The "Do I have COVID-19?" thread

[Ismee]

Do I have to keep away from my children?

[Disco]

I think you're supposed to stay in one 'sick' room and clean the bathroom after you've been in etc. so yes from what I've read.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Squirrel]

Oh Ismee, you poor thing.

I haven’t isolated myself from my children, I decided it was already too late by the time I realised as I’d had the symptoms for a few days. My daughter said “but mummy can I still kiss you on the lips?” . And she is nearly 7 years old and almost every single morning for her entire life she has come and she cuddled with me in bed before we get up.

Every single thing is breaking my heart.

[happyhighlandcoo]

It is so awful. Hope you're feeling better soon Ismee and anyone else suffering, even if it is just a bit.

Thank you for sharing your stories. It is so hard to know if it is anxiety, mild symptoms or something else entirely.

I had a slightly high temperature and groggyish throat last Tuesday but no cough or other issues. Just now, I've started to feel warm in my cheeks and again (but forehead, chest and back normal), have a bit of a frog in my throat but definitely not a cough. My tummy also feels very slightly funny. It doesn't help that we only have a meat thermometer so I can only take my temperature in my armpit which doesn't seem so reliable.

I really feel frustrated not to know. I've got to go into school tomorrow to supervise keyworker children and if I have it, I don't want to spread it around but equally they need all hands on deck if we can go in as we have lots of staff self-isolating or vulnerable. Gah.

[Edith Bacon]

If you feel remotely off then surely you aren’t going to go in, Coo?

[Heebie Jeebie]

There was a video on the BBC that basically said if you had the fever you would know. Although that doesn't match up with what lots of others have reported.

[happyhighlandcoo]

Exactly, Heebie. I've seen lots that would say you'll know if you've got fever. Both times my cheeks have been warm, I've been in the sun a lot so maybe just a bit of sun burn. And the throat maybe because I'm holding in my coughs.

But I definitely won't go in if I'm not right. I can't risk the children, their parents or my colleagues.

[viggy]

I can now add feeling weak and shaky and a headache to my list of symptoms - I'm beginning to hope this is COVID-19, otherwise its rotten luck to end up with a chest infection with the same symptoms of a pandemic, have to self isolate and amuse a 7 year old while feeling awful and not even have any immunity at the end of it.

[happyhighlandcoo]

Oh gosh, viggy. Have you got good drugs? Sounds like you might have it, sorry. Get well soon.

[Ismee]

I am supposed to go to work in my school on Tuesday. Mr Is is supposed to go to work tomorrow and will br in contact with homeless people. I am also supposed to go and see G tomorrow.

We've decided to follow the guidelines and self isolate. We may be over reacting but it's the right thing to do.

[Ismee]

I can now add feeling weak and shaky and a headache to my list of symptoms - I'm beginning to hope this is COVID-19, otherwise its rotten luck to end up with a chest infection with the same symptoms of a pandemic, have to self isolate and amuse a 7 year old while feeling awful and not even have any immunity at the end of it.

Vigs, my asthma has been really dodgy today too. It's confusing because my cough is quite chesty and I even brought up a bit of mucus earlier which is not a symptom.

I'm sorry you're feeling so rough. Do you have people who can help?

[purple_dress]

I'm pretty sure I've got it and hopefully am starting to get over it. I have been under the weather for ages - about 11 days now in all. It started with cold symptoms but maybe that was separate? Until last Sunday I was okish but I have had a not-quite-temperature since last weekend. The highest it had gone was 37.5 and a lot of the time it was lower than that but I was still feeling virusy and rotten. No cough but I had a strange feeling in my upper chest earlier in the week. Then on Friday my temperature went higher to 38.1 and yesterday was like that too. Today I feel slightly better and I have an appetite for the first time in over a week. My temp still isn't normal but it's below 37.5. I'm possibly very slightly feeling it breathing wise but only a tiny bit. I also have a slight frog in the throat. I haven't left the house since it started just in case but until Friday I didn't have the symptoms the government has been talking about.

[purple_dress]

Oh and I've had a headache on and off.

[Little My]

I don't know what to think now. 3 weeks ago we had what I assumed was norovirus. It was dramatic and aggressive, and I definitely had a fever and my body hurt all over. I was poorly for a good 3 days and never considered it could be CV but if gastro symptoms are part of it, who knows?

We had something very similar back in January. It was AWFUL. We were wiped out by it, recovered, then it came back again. Obviously it could have simply been norovirus, but we now wonder if it was possibly covid-19. We will never know. The other thing that made me think of it is that I had the most awful headache for weeks that pain med didn't seem to touch, which is not like me. I had put it down to grief, as my father had just passed away.

[viggy]

Vigs, my asthma has been really dodgy today too. It's confusing because my cough is quite chesty and I even brought up a bit of mucus earlier which is not a symptom.

I'm sorry you're feeling so rough. Do you have people who can help?

I've had a wee bit of mucus too - I wonder if it's a COVID-19 asthma reaction.

Usually it would be my parents who would help but they're in their 70s so at more risk than me and BM. If things get bad I suppose my ex could come and look after BM for me, but that would probably mean he'd have to self isolate in my house for a fortnight, so I'm desperately trying to avoid that.

I only have a blue inhaler, but I know in the past when I've been bad I had brown and purple inhalers too so I'm hoping they'll prescribe me something else tomorrow if I can get a phone appointment. I'm not bad enough to be sent to hospital, but I'm dreading being fobbed off with the standard "put up with it" advice.

[rosy]

I’m so sorry that so many of you are poorly.

[Squirrel]

we only have a meat thermometer so I can only take my temperature in my armpit

[happyhighlandcoo]

we only have a meat thermometer so I can only take my temperature in my armpit

Is it funnier to know I'm vegetarian too? I actually bought the thermometer the other month to make yogurt.

[Luce]

Ismee, I don't think you're over-reacting in the slightest, you're doing exactly what you and everyone else should be doing. I felt really silly putting us into isolation last week, it was early enough to feel a bit judged for over-reacting (not here, obvs!) And I knew that as soon as our isolation was over then the schools would be closing down and the decision we made was likely to extend the boys' lack of education a week longer than everyone else. BUT. Now, 9 days later, I feel pleased we've done it. F has probably had his very last day at primary school before his friends all go to another school and we've all gone crazy but I feel much, much safer/responsible than if we'd chanced it.

[mojojojo]

I’m swithering over whether M might have it or whether we’re being over-anxious. She’s had a cough for a couple of days now, but it’s not what I’d call “continuous” it’s gotten a lot worse at night. She doesn’t really appear to have other cold symptoms (she’s normally a right snot-bag) but she is now saying her throat hurts.

We took her temperature earlier on an old mercury thermometer and it was normal. I mentioned the lack of smell thing that someone mentioned earlier and she later said she thought she might have that, but she can be pretty suggestible/prone to dramatise.

We’ve been asking her not to sit too close to us since yesterday (she’s generally hanging out in her room on House Party anyway), but I don’t know if we should be going further.

ETA, I should say that as a family we’re really not seeing anyone anyway - my brother and mum are shut-ins due to being higher risk. I’m just wondering about us indoors.