Can someone who's had it tell me how it started?

[onlyconnect]

I'm feeling really worried ( but also feel silly). I have a sore throat that came on yesterday and a bit of a headache. I took my temperature which is 37.1 so not a fever but I'm normally cool at about 36.6 so higher than normal. No cough.
I have been really careful during lockdown, not even going shopping although I do go for a walk or bike ride every day.
Does this sound like the possible start of COVID or am I being ridiculous? Should I isolate at home away from my family?
I'm early 50s, no underlying health conditions.

I think you should isolate, sorry. We have almost certainly had it here, and my symptoms started with low grade fever, sore throat and headache. Not everyone gets a mega cough, it developed for us but wasn't crippling. Hope you feel better soon, whatever you have!

Mine started with a sore throat. I never got tested, but I’m very sure I had it.

Remember that two thirds (roughly) of those who are symptomatic and tested in hospital for Covid didn't have it OP. There are still lots of colds and stuff around as well as this. Posters who have tested positive would be most help to you, because a lot of us, (and I'm one of them) can come on here and say how "their's" started, but without a test, they /I don't really know if they/I had it anyway. And please remember that most people are fine with it. All we hear are the small percentage of hospital cases. But you should isolate anyway. And look after yourself, paracetamol, usual increase of fluids, etc.

Thank you all. I feel out of proportion worried!

My sister tested positive for covid (frontline worker on a covid ward) and hers started with a sore throat, losing sense of taste and smell and feeling groggy. Hers never got worse than a bad head cold with a bit of a cough and was back at work after 7 days.

I think we're in danger of everyone who has a bit of a cold panicking and thinking they have COVID. I agree with pp that the usual bugs are still doing the rounds. I'm really headachey at the moment, but I know it's because of working online in a not very suitable light, and I also have terrible hayfever - it would be easy to get myself into a flat spin about it, but I am trying to keep some balance. (I get hayfever every year and have prescription medication for it.)

I hope you feel better soon, OP.

everythingisginand and Cathyandheathcliff how long did you have a sore throat before other symptoms came ? And what symptom was next?

You should isolate.

I wasn't tested for CV but I had symptoms of it. It started off with a very sore throat for 4 days and I also had severe heartburn 24/7 along with it (I've never suffered from it in my life!), then I ended up having dyspnea (shortness of breath), I was breathing in heavily and deeply to get oxygen in and couldn't walk 1 min without gasping for air.

On / off chills and fever

Very, very fatigued and muscle aches.

But again, I don't know if I've had it. I'm sure I have but until antibody tests are available, I will not know.

I hope you feel better soon x

Hi, @onlyconnect. DH and I haven't been tested either, but we live/commute in a hotspot (W. Mids) and know a number of people in our workplaces who came down with the same symptoms the same week or the following week.

I was hot and very tired for 4 days, headache and sore throat went away after first couple of days. Day 5 I started to feel short of breath when moving around normally - not struggling to breathe or anything drastic, just felt like I was working harder than usual. I also started to feel a strange dull, glowing sensation in my upper back, like my lungs had a heat pack on them. Days 8-12 were the most unpleasant, just really exhausted, feverish and weak, chest sore.

I'm 44, white, healthy, no underlying conditions (physical or mental) and I've never been unwell for more than a week or 2 with colds/flu. I'm now 5 weeks on from first symptoms and pretty much better. The low-grade fever (38ish) has taken a long time to go for me, and I am still tired and coughing a bit, mainly at night. Symptoms do seem to vary from person to person, e.g. DH, DS and I didn't lose our sense of taste or smell, but fever and feeling short of breath seem to be biggies.

It's difficult with not much testing happening isn't it?

Me and DD had a 3 day headache, every muscle in our bodies hurting then the cough started about a week later. We assume it was the virus, but who knows.

I'd isolate

I think I've had it. Started with diarrhoea. Then shivers, slight temperature, sore throat and terrible headache. I stayed indoors for a week. One month later I started feeling rough again

I've just started today with a tight chest and slight cough. No temp. But these symptoms are very unusual for me and I just don't feel quite right. Anyone feel similar in early stages?