Diagnose me please!

[WholegrainCustard]

I’ve been ill off and on since Christmas. It seems to go in predictable patterns, and my two older dc (18 and 15) are doing the same.

It started on Christmas Eve, headaches, chesty cough, joint stiffness.
By January we had sore throats, more persistent coughs, tight chests, so we tested for covid, which came back negative.

Since then we will have a week or so when we feel fine, then it will start up again for a few days.

My joint stiffness has led to a flare up of an old knee injury which is very painful and affecting how much I can do.

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to my GP, due to a bad cough and difficulty breathing (I’m asthmatic), who took a sputum sample (came back clear) and prescribed doxycycline as a precaution. The cough has cleared up but my breathing still isn’t great.

This weekend the dc and I again have stiff joints and muscle aches - knees, elbows, across shoulder and upper arms, dd(18) can’t run (unusually runs every day), ds(15) is coughing again.

We’re wondering if it could be Covid, but the gp says unlikely as no-one had a temperature or change in taste.

Anyone have any other ideas?

Vitamin D deficiency?

I have form for vit d deficiency so I’m already on a good supplement.
Would the dc have the same symptoms in waves like I am?

Did you introduce sth into the household at Christmas you might all be reacting to?

Sth?
I’m reading that as something, not sure if that’s right or not!

No, everything’s the same.

Do you live somewhere where ticks could cause Lyme Disease?

Of course it could be covid. Different people get different symptoms. Get an antibody test to rule it in or out.

To add, my only symptoms were aching leg muscles and lethargy and my first test was negative. False negatives are common and mt next test was positive (2 days later).
Given that covid is the most common infection going around, I would rule it out completely before looking into other things.
When you hear hooves, think horses not zebras ...

So you had COVID symptoms on Christmas Eve but weren't tested until January? Am I reading that right? If so you may have tested too late for a positive Covid test result and your symptoms could well be Covid related.

It does a sound a bit covidy, op

We didn’t have typical Covid symptoms - no dry cough (it was productive, plus we are a family that coughs at anything), no temperature, no change or loss in taste.

It was only after a week or so when other symptoms turned up (not badly) that we ordered tests.

I’ve had Lyme disease before, very different symptoms to that, but as we live in the country I can’t say no for sure.

Would the GP arrange an antibody test?

Tested on 5th January.

Glandular Fever/Epstein-Barr? You probably need Liver Function Tests.

I realise this is a massive drip feed, I meant to add this in the op but forgot.

A couple of weeks ago DH had to take a rapid Covid test at a work site (prick test, checks for infection and antibodies, apparently not wholly reliable) and was positive for antibodies, having been clear before Christmas, and having had no symptoms.

I spoke to the GP about this when they said I had a chest infection, they said no such tests exist and were concerned that DH had tested positive on a non existent test.

@justilou1 I’ll talk to the dr tomorrow, thanks.

It sounds very much like covid. My covid cough was productive (I'm also asthmatic). I also had headaches and joint pain. There's a real possibility if you'd tested earlier you could have got a positive result.

@WholegrainCustard

I realise this is a massive drip feed, I meant to add this in the op but forgot.

A couple of weeks ago DH had to take a rapid Covid test at a work site (prick test, checks for infection and antibodies, apparently not wholly reliable) and was positive for antibodies, having been clear before Christmas, and having had no symptoms.

I spoke to the GP about this when they said I had a chest infection, they said no such tests exist and were concerned that DH had tested positive on a non existent test.

That’s an antibody serology test, and they definitely exist because I’ve taken one, as have thousands of others.

Does sound like covid symptoms...see if you can get an antibody test...if u don't feel right keep speaking to the gp xx

@Hairyfairy01

So you had COVID symptoms on Christmas Eve but weren't tested until January? Am I reading that right? If so you may have tested too late for a positive Covid test result and your symptoms could well be Covid related.

I was under the impression that once you have covid you continue to test positive for up to 90 days... I am not to have a lateral flow test for this very reason, have I got this wrong?

Very much sounds like early long covid to me. Best thing to do is rest as much as you can, take vitamins - look up the long covid thread on here if you want more tips.

Unusuallyusual you can continue to test positive for up to 90 days but that doesn't mean everyone does, I believe the majority don't.
OP sounds like COVID symptoms, or the longer affects of, to me I'm afraid.

Tbh, Covid antibodies test is probably more obvious choice

Maybe clutching at straws, but have you checked your co. meter?

It does sound a bit Covid like, but it's strange that all of you appear to be having prolonged symptoms, especially your children.

There's plenty of people with Covid who don't have the classic symptoms. My main symptoms were painful sinuses, horrible earache and blocked ears, nausea and diarrhoea. None of that actually points to Covid but I was tested as DH tested positive before me. A mild but annoying cough came later and my sense of smell was reduced for a few days although I could have easily not noticed that symptom as my sense of taste was ok.

I'm not sure what to suggest but maybe an antibody test might be worthwhile. There are other viruses though that can cause your symptoms and can take a while to recover from. I think a lot of people are run down by the events of the past year and not as strong as they might have been in the past.

I bought a CO monitor 2 weeks ago for that very reason! It’s fine.

The children are getting mild flare ups, enough to notice but apart from dd struggling to run not having a big impact.

I was about to say what maras just said.