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Original poster

Did I actually have Covid?

26 replies

usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 13:58

2 weeks ago I started with a cold, very bunged up, headache and runny nose. No official covid symptoms. Did lots of lateral flows which were all negative.
On Monday DD1 mentioned she had a headache and has a runny nose, did LFT expecting negative and she probably had my cold, but it came back positive. Now wondering how likely it is I was actually positive? And basically wondering if I'm going to catch Covid from her and be ill again after just starting to feel better!

OP posts:
FelicityBob · 02/02/2022 14:01

Well considering all your tests were negative and you did a lot of them, it’s unlikely you had it. It’s winter and there are lots of bugs.
You may or may not catch it from her, my husband didn’t catch it when the rest of us had it

BuffaloCauliflower · 02/02/2022 14:05

I had a shitty cold just last week, negative lateral flows. Started feeling ill again on Sunday and this time it’s Covid, positive LFTs. Just two lots of illness back to back, which I could really do without! If your LFs were negative it probably wasn’t covid and yes you could get it now

Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 14:06

It is the timing making me wonder. I had assumed the LFTs were correct when I was ill but since she tested positive I am left wondering. We are not distancing from her (only young) so I'm actually hoping I did have it and will avoid it this time!

OP posts:
Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 14:07

@BuffaloCauliflower

I had a shitty cold just last week, negative lateral flows. Started feeling ill again on Sunday and this time it’s Covid, positive LFTs. Just two lots of illness back to back, which I could really do without! If your LFs were negative it probably wasn’t covid and yes you could get it now
Oh that's rubbish and basically what I'm hoping to avoid! Yesterday was my first day of feeling well in nearly 2 weeks. Hope you don't suffer too much.
OP posts:
Userno12345 · 02/02/2022 14:13

You don't need official covid symptoms for it to be covid. They need to update that list or 3. Dd had covid with none of the main three.

Also, it's hard to say. You could have but you'd think an lft would have picked it up. Did you do one every day? There has been cases where lft's have never picked it up though!

You could also had a usual cold and coincidentally your dc caught covid from school!

Covid can be very much like a cold though! Mine was, so was DD's and dp's symptoms.

Saying that, I had two viruses back to back in December. I had a nasty cough and tested negative on pcrs then caught covid off the back of the cough with new symptoms.

So if your dc is positive I would be doing daily lft's as a contact as you never actually tested positive.

TheWaterNokk · 02/02/2022 14:16

Other illnesses are available. My kids and I are loaded with the cold just now. Tests all negative despite both school and nursery being rife with covid.

Teaforme123 · 02/02/2022 14:27

It's possible. Lat flows are shit, mine were all negative, but PCR was positive. I know lots of people who have had this too.

TheWaterNokk · 02/02/2022 14:30

Are PCRs still a thing? I feel like I haven’t heard of anyone bothering with a PCR for ages.

Chilver · 02/02/2022 14:44

I don't know. My DD has Covid, first positive LFT and then a positive PCR. I have felt rough with sore throat, flu-y feeling, headache and shivering but testing negative on both LFT's and PCR. So I imagine I have another bug and she has Covid - just hope I don't get Covid now too!

Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 14:47

@Userno12345

You don't need official covid symptoms for it to be covid. They need to update that list or 3. Dd had covid with none of the main three.

Also, it's hard to say. You could have but you'd think an lft would have picked it up. Did you do one every day? There has been cases where lft's have never picked it up though!

You could also had a usual cold and coincidentally your dc caught covid from school!

Covid can be very much like a cold though! Mine was, so was DD's and dp's symptoms.

Saying that, I had two viruses back to back in December. I had a nasty cough and tested negative on pcrs then caught covid off the back of the cough with new symptoms.

So if your dc is positive I would be doing daily lft's as a contact as you never actually tested positive.

Yes, DD doesn't have any official symptoms, only tested as it is rife at school and she had a runny nose, of the kids that have had it, this seems to be common. I didn't test every day when I was ill but I think I probably did 5 tests over 10/11 days. I'm daily testing again now just in case!
OP posts:
Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 14:49

@TheWaterNokk

Are PCRs still a thing? I feel like I haven’t heard of anyone bothering with a PCR for ages.
It doesn't seem they are a thing. I thought DD would need a PCR to confirm the LFT (thought not needing one was onlu for the asympotmatic) but the gov website says not, it seems now unless you need to get support payments or are doing research (like the Zoe study I imagine) then PCRs aren't required.
OP posts:
Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 02/02/2022 14:50

@Teaforme123

It's possible. Lat flows are shit, mine were all negative, but PCR was positive. I know lots of people who have had this too.
I would have agreed with this too, but DD did her own test (probably not thouroughly) and the positive came up within a minute. But likewise, I have heard lots of cases where it isn't picked up at all.
OP posts:
WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly · 02/02/2022 19:31

I don’t know whether lateral flows do pick it up. Dd is positive. I have all the same symptoms but testing negative. I did a pcr which was negative. I’m worse than dd! So very confused!!

