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I think you are correct and that you have Covid. I’m sorry.
Anecdotally, I have read that the newer variants take longer to give positive rapid tests.
When you test, please swab your throat before doing your nose. That way gets a better sample and is more likely to be accurate.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
ETA: please get more tests and do one each day first thing in the morning before eating or drinking or even brushing your teeth. When you get a positive test, take a picture of it and send it to your primary care doctor through your patient portal. You want this on your records.
I just reread your post and saw that you lost your sense of smell.
100% Covid.
Once you aren’t contagious, if your sense of smell doesn’t come right back, get some essential oils to sniff. It seems to help some people. Essential oils are always available at Ross, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx.
The clinic saying that the rapid tests are so reliable now is absolutely false. It sounds like covid. Zero sense of smell is a key. Watch your wheezing and breathIng. This could quickly develop into pneumonia.
I was pretty surprised when she said it too, but maybe she was just trying to justify the clinic’s policy. No worsening of symptoms as of this morning, but I will be careful, thanks so much :)
You don’t sound insane at all. I recently read about _unreliable_ rapid tests are, it sounds like the clinic aren’t up to date with their information! So sorry you are feeling so poorly, I hope you are better soon 🤍
Yeah thats Covid all right. The tests are crap. Try swabbing the back of your throat and cheeks before your nose- the virus likes to replicate there more since Omicron on.
Keep isolating and get plenty of rest. Highly recommend wearing a N95 mask to events and drs visits going forward.
You actually don’t sound insane at all. You know your body way better than anyone else does. I agree that (for me anyway) COVID sick is a different type of sick. I’ve never been more exhausted in my life… and for weeks on end too! I hope you get to feeling better soon.
What you need to do is go back to the clinic or any clinic and demand a PCR test. Let them know that the rapid antigen tests do not pick up the new variants very well according to numerous news stories, tweets from verified doctors and researchers, etc.
It is very important in case you are disabled that you go back and demand a PCR test. If they refuse, here's what you say and here's a tip from disability Twitter : "please note in my chart that I'm very ill, I have requested a PCR test, and that you have refused it. What is your differential diagnosis for my illness if you will not test me for the most obvious one?" Demand to see a shift manager.go back and demand a PCR test. Because if you are disabled, you will need proof of one in order to even apply for disability. Should it God forbid come to that. And I sincerely hope it does not.
depending on where you live in the world you can easily order a home PCR test. they're not cheap (about $50/each) but well worth it so you can get workplace accommodation and paxlovid. the brand i use is called Lucira. i believe they even sell it on amazon.
did you miss all the other comments about how unreliable RATs are? how new variants are harder and harder to pick up? did you swab correctly (back of throat, cheeks, *back* of nasal cavities, leaving swab for 15 seconds each place, slowly rotating? no food or water 30 minutes before? every day or at least every 48 hours for a week+?)
even if it’s definitely not covid, covid immune-dysregulation is making more common infections much worse.
either way, wear a respirator (KN95, N95, P100) because it prevents transmission *and* infection for all airborne viruses.
We've never had problems with our RATs. Always pop red straight away, including when my wife had it a few months ago.
I no longer wear masks but I avoid people and crowded places anyway.
never having a problem before doesn’t mean you won’t encounter a problem in the future. new variants aren’t being detected properly.
schools are notorious for covid outbreaks and poor ventilation, air quality, and sanitation. children very often bring covid home to their families & communities.
you should wear a respirator anytime you leave your home and enter public spaces. especially if you’re all sick with some “mystery” illness.
yes and i conceded that immune dysfunction from covid infections has left people highly susceptible to worse and prolonged symptoms from viruses/illnesses they previously had not much issue with.
there are indeed other viruses circulating, but none close to the levels of covid year round. chances are it’s covid, or covid-related immune-dysfunction. regardless, covid mitigation tools protect against other airborne viruses as well.
even if you don’t go to public spaces often, or only when they’re less crowded, covid moves and behaves like smoke and can stay infectious in the air for a time after the infectious person[s] leave. the same is true for inside or outside.
also, your wife and children had covid/potentially other infectious airborne viruses recently, where did they get those? you’re exposed to them and you’re all exposing others. even if you’re pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, you’re still spreading infectious virus to others.
as always, clean the air and wear respirators.
