How is COVID presenting now?

[Icecreamcoffee]

I stopped following about covid and I'm wondering, how is it presenting now? What are peoples symptoms.

My mother was in town last week and so was I. I heard soany people with stuff and viral things and coughs. My mother has a sore throat now. She was definitely exposed to something whatever it is. Just wondering if COVID starts off as a sore throat?

@Polkadotfleece @Coolingdown I was also pretty scared by it. It is horrid. It is easier said than done but you have to be patient and accept that you can do fuck-all but lie there and watch TV until you feel better.

It is a nasty virus.

@Polkadotfleece awful brain fog here too. I'm day 9 now and it: slowly starting to lift, I'd say my brains back to 70% normal.

The nausea has been AWFUL today though, non-stop. Like morning sickness or something. Yet still hungry, but eating doesn't ease it. Really awful. Still a slight bit of vertigo and had to go back to bed again to rest this afternoon (but couldn't sleep).

Taste seems to be v slowly returning.

Has anyone had weird menstrual symptoms with it? My period had just about stopped on the day I came down with Covid but it re-started. I've now had my period for 16 days!!! I'm usually like clockwork.

Mine started at least a week ago but didn't think it would be covid. Just lots of coughing and blowing nose so didn't test till 4 days ago. Positive then and still positive. Feel very poorly now with more symptoms. Worst thing is the stomach muscle pains from constant coughing. DH must have had it as he was the same as me but Tested negative and ok now. He had the over 75's booster a few months ago so maybe that saved him from getting worse.Mind you we had visitors for a while till last weekend they all seem to have escaped it. I had been rushing around a lot so maybe I had run myself down a bit. Decided once I'm able to go out again I will be wearing masks in busy places. Definitely don't want this again!

I’m on day 8 and still testing positive. This is utterly awful.

Day six and still testing positive. My hearing, taste and smell has now been affected. I’m still breathless and awful fatigue!
I have passed it onto my 80 year old dad who thankfully has only head cold symptoms and seems to be over the worst. Having lost my mum at the start of the year due to covid I’m feeling relieved he’s ok.

Here's my infection timeline a few weeks ago:

Felt tired for a few days, but had been busy so ignored it.

Sneezing and then runny nose that ran non stop for a day.

Day 1 awful fever, shivering and then so hot felt like my head might explode. Thankfully eased after a 12 hour sleep!!

Day 2-10 general cold symptoms, achy, headaches, fatigue and no appetite, mild gastro symptoms - nausea and feeling a little sick.

Not positive now but have very bad fatigue which is thankfully slowly lifting but definitely having to pull out some pacing techniques which is buggering up my plans.

If I can give anyone one major tip to avoid rebound type fatigue: do not push it at the start, when you get that fever, initial symptoms rest rest rest and keep hydrated. Don't push through it.

Do we know which strain this headache/sinus/tinnitus covid is, just out of interest? Is it the new one that's in the news?

Also, keep up your fluids, everyone who's suffering with it atm- by this I mean water.

No idea but I have lost my sense of taste and smell I cannot smell Vic’s Vaporub at all, it just leaves a burning sensation in my nose. Cannot taste anything apart from salt, it’s the only flavour that comes through. Really weird.
Day 4 and my ears are ringing, I have a headache, stuffy nose. I have stomach pain although thankfully the chills / sweats seem to have stopped. Nausea that’s made worse by hunger (reminds me of morning sickness).

DH is much better and gone to work as they have no rule around Covid and it’s treated as any other illness and you go sick if you’re too unwell and work if you feel you can.

DD is like me, rough, coughing, full of catarrh, aching, feeling sick yet hungry.

It’s quite grim and we’re in for a difficult winter if it’s going to hit people hard like we’ve been.

Those of you with smelling issues, keep smelling every day - aromatherapy oils, strong scents. Apparently it helps. Although I look odd sniffing my oils out and about.

Also does anyone have oevrload with smells after covid, everything smells really strong to me now like I'm a sniffer dog.

For various boring but valid reasons it's important that my DP, who is coming home from a trip today, doesn't get my COVID.

Am in the spare room and have a separate bathroom I can use until I test negative, which will hopefully only be a couple of days.

