Really ill but negative tests

[BooseysMom]

Hi, I'm in bed with what feels like covid. I have exactly the same symptoms as others who have it. Banging headache all across front of head, feverish, hot then cold, sweating, aching literally everywhere and a sore throat. My tests have all been negative however. Is there another horrible virus circulating right now? I've only just had a stomach bug and now this!
Thanks

I had it explained to me when DS had covid. A PCR test tests if you have covid or not, so is absolute positive or negative. The antigen tests that we do at home test whether you are infectious or not. So you can get a negative test even if you have covid but aren't shedding it. You only start shedding it when the amount of it in your system reaches a certain level, if it stays low you won't shed. The severity of your symptoms does not reflect how much covid you have, it reflects the enthusiasm of your immune system. You can have tons of covid but your immune system has a 'meh' response (ie asymptomatic) likewise you can have very little and be very ill.

@Fladdermus.. Thank you for this. Is there still the option of getting a pcr test thru the post? I need to let my work know whether it's covid or not. Thanks

Also other viruses exist!!
Do people forget that heavy/horrible colds/bigs have always existed!

You can get pcr tests if you pay. Google says about £50.

There are always horrible viruses circulating! Having a kid at nursery teaches you that very quickly

Sounds like flu

I had covid a few months ago. Felt dreadful. Tested negative after 12 days. Started to feel better for about 6 days with lots of fatigue still. Then felt dreadful again went for a blood test and I had flu! They sent me for blood test because I was 17 weeks pregnant.

Annoyingly I've had all covid and flu jabs!

There are loads of other illnesses. With covid though my son didn’t test positive in the first horrendous 3 days, then tested positive on day 4 when he was feeling better. (So we had carpet fitters and all sorts in and out of the house while he was I’ll as he’d been testing negative!)

You’ll be on the mend soon I’m sure! 💐

Any of the other viruses which existed before covid? Doesn’t make a difference anyway; if you’re ill, you’re ill. You don’t need the label of covid.

How long have you been unwell? It took my last bout (had it twice) a good couple of days to show positive after symptoms started.
hope you feel better soon, it’s rotten!

Two of my children have been ill all week with high temperatures, sore throat, cold symptoms. The child who is old enough to speak said her limbs were aching one evening. They are almost back to normal and bouncing around again after four days of loads of naps, calpol and ice cream.

Covid didn’t even occur to me. This is the same sort of virus my eldest child, and I have had many times over the years.

Dh mentioned it to SIL this morning and I’ve been getting horrified texts that I didn’t test for covid or even consider it could be covid.

I certainly wasn’t going to go and buy tests just to label it as something. They were sick, they stayed inside and rested.

Like PP said, I think people have forgotten that rotten viruses wiped them out for a week before
covid and will continue to do so until the end of time.

There are always nasty viruses, plural, circulating. Could be that, could be covid that didn't show on the test but either way hope you are able to get the rest you need and feel better soon.

How long have you been unwell? It took my last bout (had it twice) a good couple of days to show positive after symptoms started.
hope you feel better soon, it’s rotten!

Thanks. I've had it only 2-3 days but felt really achey in the preceding few days.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm NHS staff so need to know really. Anyway I had a faint positive today. I feel wiped out and it's only been 2 days in. Even walking from the bedroom to the bathroom is hard. It's still not as bad as the swine flu we had about 20 years ago! The fevers I had then were so strong I was hallucinating!

BTW the line was so faint if I hadn't have been wearing reading glasses, I would have missed it!

me and middle DS never test positive on lfts. Had covid 2 times and never positive lft. Only positive pcrs. My other 2 DC have had instant positives on lfts though. Must vary from person to person.