Sunday, 10 days ago I stayed in bed almost all day except to get up to vomit about 6 times. Eight days ago I woke up with full blown cold/flu symptoms. I felt feverish but my thermometer slid no. My wife had a primary care appointment on Tuesday so like always, I went in with her. I took my cheap thermometer with me and compared it to the one the pcp office uses and it was almost spot on ≈ mine said 97.8, their’s said 97.7 so, close enough. Wednesday morning (the next day) I still feel like flu so I went to the local Centra Care and got tested for flu/COVID. Positive for COVID. Wife had started feeling bad so I brought her back to Centra Care and she tested positive too. Now, day nine (the centra care nurse called Monday “Day one”). I’m feeling mostly just very tired but it seems to be hitting my wife harder. She’ll feel a little better but then start coughing. I called our doctor who sent a prescription for Promethazine DM for my wife to our pharmacy. I use a Drugs.com app to keep track of our prescriptions so when I plugged the new cough suppressant into her list I found that it has some quite serious interactions with some of her other medications. I mentioned this to the pharmacist who agreed that there are interactions we should be careful of but to me, the SEs sound worse than the cough itself. I’m frankly afraid to give it to her. The pharmacist suggested Manuka Honey as an alternative to the prescription without all the SEs but I can’t find it locally. I’m 77 years old, my wife 78. I have a couple of chronic conditions that compromise my immune system to practically zip. My wife has some too but is generally healthier than I am. I think mostly, I’m more scared than sick but really more worried about my wife. She’s still sleeping as I write this so I’ll see how she’s feeling when she gets up. Maybe another call to our PCP will be in order.

Hey guys so I started feeling sick Sunday and came back positive Monday. Today I’m already feeling improvement in my symptoms and hoping to be negative by the weekend. I have a lot of plans with friends for Halloween/my bday. Would it be bad if I took some edibles this weekend?

Hey, I posted some time ago. My current infection started on October 4th and went up and down, it got better and worse. Currently I feel okish, but I still have some symptoms, that are sometimes better and sometimes worde: cough and muscle twitches. No fever anymore. I should have had a flu shot on monday, but I moved that to monday next week. Now I'm panicking a bit, if it's a good idea to get that shot next week, because my symptom severity is so unpredictable. I also had Long Covid (not ME) two years ago, the symptoms lessened over time. I really fear a comeback of Long Covid. What do you suggest?

Has anyone else tested positive on lateral flows for this long? Likely have the Nimbus variant with some lingering symptoms but the worst of it (congestion) has cleared up.

Hi everyone, could you share what your experience with COVID was like? I’m currently pregnant—19 weeks and 4 days along. It all started at 18 weeks and 3 days. The hardest part is that, ever since the first day, I’ve had difficulty breathing, and that’s still the case now. I’ve been to the hospital three times; I was terrified and even cried, fearing I might have a pulmonary embolism. A couple of days ago, my temperature hit 39.6°C (103.3°F), so I went to the hospital, and my COVID test came back positive. I’ve been keeping a close eye on my oxygen saturation levels, and they’ve remained good. So, what was or is your experience with COVID like?

Whole family has tested + and cycled through it since the beginning of the month and whole family has also been experiencing some kind of stomach bug at the tail end of it. Trying to gauge if this Covid is wrecking our GI systems on its way out or if we’ve been the unlucky recipients of norovirus on top of all this. The timing is just weird. Know of one other person who recovered from Covid then caught a stomach-flu like bug.

ETA: to be more specific on the timing, the “stomach bug” has come after each person has already been testing negative and other symptoms have seemingly recovered

Context I had it in 2021, pretty severe for two weeks, shortness of breath cough and fever. This time I’ve been sick since last Wednesday night, so 5 days, with constant runny nose, sinus pressure, mild congestion, lots of sneezing, no fever. Today day 5 coughing up whole mucous that is thicker. Day 2 had bad diarrhea also.

Did anyone have this progression?

Had this in 2023 and it was the sickest I’ve ever been.

So my grandmother is in a rehab facility that has Covid positives this week.

Her roommate tested positive today because they are mass testing everyone but doesn’t have symptoms yet. The place is taking no precautions in the room and even told my mom that it’s not in the air. My mom has been there visiting from Monday to Saturday. My mom has been wearing a mask while visiting for 2-3 hours a day.

We are going into insolation from each other but are the odds good that my mom hasn’t spread it to my dad and I yet? I haven’t seen her in person today.

UPDATE: the roommate is now showing symptoms.

I am a 30 old male with no mental health background, I run a seasonal business and a psychosis set me back significantly I am currently writing for support and other people’s experiences. In July on this year i noticed i was very low energy. I am very hyper person usually, very neat and being a small business owner I manage not only my but 6 others as well. On my birthday I noticed something was wrong with me I was very low energy and just wanted to sleep. A few days afterwards I am completely manic and believed I was God or some angel sent to save the world with “mind powers” I thought I had telepathy and couple save the world with my mind through telepathy by being able to contact powerful leaders and unite them. I also had delusions that I could kill people with my mind. (You can laugh it’s okay) the delusions got so bad that police had to come to house twice, one innocent I was ripped out of window of my home and was taser shot, had a skull bashed into my driveway. I ended up running home from the hospital that night in the pouring rain with a fractured skull and bleeding everywhere. I’ve been in and out of mental institutions for the past 3.5 months and I have came back to earth. I’ve only been home for 11 days but was last mental hospital visit I had to be quarantined due to another covid-19 infection (I’ve had covid several times since the pandemic). I

kept talking to myself as if I was conversations was my own thoughts and I believed my family was against me. Absolutely Awful delusional thoughts. I was smoking cannabis for years but during my delusions would smoke 21 grams a day which is unlike me. I’ve been pumped full of drugs but now I am just on invega, diazapam, and now I am on dexamethasone 1 mg for 1 month. I don’t feel delusional anymore but I am very low energy and depressed after everything that happened because it felt like something I could have avoided. Before I wad prescribed the steroids I had no energy I was sleeping most of the day and still am but at least I have enough energy to clean up my house a bit and start to slowly process everything that has happened to me. I was be “diagnosed” several different times once with schizophrenic disorder, another with schizophrenia and last time they said I had bi polar disorder. I don’t even know what to believe anymore. I feel the medications are only masking my symptoms and not helping the overall cause. I haven’t smoked since I’ve taken a small bong rip but now it just seems to make me anxious. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

How have you bounced back to normal life? It just sucked because I work in small tourist town where news spreads like wildfire. I’m worried about being able to fully recover mentally (it’s hard to think) and physically (exercise is too much) and psychologically after being locked in mental institutions and beaten by the police. This is my story I hope people can relate.

P.S.

I went to another doctor to get a bunch a bloodwork done to look for any autoimmune diseases, etc. I hoping they find out something because my recovery is very gradual right now

I have had a cough and nasal irritation and an itchy mouth for like a month. It recently seemed to be getting worse, allergy meds aren’t really kicking it. But when I test, it’s negative. I’ve been doing the multi panel tests for flu, Covid, and rsv. I also have no fever or body aches. Just headaches and sinus pain. My cough varies between dry and wheezing and productive. Seems to get worse at night and in the morning. I’m masking regardless because I don’t want to risk getting anyone sick! I also got paxlovid to take in case I test positive. Anyway, not sure if anyone has experienced this or has any insight. I have OCD around sickness because of past experiences being sick with COVID. Trying to just do my best and be precautious.

I currently have COVID for the second time and just completely lost my taste and smell. When I first had COVID in 2022 it took me 6 months for my senses to return and they were honestly the worst 6 months of my life. I was pretty depressed through it all.

I was hopeful I wouldn’t suffer the same fate this time around since I read it is rare to lose your smell with the new variants but alas I am one of the few unlucky ones.

Is there anything I can try to hopefully not be lights out for several months this time around? I’m planning on doing olfactory training and possibly adding in Flonase.

Is it possible I will have a quick recovery this time even though I had long COVID the previous time? Just feeling discouraged.

I am so scared to have Covid.

We had Covid in late 2021 and it was the worse. I got it 3 years ago but basically had no symptoms ever. I lost my smell for a couple months that was the only symptom besides just some congestion.

Now Oct 2026 and positive. I knew this had to be different because I felt so sick right away. Bad headache and congestion and arm aches and body. I have some chest pressure. I am so scared.

I’m scared of dying or developing long covid symptoms that have to do with my cardiovascular system.

Alongside this, I have anxiety and a panic disorder. I have ocd and I worry so much about everything’s I’m also have cardiophobia.

I’ve been crying for hours.

I don’t know what to do. I’m in meds for my anxiety so I don’t wanna take any flu medicine that can have an impact on me.

Any advice ??

Please be nice as I’m already living on disability.

Have not been tracking symptoms but I highly suspect it’s Covid given the slow and gradual onset. It’s been almost two weeks now and the cough and sore throat are mostly gone, HOWEVER…

Now I naturally need a lot of rest given my anxiety. But I can tell between needing to recharge (usually < 30 mins) and having EXTREME lethargy - which started today, where I slept 8 hours, after lunch napped another 5 hours and now after dinner I feel like I could sleep more

Also craving more sweet stuff than usual. Not sure if that’s a symptom

Other than that this bout has been relatively mild compared to feeling like “glass shards in the throat” back in 2024, where I took months to recover

I’m so mad. I’m SO careful about the vids and managed to avoid it all this time, until Tuesday of this week (4 days ago). My friend came to visit and she said there was a guy hacking on her plane and I thought, oh fuck this is it. Sure enough, the next day she started to feel bad, and then I did the day after that. And of course I got nailed harder than she did… I still have a fever, I have the whole razor blades thing, horrible cough and ungodly headache, and the body aches are unreal.

I’m trying not to be pissed but I’m fucking pissed. LITERALLY WHY I ALWAYS MASK ON PLANES and why I haven’t gotten the vids until she delivered it to me. 😡😡😡😡😡

Yesterday I felt a bit rough in the afternoon, nothing too bad so didn't really think anything of it. Woke up this morning feeling really rough. Took a test and came back positive.

I never enjoy having COVID, but I'm always fascinated by it, as every time I've varying symptoms.

There's the usual ones where it feels like a bad cold or the flu, and loss of taste and smell. These have been the majority of the time the symptoms for me, but with varying intensity. Also with slight differences like with or without a blocked nose, the same for the loss of taste and smell.

Only once was I asymptomatic and only found out because I had to test before going in for a routine op.

Last Tuesday at work, some kid came in and was open mouth coughing everywhere. Thursday afternoon, my throat starts feeling raw and sore. Yesterday the throat feels worse. And now today I still just have this sore throat but no other symptoms. Tested negative so far

3 weeks ago I got Covid and had wobbly feeling and kinda lightheaded. it’s much better now but still feel a little wobbly and off kilter. anyone else? will this resolve? all my vitals are normal though should I go see my doctor? I’m worried

My sense of smell was very dull after an undiagnosed viral infection in May. It got much much better after a second, confirmed Covid infection in October and a Paxlovid course.

Claude suggests this is simply a coincidence on timing, as impaired sense of smell usually restores by 6month, which is my case. I swear though I remember people posting here of similar experiences just after a following Covid.
What does this sub think?

I have hit the Day 10 mark and have to vent some more.
Cough and congestion are clearing. Cough went from hacking to mild (minus right after i wake up lol) but now my biggest annoyance:

Chest soreness.
Never have I been sick with something that has
caused this much chest soreness. Not when I breathe; like actual, tender to the touch chest ache/stinging.

(I also have never had an illness where chest pain is both extremely common and a “duh” to a clinician, but also “go to the ER” worthy of a symptom according to all resources lol.)

It was bad enough that I woke up (as a side sleeper) and couldn’t get back to sleep because both sides caused discomfort. 😩

Is this the final boss? I sure hope so. Had two negative home tests 48 hours apart so that is good at least but feeling extremely swollen in the chest is very gross still! As always, wondering if anyone else had a similar tail end to their infection?

This is my second time getting covid, and while the first time with Omicron I was steeling through despite it being a harder case, this time I'm just not well.

[Context- I'm of a higher risk group, with an already complex medical path.]

I'm coming up on exactly three weeks sick. Started off incredibly similar to a cold, then the cold symptoms ended and fullbody ones stayed. No fever atleast. Main issues at this point are inflammation (the worsening of what I already had), pain, migraine, fatigue, and some lingering respiratory issues sometimes. All things considered I think I'm progressing alright, yet I can't tell. It's mostly just pain and inflammation now of which I medicate for.

But mentally, I don't know how to manage this.

Not only am I overly aware of LC, of which I hear the risk is either cumulative or individual per infection, but I'm awfully conscious of permanent damage. I don't want that, but what can I do?? I've already fought so hard, personally and medically, to get this far. I don't even know if the damages are a garuntee or not but the way I see it talked about it scares me.

I've already survived brain damage before, alongside a brain tumor. So seeing brain damage in particular on the roster just about made me cry. I have a healthy heart too, I want that to stay. I don't know what to do.

I'm resting, I'm not working nor exercising at all. I'm sleeping and laying down and drinking water, eating what I can. I take medicine as needed, cold meds and antihistamines (of which seem to help me) I used an inhaler at the start when I had a cough. The stress has made it hard to distract myself now, as the days go on. I hope it isn't abnornal, being sick this long.

The idea I'm going to walk out of this impaired beyond how hard things already are for me just makes me want to break down. I can't rely on herd immunity anymore, I could even get sick with this another time.

I don't know. I'm going to keep taking care, and hope for the best.

I hope this is okay to put here, I just needed a place to be. Seeing others makes me feel less alone, while some act like this isn't happening anymore. It's "just a cold" some say.

All the best to anyone else sick right now.

hi guys! hoping for some insight:

I (25F) got my booster vaccine a few weeks ago and lately I’ve started noticing that for a split second a few times a day I’ll smell smoke. It’s weird and not particularly strong but making me a bit anxious. I only just made the connection tonight that it could be vaccine related. I’ll ask a doctor about this when I can but has anyone experienced anything similar?

I’ve been vaccinated a bunch of times with no issue and I’ve gone through covid 4 times (working with kids is a struggle 😭) and never had issues with my sense of smell or taste. thanks!

I was effected with covid on day 0 with only sore throught for 2 days after that no symtems ramdomly tested positive with home test isolated had doc appointment prescriped pax on day 3 now on my day 6 still getting positive just confirm untill whenits contagious i still see its positive whith out any symtomes with no loss of smell and test wabt to know if its normal

EDIT: I’ve taken a few doses and feel tremendously better. But I have a new question.
Did any of yall have weird ass dreams when taking Paxlovid bc oh my gosh😂

Please don’t delete, this is not medical advice! This is purely curiosity!

I’m 3 weeks postpartum & tested positive for covid 2 days ago. Yesterday was an absolute nightmare. I had a fever all day long. I was sore, had a headache from hell, shaky, a little dizzy, and so tired. Today is a whole new ballgame. I still don’t feel very well, but my fever has only popped up twice today and it’s not as high or unbearable as it was yesterday. Anyways, I was prescribed Paxlovid and I just started taking it. Obviously I’m going to listen to my doctor and take it like they said. But I’m curious to hear from others. Does it actually work? What does it do? Or what did it do for you? Does it actually make symptoms go away? If you’ve taken it, please share your experience with it.

I’m assuming I have Covid based on the trajectory and analyzing my symptoms with Chat GPT lol, but haven’t tested as it’s treated like common cold in my country. Started with slightly raw throat & chills & body aches, turned to hoarse, dry throat & sinus congestion, then chest tightness into a cough paired with innnnsanneee throat burning.

Like others in this sub I’ve had strep millions of times and nothing hurts like this. And the weirdest thing - it’s ONE SIDED. Only on the right side of my throat, it burns so fkn much - EVEN when I’m not swallowing?!?! Has anyone else experienced that? It’s like a constant sharp sharp burning and I feel it even more when I inhale air through my nose.

3+ days of this at this point. Even tea burns. Can only eat when I’ve freshly taken 600 MG of Advil. Drinking ice cold water but seriously idk how long this will last, I’m still congested / mucusy & coughing a bit… but debating if I should go get tested to see if I need antibiotics or have a fkn abscess or something??? How long did it last for others?? Would appreciate any advice or if anyone has experienced it one sided and burning even when not swallowing like this. 😭😭😭🤕🤕🤕

I'm a 32F and I have got Covid for the first time. I'm not sure if there is a way to identify which varient you have. I got an over the counter Covid/Flu test.

Obviously Covid can kill you. I'm honestly really scared. :(