How did your symptoms start?

[DBML]

Sorry, I know there’s been threads on this already, but it’s almost like there’s too much info and I wanted to see if anyone recognised my symptoms?

I am a teacher and I am working in a secondary school in an area that has just gone into lockdown. I am fairly new to my school, so reluctant to take time off.

Anyway, last night in bed I began to cough. A dry cough. However I was fine when I woke up this morning and haven’t coughed since - so not persistent.

I have though developed a very sore throat today, extremely painful like tonsillitis, but no pus.

I have also got a stiff and achy neck and my nerves are paining...for instance I get little shooting pains on the inside of my ankle; inside of my arm; down my side etc This isn’t constant....the pains happen at different locations at different points, with pain free time between.

My head has started to ache too, but by far the biggest problem is how fatigued I feel. I feel sooo very tired. Like I just want to lie down and not move at all. My eyelids are heavy.

I don’t have a runny nose or watery eyes, or anything I would usually get with a cold.

Possibly I’ve picked something seasonal up in school, but I can’t go off without a temp or cough. Well I suppose I could, but with all the staff off isolating, it’s probably the last thing the school needs.

Tell me it’s just a normal back to school cold.

Very similar to the symptoms you've described. My cough got worse as the day wore on (through the whole time I was ill). My temp was raised and close to 38 but not above.

I was very tired.

When you try to book a test, a couple of tips:

If there are none available then refresh page every 5 mins or so.

If you get as far as booking a slot, then the system boots you back to the beginning of the process, just keep trying.

Personally I would book a test.

Thank you everyone for your advice and kind words.

I think I’m going to do as Zoflora suggested and email my HT and HOD and try to book a test. Then I’ll get myself off to bed, I can barely keep my eye open.

Thank you again and good night xx

Start looking for a test slot now. It
can take ages to get Lucky and grab one and if you don’t manage to get a test within 5 days then it’ll be too late and you’ll had to isolate the full 10 days anyway.

I know plenty

I don't know anybody or know of anybody who have had Covid. I just don't understand anything anymore.

I hope you feel better soon.

I've had:

Sore throat
Headache
Cough
Sore muscles
Sore eyes
Aching joints
Earache
Fatigue
(zero temperature)
(Zero snot/cold symptoms)

My test came through negative this morning. There are odd non-Covid viruses about, if that's any reassurance.

I had all those symptoms BlueGreyGreens and tested negative. 10 days later my husband had symptoms and tested positive. I had another test (despite only mild symptoms by then- arranged by work as is their policy) and it was positive too. Apparently 30% of negative tests are "false negatives" - in hindsight I'm certain my first test was. There really are no "set symptoms" to this...they vary so much and test results so inaccurate (if you're lucky enough to get one). So I agree with majority here OP, to be cautious and get tested.

Half the school I work in have had the same symptoms but zero positives. My point was that usual symptoms don't necessarily mean Covid. Other garden-variety viruses are available.

*unusual

I know, I get that... especially in schools at this time of year. I feel your frustration, it's so hard to know to know what to do for the best and navigate the system!

I'm a nurse and pretty certain I had Covid back at the end of March (no tests available at that time even for hospital workers). Many of my colleagues had similar symptoms of varying intensity at the same time.
It started with a dry cough - my chest felt tight and irritated like breathing in sandpaper. This went on for 7 days, the coughing wasn't constant but I might have an hour when I coughed a lot, then okay then coughing again.
After 7 days I started feeling feverish, but only had a mild temp, no rigours. My temp was about 37.9 at the highest, cheeks and face were flushed and red. Then had 48 hours of horrendous headache, absolute fatigue (could barely get out of bed). Lost all my appetite and felt dizzy when I stood up to go to the bathroom. Started to feel better after 3 days but the cough continued for a further 10 days.
My husband had similar symptoms at the same time - his colleague who he shared an office with managed to get a test and was positive. Many of my colleagues had similar symptoms to me at that time. Some lost their sense of smell and taste and a couple had much more severe symptoms of breathlessness.

I did not have runny nose or sore throat.

I also have colleagues who had later symptoms and had tests which were positive - many many of them had symptoms of extreme fatigue and gastric symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.

I had a few mild symptoms over a few days - tiredness, a day of feelings achey, a mild sore throat, a persistent headache. No fever or cough.
I had a negative test.
My daughter a few days later had a runny nose, croaky voice, occasional coughing, no fever.
She had a positive test.