Going tomorrow for a covid test

[.Poppy.]

As my weekend comes to a close, I have now settled on major fears of having caught covid, due to being around travelers, one of my friends having a cough this morning, and my own symptoms.

I’m going to go to urgent care for an appointment and test tomorrow but am terrified, especially as there could be sick people there. I am afraid of having covid as well as giving it to my parents or my dogs.

I am trying to be logical and explain my symptoms away - I have a thumping heartbeat and feel like my chest is tight and I’m short of breath, but that could be anxiety. I have a runny nose and a slight cough, but it’s been smoky from wildfires so that could be it. I feel a bit dizzy but I also haven’t eaten hardly anything this weekend and haven’t gotten much sleep.

I am just struggling so hard now. It’s been such a long time since I’ve felt this way and I absolutely hate myself and all of my choices that led me here.

[fishman65]

Hi Poppy, if its worth anything myself and Mrs F did a LFT last night as she had a sore throat and headache. We were both negative. I was very apprehensive waiting for the result as we had been out this week. And that's even with us both being double jabbed.

Have your parents been vaccinated yet? As for your dogs, I'm pretty certain dogs are not affected. Cats yes and seemingly mink.

Don't forget also that anxiety plays all sorts of tricks on us, especially when we are already sensitised. Smoke will make you cough for sure and lack of sleep will make you feel rough. Hang in there

[Iced_diamond]

Hi Poppy, I’m sure you will be fine, although it’s understandable why you may be anxious. This whole thing has been a very anxiety inducing time and whereas before a symptom like you described wouldn’t have worried us at all, it all is magnified by three with this constant threat looming. It looks like you’re from the States? I’m not so sure of how the Covid situation is there at present, but I am guessing with mass vaccinations and the summertime cases are beginning to fall and there is a bit more light at the end of the tunnel? Anxiety can for sure bring on the symptoms you describe and the cough etc could very well just be a random thing which could happen at any time. Smoke can totally be to blame for a cough. I once had an air purifier that was a bit smokey and it made me cough (so I discontinued it). It’s responsible to have covid tests to ensure you’re safe and well, but please don’t worry yourself and get yourself into a state. Once it’s over, it’s over and you can relax again. Wishing you all the very best for the test day and I’m sure you will be just fine. Take care. ��

[.Poppy.]

Thank you. I am in the states but our vaccination rates are terrible so that doesn’t help.

I told my parents I would isolate from them, though both are vaccinated. They both have sinus issues too. But I just got a text from my friends I was with and she said they both felt poorly and had fevers of 100.

I have over 3 hours left to drive and I am just in total panic mode.

[NancyW]

Poppy, I'm sorry you're going through this. I remember the feeling well, at this point though you need to know so you can move past this.

When are you going?
Will it be a pcr or antigen test? Mine was an antigen and in 10 minutes I was told it was positive. I stayed home 10 days after symptom onset.

This last week I had a sore throat, cough, headache. I didn't get tested it really felt nothing at all like covid and every day got better, covid does not do that it lingers.

My son's coworkers were sick too, same symptoms.. they got tested, negative. So there is some other bug out there.

Keep us posted please
ox

[.Poppy.]

I really wanted to go tomorrow but was then told that I had to wait 3-5 days from possible exposure? So if I figured I was exposed sometime this weekend that would be Wednesday at earliest.

My town offers saliva testing in Wednesday’s, I don’t know if that’s accurate or a good choice? Otherwise I can make an urgent care appointment but I don’t know what testing they do.

It’s hard too because I feel just awful - I’m sore from being in the car, exhausted, haven’t eaten well at all and am probably a little dehydrated as well. Plus the stress. So it’s hard for me to pick out what are symptoms and what are just me right now, to say nothing of what may just be anxiety.

I remember often coming home from trips feeling unwell, I wish I could go back to then when I was eager for some rest and not just blindly terrified.

[Lencoboy]

Over the past few days, me and my dad have both had rather bad colds, but have taken about 2 or 3 LFTs over the past week (at home) and so far tested negative the whole time.

There must be something else (non-Covid) at play, either a conventional 'common cold' bug doing the rounds right now what with most things virtually being back to normal once again now, recent changes in the weather, or possible allergies that we're somehow unable to trace the exact source of.

But if it has actually been Covid for us (despite all 3 of us in the family being double-jabbed) and the LFTs falsely testing negative, at least so far we haven't felt anywhere near like we're on our death beds, so obviously very mild if so.

A couple whom we're very close to who have both also been double-jabbed, both tested positive for Covid last week through PCR tests (after their LFTs falsely tested negative), and so far both have felt like they had a bad cold but again nowhere near their death beds, but both now feel that they're over the worst and finally on the mend.

So, perhaps we're now turning a corner with the Delta variant, at least those who have been fully jabbed, where in most instances it's nothing more than a bad cold.

Could be totally wrong though.

[.Poppy.]

A false negative concerns me, mainly that I could be ill and spread without knowing. My plan is to get tested Wednesday and then maybe the following Wednesday as well. Hopefully it is accurate.

I was able to eat a sandwich which helped. I overall feel fine, I guess, but every twinge in my throat has me panicked. I can taste and smell but have a bad taste in my mouth which isn’t fun but hopefully not a bad sign. I’ve had less than 400 calories a day probably for the past 3-4 days so of course that doesn’t help at all.

[pulisa]

Low blood sugar will make your anxiety worse of course so try and refuel with food which is easy to swallow and which you like? You'll be burning up a lot of calories with all the adrenaline so look after yourself and try and take things as easy as possible? Get the PCR test on Wednesday which will be the most accurate. If you don't feel comfortable with a negative result then don't have any contact with your parents anyway just to be on the safe side? Take things a day at a time. Now that you are back home you will feel more in control of things..

[.Poppy.]

Low blood sugar will make your anxiety worse of course so try and refuel with food which is easy to swallow and which you like? You'll be burning up a lot of calories with all the adrenaline so look after yourself and try and take things as easy as possible? Get the PCR test on Wednesday which will be the most accurate. If you don't feel comfortable with a negative result then don't have any contact with your parents anyway just to be on the safe side? Take things a day at a time. Now that you are back home you will feel more in control of things..

Thank you. I wish I could stay at my house but we had to rip out my bathroom. So I have to stay with them. We are wearing masks around each other and I’m trying to be as isolated as possible, which I hope will be enough.

It’s funny, a few weeks ago I had another trip but didn’t have any of this worry, who knows why. Maybe news about delta being more contagious triggered me?