He's going to bring me food and drinks, and when I need to use the bathroom I'll hand sanitize and put my N95 on.

The only thing I'm not sure on is the flippin cat. She's currently on my lap but she absolutely adores DP so her affections will swiftly transfer back to him the moment he walks in. He's home tonight. Would you turf her out? She's 18 🙁

(PS. Interesting screen grab attached, I wonder why ferrets still need to self isolate!)

Tested positive (for the first time) 2 weeks ago. Symptoms were:

High fever overnight
Headache
Diarrhoea
Runny nose (this came first and I thought it was hay fever)

Those symptoms lasted for about 72 hours.. didn't really feel that unwell at any point.

However, about 4 days in I suddenly lost all sense of smell and taste, which is only now just starting to come back.. I actually found this quite distressing.

I am also incredibly fatigued/brain foggy.. this only started about 10 days after testing positive. Astonishingly frustrating.. wake up every day feeling great and then by 10am I am exhausted and can't hold a thought in my head.

The main symptoms for me have been awful body aches, especially during the night (this has been worse than the headache); chills & sweats; and fatigue/ dizzyness. Now I have no sense of smell or taste, but hopefully am turning a corner as I don't feel so wretched today. I was lucky enough to never have had covid before so had smugly thought I might be immune 😷

I could cry. I’m desperately trying to rest, the headache is appalling. Yesterday my neighbor decided to jet wash every fucking item he owned, all day long the buzz of that jet washer went on and on. Today the neighbors opposite are having the whole house scaffolded so they are throwing the poles and planks off the lorry, drilling and shouting at each other. I can’t cope.

Not much appetite and insomnia seems built in, I slept for 8-10 during my fist week of delta, this variant I went 30 hours without proper sleep. I have a sleep clinic diagnosed condition called hyperarousal insomnia, so i would expect this covid strain is making the most of it.

Dear god, day 3 here and I feel peak dreadful! I feel like I've been chucked down a flight of stairs.

Say 3 was peak dreadful for me too. Day 5 here and think I may have turned the corner.
I got up and stripped the bed where I have lain for the past 3/4 days and I’m now sitting sweating profusely. I’m going to try and potter a bit today as the house has become dusty and untidy whilst I’ve been out of order. DH who also had covid but seemingly milder managed to keep on top of the washing / drying / ironing so that helped.

Hope everyone feels much better soon. I almost happy to mask wear again if it means I don’t catch it again, I’ll be very nervous of it.

I hear you loud and clear about not holding a thought in my head. I'm working and it's like pushing water uphill

I'm on day 5 and am finally feeling a bit better. 4 days in bed, fever, aches, no smell or taste, sinuses so blocked up and painful, light headed. It's just been awful. I had Covid in April of 2022 and it was a mild cold. This has absolutely floored me. I can't believe the difference. I'm 41 and a runner so think I'm pretty healthy.

Really hoping this is me on an upward swing, but I'm going to heed everyone's advice and take it slowly.

@PandaSock I'm on day 11 and woke up feeling human for the first time since symptoms started, I noticed a gradual improvement from day 7ish and today don't even feel tired any more, so there is hope!

Feel better soon everyone

@YouLetDougalDoAFuneral It's honestly been such a relief to find everyone here. I had fully bought into the "it's just a cold" mentality after my first bout so I felt terrified to be laid so low by it this time. Finding everyone here experiencing the same things has been a huge reassurance!

Day 1-3 bloody awful
Day 4-5 bit better with relapses
Day 6-7 bit better again
Day 8 today - definitely improved and feel almost normal just very tired.

My 16 dd has it too and she’s also very tired. Both of us have had similar symptoms to other pp but the nausea and insomnia have been worse than previous 2 Covid infections.

Hope everyone feels better soon 🤞

Is anyone else getting heart palpitations?

I've got what I assumed was a heavy cold. Started with the banging head and sore throat on day one with a cough. I'm day two now and am shivering, ache everywhere, my ears are stuffed, nose dripping, sneezing, coughing and so on.

I'm due to visit my DF later next week who has cancer so suddenly thought I'd better test. Yep, positive. I've avoided it until now so I'm not best impressed, especially now I may have to cancel my trip.

@HangingOver I didn't but I believe heart palpitations can come on if you have a fever.