For those who believe they’ve had COVID19 ...

[TheLadyAnneNeville]

How are you now? How is your breathing?

I’m one of those who think I had it in December (though I’m told this is impossible). I’m still under par from a respiratory viewpoint. Still cannot exercise in the way I did previously due to breathlessness and a “heavy” chest. Still have to stick my neck out, to get a full breath “in”.

I don’t feel right.

*only

If it helps, I had pneumonia 10 years ago (when I was 30). It took me months to get over the fatigue and breathlessness. My doctor told me that for a while my lungs would feel sore - he described it as that feeling of skin that is recovering from a burn and is super sensitive. He said my lungs would be scarred and sensitive. I also had some physio and was given exercises tondo daily to aid lung recovery.

Whether you had Covid, a bad chest infection or pneumonia the recovery would be similar. Thought you might find it reassuring. I certainly made a full recovery.

@vera99 that is a fake test and website please don’t spread it

Another one who had it at the beginning of March but still isn’t quite right. Everything else fine but I’m still coughing, tight chest and breathless when I exert myself.
That’s helpful Ronia, thanks.

I think I've had it. Just before lockdown. I'm now getting stronger ea g day but still not back to normal. I r
Try to workout, but can't do as much as before. This week I've increased the number of reps and set I do after gradually increasing weight, and I'm pretty tired. Every muscle. Even muscles in my back, which I was pretty proud of finally building strength.
I'm not running as fast as I could but I'm getting out for 30 to 45 mins each time. I'm hoping to be back at full strength soon, but do t know when that will be. I was pretty fit before it hit me, and I'm feeling more than a bit frustrated. My hands feel oddly weak, and my feet ache at the end of the day so I need to put my feet up.

I've never felt so physically weak

I do wonder if some who've had this virus will end up on asthma medication. It was a series of particularly nasty coughs that led to my asthma development/ diagnosis, though that is how non allergic asthma can develop.

It might be worth asking a Gp if they'd let you try a blue inhaler if the night coughs and tight chests are still going on after 6 weeks. Might be difficult at the moment though. I've only been allowed 1 mo supply of medicine.

get well soon all

i had viral pneumonia which started around 17/18th march if i remember correctly.
im still not fully back to how i was,i feel exactly like you ..like i have powder on my lungs and i just cant take a deep breath as i used to.
i have to find comfortable position when i sleep and usually on the side.
i was in hospital and had an xray which confirmed pneumonia but no test for covid.
i was told to self isolate for 14 days and that was it.
they gave me antibiotics as a precaution

i seem to be prone to pneumonias, this is the third time i have had it and it does take months and months to recover.
i had it in 2015/2016 last time and i remember not being able to sleep on my front for 6 months and even years later my lungs never felt quite like they were.

Me and my 3 year old daughter were both admitted to hospital in February with pneumonia. Both by ambulance because our breathing became very laboured. The illness on a whole from the beginning lasted 3 weeks. We were ill 2 weeks before going to hospital.

My youngest daughter also had mild symptoms and so did my partner.

My mother and father and 1 of my sisters and brother also got it quite bad after I left hospital.

I'm 50/50 on weather it was covid19 or not. Would really love to be tested though.

The illness it self... it's changed me as a person. I have never been so ill in my life. The cough and breathlessness was something i can't even put into words.
But the worst thing. And it still brings me to tears just thinking back. Was being unable to see and look after my daughters. Especially my 3 year old who was also on oxygen in hospital in the children's ward.
I can still see in my mind her chest and neck being 'sucked in' as she was put in the ambulance.

We were not questioned about covid19 in hospital although there were posters on every door.

I believe it's affected my mind more than anything.
I'm living in fear of them getting ill again.

@vera99 I see Mumsnet deleted your post and I have reported your second one

Selling these fake tests is illegal

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-what-covid-19-tests-are-available-can-i-get-one-11973069

Sorry to hear your story @makewaymakeway - that sounds really tough

@makewaymakeway... good grief. That sounds dreadful. Hoping you’re all physically on the mend now but I think the PTSD from this, will be huge going forward.

