Have you had covid 19?

AnnieOaks

If so how does it compare to the flu? And how are you now? Are you “completely recovered” or are you having any problems?

Chocolate fiend

Yes, I contracted it on 11th March, and experienced my first symptoms on 15th March (which I think for us in Oz was 11 days before lockdown).

I was never hospitalised overnight, but did go to the ER on three separate occasions.

I did keep a log of symptoms over time, but here is a condensed summary:
Slightly raised temperature
Dizzy
strange headache - like severe pressure all around circumference of the head
Light Cough
Light Runny Nose
Orange Urine
Shortness of Breath which peaked on around Day 10
Fatigure
Chest / Kidney / Heart / Lung Pains
No appetite / Lost 12kg in FIRST 20 days
Severe inflammation of intestines/stomach
Lack of Taste/Smell
Also impacted mental state and definitely caused some depression for a short period.

** Note I had NO sore throat or fever.**

So it's 156 days (over 5 months) since first symptoms and I'm about 90% recovered. I'm 46 and otherwise perfectly healthy.
I've had a battery of tests done since - CT scans / MRI / blood tests / breath tests / heart-holter monitor and fortunately there isn't any permanent damage that these results show.
I have various Medications for many symptoms which largely didnt really help.
Plenty of supplements and healthy diet since too.

Persistent symptoms at this point are dizziness/tinnitus/gastritis and some ongoing chest pain. Thankfully fatigue has mostly passed..

The upshot is that doctors don't really have a clue on how to deal with this. I was probably unlucky to get it so early (but possibly lucky if TCell immunity is the result). I'm very confident that I will recover, but it may take another few months.

There was a New York Times article that came out a few months ago discussing "long haulers" and prolonged recovery, and there is a support group (using Slack) that you can request access to. I think they have about 7000+ members in there (from US/UK/Europe/Oz and even NZ!), where most are experiencing long haul recovery. There are some who were infected in Wuhan in December and are still not recovered - so that's tracking a 9 month recovery so far (not hospitalised - so a mild case according to WHO). The percentage of people in my situation is likely very small though - possibly 3 - 5 %.

I've only had the real flu once, back in 1999, and for me it was absolutely nothing like that.

Have you had it Annie? And have you recovered ok?

iguana

Did you get a positive test? I'm 99.9% sure I had it. Most likely infected on March 14th, first symptoms on the evening of March 18th when I had a short workout that would never normally have left me out of breath but I couldn't catch my breath for hours afterwards. I developed a sore throat at that point too. By the next day any exertion, like slowly walking to the kitchen or just talking would leave me gasping for breath. I had mild flu like symptoms for a few days but the shortness of breath on exertion and a heavy, tight pain around my chest lasted nearly 3 weeks. It was totally defined by exertion, I mainly stayed in bed for the three weeks where I could take shallow breaths without pain or "belly breathe" if I felt desperate for oxygen. Toward the end, I'd feel better, get up and do a few more bits and pieces around the house and end up feeling worse again very quickly.

On day 20 I suddenly recovered completely. I was wary because of the 2 steps forward 1 step back kind of recovery. But by day 24 I threw caution to the wind and had an extremely, extremely active day and ended up triggering post-viral inflammation all around my chest wall which started on Good Friday. Pleurisy in the right lung, costochondritis, mild myocarditis, esophagitis. I also have recurrent esophagial/oral thrush, partially from my immune system being low and party from the proton pump inhibitor medication I was was on. I'm 41 but was genuinely super fit. I figure that my fitness was actually my downfall as I started exercising too soon after recovery. If I'd been less anxious to get back to my normal high levels of exercise, I'd have rested for longer and never had the post viral inflammation. I'd also had the worst flu I'd ever had in January after a period of extreme stress. Completely different to my March virus but I guess my immune system was at a bit of a low after that.

Since the start of the July I've been recovered enough to live my life pretty close to normally. I still have the thrush and the costochondritis flares up, especially with driving. I have put on about 7kg (while losing a lot of muscle) which doesn't seem to be shifting and that can be as a result of inflammation so I'm mindful of not pushing myself too hard. But so far I'm back to quite intensive exercise levels and I'm not relapsing. I've had a number of tests at hospital which show no long term damage. I'm not sure how much longer it will take to recover I keep thinking I'm 95% recovered, recovering a bit but still assessing myself as 95% recovered. I figure I should be 100% fine at some point before the end of the year but I mightn't even notice when it happens.