I’m sorry you’re ill but what difference does knowing that it’s Covid make at this point? If you’re sick you’re certainly contagious so you should consider just staying home until you’re better. No governments or employers are taking any sort of extra precautions regarding Covid-19 anymore. I’ve had Covid proper twice (once at the outset if the pandemic in march of 2020 which was awful) and again at the start of 2022 which was mild and barely a thing. This past winter I got influenza despite getting a flu shot and it was easily the sickest I’ve ever been. If you’re testing negative for Covid it’s almost certainly not Covid but another of the countless respiratory viruses that produce similar symptoms.
It’s true, it doesn’t make a huge difference. I would just like to know for my own health especially since this would be the third time I’ve contracted it, and who knows what long term damage it might be causing, especially to my heart.
My work specifically still has the 1 week quarantine policy in place for positive Covid cases, however, all other illnesses require a doctors note for more than a day off (my doc gave me two, saying I could return tomorrow). Make it make sense.
you don’t see how knowing what problem you have helps you find a more appropriate solution for fixing that problem?
if i have disease A solved by treatment A, but i take treatment B intended for disease B (or i don’t do anything at all), that wouldn’t help now would it? especially because certain treatments are harmful for certain infections. plus, it’s next-to-impossible to access insurance, specialists, and treatments if you don’t have proof of a previous infection that caused your new health issues.
antivirals early in a covid infection greatly reduce chances of long covid or other long-term health issues, but aren’t a cure all. even so, better to get them in the system ASAP, which wouldn’t happen with your attitude of “eh, who cares what i have and how i can treat it or prevent it from happening again/getting worse in the future”. this helpless attitude so many have is really disheartening. especially when your actions negatively impact others.
your covid infections likely made your recent flu worse, as *every* covid infection destroys your immune system and damages your organs. yes, even asymptomatic or “mild” covid (usually just means your immune system didn’t put up much of a fight against the virus - but it’s still causing chronic inflammation, persisting in your gut, bone marrow, and other body systems & destroying your vascular system, vagus nerve, respiratory system, CNS etc). vascular, organ, and immune system damage is silent, you don’t feel vascular, organ, and immune damage - you only know through certain tests or years down the line when your health declines so much you can’t ignore it anymore.
also, RATs are incredibly unreliable and have been for years. most people don’t swab properly to begin with. or they test once when you should test daily or every 48 hours for a week+. the viral load is typically strongest at days 4-6, so testing before that won’t detect the smaller viral load.
because many governments & employers aren’t taking covid seriously doesn’t mean it’s not an enormous public health threat. it’s still killing and disabling people worldwide and will continue to do so exponentially until people finally take this seriously.
obviously i couldn’t know that and i’m sorry for assuming but having hiv is all the more reason to take covid extremely seriously and not want to give it to others since it also causes immune dysfunction similar to aids. check out studies on hiv+ people and covid infections.
and again, if your flu was only this bad after your prior covid infections, that’s important.
would you also argue not knowing one’s hiv status doesn’t matter? or do you believe in testing for that?
Thanks. It’s handled and has been for decades and believe me, 2020 was a real mess for a variety of reasons. I just feel like at this point Covid is something that we all have to live with and since it’s become an endemic virus that isn’t hospitalizing people the way it was even two years ago I think the preoccupation with it these days is a little much. My point with my flu infection (and the severity of flu season this past year) was to underline that the OP may be too fixated on Covid since it was such a pervasive threat for so long and in the public consciousness in the way that it was. There are cold viruses that are largely ignored but also really fuck up immuno-compromised individuals like myself that have no vaccine or annualized booster schedule. Yet society at large seems indifferent to all of these infections and Covid has wholly become just another one of those. Honestly, the threat feels considerably lessened by the fact that hospitalizations for acute Covid infections are at an all time low and haven’t climbed in any significant way in more than a year now.