I think I had it mid March, all the common symptoms of fever and persistent dry cough along with some of the others named, conjunctivitis eyes and complete loss/ change of taste. This is the first week I've felt fully back to normal. It really floored me and I was in agony and struggling to breathe. If it had got any worse I would have needed hospital. My partner only had very mild symptoms.

I also had symptoms in March (started on 7 March) which, at the time I thought couldn't possibly be CV but as time as gone on and we've learned more about the virus and how symptoms don't always present in the same way with everyone, I'm not so sure.

I had a horrific cough. Literally could not go 30 seconds without coughing violently. It was constant and it was painful. I didn't have a fever though (at least not an obvious one. We don't own a thermometer). My chest was tight and uncomfortable. All of this affected my breathing but I wouldn't say at any point that I struggled to breathe. I was utterly exhausted and drained of energy - like every bone in my body was tired and aching. The constant cough lasted 3 weeks before stating to tail off. I now cough 4-5 times a day max and it's not a violent cough as it had been (always seems to happen when I'm in the supermarket queue though ) . My chest is fine for the majority of the day but starts to tighten again every night and gets worse when I lie down. My bones no longer ache.

At the time I assumed it was a chest infection and not CV but I did worry that a weakened immune system would leave me more susceptible to CV. It definitely sounds like most of us have had a similar thing but I guess we'll never really know if it was CV or not. The problem us that this is the time of year when lots of viruses go around anyway and the CV symptoms are so vast that they have lots in common with other not-so scary viruses and illnesses.

@HalloumiFries... that all sounds familiar

My husband had a bit of a cough for a couple of days. My 19yr old son, was ill. Couldn’t eat. Raging temp. And at one point I was going to take him to A&E as he was very pale and developed a kind of bruised look to him. The next morning, he seemed better and then I started with a “heavy chest”. DS took a while to get over it and spent a week in bed. I felt as though what I’d normally get with a cough/cold ie. a sniffle, snotty nose didn’t happen. It was like whatever the bug was, it homed in directly at the base of my windpipe. I’d could so much, I couldn’t get a breath in and would then throw up. I dreaded nights because these things are always worse at night.

I’ve just come back from walking the dog for 20 mins. Am knackered and wheezy. What a carryon!...

@Ronia... thanks. So, are you shielding now, with your susceptibility?

Whether you had Covid, a bad chest infection or pneumonia the recovery would be similar That’s why we, as a nation, need a testing strategy. It’s ridiculous this “I think I might have has PE it but maybe not... then again...”.

@NeurotrashWarrior... 😊 I do use a blue Ventolin inhaler. Was given to me when I needed steroids/antibiotics but GP just said “there have been some rotten bugs around this winter” 🤷🏻‍♀️

No not shielding not was 13 years ago and I'm not considered any more susceptible than anyone else

You can definitely still ‘see’ a doctor and no reason why you shouldn’t. Of course don’t go to the doctor for corns right now but definitely go for this.

I had what i assume was Covid around 4/5 weeks ago

At the time had tiredness, legs felt really heavy, burning chest, a deep dry cough, then chest pain, tightness and breathlessness. Temp wasnt massively raised (37.5 for 5 days) and I only felt fluey for a day.

However I was relatively mild I think.

Now i still feel tired, I get breathless still and cant excercise anywhere near what I used to. My chest feels tight sometimes. I can go days feeling fine then one day my chest is hurting and I cant breath properly. Took my O2 sats and they were 85 the other day and I couldnt get it to go above 95, so its not in my head.

Remeber though that covid causes pnuemonia. So if you had a pneumonia your symptoms now are going to be the same as someone who had covid. A friend had pnuemonia last year and it took about 6 mnths to fully recover, when i speak to them its quite similar to how I feel now.

Did you go to the GP at the time? Or in jan/feb time?

The problem is lack of testing. If I had another respiratory illness, my lungs are definitely not functioning 100% and Im worried if I then get actual coronavirus Im going to be really ill.

Yes I agree you need to see a dr. Its a long time to feel like this

I'm on day 8 and although much better I am still struggling with doing anything and being exhausted. My breathing is still not right. I really just want to outside, exercising again., even a walk!

@TheOwl... yes, I saw my GP a month after so, end of Jan. she said my chest didn’t sound too bad and gave me the steroids inhaler and antibiotics.