity.

Hope not to catch again as it was horrible and certainly not just a cold.

I had a nasty cough, but generally felt fine. Took a week off work but only because I didn’t want to spread it round, if covid wasn’t a thing I’d have gone in without a second thought.

Genuine question: are the vaccines really working? Why are people who've had their booster still suffering so much?

I had it last month. Felt horrific for 10 days or so, I couldn't stand up without feeling dizzy and the sweat pouring off me. 5 weeks later I am still really tired and my breathing isn't the same as before.

I had it, it was terrible. Extreme bone pain in my spine/pelvis/legs. I'm now in week 7 of recovery which pisses me off greatly. I have a cough which is small now but still strong when it comes. It's taking forever to completely clear out and I am jabbed too.

I had it in June. Horrific sore throat for 4 days, never had anything like it. Then felt better. Apart from the cough, which I had until the end of October!

I'm day 5 of horrendous cold...throat/ ears/ aches/ headache. Could be Covid...who knows? Never had it before.
I still feel shit. Haven't eaten since Tuesday

I got it for the second time 8th October. Felt dreadful. Took 5 full weeks to recover. Was well for a week and now have picked up a chest infection.

COVID has absolutely battered me this time.

I had Covid last week, from sat 12-sun 20, I felt wretched, very tired, no appetite, weak.
I felt a bit wobby on Monday 21 but since then I'm totally back to normal

The time between the first symptoms and feeling like I could work and go out for a gentle walk took about 10 days. Mild cough hangs around weeks.
There might be longer lasting (and odd) symptoms with this latest strain, so just take it easy @RudolphTheGreat and don't try to do too much too soon.

Genuine question: are the vaccines really working? Why are people who've had their booster still suffering so much?
Of course they are working.
DH and I both just had our first Covid 3 weeks at the same time as few other people.
We both had it after our 4th booster. We had headache, muscle aches, mildly sore throat, bad sleep but it was just a few days. We were at home for 5 days but it was for prevention purposes plus 2 days were weekend. I felt more tired then usual next week but nothing major.
DH’s friend was about to have booster but got Covid, they ended up feeling very poorly for a few weeks and needed antibiotics.
Another colleague (in her 20s) also ended up being very poorly and was out of work for 2 weeks. She had high temperature, sore throat, muscle aches, terrible cough. She hasn’t had her booster as well.

Genuine question: are the vaccines really working? Why are people who've had their booster still suffering so much?

We had just been to the Middle East on holiday. DH could have caught it anywhere there? For all we know, different variants are floating about there; which the 4th booster in the UK was not designed for?

Dh and I had it for the first time last month: sore throat, fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, loss of taste. Mine then became laryngitis - I lost my voice completely for 3 days. Dh’s gave him an ear infection. Felt groggy for about 2 weeks.

My 77 year old mum and 83 year old dad caught it for the first time a few weeks ago. They'd had their autumn boosters a couple of weeks prior to catching it. Mum felt pretty rough with head cold type symptoms but still got up and dressed each day. Dad sailed through really, bit of a cough and mild cold type symptoms. Both over it within the week pretty much and although felt tired for a week or so afterwards are now absolutely fine. Thank goodness for the vaccines!

Our family had covid for the first time recently. The achey hips were an absolute KILLER in fact the body aches in general were awful for me.

I was awful for 3 days solid. Chills, fatigue, fever, hurt to move around. Would weirdly feel better for an hr or so and think I was on the mend then bam felt horrendous again. Not had that with other illnesses. All in all I felt better towards the end of the week but I was a lot more poorly then I expected to be. Def not a mild cold in my case.

I was up to date with vaccinations, then caught Covid for the first time 5 weeks ago. The illness was mild - more like a rotten cold. I tested on the first day and it was negative, but as I was visiting a family with small children I tested again on day 4 and it was positive. By that time, I was feeling almost ok, but the post-Covid fatigue was awful, and has lasted a long time, though it is now not too bad. I developed Bell’s Palsy a week after getting Covid - the neurologist thought they were linked.

Dh and I had it a couple of weeks ago. It was fine, done in 3-4 days, but it was my 4th time and his third (first time I was sick for weeks then got long covid).