My wife began to feel unwell on Thursday afternoon, and by the evening it was very clear that she was suffering some of the symptoms of COVID-19. Luckily, our local council has been very proactive when it comes to testing, and I was able to visit one of the walk in testing centres and collect two boxes of NHS rapid antigen test kits. (The test centre is located at Charlton Athletic Football Club's ground, The Valley, which is just over two miles away from our house.)
Once I had returned home, Sue took the test, and thirty minutes later it indicated a negative result ... which meant that whatever is wrong with her, it was highly probable that it isn't COVID-19. This was a great relief to us both, especially as I have an appointment on Monday for my second Pfizer-BioNTech jab, which I would have had to have cancelled.
What we cannot understand is how she has managed to pick up an infection in the first place. As we have effectively been in lockdown for months, never go out without wearing our facemasks, and very rarely go places on our own when we do venture outside, we just cannot figure out how she could have come into contact with anything that might make her ill.
She now seems to be on the mend, and with a bit of luck she will be fully recovered in a few day's time. I hope so, as I am relying on her to drive me to the hospital on Monday for my jab. I could drive myself, but as a there are reports that quite a few people who have the second Pfizer-BioNTech jab seem to suffer some sort of side effect, I'd rather that she drove, just in case. The alternative is to take a minicab there and back, but as it will be Easter Monday, I suspect that finding and/or booking a minicab might present a few problems.
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A testing time indeed! I do hope your wife continues to feel better. Take care , both of you.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteAt least we now have enough testing kits to last us for some time. Our local council is encouraging us to get tested on a regular basis, and has set up the infrastructure to do it.
Sue is already feeling a bit better, but I suspect that it is going to take several days for her to get better,
Stay safe and stay well,
Bob
Bob has your wife been vaccinated? I was vaccinated with the first round of Moderna on March 5th and have had severe, flu-like side effects since that time. It varies in intensity but has never really left.
ReplyDeleteI was supposed to get my second vaccination on Thursday but had to cancel because I had a temperature of 38 and body aches.
Regardless the reason, I hope your wife is better soon!
Patrick Phillips,
DeleteMy wife was vaccinated well over a month ago, and is due her second dose in April. She had the AstraZeneca vaccine, whereas I had the Pfizer-BioNTech one, but neither of use has had an side effects.
I suspect that she may have picked up a normal flu virus whilst we were out shopping, although as we both went out together and I haven't come down with it, we are at a loss to work out how it may have happened.
I hope that you manage to get your second dose soon. Mine is due next Monday.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the result was negative. Hope Sue is feeling better now. Good that the fast test kits are widely available now. Both my elder son in Laws work together and have been continually in and out of peoples houses all through Covid and now use those rapid kits on a weekly basis which is very reassuring for their customers.
Must say that round here you would hardly believe there is a pandemic, so many people out and about, back and forth to work and schools etc, shops are packed with little social distancing.
Good luck with the second jab.
‘Lee,
DeleteSue is feeling much better today ... but she keeps telling me that she feels very weary, and that doing anything that involves physical effort is very tiring.
Having a supply of test kits does mean that we can take a test every week if the need arises. I am hoping that my jab on Monday will mean that I am pretty well protected from the COVID-19 virus by the middle of the month.
We don’t go to crowded places very often, and most people seem to be wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. The exceptions seem to be teenagers (I’ve seen quite large groups of teenagers standing around at a nearby road junction, chatting) and members of the BAME community.
All the best,
Bob
Glad to hear that your wife is one the mend! I was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer shot and the side effects did not start until 9-10 hours after the shots. I did have chills and fatigue after the second dose, but I was good as new after 24 hours. Well worth it! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBrad DeSantis,
DeleteNeither my wife or I had any side effects from our Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs, but we understand that we may well do so from our second ones. If we do, it will be worth it to get some level of protection from the virus.
All the best,
Bob
Good to get a negative result. Some of the rapid results tests can return false negatives, which is why my daughters’ school had them all do two tests in the days before they went back. Mightn’t it be worth testing again?
ReplyDeleteI also suffer from flu like symptoms in early Spring which we narrowed down to being hay fever. This is an annual event. Despite being mostly indoors with little social contact during the current lockdown, most of the time, I’ve suffered it again this year.
Nundanket,
DeleteWe have enough test kits to test ourselves again soon. I’m going to do one on Monday morning as I should be having my second jab that afternoon.
We had not considered the possibility that it might be hay fever ... but this week we have spent time in the garden pruning shrubs, so that might be a possibility. It’s certainly something work thinking about.