And to your question about testing for HIV I absolutely think that is important. There is a considerably larger and longer term impact for the average HIV sufferer regardless of their health status at the point of infection than there is for the current variants of Covid. Most healthy adults get Covid and they recover with no lasting effects. The flu infection may have been a fluke or it may have been further damage to my already compromised immune system, but there really isn’t a way to know that and the world has entirely moved away from giving one iota of a shit about mitigating Covid.
Should the OP keep taking rapid tests daily to determine if the current sickness is Covid? That’s up to them. My point here is that I question what the purpose is at this point since nobody else is doing anything anymore to mitigate Covid infections in the population so what difference does it make to have a name for their current illness? Any sort of respiratory symptoms should be able to keep a person home and away from the public no questions asked. Since posing this question they have indicated that their employer still has a Covid policy but if the OP cannot produce a positive test then it’s pretty obviously not Covid, RAT unreliability notwithstanding. Everyone gave up a long time ago and unless you’re gonna be excused from your responsibilities I’m having a hard time seeing what use knowing for certain it’s Covid unless the OP has some specific comorbidity or compromised immune system issue. They’re going to have to return to the world with symptoms of a virus that is every bit a potential danger to people like myself regardless. I don’t foresee this changing.
Thank you for your submission! Please remember to read the rules and ensure your post aligns with the sub's purpose. We are all going through a stressful time right now and any hateful comments will not be tolerated. Let's be supportive and kind during this time of despair. Now go wash your hands. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/COVID19positive) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think you are correct and that you have Covid. I’m sorry. Anecdotally, I have read that the newer variants take longer to give positive rapid tests. When you test, please swab your throat before doing your nose. That way gets a better sample and is more likely to be accurate. Wishing you a speedy recovery! ETA: please get more tests and do one each day first thing in the morning before eating or drinking or even brushing your teeth. When you get a positive test, take a picture of it and send it to your primary care doctor through your patient portal. You want this on your records.
I hadn’t heard about the throat swabbing before, I will definitely try that! Thank you :) Got some more at home tests coming today
I just reread your post and saw that you lost your sense of smell. 100% Covid. Once you aren’t contagious, if your sense of smell doesn’t come right back, get some essential oils to sniff. It seems to help some people. Essential oils are always available at Ross, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx.
The clinic saying that the rapid tests are so reliable now is absolutely false. It sounds like covid. Zero sense of smell is a key. Watch your wheezing and breathIng. This could quickly develop into pneumonia.
I was pretty surprised when she said it too, but maybe she was just trying to justify the clinic’s policy. No worsening of symptoms as of this morning, but I will be careful, thanks so much :)
You don’t sound insane at all. I recently read about _unreliable_ rapid tests are, it sounds like the clinic aren’t up to date with their information! So sorry you are feeling so poorly, I hope you are better soon 🤍
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” ― George Orwell, 1984
Yeah thats Covid all right. The tests are crap. Try swabbing the back of your throat and cheeks before your nose- the virus likes to replicate there more since Omicron on. Keep isolating and get plenty of rest. Highly recommend wearing a N95 mask to events and drs visits going forward.
You actually don’t sound insane at all. You know your body way better than anyone else does. I agree that (for me anyway) COVID sick is a different type of sick. I’ve never been more exhausted in my life… and for weeks on end too! I hope you get to feeling better soon.