My seven year old most probably got it from me too. But he just had a dry cough and stomach problems for a few days about a week after my symptoms started.

Icantthinkof1

I think I may have had it from February
One day in Feb my face was burning, I had an awful pain in my head& it felt like I was coming down with a head cold. My nose poured mucous which has never happened to me before to the extent I had to hold tissues constantly up to nose for my entire shift that day, it just wouldn’t stop (sorry for the tmi!)
Within 24 hours those symptoms were gone.
Nearly exactly 2 weeks later I went to my GP as was having issues with my chest (I have asthma) so thought it was a flair up as my husband and one of my children had already been to the GP the week/ 2 weeks beforehand with coughs.
He said I was probably getting the tail end of whatever virus they had.
I was on reliever inhalers as well as several doses of oral steroids for over a month- no relief.
It got quite bad on one or two nights where I nearly rang an ambulance for myself due to tightness in my chest and inability to get a proper breath (which lasted days and was beyond terrifying)
Over a period of weeks I had continuous tightness in my chest, the most awful pains/ pressure in my chest and twice or so I had a terrifying sensation that my lungs/ back felt like someone had set a fire in them. Despite being a healthy weight I lost 14lbs & I have had heart palpitations and several headaches and sore throat on and off since
I never had a fever but did have muscle aches and pains
My GP referred me and another one of my children in March for a Covid test as they developed a cough. Our tests were cancelled as we did not have fevers so did not meet the criteria for a test at the time.
My children only ever had a cough as did my husband- but his cough lasted months and was quite bad

However what makes me think that I might not have had it is that I was fine after the head cold and other symptoms didn’t manifest until 2 weeks or so after that
My 1st symptom was in mid Feb when Covid wasn’t widespread (?)
I also suffer from anxiety so I accept a lot of my symptoms could have been psychosomatic.
I am asthmatic and i would also get many of these symptoms after attacks- such as chest pains/ pressure, palpitations and muscle pains

Mister Vain

I never got tested but I had very mild symptoms around paddy's day. I felt fatigued and had a bit of a fever. It was gone in a couple of days.

gmisk

I had some of the symptoms at start of March but no temperature so didn't meet threshold for test.
I was having pain when breathing deep etc for maybe 4/5 days, also pain in my back weirdly. I also was wrecked and sore all over (not like me at all). Oh and my sense of taste weirdly!
I am in my 30s and I'm in good health very rare I would get anything.
But I did get pneumonia when I was 18/19 and hit bad by it so a tad worried at the time.
Right as rain within about 5/6 days.
So who really knows I guess.
I was working from home at time so self isolated for the 14 days just in case.

gabeeg

There's antibody testing available now. Not 100% reliable, but would curiosity not get the better of yiz?

Laszlo Cravensworth

A very close family friend contracted it. He was more or less bed ridden for the better part of 6 weeks. This lad is 39 years old, no previous health issues, very competitive marathon runner and lives a very healthy lifestyle. He couldn't believe how badly it affected him. He's still not fully recovered but is 90% of the way there.

iguana

gabeeg wrote: »

There's antibody testing available now. Not 100% reliable, but would curiosity not get the better of yiz?

I would have in April/ early May but the antibody seems to recede so quickly that it would most likely be a waste of money by the time they became available.

Hamsterchops

Mister Vain wrote: »

I never got tested but I had very mild symptoms around paddy's day. I felt fatigued and had a bit of a fever. It was gone in a couple of days.

That's the really weird thing about Covid-19, just comparing your symptoms with those suffered by poster #2. Massive spectrum of variation from person to person

Fr_Dougal

Yeah I 100%, definitely had it, no doubt about it.

I was one of the asymptomatic sufferers.

gabeeg

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Yeah I 100%, definitely had it, no doubt about it.

I was one of the asymptomatic sufferers.

