I just had a test - and it wasn't that bad!

[SockYarn]

All these horror stories about how they shove a 6 foot pole up your nose and jab it around for 20 minutes.

Have what is probably a very heavy cold but the Zoe app recommended a test. Super easy to book a slot online, about 2 cars at the testing centre (big airport) and 50 staff. Drove straight in, lovely lady did the test, the throat slightly uncomfortable but nose fine. All done and dusted in about 3 minutes.

Fully expecting the test to come back negative but kids having fun treating me like i've got the plague.

I gagged multiple times and then she stuck the probe up my nose to my brain, making my cry.
At least I know she did a thorough job😀

Hate to be negative, but maybe she didn't take the sample properly?

Or maybe you've just got a HUGE nasal tube??🤣

Is all seriousness, if it comes back negative I'd still behave as though it was positive.

I agree. I had to have a test before I was admitted to hospital and it wasn't that bad at all!

Given that she was a nurse/doctor working in a testing station, I am assuming she knew what she was doing.

Slight gagging on the throat one but I usually can't bear anything up my nose and that was fine.

I didn't think it was a big deal either. Mildly uncomfortable and made my eyes water but that was about it.

I’ve had one this morning & it was totally fine. I think some people are very sensitive! I’ve got a pretty low pain threshold but it was honestly just uncomfortable. The throat one made me gag a bit but zero pain and the nose one made me clench my toes and my eyes water but I wouldn’t say painful. Not when I’ve recently been through labour 😂

I’m expecting to also just have a cold but we’ll see I suppose!

Just because they're doctors and nurses doesn't mean they know automatically how to get it right. I'm one of those professions and believe me huge swathes of our hospital swabs are insufficient samples and many come back as false negatives that we conclude are poorly taken. It hurts when done thoroughly; it has to by default of the anatomy that far up your nose! I don't trust myself to take a reliable swab myself, I trust some nurses that are firm and thorough! (And it makes me gag and my eyes water)

No, but if you're a doctor or nurse doing nothing but swabbing all day, you'd hope they had the hang of it.

Anyway, i'm more than 99% sure I don't have it. Interesting to see the system in action. Very slick and loads of capacity.

It was worse than I expected - I kept gagging when trying to take the throat sample. I didn't understand why people were complaining about a swab until I had that experience!

The nose bit was uncomfortable, but not overly so.

Hoping my sample was OK and I get results soon.

I had to do a home kit one (was a random selection from the research app)

I found the throat part really difficult. It made me gag dreadfully and was starting to make me sick. I didn't find the nose swap part anywhere near as bad.

But apparently it needs to be that far back in order to be accurate.

Not sure if it'd be easier to have someone else do it to you or do it yourself.

I wasn't given the option, Aragog. Arrived at the station and the test was done. It did say on the website that I may be asked to do the test myself, but there were so few people there that they had the professionals doing them.

The throat bit isn't pleasant. Not sore but uncomfortable and yes, you think you're going to throw up.

I had to do it myself, struggled not to throw up. Had 5 attempts at my throat, not sure how well it was done.

I've had one done this morning also, it was ok and even my teenagers were good having theirs done

I think some people can relax easier through gagging and pain than others. I'm not good with pain at all but having spent half of my teens throwing up (due to medical reasons) I don't care anymore about gagging at all (or throwing up for that matter). I also don't care about needles anymore (I'm basically a human pincushion) while I have a colleague who refuses to have a child just because that would mean a blood test. She happily would have the most painful procedure as long as they don't give her a shot of painkillers.

We're all different.

Mine was delivered and collected from home

I agree @Isthisfinallyit - weirdly, I’m the opposite of you. I’m terrified of throwing up & as such, I’ve got a mega strong gag reflex & stomach! It takes a lot to make me sick (hyperemesis in pregnancy did the job 😭). I just push past the reflex somehow as I’m determined I will not vom!

I also had a lot of medical procedures as a kid involving cameras down my nose & throat (without sedation) so I’ve become quite stoic when faced with medical procedures. I just grit my teeth & endure them!

Result in - negative

Mine wasn’t too bad either. I think some people are just less sensitive to these things than others.
I’ve certainly had far worse medical procedures anyway. Laser treatment on my cervix, for example.

Oh and DD was had a camera down her throat, completely unsedated. The dr was shocked at how well she tolerated it. Maybe as a family we’re just not too bothered by that sort of thing!

DD had a test last night at 6pm. She booked it yesterday, after experiencing a change in taste and got a slot straight away, went down (3 miles down the road), and was instructed how to do it herself. All lovely people and very helpful, well organised. She has just had her result back - less than 12 hours!!!!!, and it is negative.

So impressed.

You know what makes me laugh on Mumsnet? At the beginning of the pandemic, if someone said they thought that they probably had Covid but hadn’t been tested (as tests were only for hospital admissions) everyone said ‘you probably haven’t got it’. Now if someone has a test and they say it wasn’t that bad, they’re told ‘it probably wasn’t done properly’, and if it’s negative ‘it probably wasn’t done properly’ or ‘it’s probably a false negative’. Anyone would think people just like to be negative and contrary

I've asked this before but does anyone know if they are near to rolling out any less non invasive tests for Covid?

I believe digital finger prick tests are being trialled.

Thanks! Hope they work. Especially if this has to be a regular thing for a while.

Ooh maybe I'm answering my own question here!

:-

www.google.com/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-test-diagnose-covid19-coronavirus-30-minutes-a4467966.html%3famp