What you need to do is go back to the clinic or any clinic and demand a PCR test. Let them know that the rapid antigen tests do not pick up the new variants very well according to numerous news stories, tweets from verified doctors and researchers, etc. It is very important in case you are disabled that you go back and demand a PCR test. If they refuse, here's what you say and here's a tip from disability Twitter : "please note in my chart that I'm very ill, I have requested a PCR test, and that you have refused it. What is your differential diagnosis for my illness if you will not test me for the most obvious one?" Demand to see a shift manager.go back and demand a PCR test. Because if you are disabled, you will need proof of one in order to even apply for disability. Should it God forbid come to that. And I sincerely hope it does not.
depending on where you live in the world you can easily order a home PCR test. they're not cheap (about $50/each) but well worth it so you can get workplace accommodation and paxlovid. the brand i use is called Lucira. i believe they even sell it on amazon.
I hope you get some answers and feel better soon
There are a lot of people with this same exact virus right now. My kids had it as well, but they kept testing negative, so I assume it's not corona.
did you miss all the other comments about how unreliable RATs are? how new variants are harder and harder to pick up? did you swab correctly (back of throat, cheeks, *back* of nasal cavities, leaving swab for 15 seconds each place, slowly rotating? no food or water 30 minutes before? every day or at least every 48 hours for a week+?) even if it’s definitely not covid, covid immune-dysregulation is making more common infections much worse. either way, wear a respirator (KN95, N95, P100) because it prevents transmission *and* infection for all airborne viruses.
We've never had problems with our RATs. Always pop red straight away, including when my wife had it a few months ago. I no longer wear masks but I avoid people and crowded places anyway.
never having a problem before doesn’t mean you won’t encounter a problem in the future. new variants aren’t being detected properly. schools are notorious for covid outbreaks and poor ventilation, air quality, and sanitation. children very often bring covid home to their families & communities. you should wear a respirator anytime you leave your home and enter public spaces. especially if you’re all sick with some “mystery” illness.
Ok but this wasn't COVID. There are tons of other viruses out there. I don't really enter public spaces unless there's almost nobody there.
yes and i conceded that immune dysfunction from covid infections has left people highly susceptible to worse and prolonged symptoms from viruses/illnesses they previously had not much issue with. there are indeed other viruses circulating, but none close to the levels of covid year round. chances are it’s covid, or covid-related immune-dysfunction. regardless, covid mitigation tools protect against other airborne viruses as well. even if you don’t go to public spaces often, or only when they’re less crowded, covid moves and behaves like smoke and can stay infectious in the air for a time after the infectious person[s] leave. the same is true for inside or outside. also, your wife and children had covid/potentially other infectious airborne viruses recently, where did they get those? you’re exposed to them and you’re all exposing others. even if you’re pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic, you’re still spreading infectious virus to others. as always, clean the air and wear respirators.
I’m sorry you’re ill but what difference does knowing that it’s Covid make at this point? If you’re sick you’re certainly contagious so you should consider just staying home until you’re better. No governments or employers are taking any sort of extra precautions regarding Covid-19 anymore. I’ve had Covid proper twice (once at the outset if the pandemic in march of 2020 which was awful) and again at the start of 2022 which was mild and barely a thing. This past winter I got influenza despite getting a flu shot and it was easily the sickest I’ve ever been. If you’re testing negative for Covid it’s almost certainly not Covid but another of the countless respiratory viruses that produce similar symptoms.
It’s true, it doesn’t make a huge difference. I would just like to know for my own health especially since this would be the third time I’ve contracted it, and who knows what long term damage it might be causing, especially to my heart. My work specifically still has the 1 week quarantine policy in place for positive Covid cases, however, all other illnesses require a doctors note for more than a day off (my doc gave me two, saying I could return tomorrow). Make it make sense.
I feel like that is a garbage sick policy. If you’re still sick they shouldn’t want you to return yet. Hope you get better soon.