Eh... Never mind

The Unbearables

One of our neighbours had it bad. She spent 9 days in hospital and lost around 2 stone in weight. She regularly walked her dog twice a day and I mean proper walks but is unable to walk for anymore than around 10 minutes now before almost collapsing. I take her dog out with mine now when I can as she has no family here in Ireland.

This woman is mid 40's and hasn't returned to work either as she's still in recovery. She described the symptoms of the virus to me a few weeks back and I want nó part of it. It sounds horrendous and a real life changer for some.

I hope she fully recovers in time but who knows the full extent of this fcuking thing.

AnnieOaks

Chocolate fiend wrote: »

Yes, I contracted it on 11th March, and experienced my first symptoms on 15th March (which I think for us in Oz was 11 days before lockdown).

I was never hospitalised overnight, but did go to the ER on three separate occasions.

I did keep a log of symptoms over time, but here is a condensed summary:
Slightly raised temperature
Dizzy
strange headache - like severe pressure all around circumference of the head
Light Cough
Light Runny Nose
Orange Urine
Shortness of Breath which peaked on around Day 10
Fatigure
Chest / Kidney / Heart / Lung Pains
No appetite / Lost 12kg in FIRST 20 days
Severe inflammation of intestines/stomach
Lack of Taste/Smell
Also impacted mental state and definitely caused some depression for a short period.

** Note I had NO sore throat or fever.**

So it's 156 days (over 5 months) since first symptoms and I'm about 90% recovered. I'm 46 and otherwise perfectly healthy.
I've had a battery of tests done since - CT scans / MRI / blood tests / breath tests / heart-holter monitor and fortunately there isn't any permanent damage that these results show.
I have various Medications for many symptoms which largely didnt really help.
Plenty of supplements and healthy diet since too.

Persistent symptoms at this point are dizziness/tinnitus/gastritis and some ongoing chest pain. Thankfully fatigue has mostly passed..

The upshot is that doctors don't really have a clue on how to deal with this. I was probably unlucky to get it so early (but possibly lucky if TCell immunity is the result). I'm very confident that I will recover, but it may take another few months.

There was a New York Times article that came out a few months ago discussing "long haulers" and prolonged recovery, and there is a support group (using Slack) that you can request access to. I think they have about 7000+ members in there (from US/UK/Europe/Oz and even NZ!), where most are experiencing long haul recovery. There are some who were infected in Wuhan in December and are still not recovered - so that's tracking a 9 month recovery so far (not hospitalised - so a mild case according to WHO). The percentage of people in my situation is likely very small though - possibly 3 - 5 %.

I've only had the real flu once, back in 1999, and for me it was absolutely nothing like that.

Have you had it Annie? And have you recovered ok?

Thank you for the very detailed response. Sounds mental and I hope you do recover completely.
No I have not had the virus but just curious as to others experiences with it. And as others have pointed out, and from what I have been reading for months is that this varies from person to person and there is no telling what way it will go with a person. Scary stuff indeed. I am pretty fearful of catching it as I have asthma and I smoke also 😭 (I know dumb but don’t grill me plz) but i just hope some sort of immunity is gained for the long haul in people.. and that people cop on and we alll get through this weird ass time together. Thank you all for your replies.

Tipsy McSwagger

Chocolate fiend wrote: »

Yes, I contracted it on 11th March, and experienced my first symptoms on 15th March (which I think for us in Oz was 11 days before lockdown).

I was never hospitalised overnight, but did go to the ER on three separate occasions.

I did keep a log of symptoms over time, but here is a condensed summary:
Slightly raised temperature
Dizzy
strange headache - like severe pressure all around circumference of the head
Light Cough
Light Runny Nose
Orange Urine
Shortness of Breath which peaked on around Day 10
Fatigure
Chest / Kidney / Heart / Lung Pains
No appetite / Lost 12kg in FIRST 20 days
Severe inflammation of intestines/stomach
Lack of Taste/Smell
Also impacted mental state and definitely caused some depression for a short period.

** Note I had NO sore throat or fever.**

So it's 156 days (over 5 months) since first symptoms and I'm about 90% recovered. I'm 46 and otherwise perfectly healthy.
I've had a battery of tests done since - CT scans / MRI / blood tests / breath tests / heart-holter monitor and fortunately there isn't any permanent damage that these results show.
I have various Medications for many symptoms which largely didnt really help.
Plenty of supplements and healthy diet since too.

