Have you had covid 19?

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.

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.

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.

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

I was one of the asymptomatic sufferers.

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?

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 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.

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.

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.

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 wrote: »

Be careful, I’ve had it 3 times.

Not sure if serious due to username. :pac:

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.

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 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.

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.

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.