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Tested positive on 28th Dec 20 - my symptoms etc

Posted , 3 users are following.

H4nn4h
H4nn4h

Hi all,

Thought I would pop on here to share my experience of Covid. I'll bulletpoint to keep it simple.

*14th&15th Dec, I was in contact with someone who tested positive for covid (they tested positive on the 16th)

*21st Dec - experienced sharp shooting pains all over my body - not constant and did not interfere with daily activities.

  • 23rd Dec - feeling extremely tired but didn't interfere with daily activities, minor loss of taste.
  • 24th Dec - still tired, sharp pains gone. Felt like I had small blobs of phlegm stuck in my throat - not low enough to cough up and not high enough to blow out nose. Not very hungry.
  • 25th Dec - the person I was in contact with passed away. (he DID have numerous underlying health conditions and sepsis from a UTI). Ability to smell and taste things 90% gone.
  • 28th Dec - go for a test. Feeling tired and breathless - this was thankfully minor and manageable. OK when I sit in the warm.
  • 29th Dec - Positive result. I felt so so scared. I live in a with my Fiance and his mum. We are all in separate rooms - isolating. Never felt so alone and scared.
  • 30th Dec to 2nd Jan - every night, going to bed anxious. Scared of getting worse, scared incase I have the same fate as the friend we lost. Weird dreams about food and craving food! Taste and smell came back over these days to about 80%. Breathlessness getting better but still taking it easy and listening to my body.
  • 3rd Jan - developed 1 patch of rash. The 'Herald spot' for pityriasis rosea (confirmed by a DR)
  • Recovering day by day.

21/01/21 - I am back at work as of a couple weeks ago. Still feel like I have hayfever every now and then. Managed to go for a small run last weekend (Usually run 5k at least twice a week) - went better than I thought. I still have the rash and the sharp shooting pains have come back and bite every now and then.

I must admit the worst experience of it all for me was the anxiety that came with it. You only hear and see negatives on the news and after my friend passing, it was really hard to think I would get off lightly.

I'm still not 100% but I am hoping that as time goes by, I will gradually get back to my normal self. Time will tell I guess.

If anyone wants to ask me anything etc, please let me know. Happy to help anyone if I can from my experience.

Hannah xx

2 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • deshields8
    deshields8 H4nn4h

    Posted

    First off, sorry for what you had to go through in regards to going through COVID yourself, and experiencing a death due to COVID.

    Also, thank you for sharing your experience, it was informative.

    I did have a few questions, if you don't mind. If there is any question(s) you don't feel like answering, of course you don't have to:

    1. Around how many people were you in contact with from when you felt symptoms to when you tested positive? Did any of those people contract COVID ever since you did?

    2. When did you decide to schedule for a test? Was there ever a period of time once you first started showing symptoms that you doubted it was COVID or anything serious?

    3. Did you ever test negative before returning to work? If so, when did you test negative? If not when did you feel like it was the right move to return to work?

    4. When you isolated, how isolated were you and how long were you isolated? For example: Did you never leave your house or your room?

    5. How did you pass the time during isolation?

    6. By any chance did you have a fever or stomach pains?

    7. Could your sharp pains early on be described as a feeling of sensitive skin like a sunburn-like sensation?

    8. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is your worst sickness, 5 is your average flu, and 1 is very mild symptoms, where did your COVID experience lie if you were to only consider your symptoms and neglect any of the anxiety?

    9. What day was your worst day symptom-wise?

    10. Ever since you mostly recovered, do you feel more paranoid of COVID because of what you went through, or less paranoid because you got it and there is a less likely chance of you getting it again?

    Thank you for your post.

    • H4nn4h
      H4nn4h deshields8

      Posted

      Hi there,

      Sure, I'll work my way through them now.

      Around how many people were you in contact with from when you felt symptoms to when you tested positive? Did any of those people contract COVID ever since you did? **I was self isolating with my fiance and mother in law (who has medical conditions such as COPD etc). I was mingling with them until I tested positive. My fiance (who we believe contracted covid March last year - no test taken though - luckily did not catch it. My mother in law started describing some symptoms to me, which were exactly like I had - pains etc - she took a test but was negative. She swears by Tea Tree oil and gargles it often. Not sure if this helped her throat symptom though it did disappear. **

      When did you decide to schedule for a test? Was there ever a period of time once you first started showing symptoms that you doubted it was COVID or anything serious? **Yes, absolutely. I was probably in denial because my symptoms were not the Classic covid symptoms. But for my own peace of mind and my family's safety, I decided to book a test after 3rd day of not feeling right. **

      Did you ever test negative before returning to work? If so, when did you test negative? If not when did you feel like it was the right move to return to work?

      ** I thought I would have to test negative before returning to work (I work for the NHS) However, I was told not to take another test as people who have tested positive can test positive for up to 90 days. I returned to work after 17 days from my initial symptoms, I would like to point out though, I had no symptoms when I returned and would not have returned to work. I still feel tired on occasion, however this could be due to the stress/ anxiety of the constant worry I have experienced * *

      When you isolated, how isolated were you and how long were you isolated? For example: Did you never leave your house or your room? **In total from being in contact with the person who had covid. We, as a family isolated totally from the world for 22 days. Isolated separately in the household until my self isolation period ended. **

      How did you pass the time during isolation? Luckily I live on a farm, animals never stop needing care, therefore I kept myself busy in the yard. In the evenings, I binged Netflix and did some Diamond Art which I purchased months prior but never got round to doing it)

      By any chance did you have a fever or stomach pains? No fever thankfully and no stomach pains. I had read that taking vitamins would help boost my immune system but they gave me an upset stomach after I took them so I didn't take anymore.

      Could your sharp pains early on be described as a feeling of sensitive skin like a sunburn-like sensation? **Yes on the thinner layers i.e. back of my knee. Like a prickly warm sensation. **

      On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is your worst sickness, 5 is your average flu, and 1 is very mild symptoms, where did your COVID experience lie if you were to only consider your symptoms and neglect any of the anxiety? **I would say a 3 or a 4. Simply because I had to slow down a bit doing my work on the farm due to loss of breath - this was a big knock for me. Luckily I wouldn't say 'I've never felt so bad in my life' as this would be a lie. Up until this time I had always believed that I had covid in November 2019 as I was completely knocked out. **

      What day was your worst day symptom-wise? I honestly couldnt say, most days I just felt very anxious. The day I tested positive was probably the worst for that. Other than that I'm not too sure.

      Ever since you mostly recovered, do you feel more paranoid of COVID because of what you went through, or less paranoid because you got it and there is a less likely chance of you getting it again?

      I am equally as concerned as I was prior to having the virus, as I am mindful that I may still be able to carry the virus even though I've had it. I have a vulnerable person at home and I work in an environment with vulnerable people. I am less anxious now than I was though.

      I think I've answered all of them. Sounds like you are writing a report? 😃

    • deshields8
      deshields8 H4nn4h

      Posted

      Fortunately, I haven't known anyone too close to me that has had COVID, but because of that I became curious on what the typical experience is like with COVID. The news usually only gives newsworthy stories, which are generally some of the worst COVID scenarios. So I decided to find a forum on this topic to try to find out what a more typical experience is like. That helps fulfill my curiosity and help me to know what to look out for if COVID ever hits me or my family.

      Just a little background on all the questions.

      Thanks for your time and all of your thoroughly answers. Now I can start writing the report.

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