What if I’ve just got a cold?!

[HalfTermHalfTerm]

Just like to make it clear that I have not gone in to work today, I am safely shut away in my room!

I had a bit of a sore throat yesterday, but no other symptoms and felt fine. I woke up this morning and have been coughing (perhaps not persistently but regularly) and still have the slightly sore throat. I also have mild pains and a ‘tight’ sort of feeling in my chest.

I had already almost decided that I wasn’t going to be going in to work but I rang my lovely line manager and managed to cough down the phone at her so she confirmed that I needed to stay at home. I have several friends who have had colds recently though, and there will still be a lot of colds going about because of the time of year it is. I’m worried that it is just a cold or a random cough and that I’ll be fine in a day or so and won’t be allowed in to work. Not only will this inconvenience my colleagues but if I haven’t got it now I might actually get it in a few weeks time and need to be off again!

I don’t really know what the point of me posting is, to be honest. But anyone in a similar situation and worrying about the same thing, or has anyone had symptoms that have disappeared in a day or so and then been allowed back in to work?

Very similar symptoms to everyone else. Mine started as a bad headache, bouts of coughing which made my chest hurt and on/off hot and cold with night sweats. The headache has gone and cough only slight now but feel woozy and have chest pains (presume from all the coughing). This imo isn't just a bad cold but can't tell its CV either. Could be a type of flu, am aware some think flu is severely debilitating but not always ime, docs have said in the past they've thought I've had some type of flu with similar symptoms. Am (relatively) fit and healthy.

What do think of the new rules then? If I was due to go back to work tomorrow do I have to do another 7 days and my family do 14?? Clear as mud

I really don’t know. I actually feel a bit better now than I did earlier (chest pain has eased off a bit), and I’ve been able to take my temperature which was normal. So unless I suddenly start to feel worse again then presumably it is just one of those things and not actually CV so my 7 days inside will end up being pointless. I feel like a bit of an idiot to be honest, for calling in about it in the first place but I have vulnerable colleagues (one of them is heavily pregnant) and we have students with asthma, so it wasn’t worth the risk. I also commute in to work on the train so I didn’t want to be coughing on there!

How is everyone feeling?

How many days in are you? My cough started last week so was thinking my 7 days would be up tomorrow but now I'll have to stay off for another 7 and my family 14 days.... i think!

Day 2, currently! Although I’ve had a sore throat on and off for a couple of days so a bit further in if you count that? It’s probably a cold, but I’m generally very snotty (sorry) when I have a cold and there’s none of that with this. It’s the cough, the chest pains and feeling generally tired and a bit ‘bleurgh’.

I think it was a false alarm on the feeling a bit better front though, the cough and the chest pains have started back up again

That does seem to be what they’re saying. I don’t know whether that will apply to existing cases though?

Even if it is just the cold, at least that will help stop it spreading. Imagine if someone elderly or in the at risk group caught the cold and then was on the mend when they caught corona. Their immune system would struggle even more surely. I think even with a cold that isn't have a cough or fever rn, I would still stay home.

*doesnt

I’m a bit worried as I have a cold, feel very tired, eyes ache and the odd cough. I work in a school, albeit I don’t interact at all with students and have my own office. I’m a bit worried. No fever though.

The thing is even if it is just a cold, we don’t want that circulating as well I guess. We are all self isolating for two weeks now and it feels insane for just a mild cough that we would barely notice any other time. But you don’t want to be out there with an illness and pick up this virus as well or give anyone else your cold... it’s shit. But all of us will have to have a significant amount of time off work/school/routine over the next few months.

I literally just have the cough, no tightness, nothing. Luckily I live alone so only have to do 7 days

I’m the same, I don’t feel brilliant but I feel well enough to be in work if circumstances were different!

^^
This exactly. I’m home but working from home with a raging sore throat and cough - I’m not coughing constantly but feel crappy and would normally have gone to work. Boss phoned me and luckily heard how hoarse I am. I don’t have any fever - lower temp if anything but feel so guilty WFH and bet im being cursed as I had an actual runny nose cold and bad throat last weekend. I felt rotten then and had last Monday from home too but I’d hate to be in and coughing and being talked about.

