Has anyone had the antibodies blood test?

[Requinblanc]

I am getting a bit nervous about doing the anti-bodies test next week.

I suspect I had the virus in March and although I recovered, I still have problems with never-ending tiredness, breathlessness and dizziness.

Spoke to my GP on Friday who wants to do the test to confirm whether I had the virus or not and do chest Xrays to determine the cause of my problems.

Anyone knows if the blood test results come back fairly quickly because it is covid-related, or can I expect to wait for 1 or 2 weeks to get the results?

I am concerned that the virus has messed up my lungs long term or if it is not the culprit I am really keen to try to find out what else could be happening to me. This is going to be an anxious wait...

The antibody tests give lots of false negatives so it may not be that helpful unless you get a positive result (positives are thought to be pretty reliable).

My sister's (NHS employee, non clinical) came back within 48hrs, I think.

OK. Thank you!

I hope I will get mind fairly quickly. Hopefully the chest x-rays might give some answers even if the test possibly comes back as negative.

The antibody test is accurate but there is uncertainty around how long the antibodies last. It's the swabs that are 60% accurate. I've had it, NHS and results back in a couple of days.

Mine took 9 days (nhs staff). It came back negative as did every colleague I know. Myself and quite a few other colleagues had exposure to covid and symptoms around mid March but still got negative antibody results.

Yes mine was positive.
Not really been unwell since Jan either, and not typical Covid symptoms.
Practice nurse.

I had the anti body blood test came back within 24 hours I was positive

My husband and I have had the test. I was swabbed positive and antibody postive . He did not get symptoms and was antibody related.
Unreliable until 40 days after the symptoms and still can be false neg. does not exclude CV19.
Took 48 hours for the test result.

Had the test on Thursday (nhs Staff) still waiting the results hopefully get them tomorrow - most of my colleagues came back positive but have had some sort of symptoms I personally had no symptoms so interested to see what it returns

DH had the antibody test at work (NHS), and he had his results back the same day - negative results, but he’d never had a positive Covid test or symptoms.

However, he was told that about 20 people working at the hospital who had tested positive for Covid also had negative antibody tests. No idea what’s going on there.

I did the antibody blood test at home, 10 minutes, positive.

I did the antibody blood test at home as part of a research study. 10 minutes, negative. I wasn't expecting anything else, to be honest. If I've had it, which I may well have done, as I live in inner London, it was asymptomatic. I think my husband had a very mild case in March but he hasn't been tested. Not sure the antibodies would still be there from that.

Sorry you're still feeling rough OP.

Like you, I (probably) had the virus in March, and am still suffering the same symptoms as you. I had a negative (antibody) Roche test, and my lung x-ray was normal.

We had all the symptoms - including covid toe - and live in what was a hot-spot.

I hope it gives you some answers, but don't be too disheartened if the test is negative. The science is still so young.

I'm NHS staff and got results within 24hrs. Positive for antibodies. Tested 4 months after I was unwell with symptoms (didn't have the usual symptoms though - no temperature or cough) Would like to get my husband and kids tested (just out of interest really), as they had no symptoms but were in the house with me the whole time.

I really want a test but can't see them under £100 here and we're low income.

It does look like a lot more people had it in March than thought. I was v ill then and I just want to know.

Relative had classic symptoms, had a swab test 2-3 weeks later and it was negative.
Had an antibodies test a couple of months later which was positive

Yes, NHS here. Took just under a week for me.

The antibody test is accurate but there is uncertainty around how long the antibodies last

It’s not because it seems likely some people (particularly women, people under 40 and those with “long” covid) don’t produce a measurable antibody response and instead fight the virus with t-cells. It also seems antibodies might disappear quite quickly in some cases.

There are many many cases of people having positive PCR tests and negative antibody tests.

OP I was ill mid March and still have chest pain and shortness of breath. Have had chest xray clear and blood tests. Just now starting to feel abit better but still unable to exert myself.

I would really advise people not to spend their own money on tests unless the cost is trivial to them. We currently don’t know what a positive or negative test means in terms of future immunity.

I had the antibody blood test last week and the results back within 24hrs, negative. Took minutes and was very well organised. Not had any illness at all, we were all offered them as school staff.

10 days to come back negative. NHS.

I had mine through work (LA) - and had the result back from hospital within 12 hours - negative.
My dh was very unwell at the end of March and was approached by the nhs to donate blood plasma. He had the antibody test and is positive and had lots of antibodies apparently. He is now donating blood plasma for a second time.
His symptoms were similar to flu and lasted 10 days. He isolated from us in a downstairs lounge and used the downstairs loo for 2 weeks. My ds has also had the antibody test and is negative. So none of the rest of my family caught it even though we were with dh the day he became ill.
Since he returned to work in mid June having been on furlough he found that 2 of his colleagues fell ill when he did. They work in an adjacent office and the one guys wife started the chain. Strangely none of their adult kids who live at home got sick either. It’s a really strange virus.
My dh is fine now but has been left with a pins and needles problem in one thigh which hadn’t been there before. Our GP thinks it’s unrelated but has sent him for an MRI.

I have had one as work closely with C19 pts. I was negative. My colleagues who had confirmed covid all had positives antibodies.