Feel like I had coronavirus but tested negative

[yarncakes]

Just over a week ago, I started to feel off. I felt very hot to the touch but the themometer was reading 36.8 to 37c (tried both digital and forehead and they showed the same temp). I felt very hot in myself as well like I was burning up. Then my throat started to get very sore and my whole body just ached. My throat is usually always sore due to allergies anyway and I get tested negative for covid every time, but I never get any other symptoms with it like I did this time around.

My legs ached very much which is unusual for me as I am active and always on the go. I had to keep sitting down as I was getting really tired out easily and I just wanted to go bed but kept waking up in the night, burning up and sweating. Even though again, themometer said it was normal. I got a test done on the day I felt hot and off, even my husband said my back and chest was feeling hot, but the covid test came back negative. Which I was happy about but now I just think, was it or wasn't it?

I went to the supermarket a week previous which was very busy with no social distancing at all so I still think I caught it from there. I am still feeling tired and achy all over my body, similar to post viral fatigue I guess? Which I have never had before. But I no longer feel hot and touch wood I am feeling a lot better. This is making me wonder whether to get an anti body test done. Doesn't help that I have health anxiety!

There are other viruses and illnesses than covid you know! Undoubtedly you have some sort of bug doesn't necessarily have to be covid or nothing. Hope you feel better soon.

That just sounds like a normal virus?

I was like that last week. There's loads going around.

sounds like you may have had a virus that isn’t covid. They exist.

That's what I am telling myself lol but I guess when you just hear about covid all the time you can't help but think that's all it could be.

We have a lot of people insisting they’ve had it and requesting the antibody tests, I’ve not seen one come back positive yet. I was pretty disappointed that my own one (through work screening)was negative too.

It’s understandable that you, and a lot of other people are worried, and want to know if you’ve had it but would it really make you stop worrying at all? It actually said on our form that testing positive for antibodies does not mean you have immunity from Covid-19.

pp are right, there are unfortunately a lot of things that give some similar symptoms.

Could be anything but the tests are not very accurate and miss 20-30% of cases.

I’m not a medical expert but it sounds like you had a very mild illness, which you indicated when you described it as “feeling a bit off”, and feeling lethargic a week after such an illness is normal. A proper fever is normally 37.8c and higher; 36.8-37.0 is barely elevated...

From your writing it sounds like you’ve never had a proper flu-like symptoms that you could expect even with a mild case of Covid.

I also think your health anxiety might be key here. Anxiety can cause a lot of physical symptoms.

@Drivingdownthe101 Absolutely agree.

I thought it was my anxiety as I've suffered from it for 15 years but I've never felt the way I did with it. I never felt hot to the touch or burning up within myself when my anxiety flares up. I've had what I believe was the flu a few years ago, plus I had adenovirus 2 years ago which made me feel really poorly. My temp was over 39c with that illness! Whatever it was I had over a week ago was in no comparison as bad as that. It probably is my anxiety and I hope it is as I don't want to get poorly... Neither of us do really!

But when you felt hot your temperature wasn’t actually high, so it could have been anxiety causing the feeling.
Anyway, I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

It might have been but my chest and back felt hot and my face was also hot and red.. Looked like I'd been in the sun for too long even though the weather was dreadful

My normal temp is a out 36.6c. A few months ago I felt hot and it went to 37c. I felt hot for 2 days though, didn't feel ill in myself. This is different felt a lot worse this time round.

I was recently listening to the More or Less podcast (radio 4 programme about statistics etc). They said that COVID tests (the ones for the virus, not the antibody tests) have a false negative rate of 20%-30%.

So you may well have it even with a 'negative' test.