My husband tested positive on Friday. We had both been feeling unwell and fatigued. We had been on a flight together on Tuesday. My test showed negative and has continued to do so.
We have mirrored one another’s symptoms all through. Today my husband feels better but I feel worse. Could it still be covid? If so I’ve missed the infusion that I could have had with a positive result.
Hi keeptalking,
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The COVID tests that you read at home ( called LFT - Lateral Flow Tests) are not always accurate- they have 10% or more false negative and false positives, so it is possible to get a negative result when you use a home test.
theguardian.com/world/2021/...
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The PCR tests that are done in your CMDU facilities - where the specimen is collected by a trained medical professional and the results are read by a sophisticated machine have a much better accuracy - see osfhealthcare.org/blog/pcr-....
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And even the PCR tests can yield a false negative, but the % is much smaller:
mayoclinic.org/tests-proced....
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Len
Thanks Len. I have a PCR test but I understood it was obsolete now and we just had to use the LFTs. I will try that kit if it works.
There are case studies of CLL patients who test negative “off and on” for weeks, but are eventually found to have Covid infection.
sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Take care🙂
Contact your specialist and tell them what you have just told us🤞🏻you can be negative on LFT but I do think it would show eventually. Hope you start feeling better soon xxx
YES! I recently returned from a European trip with Covid, despite 2 negative tests prior to boarding my flight and 3 negative tests after arriving home and feeling the onset of symptoms. Only a PCR test came up positive. My doctor said the rapid at-home tests are unreliable and not picking up this latest strain.
My daughter didn’t test positive on a pcr test until 6 days after her symptoms started. She gets tested regularly at her work, they use pcr tests.
Quite common, especially with home antigen tests, Some variants are reliably positive. PCR is better, but still not 100%. If it seems like Covid, it probably is.
It is.
Tested last night and now positive.
Thanks for this. Where do immuno compromised people come into this. Perhaps that would explain why my husband went straight to positive with all the symptoms that go with it. Whereas for me the symptoms told me something was happening to my body but it couldn’t muster the response needed to show positive. My husband is so much better whereas I’m still struggling on. Awaiting the hospital doctors call re treatment.
Hope you get the treatment soon, good luck Dave.
HiIf laterflow then yes , easily have a negative result due to the method and your viral load. PCR rarely give false negatives. The key with positive PCR is to the CT value of the result especially post infection because although PCR may be positive if the CT value is above 30 ish your not infectious
What does CT stand for please.
Cycle Time. Basically how many times the replication takes place to get a result, higher the CT thus more replicatons meaning lower about of virus in the body. I understand during the Pandemic medical staff were allowed back to work with a positive PCR if the CT was above 33
Hope you both feel better soon. Perhaps we CLL folks would be better doing a PCR as soon as we feel ill irrespective of what the LFT shows. I am getting more and more concerned now.
Please don’t get concerned as I’ve got there in the end. Tested positive last night. I have to say I’ve been impressed by the phone calls that started first thing this morning. GP first and then the hospital. Antivirals all arranged. So the system does work eventually.
IT IS DEFINITELY POSSIBLE , especially if a home or antigen test. Best bet is a PCR test. Try to get a PCR ASAP, or in some cases, spouses of a Covid positive patient that have identical symptoms but negative tests can get covid treatments, especially if immuno-compromise. Check with you doc. Good luck and God bless!
On the other hand it could just be butterflies from the anticipation of the trip
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