Symptoms and Test Status Reports

LashingLady

Old reg but haven’t posted in a while.

I’ve been following the testing update threads but think it might be a good idea for a structured symptoms and test reports thread.

I’ll start with a suggested format.

Location:
Personal status:
Test requested:
HSE contact:
Test scheduled/received:
Test results and date:

Symptoms: how it started and progressed, did it come and go, how bad did it get.....

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Location: South Dublin City

Female, 40, fairly fit, no underlying health conditions
Live with husband and two kids (12,10)

Test requested: Doc referred Thursday 19/3

HSE contact: “Apology” text received Monday 23/3.

Test scheduled/received: Still awaiting test

Test results and date:


I’m just going to preface this with me and my family’s rationale to isolate together rather than me isolate from them once I showed symptoms: a) at first we through the risk was very low that I did have it, b) if I did have it it would have been nigh on impossible for the rest of the family not to get it, c) my 10 year old is struggling so much with the situation that it would have been intolerable for her mother to be physically isolated from her and d) all the anecdotes and research are that healthy children get a very mild illness if any.

Symptoms:

I had been getting headaches and feeling chest tightness for a few days early of week beginning 16/3 but I’m a migraine sufferer anyway and put the tightness down to anxiety of unprecedented situation.

Wednesday 18/3 late morning noticed the chest pressure and a burning/heat in chest, with need to take deep “mouth-breaths” every now and then to feel right. Also felt drained with pains in calves, and on-off headaches.

This continued into Thur 19/3 with the chest burning getting worse. Had to sign off work (wfh) early to rest as was feeling more breathless after work calls. Called doctor to discuss and reported symptoms. He said even though no fever or coughing the chest pains, fatigue and breathlessness warranted a test.
Later that day I developed a cough, mainly dry with a little production from the back of the throat but not majorly hacking or continuous.

Friday 20/3 was pretty much the same, no worsening at least and by Saturday i thought I might be feeling a bit better but fatigue hit again in afternoon.

Sunday 22/3 I thought I was actually feeling a lot better. My mum came over and stood at her car in my drive and we chatted across the garden (3m apart no contact). Had a nice afternoon tea with my own husband and kids for Mother’s Day after she left.

Later that day while tidying up I suddenly had this feeling of chills all through my body but more pronounced in my chest and torso. I took some paracetamol and got into bed for the evening. The chills then started alternating with a warmth in my chest. Weird feelings that went on all through the night and progressed to shivers and tingles all through my body particularly in my chest, shoulders and back. Sleep was impossible and I don’t know if it was a symptom or the anxiety of the situation but my heart was thumping in my chest. I was very thirsty all night and had to keep drinking water but then had to make constant trips to the loo which progressed to not quite diarrhoea. I did manage to sleep for an hour or so but when I woke the pillow and sheet were wet from sweat.

I spent the day of yest Monday 23/3 in bed. I felt dehydrated and very emotional because I’ll admit I was consumed with irrational fear for myself and my family if anything happened to me or any of them. Chills were still there but not quite as bad as the night before. My nose also felt blocked and congested and I really felt like I had to take big mouth breaths to get enough air sometimes. I tried to sleep but this need to take deep breathes meant I never dropped off. Post nasal drip feeling of thick mucous added to that. I took paracetamol and also got some diaoralyte for the dehydration and sniffed Olbas for the nasal feeling.

I felt by the evening that the chills were thankfully starting to ease off, still there but not taking over. Started to get bad headache so took solpadeine before trying to sleep. Headache kept me awake for a while but thankfully dropped off and slept the night.

So here I am now still with bad headache, chilled feeling and like I need to take big breaths to get enough air sometimes. Fingers crossed this is the worst of whatever this is. I would consider the symptoms mild but the overall experience exacerbated by the fear of this new virus.

Do I think I have it? I think either I do or there’s some other strange virus doing the rounds also right now (Occam’s razor answers this for me....)

Beasty

We have other threads where people can discuss tests and the like

This particular one though is a magnet for medical advice which is not allowed on this site