To tell you I had the "flu" that's going round, and it was actually covid

[DucklingDaisy]

I suppose it doesn't make much difference now, but I kept nodding my head in agreements with threads on here describing a bug going round. Then I realised I'd totally lost my sense of smell so I dug out a lateral flow...

I know you're supposed to treat it like any other illness, but I cancelled (and still paid) a cleaner who was supposed to be coming today because I thought it would be very immoral not to. I'd probably have done that for flu tbf. We're supposed to be hosting my sister-in-law for Xmas. She's not got anywhere else to go but I don't know if she'll want to come to a plague house. Both the kids have developed temperatures today :(

Having no sense of smell isn't going to be brilliant for cooking, either.

Regardless of having flu or covid, why would anyone have guests or go out about when you’re ill with something contagious. Let’s not forget flu kills too. We’ve not been lied to about covid. It is never going away. We’ll need covid jabs just like flu jabs. There’ll still be people thinking it’s a hoax (like holocaust deniers, flat earth people etc). Everyone with common sense (not so common?) should test for covid if they’re ill or known to be around people with covid.

I got two pings from nhs last week. My first ever. I stayed home and then tested, to be sure before continuing on with Xmas preparations, seeing friends etc.

I had a rotten respiratory thing for almost 2 weeks. Tested to be on the safe side, which was negative. Had a week of being well, and now have Covid. And am sick as a dog with it. December has been a total bust. Every festive activity missed and won't be able to see family at Christmas so that's lost too. The result was the same with both though; isolation until less revolting, as it's not fair on other people where it's Covid or not.

I think I've got covid, terrible continuous dry cough , headache and fever of 39, very painful legs and a fizzy, hot feeling in my veins .

Have a few people off work with Covid at the moment. Last week I felt absolutely exhausted. Struggled to get out of bed most mornings (more than usual). Did nothing all weekend and feel much better this week. I thought last week was just end of year burnout but who knows.

Since having Covid over a year ago, I totally lose my sense of smell and taste en very time I catch a cold. Something which never happened before getting by Covid. I also catch every cold that comes around. Another thing that never happened before getting Covid.

I LF test and I also PCR test for the ONS. They've all been colds.

I also catch every cold that comes around. Another thing that never happened before getting Covid.

It's interesting you say that. Pre covid, I never caught anything either, never had a cold, flu, anything, even when everyone else in the house was ill. It was a standing joke in our family.

These days I'll catch anything going, and it always hangs around for ages. Maybe it's related to having covid, or did lockdown affect our immune systems?

On the going out about, it's pretty hard to keep small children home. If it were up to me I'd be in bed sleeping all day, and I wouldn't take them anywhere inside.

I work in the receiving area of the hospital and last night was the worst I've seen in a very long time for winter respiratory illnesses. Much much more Influenza A than covid though.

I currently have COVID. It definitely doesn't seem like the 'flu' to me. It's just a cold with a lot of fatigue for me. But I did have something two months that was awful (definitely worse than COVID) and all my LFTs were negative, so there's definitely lots going around.

Same. Was just a cold until I realised I couldn't smell properly.

At this time of year it feels more important to do the right thing and tell people / isolate.

Though some selfish twat probably didn't do me the same courtesy!

I’ve got all the Covid symptoms including fever and all my Covid tests are negative. It’s like Covid but not exactly the same.
But I’m really fed up of it!

Flu, covid? Does it matter which it is?

Except that Covid has some scary implications. Recent data shows that people who have had Covid, even a relatively mild illness, often have some damage to major organs and/or the brain. This may be mild enough to not be very noticeable in day-to-day life (until/unless there is further deterioration). The risk of disabling long Covid is also very real. It is also very dangerous if passed to the vulnerable.

I’ve been ill for 3 weeks. Started to feel loads better on Saturday, flew to a European city for a Xmas market and as soon as I landed it hit me again big time. My sinuses are the worst they’ve ever been. Teeth are hurting as a result and I have a sore throat and flu like symptoms.

tested 3 weeks ago and last night. Both negative. I don’t think I’ve ever been so sick.

I've also had Covid but didn't realise until I'd been ill for a week.

I had Covid in April and was pretty ill with it. Then a couple of weeks ago, I got ill again with pretty standard cold symptoms - headachey mainly. I'd just been for a work's Xmas party and 90% of our team were down with it.

It was only when I made a doctor's appointment that I thought to test and it was positive. I made the appointment because one of the more horrible side effects was waking in the night having panic attacks, which haven't completely gone away. It's horrible.

Needless to say I am not sleeping well.

There’s a plethora of viruses in circulation atm. My 4 yo currently has his third virus in a month and all have had classic covid symptoms but it was only covid once.

I think probably both.

I work in an environment where I meet and have close contact with many people, including children. It usually takes just a few months to rebuild immunity after a prolonged absence, or after having been ill with a serious-but-not-Covid condition. No sign of my robust immunity so far.

Actual real influenza is also rife too ( I work in paediatrics and we have many patients testing + on a swab) so it could actually be that too. But yeah people don’t test much so a lot of people will be walking around with a cold that’s actually covid. However there is also many other viruses around that cause similar too.

I have the cold/flu. All of us tested neg for covid we’ve been sick for over 2 weeks, started as a headache and fevers, then just general cold and cough symptoms.
Cough got a lot worse and knocked me out for 2 days and my fevers returned. I’m now stuck with a horrible chesty cough but feeling better with each day.
I kept the kids off school and if we’ve had to go out we’ve all been wearing masks and issuing sanitiser, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, it’s awful!

I was coming here to say this too.

I know it's not a popular view as MN tends to dismiss anyone who expresses concerns over COVID. But there's growing research that suggests COVID affects the body in lots of different ways, even if you only develop mild symptoms.

You might not notice anything now, and you might be fine. But there's a genuine risk of your organs being affected in the long term.

The trouble is that we're still learning about COVID and we don't fully know yet what effect it can have on the body.

I'm still wearing masks in shops (most of the time, been a bit lax recently!). I don't want COVID and tbh, it's been really nice avoiding the usual seasonal coughs, colds and bugs so I'm happy to continue mask-wearing.

Hope everyone who is feeling poorly - COVID, colds or otherwise - gets better soon and fingers crossed in time for Christmas.

@ExhaustedFlamingo most of us cannot avoid covid though and wearing a mask doesn't fully protect you
So we have all this but the reality is we will continue to catch it just like colds and none of us will know how it affects us , im sure we don't fully know how colds affect all of us overall either
But i just can't see how in the most we can avoid it
Many are being told they have to come to work etc

@AnnieSnap
So exactly like I said, it doesn't matter why you are sick you should stay at home, rest and not spread cold/flu/vomiting bug or Covid to anyone.

However most people no longer are able to stay home just in case. It's not going anywhere.
If I were visiting a hospital or somewhere similar I would test (even this is not perfect/fully reliable) but I cannot afford to test all the time.

Totally agree @healthadvice123

Everyone in our house has had the horrid virus going round. All had fevers of 40, aching limbs, nasty coughs etc. All taken multiple lateral flows, all negative. There are loads of bugs going round.

I'm ill with a really nasty fluey cough virus. Not Covid - everyone in the family has tested on various different days, all tests negative. It's actually been worse than Covid (unsurprising as I assume I'm not vaccinated against whatever this is) but I think is getting better more quickly.

I would love to avoid illnesses, but it's impossible with a pre-schooler. We've had almost constant colds since October, plus a dose of tonsillitis, a stomach bug and whatever this is.