All the best,
Bob
Hi BOB,
ReplyDeleteSo pleased that Sue tested 'Negative'. I've had a cold/flu for the past two weeks and on my second dose of Anti-Biotics and cannot seem to shake it...due to have the AstraZenica Vaccine in about two and a half weeks time. I'd give anything to be well again- have Tested 'Negative' to Covid which is pleasing. Stay well and safe there in London. Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteSorry to read that you have been unwell for a fortnight, and that the treatment hasn’t dealt with it.
I hope that you are over your illness by the time you have your jab. The sooner you have had it, the sooner you’ll have some protection from the COVID-19 virus.
Stay safe and stay well,
Bob
Hi Kev, sorry to butt in, and I hope Bob doesn’t mind, but antibiotics won’t do any good against cold or flu. They don’t work on viruses. It’s worrying if your medical practitioner prescribed antibiotics for a virus. They’re not just useless against viruses but incorrect use can be harmful to the wider population because over use can make bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
DeleteHere’s some guidance from an Aussie state government.
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/antibiotics-viruses-cold-flu
Nundanket,
DeleteThanks for the information and the link. My doctor is very reluctant to prescribe antibiotics, but I know of others who almost hand them out like sweets for pretty well any ailment.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, if she had/has a fever, then very likely she picked up something while shopping or may have developed a respiratory infection. If she did not have a fever, then an allergic reaction of some kind is more likely the culprit. I've three nurses in my family and that is their take...without an examination.
ReplyDeleteI get recurring sinus infections due to wearing masks and they wipe me out for a few days at a time.
Hope she feels better soon.
Justin Penwith,
DeleteThanks for the suggestions. As her temperature was normal when she was feeling most unwell, I suspect that it could be an allergic reaction, especially as she has just told me that on the day she became ill, she had scratched herself quite badly on one of the shrubs she had been pruning.
i suffer from sinusitis at least once each Winter ... but haven't had a sign of it this year!
All the best,
Bob
The change of season can play havoc on the body (I know it does mine). I've been getting tested weekly due to my work--so far, so good, but there is always a bit of anxiousness waiting for each result. Glad to hear that you and Sue are in the clear and on the verge of jab #2. For what it's worth, they say that after 10 days there is a good amount of protection from jab #1, so that might bring some sense of reassurance as you wait for the full effect to kick in.
ReplyDeleteEd M,
DeleteNow that the UK is easing out of lockdown, the infection rate is rising, and being able to test if we feel unwell is a real bonus.
The sooner we are both fully vaccinated, we can begin to feel a bit safer. Unfortunately, there are some people who seem determined to ignore the regulations and/or are vaccine refusers, and they are likely to extend the life of the pandemic until well into the latter part of this year or even longer.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
Interesting times indeed.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Sue passed the test and that you are due for your 2nd shot.
Since I belong to the "generally retired but reasonably robust" age group, I was happy when our expected vaccine date range was advanced to July but now that segments of the working classes are potentially at risk from Astrazenica, it looks like we might get their shots in April!
Best of luck with your 2nd jab.
Ross Mac,
DeleteSue has been feeling better as the day has gone on, but I think that she will still have an early night in the hope that a good night’s sleep will help her get even better.
Sue had the AstraZeneca jab, and had no side effects, and the various current governmental concerns about blood clotting does seem to be rather confusing. It’s led to a situation in the EU where people are not getting vaccinated and yet they have stockpiles of the vaccine. I assume that this is what is happening in Canada. However, if it means that you get yours earlier than expected, all the better.
All the best,
Bob
I find myself with the occasional sniffle and stuffiness but it never lasts. Usually it clears up with an antihistamine. Like yourselves I limit my contact with other people and wear a mask all the time when I'm out. I'm so happy not having been sick for a year (I suffer from seasonal bronchitis regularly) that I may keep wearing a mask even when it has been declared unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad things turned out OK for the both of you, knock on wood.
My wife and I are considering trying to get a "leftover" vaccine from a local hospital. They have some left over every day and they'd rather use them than adhere to the vaccination guidelines.
Good luck and stay healthy.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteWith the growth of air pollution in London, there are days when I seem to spend my entire waking day bunged up, and have to take decongestants at night time in order to sleep.
One by-product of the lockdown was the reduction in air pollution, but as the situation has eased, it is noticeable that the air quality has begun to get worse, and that bunged up feeling is returning. Wearing a mask helps to a certain extent when outside, but I am not going to wear one whilst indoors.
I understand that in our area they have a list of people who they can call up if there is any leftover vaccine at the end of a day. I don't know what other places are doing, but it does seem to be helping to keep the number of people vaccinated each day on the rise, although the number of 'second jabbers' accounts for well over half each day's total.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob