Home Covid Testing

[JDARNELL]

Sure, used to happen often enough. Blood clots or super low oxygen levels. Young people occasionally had heart attacks - probably induced by blood clots.

Sounds like this young man had untreated pneumonia.

Oh I have heard of young athletes etc falling over but it seems like most had an underlying issue. Tragic for sure. So this young man having this I wonder if there was any symptoms of anything or if he knew was off.

Are there any warnings or anything for people that pass away from this stuff?

 

[JDARNELL]

I am now 2 weeks out from catching Covid in Ireland and the fatigue is awful. It’s probably a combination with jet lag thrown in. I am sleeping about 14 hours a day.

Did you lose taste and smell? That was the strangest thing for me 18 months ago. I imagined everything tasking like cardboard. I could still tell texture though.

 

[harllee]

It is a good idea to have an oximeter at home to check your blood oxygen levels if you get sick. You can have low blood oxygen and be near death and you might not even know it.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The hotel went to the pharmacy for me with a list of things I needed. One was a oximeter because I was worried about my oxygen level getting too low and I have asthma. I never lost my taste or smell. Although because my allergies are so bad neither of mine is great on a good day.

 

[W2R]

I am now 2 weeks out from catching Covid in Ireland and the fatigue is awful. It’s probably a combination with jet lag thrown in. I am sleeping about 14 hours a day.

I was very exhausted and sleepy during recovery from Covid, too, Teacher Terry. I'd suggest sleeping and resting as much as you want to, and then relaxing and de-stressing as much as possible when you are awake. You've been through a lot. Eventually you will start feeling better and more energetic but it takes time.

Oh, and BTW I never lost taste or smell either, thank goodness!

 

[Teacher Terry]

W2R, I have been sleeping and resting since I returned. I figured that my body needs it so I am not pushing myself at all. The dogs are loving all the time in bed and that I am home so much. I canceled the one thing that was on my calendar for the week. I have never been so happy to be home in my life).

 

[W2R]

W2R, I have been sleeping and resting since I returned. I figured that my body needs it so I am not pushing myself at all. The dogs are loving all the time in bed and that I am home so much. I canceled the one thing that was on my calendar for the week. I have never been so happy to be home in my life).

Such a great post to read! You are doing all the right things (and apparently your doggies agree! ) So glad you are feeling happy and not stressed out. All of this will help your recovery IMO.

 

[explanade]

One thing about all the home testing going on, they don't show the true picture of how much transmission is going on.

We have the highest bump since the original Omicron back in December and January.

But some people estimate the true level of infections is 5 times the official numbers now so it could be as bad as January.

Another downside to home testing is that you don't know which variant you were infected by. That could make a difference in the course of your disease, your iikely symptoms.

People who were infected in 2020 or even early part of 2021 may have different symptoms than those getting infected now.

OTOH, a lot of people who got infected are getting re-infected by the latest variant.

 

[Badger]

W2R, I have been sleeping and resting since I returned. I figured that my body needs it so I am not pushing myself at all. The dogs are loving all the time in bed and that I am home so much. I canceled the one thing that was on my calendar for the week. I have never been so happy to be home in my life).

Glad to hear you are getting some rest to recover.
Dogs are great to have around for comfort. They (like cats) seem to know when you are not feeling well and tend to stay by for support. It sounds like you are having a "Three Dog Night" only during the summer.

Cheers!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Such a great post to read! You are doing all the right things (and apparently your doggies agree! ) So glad you are feeling happy and not stressed out. All of this will help your recovery IMO.

It was stressful being isolated but my kids and friends called and texted and were supportive. I only had all my travel arrangements a day before I left and then of course I was watching the Irish news showing the mess at the airport.

I so appreciate the people on this forum helping to keep my spirits up. You guys are the best! Badger, I also love kitties and had a wonderful kitty as a teenager. Sadly I have become super allergic and also to many breeds of dogs. Luckily I am not allergic to Maltese. My kids went to Poland for a month to visit my DIL’s family and were worried about all the airline problems but they arrived safely.

 

[anethum]

I woke up on Tuesday and had a slightly sore throat, minor cough, and a headache. When they persisted all day, I tested myself with an iHealth antigen test. I have a large supply thanks to my local government. There appeared to be a faint red line similar to a photo with a faint line in the iHealth instructions which it describes as an "actual positive test". However, I have red-green colorblindness and I especially have problems with red. I took a photo of the test and sent it to a close friend who has normal color vision. She called me right back and said she could see the line so she thinks I have Covid (she's a retired doctor). I took another test that same evening and got the same result of a faint line. I made an appointment for a PCR test the following morning. I also sent a message to my doctor and included a photo of the iHealth test result. My doctor had told me this spring that if I get Covid, she thinks I should take Paxlovid based on my being over 65.

I had the PCR test Wednesday morning. After the PCR test, I tested myself again with another iHealth test as well as a BinaxNOW test. Both were negative this time. Meanwhile, my doctor sent in a prescription for Paxlovid. I began taking it Thursday morning since sooner is better than later with Paxlovid, and I didn't know when I'd get my PCR results. I took a 2nd dose later yesterday evening. Then just before I went to bed, I got a text with a link to my PCR test result. Negative.

I presume that the PCR test result is the correct one. I let my friend know as well as my primary care doctor. I stopped taking Paxlovid. I still have a slightly sore throat but nothing more. I never had any symptoms like loss of smell or taste, or fatigue.

The conflicting test results are somewhat exasperating. Since my symptoms were so mild, I admit that I was sort of hoping that my PCR test would come back positive. I was looking forward to at least a couple of months of "before times" living including some foreign travel.

 

[Car-Guy]

Well I've been feeling pretty bad since Monday, sore throat at first (only lasted ~one day) then body aches and joint pains in the last few days, mostly in the neck and lower back, and headaches for ~5 days now. (I almost never get headaches) No fever or cough and oxygen level is 96 but energy level is really, really low... So anyway, I took the COVID test yesterday and it came back negative.

Not sure what it is, but Aleve and Tylenol both seem to help so I guess I'll just have to wait it out.

 

[Trailwalker]

False positives are rare. False negatives not so much. I had several days of symptoms before finally testing positive on the fourth test. Isolating was inconvenient, but symptoms didn't get any worse for me than a summer cold.

 

[audreyh1]

Well I've been feeling pretty bad since Monday, sore throat at first (only lasted ~one day) then body aches and joint pains in the last few days, mostly in the neck and lower back, and headaches for ~5 days now. (I almost never get headaches) No fever or cough and oxygen level is 96 but energy level is really, really low... So anyway, I took the COVID test yesterday and it came back negative.

Not sure what it is, but Aleve and Tylenol both seem to help so I guess I'll just have to wait it out.

Test again in a couple of days, and if that’s negative test again a couple more days later even if your symptoms resolve. You could still be contagious.

With Covid and vaccinated folks it’s quite common to test negative at onset of symptoms and it can take several days for a positive result to appear.

Your symptoms sound like classic Covid especially the major fatigue.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^ Will do...

 

[audreyh1]

Also be aware that even an extremely faint thin line is a positive result.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
I used a magnifying glass in a well lighted room and saw nothing... This time.


EDIT: I had already forgotten but I was also dizzy/lightheaded for the first few days (even experienced vertigo a couple of times) but that seems much better now.

 

[rodi]

My symptoms started last Sunday afternoon. Didn't test positive till Tuesday. So falls negatives while symptomatic is a thing.

 

[Time2]

Also be aware that even an extremely faint thin line is a positive result.