Persistent symptoms at this point are dizziness/tinnitus/gastritis and some ongoing chest pain. Thankfully fatigue has mostly passed..

The upshot is that doctors don't really have a clue on how to deal with this. I was probably unlucky to get it so early (but possibly lucky if TCell immunity is the result). I'm very confident that I will recover, but it may take another few months.

There was a New York Times article that came out a few months ago discussing "long haulers" and prolonged recovery, and there is a support group (using Slack) that you can request access to. I think they have about 7000+ members in there (from US/UK/Europe/Oz and even NZ!), where most are experiencing long haul recovery. There are some who were infected in Wuhan in December and are still not recovered - so that's tracking a 9 month recovery so far (not hospitalised - so a mild case according to WHO). The percentage of people in my situation is likely very small though - possibly 3 - 5 %.

I've only had the real flu once, back in 1999, and for me it was absolutely nothing like that.

Have you had it Annie? And have you recovered ok?

Annie are you ok are you ok, are you ok Annie?

emeldc

AnnieOaks wrote: »

If so how does it compare to the flu? And how are you now? Are you “completely recovered” or are you having any problems?

Yep, I had it. Was in hospital for two weeks in April. Was on oxygen for three or four days but avoided ICU thank god. I'm 60 and with a renal transplant so I'm well up the list of the 'oh bolloc*ks' patients. I suppose it is somewhat like the flu although I never felt like dying with the flu. With COVID I had at least one day where I absolutely wanted to die, it was so bad. Thankfully I didn't. Because I'm immunosuppressed I had lots of other stuff going on, as well as all the regular COVID symptoms that you hear about. E Coli in the blood, pneumonia, UTI, Hepatitis B and liver issues which probably took the longest to recover. I felt fine about three weeks after leaving hospital and really don't think I've suffered any lasting effects. But only time will tell.

seenitall

iguana wrote: »

I would have in April/ early May but the antibody seems to recede so quickly that it would most likely be a waste of money by the time they became available.

A friend (not in Ireland) had it beginning of April, a positive test with a bit of sore throat, grand otherwise. He got tested for antibodies two weeks ago, yup, antibodies still there.

I’m pretty sure I had it in April as well, I described my experience of how I contracted it in a post of 8th April (I think), posting in Corona in Workplace thread (too lazy to go looking for the post). Anyway, woke up one day with a very sore throat, completely wiped out. The day prior I absolutely 100% felt major activity going on in lymph nodes. (I am very attuned to my body and take a sihtload of health supplements to balance the hormones and boost energy.)

Self-isolated for two weeks from that morning on, sore throat and major fatigue stayed the only symptoms, so couldn’t get tested. Done and dusted before the two weeks expired. I’m now happy if that’s what it was, of course.

ShineOn7

Interesting to see that, despite Boards being the busiest I've seen it in almost a decade, that there's just 17/18 replies to this thread so far

MontyChips

Never officially diagnosed but back in March, around the time the lockdown was announced, I remember having a sore throat, a general feeling of unwellness and shortness of breath. I suspect it was Covid but then again nobody I lived with ever became ill. Six months later I still have chest/lung pain and intensive exercise takes a lot out of me. Spoke to my GP about this and they said that they are seeing a lot of people present with similar problems post-Covid.

Away With The Fairies

Icantthinkof1 wrote: »

I think I may have had it from February
One day in Feb my face was burning, I had an awful pain in my head& it felt like I was coming down with a head cold. My nose poured mucous which has never happened to me before to the extent I had to hold tissues constantly up to nose for my entire shift that day, it just wouldn’t stop (sorry for the tmi!)
Within 24 hours those symptoms were gone.
Nearly exactly 2 weeks later I went to my GP as was having issues with my chest (I have asthma) so thought it was a flair up as my husband and one of my children had already been to the GP the week/ 2 weeks beforehand with coughs.
He said I was probably getting the tail end of whatever virus they had.
I was on reliever inhalers as well as several doses of oral steroids for over a month- no relief.
It got quite bad on one or two nights where I nearly rang an ambulance for myself due to tightness in my chest and inability to get a proper breath (which lasted days and was beyond terrifying)
Over a period of weeks I had continuous tightness in my chest, the most awful pains/ pressure in my chest and twice or so I had a terrifying sensation that my lungs/ back felt like someone had set a fire in them. Despite being a healthy weight I lost 14lbs & I have had heart palpitations and several headaches and sore throat on and off since
I never had a fever but did have muscle aches and pains
My GP referred me and another one of my children in March for a Covid test as they developed a cough. Our tests were cancelled as we did not have fevers so did not meet the criteria for a test at the time.
My children only ever had a cough as did my husband- but his cough lasted months and was quite bad

