Anyone really struggle to give a sample? Inconclusive?

[notheragain4]

I've developed a cough so got tested at a site this morning. I have a hideous gag reflex and really struggled to swab my tonsils, I did it a bit but definitely not the full 20 seconds, managed the nose bit fine. Will it comeback as inconclusive if I didn't do it well enough?

I was exactly the same. Very brief swab of the tonsils! Came back negative. I've known quite a few people get inconclusive though.

I had 2 inconclusive results before I finally got a negative result. It was a pain in the arse!!! I think the first test was a dodgy test (the little vial of liquid looked different to the second and third tests I did), and I really struggled to get it far enough down my throat for long enough.

I sent one test off and have never heard back since, what's that all about then?

I did a really rubbish swab on my 1 year old son, reaching across diagonally to his rear facing car seat.

Still got a clear negative result in under 24 hours.

I wouldn't worry until the result comes back. Nothing you can do now.

I also have a very marked gag reflex and definitely didn’t manage 20 seconds.

I also sneezed every time I tried to do my nose.

Came back negative !!

Hmm. This is something we aren’t sure about in the hospital I work at.

I personally am swabbing elderly patients who are already poorly, so sometimes it really isn’t possible to swab for the full length of time specified at the back of the throat. As you say the nose, while uncomfortable, is easier.

We do get a lot of potentially false negatives. A negative result does not essentially mean you are negative. It can mean the swab wasn’t correctly taken. The amount of patients who test positive on the second swab (a day or two later) is not insignificant. Also the amount of patients who swab negative - but CT scan shows clear Covid in the lungs.

The tests are good, don’t get me wrong, but they are not everything. And if you don’t do the swabbing correctly (for whatever reason) then the result really isn’t worth anything.

Thanks all, that's really concerning @CoffeeRunner I really hoped it would say inconclusive rather than skew the results.

How long did your tests take? I did mine yesterday at 9.30am, I'd really hoped I'd have heard by now!

I really struggled at hopsital they maybe got half a second as I was gagging and struggling to breathe. Came back negative and they've said allergic asthma which is possible but odd I have been sweating and aches and pains at same time.