Covid

[Cooper1508]

I had a respretory tract infection in March and swollen lymph nodes rung NHs 111 and they demanded I be seen by a doctor straight away I rung my practice they rung me back and said no they won’t see me as not a emergency so I had to go for a chest x ray following day which was clear I then had bloods which they said were clear and sputum and urine test all clear I was also given a pump as they though possible asthma and all different types of tablets to release phlegm but didn’t work and I still suffer with a chronic cough and breathlessnes 5 months later and none the wiser I’m sure I had Covid did a test but came back negative at the time it was done but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have it I think I did and now got after effect they wouldn’t even give me a shielding letter I contacted my mp and am fir my area even they couldn’t as they said I didn’t meet the requirements so I have been on sick for 6 months and no money and now been referred to ent surgeon and since found out that my bloods weren’t clear as I have know been diagnosed with diabetes to now on top of this and it’s not doing my anxiety with depression any good baring in mind I had whooping cough twice as a kid and laryngitis and bronchitis so surely I was at risk as I am prone to infections what does everyone think And my mother died of COPD also 6, years ago I think I had Covid can anyone reply also I possibly could have post covid disease now as I have researched it thanks Darren challis

[twinkly29]

Sounds like you've had a rough time which is entirely rubbish.

Asthma UK have a Post COVID helpline (0300 222 5942), which they say is 'to talk to our team of experts about your concerns and to answer your questions' so maybe they can help as it all sounds quite complicated.

[Cooper1508 in reply to twinkly29]

Tell me bout it

[Poobah]

The NHS is setting up a dedicated Web page to help patients who have had covid and need ongoing support in recovery:

england.nhs.uk/2020/07/nhs-...

[twinkly29 in reply to Poobah]

Ooh good link. Was just thinking that people with post covid symptoms need somewhere like this group but for that so maybe the NHS thing will partly evolve into that. I'm sure the majority of people who've had covid will be suffering from post viral issues (given what an awful virus it can be) rather than asthma (ok for some there'll be an overlap) and hopefully the NHS thing will not only help individuals but also build more knowledgeable nationally of the issues.

[Superzob]

A friend and his wife have had similar long-standing upper respiratory (URTI) symptoms, and were convinced that they had COVID (even though their symptoms were 3 months apart), but their results came back negative. My wife had a sore throat for several months after Xmas, and a cough since March, but her tests were also negative.

I suppose it’s possible that these test results are wrong, but I think we tend to forget that there are over 200 viruses which cause URTI symptoms, and they mutate like flu and you lose your immunity to them after time; they are still around in addition to COVID-19. So it’s entirely possible that you’ve had something else or, if you did have COVID, at least you should be immune from further infection for the time being.

[twinkly29 in reply to Superzob]

I agree - every year people get nasty cough things or other viruses and they suffer the effects for weeks - like coughs that last or the breathlessness does for 4 months. Mind you people then label those as flu or whatever the most publicised virus was that season!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Superzob]

Agreed - I had a nasty virus in December, which caused an asthma admission and so I was swabbed. Negative for flu but positive for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus; usually a problem for babies and the elderly but apparently also for people with dodgy lungs). Virus lasted several weeks up and down and set off asthma, then had a month or so of it setting off asthma as a post-viral thing (home nebs worked but I was needing them every single damn day and told my team this - usually is just occasional use for me). So not fun but also not COVID.

I admit that had I not been swabbed I might have thought it was COVID in retrospect, but goes to show other things don't take a holiday when there's a new virus around! They're not expecting flu to kick back and take a break this winter sadly!

[Cooper1508 in reply to Lysistrata]

I only had chest x ray and bloods done and they gave me asthma pump that was in March and it doesn’t do anything they did all diagnosis over the phone

[Cooper1508 in reply to Superzob]

I had cough since Christmas then respretory tract infection and swollen lymph nodes and still got chronic cough and breathlessness and a severe hoarse voice

[mixmix]

Hey-

I know you said you don’t have money but maybe pay for a Covid antibody test (see if you had Covid in the past)

If it’s positive it may help with how you go forward regarding accessing hospital care.

I hope your ok now

[Cooper1508 in reply to mixmix]

Hi thanks how do I get a anti body test please thanks

[mixmix in reply to Cooper1508]

Bupa.co.uk offer them for £65

It’s a blood test.

[Cooper1508 in reply to mixmix]

That’s steep

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to mixmix]

Just a word of caution about the antibody tests: it may still be negative now even if you did have COVID in March. The antibodies you can detect in these tests appear to fade after a couple of months so might not show up on a test now.

This doesn't mean you or anyone else doesn't have immunity to COVID after getting it: they are still learning but it seems most likely that we do get immunity, it's just not from the antibodies which show up on these tests. The type of immunity which people probably get and lasts longer is harder to detect in easily available tests (at the moment it's in research studies, and they're still working out how to tell if someone has immunity given it's a new virus).

Also, given we're still learning about immunity and about COVID in general, I would advise still being cautious even if you think you may have had it, at least in terms of practising basic hygiene and social distancing.

Also, not all antibody tests are equal. I don't know what BUPA is using but while I believe the NHS ones now are fairly reliable, there have been some questionable ones floating around with high false positive and negative rates. Anyone who is considering getting an antibody test outside the NHS should check carefully which one it is and how reliable it is (rate of false negatives and positives).

[twinkly29 in reply to Lysistrata]

I agree. I know of several people who had confirmed covid in April, one had 2 positive tests, and their antibody tests were negative.

[mixmix in reply to Lysistrata]

Excellent advice

[mixmix]

I know. There might be cheaper alternatives but just make sure it’s a trusted place. Bupa is trustworthy.

Let me know if you do find cheaper x