However what makes me think that I might not have had it is that I was fine after the head cold and other symptoms didn’t manifest until 2 weeks or so after that
My 1st symptom was in mid Feb when Covid wasn’t widespread (?)
I also suffer from anxiety so I accept a lot of my symptoms could have been psychosomatic.
I am asthmatic and i would also get many of these symptoms after attacks- such as chest pains/ pressure, palpitations and muscle pains

I had a runny nose like that as well back in February. It was very unusual for me.

ShineOn7

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

I had a runny nose like that as well back in February. It was very unusual for me.

I empathize somewhat with your worry over this Fairies, it's probably the most stressed I've been in my life too (or at least top 2). But you can't equate a runny nose on it's own as even remotely Covid like

Unless you were, runny nose aside, Asymptomatic

AnnieOaks

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Interesting to see that, despite Boards being the busiest I've seen it in almost a decade, that there's just 17/18 replies to this thread so far

Tbh I’m quite surprised myself. Considering how “rampant” the disease supposedly is. And I comply with the restrictions have been trying to be as responsible as possible. Just thought with so many getting it surely a few more would of had something more to say about It.

ShineOn7

I think this may be the second of these threads since April though

It's pages and pages back and I can't remember the wording of the title to do a search

iguana

ShineOn7 wrote: »

I empathize somewhat with your worry over this Fairies, it's probably the most stressed I've been in my life too (or at least top 2). But you can't equate a runny nose on it's own as even remotely Covid like

Unless you were, runny nose aside, Asymptomatic

I had a bad flu (for the first time I can remember) back in late January and I had bad sinus symptoms with it. It was wholly different to what I experienced in March so there was a nasty flu doing the rounds in late winter. I'd had the flu vaccine in October, so it was most likely a strain not on that.

iguana

ShineOn7 wrote: »

I think this may be the second of these threads since April though

It's pages and pages back and I can't remember the wording of the title to do a search

The "Have you been tested?" thread had a lot of us on it, especially once so many of us got bumped off the waiting list for a test. But it wasn't the only thread where posters who were ill at the time posted about it. The thing is that while this illness is pretty all encompassing when you have it, once you are mostly recovered, it recedes in importance. I still have lingering issues but they are mostly an irritant rather than something that takes up much space in my mind. And for those who didn't have months and months of illness but never got a test, it's really hard to know what happened. If I hadn't had all of the post-viral crap, being oddly sick for a few weeks back in March with no confirmation of Covid, would be something that I wouldn't be very sure of now.

ShineOn7

Haven't heard of him before but apparently he's an American actor

Michael Yo explains his crazy experience with it here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgEUsIIhl0A

Some takeaway points he makes:

• "The pain was so bad that if someone had offered me an Eject button on life I'd have pressed it"
• He passed it onto his mother, she had a fever for a day and that was it, versus his 8 days in ICU
• Was told he survived because he wasn't put on a ventilator
• Was told that 80% of those put on a ventilator didn't make it
• Was told that if he had passed away that his migraines would've been listed as a per-exisiting condition

He starts describing his symptoms from here https://youtu.be/IgEUsIIhl0A?t=294

speckle

Just a note to above video migraines are a neurological condition and may put you at an elevated risk of stroke, not just another headache...

billyhead

I think I may have had it. Around the end of March I started suffering from fatigue and blister red rashes formed on both hands. The hands swelled up. I went to the GP and he put me on steroid antibiotics. Still had the hands problem 10 days later. He couldn't figure out the problem so I was send to A&E. After been referred to a dermatologist and having numerous blood, stool and urine tests the doctors couldn't diagnose what caused the hands to go that way. The results of the 1st blood test taken initially in A@E showed high levels of white blood cells which the doctor said was usually a sign of the body having overcome an infection. Hands are grand now and I feel fine.

