I had the antibody test today (paid privately)

[nongnangning]

So I have been holding myself down from shelling out for the antibody test for a few weeks because - as we all know - it doesn't really show up anything worth knowing. Even if you have the antibodies it doesn't necessarily mean you can't catch it again. If you don't have them it might just be because the T-cells got there first.

Etc.

My nurse friend told me not to waste the ££s (£65 for the test plus travel to the private clinic test site run by a well known private medicine provider in London).

But to my shame at the end of last week I cracked and booked it.

Off I went today to the clinic.

It was like a pregnancy test in format, except with blood.

They take a small pinprick of blood from your finger, suck it up with a mini-pipette and blot it onto a test strip. Then they add some reagent and you wait for 10 minutes (whilst having a nice chat with the nurse, the only new person you have actually met face to face since March!).

First a control line shows, as on a pregnancy test, to confirm the test is valid. Then, if you have the antibodies, a second line shows underneath the first.

No line for me, sadly . Although (of course!) I am still convinced I had Covid earlier in the year, before the first quarantine.

The nurse said that about 3-5% of people who take the test, test positive for antibodies. They also said (and I thought this was quite funny in a corona sort of way) that this was the only blood test they knew of that people actually wanted to be positive.

So there you are. Do not waste your money on this test ladies! I paid out my £65 so you don't have to

That's a shame. How long ago do you think you may have had it?

My dd got one, in a nhs test / survey thing
She had no antibodies either yet was convinced she had covid last December

My husband did a series of them for the NHS. He was told that they expected antibodies to drop by 10 - 15% a fortnight, and be undetectable by 5-6 months after infection. This was in the summer, so things may have changed! But if that’s still the general belief, you’d be too late to be testing for anything before lockdown 1.

If I did in fact have Covid it was before Lockdown 1, in March. So, it is more than 6 months ago. Ah well. Just kicking myself a bit that I cracked and spent £65!

Yeah we got tests back in August after thinking we had it in March. DH and I both negative. Might have had a different result if we'd got the antibody tests when we originally ordered them in May, but were delayed because of government requirements.

Interesting stories from everyone. I suppose what it really shows is how little we really understand the illness yet.

I want to know if I had it in March. I was very ill and kept calling 111 to be told only if its rruly life threatening they'd see me
Normally wifh my asthma id have been seen urgently at that level. I wint know if it was the asthma or I had it.

I did antibody test in october and so wish Id been able to test earlier.

I really want to know. Im vulnerable and terrified of what it could do . If i know I had it it would help.

I was sure I had it in March. Not tested but classic symptoms.
Paid for an antibody test in august and it was positive.

Those who have had a test please direct me to where does them, I live in the north east/Durham/Yorkshire area for travel purposes.

I wondered if my DS had it right at the end of Feb (XH also becoming ill, DD and I both feeling as if we were about to come down with something nasty but not quite doing so). It was before readily available tests, but DS had absolutely classic symptoms- including anosmia before that was well known - plus possible exposure via international students.

I had the full NHS antibody blood test in June. Negative. There was enough time for any putative antibodies to have vanished. Or of course It’s just as possible that none of us had it.

Even by June when I was done, they knew that antibodies could vanish in under 3months, as I remember being warned then that the test would tell very little

I had confirmed Covid at the end of April. In November I had a antibody test on the NHS, it came back negative.

My friend possibly had Covid around the same time as me and her antibody test came back positive in July.

Testing for all online was where I got mine from.

I was asked by the ONS to do one. I was shielding and hadn't been ill so I would have been very surprised if it had been positive but a tiny bit of me hoped. It wasn't.
It said it was only for me and under no circumstances should you let anyone else use it. I was sorely tempted to give it to DS though. He was very ill with a virus in late February and is a teacher in an area of very high covid. He is so very stressed and to know he had antibodies would have lifted a weight off his shoulders.

I've now been sent another by some covid study I signed up to.

I did mine through www.testingforall.org/product/covid-19-home-antibody-test/ in September. It came back negative. I was convinced I’d had it in March. I was so ill for two weeks straight, coughing all day and night. I don’t know whether to think it must have been something else in March, or whether I’d left it too late for antibodies to show up.

I had one because I work in a care home. I think it was to see the spead in care workers. Came back negative hardly surprising as I've no reason to think I've had it. I found it had to get enough blood and nearly fainted on my bathroom floor. My colleague's came back positive though even though shes never been Ill still so much w edont know about covid

Phyzzy - and I hope I know who is going to be using that test . I so feel for teachers and their families/loved ones .

I've been sent a couple of the test as part of the random testing.

Negative every time. But was quite a fun little experiment to do at home when bored.

Another one here where antibody test (as part of NHS trial/survey) was negative yet we think we all had COVID back in April. Don’t think the tests are even worth carrying out to be honest.

I also did the NHS/Ipsos one in October. Negative result. Convinced I had it last December then DH and most of my colleagues after that.

@Ponoka7

I had confirmed Covid at the end of April. In November I had a antibody test on the NHS, it came back negative.

My friend possibly had Covid around the same time as me and her antibody test came back positive in July.

That’s a bit worrying that the antibodies don’t seem to last long. I know they reckon the vaccine might give longer protection (but they don’t know how long). However in the mean time anyone who caught it earlier on in the year could be getting it again.

Having antibodies is only part of the picture though. T cell immunity also plays a part.