To feel nervous that I may have had COVID-19 twice and it's our jobs that might be at fault?

[ComplexPTSDmaybe]

DP and I had CV in March, symptomatic on 18th, both had a positive antibody test through DP work at start of June. DP works in chief nurse team and has worked in covid command centre in a busy city centre hospital that serves a high risk population (BAME, high levels of diabetes and poverty). I worked in children's social care so have been in and out of homes, schools and other settings throughout. I was the more poorly one in March, should probably have been hospitalised but the message then was Stay at Home. Very SOB, cough, chills, headache. DP and youngest DC mild symptoms. Middle DC was really poorly with very similar sounding symptoms end of Feb. Eldest DC never had any symptoms.

Last week I got a persistent high temp, wouldn't come down under 38.5 for 4 days. No cough. Temp was only symptom. Now I have a slight cough that started Saturday. 111 insisted I self test again last week. Waiting for results. Really hope it isn't CV again because I hoped I had immunity. Anyone else who works in public services experienced this? I have a new job at DP's hospital, starting 2 weeks today. I do not want to be stuck in an endless cycle of this crappy virus!

I haven’t had a test to confirm. But I had a virus end of January, suspected covid, that keeps “flaring up again”. I get the symptoms back but they’re milder and more short lived. Lasts up to a week and then resolves.

Other viruses are available! I had suspected c19 in March, last week I had a cough, cold and headache and I took advantage of a mobile testing centre you can just turn up to, I'm clear - it's another virus!

@Lemons - this is what DP thinks is happening to me. I did have the pendulum thing where I kept feeling better, then ill again. But if that is true people are shedding for a lot longer than the 7 days recommended self isolation aren't they?

okie yes, I think it's probably another virus. I bloody hope it is because I'm not fannying around with tests and constant self isolations.

It’s easier now. You should be able to get a test today and the results tomorrow. If it’s no to covid your isolation ends. It won’t tell you what other virus you have unfortunately.?

Could you let me know what you mean by flaring up and coming back? I had suspected covid 4 weeks ago (test took a week to arrive so I didn’t do it)
I recovered then last week (so a 3 week gap of being well) I came down with the same thing again - although some symptoms varied.
Dr said she is seeing people who are having waves and this was one of them, convinced it was covid and had flared up. It’s gone again now after 6 days..
Can you really be well for 3 weeks then it flare up?
It’s so confusing!

I did read somewhere (will try to find the source) that based on antibody testing only 5% of people who think they have had covid actually did have it. Given your job I would assume you are exposed to all sorts of viruses.

My brother keeps thinking he is better and then getting the cough again. Your second test might be negative if it's the original infection. I would take your recovery very seriously and take it very easy. Try to look up best advice on diet rest etc post (any) virus. Keep your fluids up, sleep lots, don't exert yourself (my brother gets it every time he does exercise again). You need to do the best thing now so this doesn't affect you for years.

I am back to normal today (apart from a sore throat)
I am going to probably carry on as usual however if I get poorly again soon I will think this is connected!
My dcs got poorly again the last week too so it’s odd we were poorly at the same time then 3 weeks later.
I am aware this could be two viruses however the symptoms were very odd and we don’t go anywhere. Just have a Tesco delivery which we wash down. So it is strange.

Did you have the loss of taste/smell? That symptom really seems to distinguish covid from other viruses. Glad to hear you are feeling better today.

I’m still struggling with covid 3 months after being hospitalised with it. If I try to do more than minimal exercise (light gardening, a mile walk) I get cough, breathlessness, excess chest secretions, burning limb pains, muscle weakness and fatigue. There is a thread on the Coronavirus board on MN for people with long tail covid - about 10% of patients will suffer this.

I sent the test off on Friday so hopefully will have the result today.

By flaring up I meant: you would rest, recover, start to do more activities (like a walk etc) then you would feel crappy again. I would get out of breath and lung pain mostly. So would have to rest up. I went to the GP 7 weeks after first contracting it and they did an ECG etc and SATS and she thought I'd had a bad dose of it but I should recover okay but if I still had lung issues I should go back and get a chest X-ray. Then I was much better for 3-4 weeks and now my lungs are playing up.

I think this is a new virus (not CV) and that because CV weakened my lungs I'm catching all the less serious stuff. Annoying! . .

@weepingwillow22 anosmia occurs in 59% of cases according to a fairly major survey by the Zoe app.
There are also suggestions it happens more in mild cases than severe (although i can't remember where I saw that and if there was sufficient data to really back it). Over 40% of people do not get anosmia although it's a good reason to get tested, it's not a good reason for OP to assume she didn't have it if she had otherwise classic symptoms and disease progression.

I did read somewhere (will try to find the source) that based on antibody testing only 5% of people who think they have had covid actually did have it. Given your job I would assume you are exposed to all sorts of viruses.
It was a virologist in one of the BBC news (website) articles. He said that a lot of people think they've had it but they haven't.

OP, I have had similar - the fatigue just comes back (and the temp etc did for 3 months too). I've also been more vulnerable to other infections.

weeping we have had an antibody test that confirmed we had it in March.

My friend who is a GP says the tests are so unreliable that anyone getting a negative test and displaying covid symptoms is being told to assume it is covid and self isolate.

I know someone who has had it on and off since March.
They are still utterly exhausted, work are being shits as they don’t believe it.

I don't think we have had it, I know. It has been confirmed by a blood test that we have antibodies.

No, I didn't have anosmia but DP and DS2 did. I had a weird symptom that everything tasted metallic.

Quarantine interesting. It is the pyrexia that threw me as I haven't had a temperature since the first 7 days. But my lungs have been crap. It's no picnic the recovery is it?

@Watchingtv44 I have had exactly the pattern you are describing. Slightly different pattern of symptoms ‘reactivate’ every few weeks. Sometimes it’s just an evening of wheezing. Other times it’s 2 days of brain foggy headache, tickly irritated throat and a cough. I’m pretty sure it’s not new viruses as I don’t feel like I’m ill with a virus, and don’t go anywhere. Its more like a repeating echo of the original disease.

I’m untested though. Symptoms started 7 days after mixing with students from China in an enclosed space. Breathlessness started 8 days after first symptom. So the pattern fits.

I should add the flare ups are not in response to doing more / increasing activity.

@ComplexPTSDmaybe my last flare up last week had the metallic taste. Actually it was an acidic-metallic variation. What fun 🤷🏼‍♀️

That's not good OP. Hope you feel better soon. Let us know how you get on.

Yes, I have had the pattern of it going and then flaring up again. It was worse the second time. However, I now believe it was the same bout, the virus seems to get into the system and just as the body has overcome it, it manages to flare up once more. I have done quite a bit of reading around this although there is no significant scientific proof; however, my own experience suggests there's some truth in this theory.

The long tail form of Covid is now more 'known about'
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/07/it-feels-endless-four-women-struggling-to-recover-from-covid-19-coronavirus-symptoms

Hope everyone is ok this is very interesting. I will see if anything comes back again! One consistent thing is a funny tummy.
Never had wheezy or bad chest my main problem has been fatigue and being achy.