Away With The Fairies

billyhead wrote: »

I think I may have had it. Around the end of March I started suffering from fatigue and blister red rashes formed on both hands. The hands swelled up. I went to the GP and he put me on steroid antibiotics. Still had the hands problem 10 days later. He couldn't figure out the problem so I was send to A&E. After been referred to a dermatologist and having numerous blood, stool and urine tests the doctors couldn't diagnose what caused the hands to go that way. The results of the 1st blood test taken initially in A@E showed high levels of white blood cells which the doctor said was usually a sign of the body having overcome an infection. Hands are grand now and I feel fine.

Symptoms are so weird with everyone.

billyhead

Away With The Fairies wrote: »

Symptoms are so weird with everyone.

I know. The Dermatologists and doctors didn't have a clue what caused it. At the end of my final visit to the hospital I was asked was I ever tested for the virus. I have heard of children getting rashes from contracting the Corona though.

Pablo Escobar

iguana wrote: »

The "Have you been tested?" thread had a lot of us on it, especially once so many of us got bumped off the waiting list for a test. But it wasn't the only thread where posters who were ill at the time posted about it. The thing is that while this illness is pretty all encompassing when you have it, once you are mostly recovered, it recedes in importance. I still have lingering issues but they are mostly an irritant rather than something that takes up much space in my mind. And for those who didn't have months and months of illness but never got a test, it's really hard to know what happened. If I hadn't had all of the post-viral crap, being oddly sick for a few weeks back in March with no confirmation of Covid, would be something that I wouldn't be very sure of now.

The lingering issues I can identify with. Mine was from early February. 3/4 days of breathlessness. Very difficult to breath for a certain 1/2 day period in which I nearly went to the hospital (and my head told me I should go, but I didn’t). The illness I had started with symptoms of cold, ie runny nose and finished with coughing. It took about 10 days to clear. The lingering symptoms started more like bad asthma, but it improved with time. I had to get sediment in my lungs cleared a month ago. After taking a course of tablets over 5 days I woke up one day and felt like I had a new pair of lungs. 2/3 days later I could feel the sediment return. It’s not causing me any real issues, I just find that I can’t run like I used to. It’s not fitness, it’s just I can’t get enough oxygen after running for a certain period, but not causing problems day to day.

As mine was very very early, I wasn’t tested, and actually didn’t even notify anyone at the time. But the docs I’ve seen since say it’s more than likely that it was Covid. My GP said she had people present with similar symptoms in January.

Nutser

Hubby has just had it. We are still in self isolation. His symptoms were diarrhoea, then some breathlessness, fatigue, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. All very mild. He seems to have recovered now. We are awaiting our second batch of test results.

sekond

I likely had it early March, after a trip overseas. Complete exhaustion and slight fever for a day, then sore throat for a few days, at which point in the course of a conversation about something completely different my GP told me to self isolate, based on where I had been (not one of the named countries, but one he was concerned about rising cases in). HSE helpline at that stage told me categorically that I didn't need to.

I'm very glad I (and my HR department) accepted my GPs assessment because a full week after the exhaustion, the cough and breathlessness started. I have never felt anything like it. I couldn't sit up and talk at the same time and needed a nap after walking up the stairs. It was difficult to sleep because the breathlessness got worse lying down.

At first I couldn't be tested because of where I travelled to, then when I got on the list they ended up revising the criteria again after I'd been waiting over a week and I came off the list. I was still incredibly breathless and coughing the whole time. After about 3 weeks my GP referred me to A&E to check vitals as I still couldn't walk up the stairs without wheezing and then needing a nap. (I should probably have not been quite so stoic earlier on in the illness)

A&E doc said I was too well to admit (oxygen levels and blood pressure were ok), which meant she couldn't get me tested, but to assume I had it and rest.

It was probably 4 or 5 weeks before I felt properly well again. I still get a little breathless now if the air is cold and damp, which freaks me out a little as it feels like the early days, but it usually passes after a day or two. Otherwise I'm probably completely recovered.

boege

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Interesting to see that, despite Boards being the busiest I've seen it in almost a decade, that there's just 17/18 replies to this thread so far

Just over 0.5% of the population have been confirmed positive.

