Oh my god, I think I might have covid but I don't know

[BlondieD]

First of all I am not in the UK and antigen tests are discouraged for some reason in my country. I don't have any on hand.

Basically about 2 weekends ago, I went to a small family function. My partner was coughing and I was mad at him because he had symptoms but he wouldn't isolate or test. He went back to health easily. His coughs came to an end by a week.

Last weekend I came down with a cold. On Monday I went for a pcr test and it came back negative. I presumed it was a cold then. My work pressured me to go back to work as soon as a I got a negative test. By Wednesday I was feeling much better in my cold symptoms - the sore throat was gone, headache was gone, the coughing eased considerably. I was pleased with how quick this cold left me. I still have a squeaky voice and somewhat of a sore ear but I think the worst has past me.

Also the day before yesterday, I found out other members of my partners family came down with various degrees of illness - from colds down to flus. I'm just after hearing of another person with 'flu' and vomiting sick. They like to call it 'flu'. At this stage I gave out shit to my partner because various members of his family are ill and none of them are testing even to rule out covid. I find it bizarre we were all healthy at the function and now we all have various degrees of illness.

I thought I was bouncing back after my cold but tonight I am not too sure. I have a headache now but I don't know if that is stress or brain freeze (I ate ice cream earlier). I have what feels like a little bit of nausea in my tummy but I do generally have a dodgy tummy anyways so I don't know if this is something more sinister/covid/worry.

I think this is covid. My pcr was negative.. I don't have any antigen tests and I won't be near a pharmacy or shop tomorrow to but one.

I'm very worried. I think this is covid. I think the function we were at was an exposure for us all with my partner being the spreader. I find it all bizarre how there's various degrees of sick. Surely a cold virus wouldnt do that? Of course they all have their own lives but what are the chances of picking up other different bugs and infections within a week of each other. What's more bizarre is how there's isn't any one of my partners family turning around and testing for covid - just to establish if its covid or not.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. I feel OK-ish now from my cold but I am worried that perhaps it was covid.

Whatever it was, it's gone now. You did your best getting a PCR test so I wouldn't worry now.

What practical difference will it make to you to know for sure?

I say this gently, but you're being a tad bit hysterical about this. Even if it is covid, what can be done about it now? You're fine, and you'll recover quickly.

There's three other families within the family that's down with illness. I'm the only one that turned around and tried to act responsibly and test.

I need to know what I am looking at incase I exposed other people to my germs and the possibility of covid. I did my best to contain my germs but I work with someone vulnerable and I am dreading the idea of possibly harming her.

Can you go for another pcr test?

I'm fine and that's all that matters is it? Never mind about putting my mom and a vulnerable person at work at risk.

Your pcr was negative, what more can you do?

I'm going to try and get some antigen tests in the morning from the local petrol station.

Would they work on me now?

This makes no sense whatsoever, colds and other respiratory viruses are spread just like Covid. You may all have the same virus, and it may or may not be Covid. It’s hardly a mystery!

"I need to know what I am looking at incase I exposed other people to my germs and the possibility of covid. I did my best to contain my germs but I work with someone vulnerable and I am dreading the idea of possibly harming her."

And what will you do if you find you did have Covid? What's done is done now. You did what you could and, based on the information available, didn't have grounds to think you had Covid.

There are other germs going around. The people around you can pick up infection from elsewhere.

There's three other families sick. I find it all bizarre and I find it all hard to believe they picked up different infections like colds and flus and other viruses and they are all ill within a week or two of a possible exposure at an event.

Eh?

@BlondieD

There's three other families sick. I find it all bizarre and I find it all hard to believe they picked up different infections like colds and flus and other viruses and they are all ill within a week or two of a possible exposure at an event.

Why do you find that bizarre?! That is literally how colds and flus have always spread...

What does it matter if you've now recovered? He was a dick for going out when I'll but you can't stop a grown man.

Viruses spread easily, there are other coronavirus apart from Covid-19. So it's easy to believe families gathering have spread a cold or a tummy bug, especially if there was a lot of close contact.

If you have recovered from your cold, then an antigen test will not show you anything.

@BlondieD

There's three other families sick. I find it all bizarre and I find it all hard to believe they picked up different infections like colds and flus and other viruses and they are all ill within a week or two of a possible exposure at an event.

They could all have the same not-Covid cold that your DP gave them.

This is lunacy - you have been ill, you took a PCR which was negative, you got better.

And now you are stressing about it potentially having been Covid, even though you're all fine, and there is nothing you can do to alter the past? There are other colds and viruses around, we've all had a hideous cold over the last 2 weeks, and it's not covid./

Does it matter?
You might (or might not have had covid). You dont/didnt have any covid symptoms.
You are now recovered

So you think it's normal colds and other bugs that others picked up since the family gathering and jot necessarily covid and perhaps I'm over reacting.

It's nerve wrecking, that's for sure. I heard of another person being ill to go along with the long list of others ill.

I would say I am about 98% better from my cold. There's some pressure behind an ear for me but that's it and I hope it stays that way.

Others are not better. There's various degrees of illness from colds right down to vomiting and flus.

My symptoms were sore throat and cough and a slight headache. All these symptoms disappeared within a matter of days for me and I'm 98% better with only a light ear pressure behind one ear that is aggreviating when I cough. I'm cough is as good as gone now but sometimes I get a tickle at the back of the throat or I get caught up in my chest while running.

We don't know which country you're in, but if it's anything at all like the UK, then yes there's a bus load of winter colds, viruses (inc norovirus), flu spreading like wildfire. The last 18 months of social distancing have given our immune systems amnesia and now it's catching up with us. I don't know anyone who hasn't had a 'bad cold' recently (inc myself). But I know far less people who've had actual covid, and we've all been testing like we're rats in a lab.

You are definitely over reacting. Re read your OP. It's exude anxiety.

It's ok. You had negative PCR. There are a gazillions non covid bugs about right now whichever country you are in I'm sure.

Breathe a bit and review this thread again in the morning.

Sounds like you've had the non covid cold that's been going round. I've had it several weeks and still not completely over it. Tested negative on PCR and multiple LFTs over the weeks. Honestly it's everywhere. Starts with headache, sore throat, then cough. You did the right thing, tested and that's that. Lots of people are sick with colds at the moment.