DS (18) really bad cold and chest infection - not left house for over a month...

[WaxOnFeckOff]

So, DS came home from Uni just at lockdown. he's not left house other than a few strolls round block and nothing at all for first 2 weeks. DH is an NHS worker so out at work and I'm WAH and only left house for food shopping - roughly once a week and a walk round the block most days.

Neither DH or I have had a cold and obviously been doing all the hand washing stuff (although we've had CV prior to DS coming home).

So, where has he caught it from? Just interesting with all the covid transmission stuff. I'm pretty sure it's not covid, he's had a really sore throat, blocked nose, and now a chesty cough. He had very bad tonsillitis in Jan - so bad GP told us to go straight to A&E if he didn't feel better starting the anti Bs. I'm slightly concerned as he's not been well for over a week but not really getting worse, just different.

If I’m reading that right then the timeline is that you & DH had Coronavirus, then DS comes home 23rd March, develops symptoms of something two weeks later and has been ill for a week?

Is there not a possibility that he either caught CV from you or when traveling home, took two weeks to develop symptoms (or up to 21 days) & due to recent illness it’s gone to his chest? Everyone presents differently - a friend of mine developed a chesty cough with CV but had lingering bronchitis which flared up alongside/as a result. He was unwell for a couple of weeks but thankfully on the mend now.

As long as he isn’t getting worse then hopefully all will be well. Or if you think he has a chest infection then schedule a GP call (obviously viral illness wouldn’t need antibiotics but a bacterial infection developed in addition may do?).

Yet another example though of why accessible CV testing would be useful! Hope he feels better soon OP.

Thanks for replying. DS2 came home on what was day 14 since start for me and day 7 for DH. He's now been home for 4 weeks and been ill for just over a week. We have adult DS1 home as well who has never shown any symptoms but it seems unlikely he wouldn't have caught it so I guess technically he could have still been infectious when DS2 came home? Who knows.

added complication is that his GP will still be 200 miles away at Uni and when he had the tonsillitis, he arrived home very ill, just walked out of uni with his clothes on his back and caught a train home. So, he was treated at our local as an emergency patient.

Not really sure if he needs to register here again or what?

I guess also added is that also that if this is CV should DH still be working (ambulance service) even though he believes hes had it but none of us have been tested? At the moment he is mainly doing CV discharges.

Sorry to hear about your friend and glad he is on the mend. We had a relatively mild dose, but I'm still coughing from time to time six weeks after on-set of symptoms.

For some reason DS2 seems less robust than the rest of us (he's a strapping 6'2 though) and despite being breast fed and having the best of nutrition (apart from last year being a student) he does seem to get more illness and gets it worse than the rest of us.

If your DH works for the NHS anyone with symptoms in the household can be tested. It will be arranged through his employer.

It's NHS Scotland - don't think we are in quite the same position but I'll look it up and also ask DH when he gets home.

DSs symptoms are definitely different to what DH and I had. If this wasn't about I'd definitely badge it as a cold and chest infection and probably a bit of hay fever chucked in.