Has anyone else never tested positive but had close contact and then feel unwell

[Plumbmonster]

Sorry, I’ll do my best to explain.

I’ve never tested positive but have been in close contact with people who have had covid a few times.

Each time I get faint symptoms, headache, sore throat, sinus pressure and smoky smell in nose and aches and pains like a cold is on the way.

It never develops beyond that and I never test positive.

Same thing has happened now. DS is covid positive and I’ve been sneezing, runny nose, headache, feeling tired etc but no positive result.

I honestly am wondering if my light symptoms are my bodies way of fighting covid off? Maybe it’s my immune system reacting and it’s overwhelming the covid enough so I don’t get a positive.

Is that even possible? Has anyone else had the same?

Maybe it’s “sympathy COVID”

how many times are you testing?

Yes ive never tested positive but have had mild symptoms as if I’m fighting something off several times after contact with friends who have had covid

I've been close contact with a large number of children at once and so was testing daily for a few weeks. Always negative but I did get some symptoms early on (not the big three) which makes me wonder if I did actually have it!

Dp had this but pretty bad symptoms rarher than mild. No positive test.

I was positive (pcr confrimed) and had mild symptoms, dp was floored by it, getting very short of breath etc, but pcr was negative. We just figured it was something in him that was creating the false negative. Luckily this wws back when close contacts had to isolate as well so he was able to rest and recouperate.

Dd is on day 9 and finally got a negative lft today. Dh is on day 4. I feel like I have had mild symptoms since dd tested positive but have been testing every day as per the rules here. Still negative

Do you do PCRs? LFTs aren't always accurate.

@DeepfriedPizza

Dd is on day 9 and finally got a negative lft today. Dh is on day 4. I feel like I have had mild symptoms since dd tested positive but have been testing every day as per the rules here. Still negative

Doesn't mean you haven't got Covid as LFTs aren't always accurate. I never tested positive on an LFT when I had Covid but I did on a PCR.

Guidance here is you test daily on lft. Even if positive on lft you are not advised to get pcr. I don't have any of the symptoms eligible for pcr, just a sore throat and sore sinuses like the op

@DeepfriedPizza

Guidance here is you test daily on lft. Even if positive on lft you are not advised to get pcr. I don't have any of the symptoms eligible for pcr, just a sore throat and sore sinuses like the op

Yes, I'm just saying that testing negative on a LFT doesn't mean you don't have Covid.

It took me 8 days to test positive when my kids had covid. I had more symptoms in the period before I tested positive than I did once I was positive - so I reckon that was the immune response. Took 10 days to test clear afterwards. DH was similar but succumbed slightly earlier (D6) and generally felt worse. He was negative PCR earlier in the week as he had a cough and all the aches - this was when confirmation by PCR was not required so we just lat flowed everyone daily

Are you me?! This is exactly the conclusion I am coming to. So many different close contacts, including my own family. Exactly the same symptoms as you. Daily LFT’s and two PCR’s the last time as my whole household had it. Negative me but actually iller than the rest of them!

We didn’t get a positive till after we started displaying symptoms. In our case each of us developed a headache then fever and then the next day the LFT was positive

Also my husband didn’t test positive until a week after our first child had positive LFT

Yes me. DC (young so couldn't isolate in bedroom) started symptoms Monday & tested positive Tuesday. I woke up in the middle of night Fri with headache, sweats, nausea & a bit sinus-y. PCR on Sat negative. Daily LFTSs have been negative including today.

Happened once before with positive contact - PCR & LFTs negative. I'm convinced it was my body fighting it off, & it never reaches a point where there's enough virus to cause a positive test.

I had the same when DS had Delta. Felt a bit tired and off for a few days. Tried to go for a run but struggled and had to stop. I was testing every day. After a few days I felt fine again.

I read somewhere that it could be an ‘abortive infection’. You are exposed then the vaccine/antibodies kick in and fight it without you ever actually becoming ill enough to produce a positive test.

I am hoping that although you don’t get ill, having fought it off you get a little antibody/t-cell boost.

Same here, have had cold symptoms since Wednesday. Done lfts every day and pcr on Friday. Both DC asymptomatic positive on Wednesday/Thursday. Me - still negative.

I wonder if like pp, I have it but not enough virus to cause a negative?

I think you’re also potentially not getting a huge viral load with an asymptomatic child. So easier for the body to clear a smaller viral load. None of our family caught it off DS2 despite no distancing.

I did get Omicron a month later at a super spreader party so viral load is key!

Yes I've had this a lot but I think it's anxiety generating symptoms