I’d hate to be in and coughing and being talked about.

It’s tricky, isn’t it. Although I’d have been sent home from work if I’d gone in while coughing/ and started coughing, so I couldn’t have done anything differently and hopefully I’ve saved infecting people on the train! I almost (not quite) wish that I’d start feeling a bit worse so I ‘knew’ I had it and felt less guilty about being off! It would also mean that I could potentially go and be with my grandmother if she got it, if I’d already had it

@Icare1234 my tightness/chest pain is worse than my cough at the minute. How long have you been coughing for?

This is why we need testing. Other countries have managed it.

Exactly right @Iggly

Mostly there when I speak to other people, so definitely not something I can hide, really I have a slight sore and cough in morning or after talking. (I wouldn’t hide the cough - I am isolating)

I’m quite breathless now. I have mild asthma and have had to use inhalers for first time in ages. My face feels hot but temp is low 36.2 so who knows? I feel crappy enough to hopefully get past the guilt of WFH. If I feel worse tomorrow I may just try and sleep. My cough is also much more persistent (irritating according to DH who was sceptical of my WFH but not now!)

Been up from 2:30 to 5 unable to stop coughing and needed inhaler again. Feel rotten

I'm so confused that I don't know if I'm even ill. I have a headache, feel chilly and tight throat. But I didn't sleep well because the house was too hot and I always get a tight throat if I feel anxious. Logic tells me I'm a bit tired and anxious.

Sorry you’re feeling so rotten @Polkadotpjs. Hopefully you’ll manage to get some sleep during the day?

@ThighThighofThigh the headache and the chilly feeling sounds more like some sort of illness though (not necessarily the illness), do you have a thermometer?

My temperature is at the slightly lower end of normal too (36.8) but then I didn’t feel like I had a temperature. My cough seems to be a bit better today, although it’s talking that makes it really bad and I haven’t really talked to anyone so it’s hard to tell! Still have a sore throat and the horrid tight feeling/pain in my chest though, so I don’t know what it is. I know they said that it could be really mild for some people, but Idris Elba getting diagnosed and having no symptoms at all has really thrown me!

My friend who is a doc just asked if whole family is isolating ? I’ve asked if I need to with no temp. It’s so confusing as boys could be off weeks if I only have a chest “thing” and they don’t get it, then did get the real thing

The advice is that if anyone is I'll, the whole family should be isolating too. Symptoms seems to vary wildly and so it isn't worth the risk.

My work have insisted on me being isolated for 14 days despite PHE saying the first person who is ill only has to be off for for 7. I've got exam classes and really want to get back to see them before there is any kind of lockdown/school closures but that's not looking likely

My symptoms are identical to yours OP and it's been confirmed that I have been exposed to a cluster of cases at my workplace. I am assuming that I have it in a mild form.

I don’t know if mine is CV but these are my symptoms so far:
Started w sore throat on Sat. No temp (checked), we all went about our lives as normal.
Sun morning - throat still sore, no temp or cough. Met friend for a walk/coffee.
Felt shite about an hour later - temp of 38. Stayed in bed from about 1pm. Emailed work to say I have symptoms so not coming in.
Yesterday: still w temp on and off, sore throat, very slight cough but not in chest - def coming from throat. As per advice I SI and kids at school.
Today: now new advice has been disseminated - everyone off school and work for 2 weeks but my temp has gone down so far (but still feel weak).

I wish they would test as my DCs are in exam years and really affected by not being in school (although there may not be school by next week anyway).

Morning. My cough is very slightly worse today but it's still mild. Feels like I have a lump in my throat but a bit lower down if that makes sense. First day of all of us isolating.
I'm a bit confused as to what to do inside the house though. At the moment those of us with symptoms (albeit incredibly mild) are staying in our rooms away from the others. I don't know how sustainable that is though.

I was in the same position as you. I was advised to stay at home. Reasoning being that with the immune system already fighting a cold if I did come into contact with cv then my immunity would be less able to fight it.