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?

I started off with a sore throat on Monday, I suffer form anxiety and get this when anxious. I developed a cough the next day and have self isolated since. DH and DS at home since then as well. I have felt a bit too hot a couple of times but not an actual fever.

How’s everyone feeling now? I am struggling to sleep as feeling hot but shivering. Temperature is 36.3^ according to my thermometer, same as it has been all week., but I certainly feel worse right now.

Haven’t coughed much though so it could still be a cold I guess. I will be self isolating though from now on anyway.

A cold makes you sneeze and gives you a snotty sore nose.

CV doesn't. The virus affects your lungs and airways so cough is main symptom but not only symptom.

I woke up with a scratchy/dry throat last week. It was away before I'd even got up I think. I was a bit warm, I think. I've been feeling a bit .... I don't even know if breathless is the right word but I have noticed it. No cough, maybe a tickle now and again. Mild sore head on and off, but thats regular for me. Neck/shoulders gets a bit sore with headaches. I've been putting it down to anxiety. I've been going to work as normal.

I live with my dad, I only mentioned to him earlier in the week. He says I don't have the symptoms. I said to him last night again, not in the calmest of ways, and I know I'm frightening him but he's still.shouting and telling me there is nothing wrong. I've always been anxious and assume the worst. When I had stitches I worried and worried that they were going to get infected and I'd die.

Haven’t sneezed or had a snotty cold. My ears have been feeling full though, although that’s been going on for for about 6-8 weeks. I went to doctor about them 2 weeks ago, he said they were very red and told me to get some saline spray.

This is me as well . Sore throat, headaches, cough once every couple of hours no temperature. But no runny nose either. I’m self isolating but honestly for what?? How do I know if this is it. I’d pay for a test if reasonably priced but at £300 a pop - no it’s too much.

My son has a permanent cough, but his work (he's an apprentice) keep saying he should get home a d they might have to make the decision to send him home because they've vulnerable people/he could close their business. He's explained several times that it's his usual cough, but they're making him feel so unwelcome.

We’re currently isolating because the baby has a cough. I’m fairly certain it’s not CV but not certain enough to bet people’s life on it. Plus as mentioned previously, we won’t to limit ALL colds/respiratory infections at this time.

I would also pay for a test, just to know really. It won’t change our behaviour as we will all be isolating for 2 weeks anyway but it will help to know if I need to stay alone in my room or if I can be downstairs with family and if I can work in the office with dh.

I'd love to know the actual probabilities of cold vs random virus vs corona.

@Nquartz it is frustrating, isn't it.

The important thing to hold on to is that it isn't just about the probability of it being one or the other. It's about the impact of it being

I have an underlying health condition that means a common cold can sometimes put me in hospital.

I don’t want that to happen while the NHS doesn’t have enough oxygen/ventilators to go around. The fewer colds and sniffles we have doing the rounds and putting vulnerable people in hospital, the better.

I am self-isolating as have fluctuating high temperature, sore-ish throat and a slow build up of chest congestion, which is the bit I'm worried about. Currently trying to get eldest dd home from uni despite her dread of isolation at home and poor Wi-Fi. It must be awful to be confused like this and have work dilemmas, huge respect to key workers and the like.

I really wish there was testing open to more people as how on earth or a checklist with all the symptoms as I’m also suffering with achey joints but still no temperature. I’m finding it very frustrating to be honest!

So - if tests just done on those in hospital. What is making them ill?

UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:

As of 9am on 20 March, a total of 66,976 have been tested:

62,993 negative.
3,983 positive.

As of 1pm, 177 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died.

The digital dashboard will be updated later today.

I am feeling better today than I have been, still got the tight feeling in my chest but the cough is easing off. I’m really lucky in that there is an area of private land next to my house that I am allowed to use so I have been able to take my dogs for a couple of (very slow) walks, but I am fed up of being stuck in the house already.

I hope everyone is doing OK today, it looks like a lovely day here so I might try and go outside later.

Nobody - absolutely nobody - should be self-diagnosing themselves with “just a cold”. Unless you have immediate access to a test which provides an instant result (currently impossible) then you cannot know what you have.

If you have a cough AND/OR a temperature, stay home. End of.

At some point people might begin to understand that without these extreme measures we could have millions of people dead within a couple of months. And that’s not an exaggeration.

Stop being so fucking selfish. If you or your kid is coughing assume the worst and take away any chance of passing this virus on to others.

I know you’d all like to carry on with your lovely lives, but if you don’t stop with the me, me, me attitude someone could end up without a life at all thanks to you.

Think.

Not aimed at you, OP. You did the right thing.

Certain of the posters on here haven’t.

I've just heard from someone I know on the other side of the country who has exactly the same symptoms as me. I havent seen her since last aummer so can't be random coincidence. Just riding it out and hoping it doesn't get worse now.

111 online worked well for me, it is just an algorithm but you can use it several times, necessary because it asks what is the main thing worrying you? When I'm worried about health I notice all symptoms at once!