Assume boards is representative of the general population (which I doubt) and approx 2000 people read this thread, and are prepared to post (which i suspect is an inaccurate assumption), then 0.5% of 2000 is 10 positive cases. Its crude but it gives a sense of the situation. Data also screwed by age profile of confirmed cases - 50% (and growing) of the case are under 45.

What is possibly more interesting is that the people here who suspect they had Covid, but were not get tested, appear to outweigh confirmed cases by at least 5:1.

Hats off to OP for the 'blow by blow'.....sobering! They are the forgotten people in this Covid crises and my best wishes for a healthy recovery.

Hawthorn Tree

AnnieOaks wrote: »

If so how does it compare to the flu? And how are you now? Are you “completely recovered” or are you having any problems?

Annie, are you okay?
So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie?
You've been hit by
You've struck by
A smooth criminal

ShineOn7

A long list of celebrities (and "celebrities") who got Covid and their symptoms

It's crazy the difference in range of their experiences with it


https://www.vulture.com/article/famous-people-celebrities-with-coronavirus.html

Zebra3

Seems like I had it before it was a thing here.

Was in a heap for about two weeks.

Sweating profusely, would wake up (after barely sleeping) to a shortness of breath that I'd only previously experienced at altitude and all the usual flu stuff.

Fully recovered straight away, big advantage being fit and healthy (marathon runner, cycle for commuting).

Live on my own, so bar two quick trips to the shop, I was effectively in self-quarantine.

Never tested.

Fr_Dougal

Zebra3 wrote: »

Seems like I had it before it was a thing here.

Was in a heap for about two weeks.

Sweating profusely, would wake up (after barely sleeping) to a shortness of breath that I'd only previously experienced at altitude and all the usual flu stuff.

Fully recovered straight away, big advantage being fit and healthy (marathon runner, cycle for commuting).

Live on my own, so bar two quick trips to the shop, I was effectively in self-quarantine.

Never tested.

Be careful, I’ve had it 3 times.

Zebra3

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Be careful, I’ve had it 3 times.

Not sure if serious due to username. :pac:

Lillyfae

For those of you who were never tested, how do you know for sure that you had it? There was an interview with a doctor from Cork yesterday apparently warning of the dangers of it (even though he was back to normal life very quickly) who was tested twice and both tests came back negative- am I missing something??

sekond

Lillyfae wrote: »

For those of you who were never tested, how do you know for sure that you had it? There was an interview with a doctor from Cork yesterday apparently warning of the dangers of it (even though he was back to normal life very quickly) who was tested twice and both tests came back negative- am I missing something??

In my case an A&E doc who was, at that stage, dealing exclusively with covid cases, said I was a classic presentation of it - between timelines and symptoms, and to act as if I had it, even though I couldn't be tested because I didn't fit criteria. She also said that in some way testing was irrelevant for me - that it was more useful as a public health measure, and that for individuals knowing whether you had it or not didnt change the recommended treatment/advice. (Admittedlt, this was when the testing system was overloaded, so I I going to be tested one way or another)

I'd had similar advice though from a doctor during swine flu when my daughter got a nasty flu. He said there was no point dragging her in to be tested, as his advice was exactly the same one way or another.

Van.Bosch

sekond wrote: »

In my case an A&E doc who was, at that stage, dealing exclusively with covid cases, said I was a classic presentation of it - between timelines and symptoms, and to act as if I had it, even though I couldn't be tested because I didn't fit criteria. She also said that in some way testing was irrelevant for me - that it was more useful as a public health measure, and that for individuals knowing whether you had it or not didnt change the recommended treatment/advice. (Admittedlt, this was when the testing system was overloaded, so I I going to be tested one way or another)

I'd had similar advice though from a doctor during swine flu when my daughter got a nasty flu. He said there was no point dragging her in to be tested, as his advice was exactly the same one way or another.

