Time for me to join the thread I think please bear with me if I ramble a bit as I seem to have lost any sense of a "timeline" I remember stuff happening but when and in what order continues to ellude me (and I'm finding that incredibly frustrating).
I went to bed feeling perfectly OK on Sunday 18th May I was woken I think not long after falling asleep feeling incredibly cold, freezing really and shaking violently, brain wasn't working properly so I have vague memories of trying to move but being unable to just laying there so so cold and the violent shaking. Eventually managed to sit up and had a pounding headache still non stop violent shakes. Hubby had fallen asleep in the lounge as he had a very important zoom meeting on Monday and even though I knew I was really unwell I for some reason couldn't make myself call out to him or even try and go wake him - didn't think I could actually walk that far to be honest. Thermometer and paracetemol were in the kitchen so no access to those either but again wasn't really thinking straight so didn't even attempt to go get them.
Dragged myself out of bed and staggered into the bathroom room head was spinning and legs like jelly made it into my home office and collapsed into my office chair as I was desperately thirsty I do remember the first bottle of water ending up all over me as I was shaking so badly I couldnt get it in my mouth. A lot of the rest of the night is a blur I know at some point I was back in bed still freezing and shaking, I know I was in the bathroom another time where I vomited and had diarrhea and I do remember thinking "food poisoning" and at that point I was boiling hot and sweating. The next clear memory is seeing the bedside clock showing 5:30am and thinking I'm getting up as I can get hubby soon and somehow making it to my office again on legs that barely worked. I think I was hot then as I remember praying to myself not to feel so cold again as everything was now hurting, I had a headache and a very stiff neck which I thought was because of how rigid I'd been and the shiverring. At some point then the shiverring started again, I'm a vaper so I'd been struggling to take a puff on my vape (not thinking straight) I shook so violently I smashed the top of the vape against my crown and knocked it clean out!
Some time later hubby got up and found me in the office - I could barely make him understand how I was feeling, he got the thermometer and that first reading was 40.7c and at that time I was naked and sitting in my office and had been for sometime so without clothes or duvets etc. I took some paracetemol and had a cold flannel so just kept wiping my arms and legs and face until my temp came down to 39.5 when I started to warm up and stop shaking (or feel like I was warming up). The rest of that day is a complete muddle I know I sent an email to work saying I wasn't well and wasn't going to be at a zoom meeting that day, I know my temp never dropped below 38.7c and at times was back up to 40.4c I know I kept falling asleep, and that getting from my office chair to anywhere else in the house became a major effort. I had a constant headache, painful kneck, and lost hours of time staring blankly into space (according to hubby).
At some point I called NHS covid line and they told me they though it was Covid 19 - I remember crying a lot and wanting to call my son but hubby saying don't worry him you are OK for now wait and see how things progress. I think it was that same day Wales joined the home testing thing and hubby tried to get me a test I know I spoke to someone who said they were all gone and try the next morning. At one point I was sobbing my heart out and saying I was scared I wouldn't see our son again and hubby said "call him" which I did. I drank gallons of water but couldn't eat, though late evening hubby made me some savory rice and I had about half a dish but it took me a couple of hours to maybe eat half of it.
Next clear memory is the following day managing (fluke) to book a covid home test emailing work saying taking the week off, and literally spendig the day in my office with netflix on but I've no memory of what I watched. Still had headache and painful neck brain fog, and feeling exhausted, weak legs - trying to stand up took enormous effort, and that day pretty much passed me by temp between 37.8 and 38.4c.
The following day temp was pretty much back to normal still exhausted, neck still stiff headache there but more ignorable, still feeling rough but better than I had been, I even managed to bung something in the microwave for us to have for dinner and I finally risked a shower which was bliss.
Fast forward to taking and sending off the tests and the result on Sunday saying NEGATIVE.
Went "back to work" on Tuesday only to find that I was useless brain not working, drifting off in the meeting, not able to follow what was being said, when asked a question I would start to answer and then completely forget words and end up just staring blankly at my screen. It was horrible. I know I agreed to do some stuff which needed to be done by 3pm today for me to report on later - I haven't done it. I can't motivate myself or even think of what needs doing I end up staring at a blank document and not knowing how to start.
Friday night I went to bed and woke up at 2am scratching myself raw my skin was like hot prickles everywhere saw what I assumed was a gnat bite bunged some savlon on it and went back to bed. Saturday skin felt it was fizzing and crawling, had an area of a rash so assumed allergic reaction to "bite" and took Benadryl - no sleep at all Saturday night itching all over even my scalp - checked the mirror and was horrified angry red rash all over my body hubby checked my scalp and I even had spots under my hair I couldn't stop scratching the itching. Ended up being triaged 3 times each time being told you need to see a Dr.
Finally saw a Dr at out of hours clinic who said it was a post viral rash took my history including the negative result and he told me that it was likely a false negative and that I have had covid 19 and the rash is as a result of the virus.
At no point have I had a cough - I have been breathless and panting/shallow breathing at various times but I'd not really associated that with anything as I don't like the heat and just thought it was that but hubby has comented on my breathing more than once but I can take deep breaths theres no congestion and no tightness. My temp has been fine for the last 10 days even when the rash has been at its worst, though my legs have felt really heavy like tryng to walk through deep mud.
So I don't know test said not covid GP says was covid shrugs