ShowOfHands · 02/02/2022 19:33

I've had nasty Covid (fine now) and never even had a shadow of a line on an lft.

WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly · 02/02/2022 20:17

How did you know it was covid showofhands? Not doubting you, just wondering as I am fairly sure I must have it!

2boysand1princess · 02/02/2022 21:14

You would have seen at least a faint positive line if you had covid. Maybe not straight away, but at some point during the “illness” My pcr came back positive and lateral flows were negative until about day 5-6 where I could see a faint line. Same for one of my kids, he tested positive on a pcr and never got a positive lateral flow until day 8-9 and even then it was very faint. My other 2 DC had very dark positive lateral flows from the start.
I think you had another cold virus as there are plenty going around.

ShowOfHands · 03/02/2022 00:41

I had a positive PCR.

I do daily lfts for work so had done them in the days leading up to the positive PCR and also on days 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 on confirmed Covid.

Not a single positive lft despite having severe classic symptoms and a PCR. There are plenty of people on here who have experienced the same thing.

RoyKentsChestHair · 03/02/2022 00:52

@FelicityBob

Well considering all your tests were negative and you did a lot of them, it’s unlikely you had it. It’s winter and there are lots of bugs. You may or may not catch it from her, my husband didn’t catch it when the rest of us had it
Not necessarily. My LFTs were all negative but DD was positive so I got a PCR just in case and it was positive.
frenchiemummy92 · 03/02/2022 05:17

It's possible you did as I know a lot of people recently who have just thought they've had a cold, lots of negative LFTs and then gone for PCRS and been positive.

There is lots of bugs going around though. We seem to get a new one every week at the moment.

olympicsrock · 03/02/2022 05:25

DS was unwell with a headache, negative LFTs positive PCR.

Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 03/02/2022 07:48

Hmm so it's not to be assumed I didn't have Covid then. The only reason I didn't PCR is because I had a cold just after Christmas, I did PCR for that and it was negative, and i felt the same really so didn't bother. So now I'm thinking I'd have to be really unlucky to catch a 3rd illness since Christmas! I'm not normally poorly at all.

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Rowgtfc72 · 03/02/2022 11:11

Just sent for a pcr test this morning. I ache, am hot, headache, sore throat and cough. Third time since Nov. All lfts are negative, as they were the last two times. Difference is dd tested positive yesterday so I'm wondering if its not showing up on the lft test. And I'm shattered which was the main symptom when I had covid in 2020.

All relative come March though when isolation periods end.

Original poster
usernotfound0000 · 04/02/2022 16:13

Another day done and I'm still testing negative.

OP posts:
GetTheGoodLookingGuy · 04/02/2022 19:58

I think it's possible. My mum had a sore throat/cough for about two days last week. I had similar a couple of days after her, but mine was worse and longer lasting. I tested positive on Monday. We had a lot of close contact before then - sat in the same room watching tennis for three hours on Saturday. She's still testing negative. I work in a school so probably caught it from there, although I can't pin it down to someone who I was close to in the right timeframe to catch it. My mum works in another school and they have even more covid at the moment, including people she had close contact with in the right time frame to catch it, have it the middle of last week and then give it to me. But she's tested daily for about a week and a half now and they're all negative.

Youaremypenguin · 04/02/2022 20:17

I'm not convinced LFTs work for everyone! DC has covid now after positive PCR. He 2as close contact (best friend had it). I've tested him on LFTs and all negative, including day 5 and he is really unwell with it, classic symptoms. Its definitely covid and he will be shedding because his cough is powerful and hes full of symptoms.

I've felt unwell for weeks and especially beginning of Jan into middle of Jan. LFTs were all negative, I still feel unwell but slightly better.

Another of my DC has had close contact with positive case, upset stomach, cough, temp etc all within 5 days. LFTs all negative, PCR positive 🤔. All further LFTs negative!

We're doing the tests correctly, I've checked. We've been doing them daily now for weeks due to our circumstances. All LFTs are negative. It makes no sense to me!