I’d do an antibody yest if I was in your situation, I’ve no doubt the doc was right but I’d just like to see.

kippy

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Interesting to see that, despite Boards being the busiest I've seen it in almost a decade, that there's just 17/18 replies to this thread so far

A couple of reasons:

Thanks to numerous restrictions a relatively small amount of the population have had this disease. Others didn't know they had it.
Boards, while busy, doesn't have a user base reflective of the population.
Not everyone wants to share.

Having read accounts on this site and others and knowing the percentages involved in asymptomatic cases etc. It's a disease I'd rather not get than get. It is difficult to know how it will effect an individual until the individual gets it.

Thanks to those who are sharing and may you all get back to normal soon if not already.

Fr_Dougal

Lillyfae wrote: »

For those of you who were never tested, how do you know for sure that you had it? There was an interview with a doctor from Cork yesterday apparently warning of the dangers of it (even though he was back to normal life very quickly) who was tested twice and both tests came back negative- am I missing something??

You can’t know for sure.

Peopl get bugs, cold etc and the symptoms are quite similar to mild cases. Without a test or an antibody test I’d take all self-diagnosis, or even those by a medical professional (without validation by a test) with a grain of salt.

kippy

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

You can’t know for sure.

Peopl get bugs, cold etc and the symptoms are quite similar to mild cases. Without a test or an antibody test I’d take all self-diagnosis, or even those by a medical professional (without validation by a test) with a grain of salt.

Agree with all of this. I know a number of people who were full sure they had it. Antibody tests said otherwise.

Lillyfae

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

You can’t know for sure.

Peopl get bugs, cold etc and the symptoms are quite similar to mild cases. Without a test or an antibody test I’d take all self-diagnosis, or even those by a medical professional (without validation by a test) with a grain of salt.

I agree. Know a few hypochondriacs who swear they've had it, who were refused testing by their respective doctors. I would imagine that their doctors are well aware of their hypochondria, wanted to save the capacity for actual cases where contact tracing would be important, and just told them something to get them to stop putting pressure on the system. I'm not saying that that's the situation in all cases, but I'd imagine that it features heavily. One particular person from that cohort went to another country for a test, still tested negative and still says that they had it :rolleyes:

Pablo Escobar

kippy wrote: »

Agree with all of this. I know a number of people who were full sure they had it. Antibody tests said otherwise.

A negative antibody test doesn’t mean they didn’t have it either. A significant portion won’t develop antibodies. Apparently, there’ll develop a level of T cell immunity but I’m unsure if there’s a test for that.

kippy

Pablo Escobar wrote: »

A negative antibody test doesn’t mean they didn’t have it either. A significant portion won’t develop antibodies. Apparently, there’ll develop a level of T cell immunity but I’m unsure if there’s a test for that.

We don't have figures around either number tbf but yes, it is off course possible these people had it and still got a negative in the antibody test - but all 4 of them?

CalamariFritti

Very small chance I had it. Had a very unusual ‘cold’ around Christmas. Scratchy cough that never loosened up but just went away after a week together with a bit under the weather. So yes a tiny ‘maybe’ but most likely no.

Thought later on I might get the antibody test done when they became available for around €80 just to see but didn’t when I heard how inaccurate they were.

dinnybyrne

Im 34 and I tested positive in March. I would have considered myself fit and healthy at the time. The first week I had a dry and persistent cough, I am a frontline worker and was on leave that week luckily enough. Only on the last day of leave I started getting headaches and rang the doctor, its a difficult decision as you dont want to be seen to be using the pandemic to get time off work. After the first week it got worse, difficulty breathing, head and ear aches, no taste or smell, extreme fatigue. My wife and son ended up getting it too- son was 2 and only had mild symptoms. We were/ still are fatigued but are 95 % of the way healed, the lingering fatigue is a big thing and my GP was useless!!

lolokeogh

Last wednesday had sniffle and a cold,feeling off been tired,also a slight sore throat,thursday the same nothing drastic changed,friday i looking like a bag of sh*t and was feeling worse,saturday i was rattled,in bed shivering,high temp,tripping out un de covers,i have improved since,execpt for one big thing,i have not got one ounce of a smell,nothing,i can not even smell after shave sprayed in front of me,the woman is the same,her breathing took a battering,but she just seems to have a slight cold now also,kids got tested waiting on results,id stick me gaf on them having corona,we defo do,results were positive..