When my son came home from work sick, I had a 3 month expired test, he took that and it had a faint thin line. I kinda figure 3 month expired, it probably was still good. The next day I got a new test, and it was full on positive. I don't know if his viral load grow enough in a day to have a full on positive or if the expired test just didn't show well. He tested negative on day 9 of first symptom onset. Mom and dad now after day 12 still feel fine, have not tested for 2 days.

 

[madatrub]

You typically see faint lines at the beginning and end of an infection

 

[brett]

We have gone through several boxes of self test covid kits (five tests in a box). Took one box with us when we went to Portugal last month.

Like the boy who called wolf. Every time we get a sore throat or feel a cold coming on we tend to test for covid just in case.

A few months ago the pharmacies would only hand out two boxes per person at a time. Two weeks ago I was in the pharmacy and they had stacks of them. He handed me five boxes.....some for our daughter and family, a box for our neighbors.

Pharmacist says there seems to be a big lull at the moment. I was getting my 2nd booster shot. Place was empty but the pharmacist was told by the health authority to expect to get very busy in the near future with 3rd and 4th covid shots. Apparently the hospital stats and the waste water stats where we live are predicting a large increase in covid cases.

 

[audreyh1]

My symptoms started last Sunday afternoon. Didn't test positive till Tuesday. So falls negatives while symptomatic is a thing.

Yes, my brother had bad headache other symptoms even failed a PCR test early on. Saw a doctor who didn’t think it was Covid. Then a couple of his kids showed mild symptoms and tested positive right away. So then DB knew he had Covid, but still home test was negative. It wasn’t until 5 days after symptoms that DB tested positive. By then everyone else in his household had tested positive. He was already feeling much better.

The difference? DB was vaccinated, the kids being young were not.

It appears from many reports, that a vaccinated person will show symptoms early - perhaps because their body is primed to fight the virus - yet take a while to test positive, often after symptoms have subsided.

 

[audreyh1]

When my son came home from work sick, I had a 3 month expired test, he took that and it had a faint thin line. I kinda figure 3 month expired, it probably was still good. The next day I got a new test, and it was full on positive. I don't know if his viral load grow enough in a day to have a full on positive or if the expired test just didn't show well. He tested negative on day 9 of first symptom onset. Mom and dad now after day 12 still feel fine, have not tested for 2 days.

Yes, viral load grew enough in just a day. This is typical.

Someone can test negative in the morning, and have a positive result in the afternoon.

It’s generally recommended that if you are screening yourself before attending a gathering or event, to test right before. Don’t assume that because you tested negative several hours prior, you are good for that day.

 

[explanade]

We have gone through several boxes of self test covid kits (five tests in a box). Took one box with us when we went to Portugal last month.

Like the boy who called wolf. Every time we get a sore throat or feel a cold coming on we tend to test for covid just in case.

A few months ago the pharmacies would only hand out two boxes per person at a time. Two weeks ago I was in the pharmacy and they had stacks of them. He handed me five boxes.....some for our daughter and family, a box for our neighbors.

Pharmacist says there seems to be a big lull at the moment. I was getting my 2nd booster shot. Place was empty but the pharmacist was told by the health authority to expect to get very busy in the near future with 3rd and 4th covid shots. Apparently the hospital stats and the waste water stats where we live are predicting a large increase in covid cases.

Would you self quarantine if you got sick while abroad?

Even if it cost you money in more lodging costs, flight change fees, etc.?

I think this article was posted before.

https://blog.ricksteves.com/cameron/2022/07/i-got-covid/

 

[brett]

We have both had covid and the symptoms were mild and only lasted for a few days.

Our concern is unconsciously infecting someone else whose health is already compromised or will end up with much more serious and/or long lasting complications.

My cousin was on a ventilator for 3 plus weeks, survived but has now been dealing with complications for the past 18 months.

What neither of us want is to pass this on to someone who may have the same reaction to the virus.

So, if we think for a moment that we may be coming down with it we self test.

Takes no time at all and test kits are available gratis at any pharmacy. No reason not to be prudent.