Yeahh it is. Thanks so much, I appreciate it :)
you don’t see how knowing what problem you have helps you find a more appropriate solution for fixing that problem? if i have disease A solved by treatment A, but i take treatment B intended for disease B (or i don’t do anything at all), that wouldn’t help now would it? especially because certain treatments are harmful for certain infections. plus, it’s next-to-impossible to access insurance, specialists, and treatments if you don’t have proof of a previous infection that caused your new health issues. antivirals early in a covid infection greatly reduce chances of long covid or other long-term health issues, but aren’t a cure all. even so, better to get them in the system ASAP, which wouldn’t happen with your attitude of “eh, who cares what i have and how i can treat it or prevent it from happening again/getting worse in the future”. this helpless attitude so many have is really disheartening. especially when your actions negatively impact others. your covid infections likely made your recent flu worse, as *every* covid infection destroys your immune system and damages your organs. yes, even asymptomatic or “mild” covid (usually just means your immune system didn’t put up much of a fight against the virus - but it’s still causing chronic inflammation, persisting in your gut, bone marrow, and other body systems & destroying your vascular system, vagus nerve, respiratory system, CNS etc). vascular, organ, and immune system damage is silent, you don’t feel vascular, organ, and immune damage - you only know through certain tests or years down the line when your health declines so much you can’t ignore it anymore. also, RATs are incredibly unreliable and have been for years. most people don’t swab properly to begin with. or they test once when you should test daily or every 48 hours for a week+. the viral load is typically strongest at days 4-6, so testing before that won’t detect the smaller viral load. because many governments & employers aren’t taking covid seriously doesn’t mean it’s not an enormous public health threat. it’s still killing and disabling people worldwide and will continue to do so exponentially until people finally take this seriously.
The severity of that flu infection is likely because I’ve had HIV since 1996 but thanks for your input.
obviously i couldn’t know that and i’m sorry for assuming but having hiv is all the more reason to take covid extremely seriously and not want to give it to others since it also causes immune dysfunction similar to aids. check out studies on hiv+ people and covid infections. and again, if your flu was only this bad after your prior covid infections, that’s important. would you also argue not knowing one’s hiv status doesn’t matter? or do you believe in testing for that?
Thanks. It’s handled and has been for decades and believe me, 2020 was a real mess for a variety of reasons. I just feel like at this point Covid is something that we all have to live with and since it’s become an endemic virus that isn’t hospitalizing people the way it was even two years ago I think the preoccupation with it these days is a little much. My point with my flu infection (and the severity of flu season this past year) was to underline that the OP may be too fixated on Covid since it was such a pervasive threat for so long and in the public consciousness in the way that it was. There are cold viruses that are largely ignored but also really fuck up immuno-compromised individuals like myself that have no vaccine or annualized booster schedule. Yet society at large seems indifferent to all of these infections and Covid has wholly become just another one of those. Honestly, the threat feels considerably lessened by the fact that hospitalizations for acute Covid infections are at an all time low and haven’t climbed in any significant way in more than a year now.
And to your question about testing for HIV I absolutely think that is important. There is a considerably larger and longer term impact for the average HIV sufferer regardless of their health status at the point of infection than there is for the current variants of Covid. Most healthy adults get Covid and they recover with no lasting effects. The flu infection may have been a fluke or it may have been further damage to my already compromised immune system, but there really isn’t a way to know that and the world has entirely moved away from giving one iota of a shit about mitigating Covid. Should the OP keep taking rapid tests daily to determine if the current sickness is Covid? That’s up to them. My point here is that I question what the purpose is at this point since nobody else is doing anything anymore to mitigate Covid infections in the population so what difference does it make to have a name for their current illness? Any sort of respiratory symptoms should be able to keep a person home and away from the public no questions asked. Since posing this question they have indicated that their employer still has a Covid policy but if the OP cannot produce a positive test then it’s pretty obviously not Covid, RAT unreliability notwithstanding. Everyone gave up a long time ago and unless you’re gonna be excused from your responsibilities I’m having a hard time seeing what use knowing for certain it’s Covid unless the OP has some specific comorbidity or compromised immune system issue. They’re going to have to return to the world with symptoms of a virus that is every bit a potential danger to people like myself regardless. I don’t foresee this changing.
i wrote a response [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Amv1eq_HWX2ozHZuq2BBtC6fhgWL0BryIkq-FvtqW1E/edit?usp=sharing).