Current virus

I think it’s all to do with hand hygiene. Think that went out of the window as soon as people went back to work.
Most stores & shops don’t bother now with hand sanitiser.
I alway carry little bottles around with me & still have them dotted around the house.

glammagran

About a month ago I caught a virus (first illness since COVID on NYD, 2024). Sore throat, mainly a head cold and awful congestion and a wet cough. Only the second time I’ve ever needed decongestant spray in my life which did work. Covid test was negative. 3 days before we went to Crete on 08/09/25 symptoms went away only to reappear a week later before we returned home. I’ve now got a really dry cough this time which is driving me nuts but I don’t feel ill. My chest though feels really tight and I keep heaving (I don’t mean feeling sick).

Anyone else had similar?

Very mild apart from the extreme tiredness. Yes I bought sprays last time For my throat & decongestant sprays so used them to nip it in the bud.
Plenty parrots & water. Rested in bed for a few days.
I have had worse colds. So really lucky this time.

Well you would, IOMgran- especially as it was a post surgical ward- TBF, nurses did have on masks, I thought for precaution, but covid patient had been admitted. I would have stayed away tbh, had I have known.

About a month ago I caught a virus (first illness since COVID on NYD, 2024). Sore throat, mainly a head cold and awful congestion and a wet cough. Only the second time I’ve ever needed decongestant spray in my life which did work. Covid test was negative. 3 days before we went to Crete on 08/09/25 symptoms went away only to reappear a week later before we returned home. I’ve now got a really dry cough this time which is driving me nuts but I don’t feel ill. My chest though feels really tight and I keep heaving (I don’t mean feeling sick).

Anyone else had similar?

Hope you are feeling better today surfsup. It's not nice feeling so ill when on your own is it.

I’ve been really quite ill. I got quite scared last night as felt so ill and was struggling for breath. I have never sneezed so much - it was exhausting. I called my daughter today and asked her to buy some Covid tests and decongestant. Test came up negative so will do another tomorrow. I’ve had a humidifier on all night in my bedroom and now have it in the lounge. Drinking lots of honey and lemon and the sneezing has stopped now. Whatever it is, it’s really nasty.

I've had Covid twice. I agree, it's more than just a cold. I was very ill the first time, second time, bad enough but not as bad as the first.
When my daughter had covid she was extremely ill and im great pain.
To date she's had covid four times.
She's NHS so gets it from patients' in spite of taking precautions.

I had Covid in April. I agree with Littlebrook and Rosiesmaw, it’s horrible and far more than a bad cold. I’m beginning to feel I’m in the mend from my current (not Covid) virus. An odd thing, the breathlessness I had with Covid has recurred even tho I’m not chesty or cold symptoms. Dr Google tells me this isn’t unusual

I have something too. Thought it was the shingles jab on Thursday but started with sore throat and generally not feeling great yesterday and today much worse. The main symptom is sneezing. I must have sneezed 100 times today and constantly blowing my nose which is just watery mucus. All my teeth were aching earlier so took some two cold/flu caps but they’re wearing off now. I’m hoping it’s a bad cold which will only last a few days.

I absolutely second all of this!
In a way it was reassuring to test + as it meant I didn’t just feel I was making a meal of a summer cold.
2 weeks on and I am now testing negative (I had day surgery on my back on Saturday so I had to be sure I could go ) and I am beginning to feel more normal. But it turns out that my sister in law who was in France with me also went down, as did one D and SIL. The younger ones have shaken it off but sis in law (74) has had a very similar 2 weeks to me.
So I’m in favour of testing and judicious isolating. Yes Covid may be with us like flu, but we ought to do what we can to minimise contact with others and not brush it off.
PS the same applies to flu and of course Norovirus the infamous “winter vomiting bug”

We've had a virus going round our house for the past 2wks. It started with DH saying he felt he was getting a cold, fast forward a few days and he had a streaming cold, hacking cough and a headache. By the end of the week I was also having the same symptoms and we did a Covid test as it was our granddaughters 18th Birthday Party the next day. Both tested positive, so had to cancel going to the party.
We tested again on Sunday morning as son and his family are going on holiday and obviously we didn't want to go and visit them if we still had it. DH tested negative but I still tested positive so we stayed home.
Haven't had Covid before and have to say it's been really awful, not just like a cold which is how so many describe it, least not for us. DH keeps feeling short of breath and we are both feeling absolutely wiped out and exhausted. Have no appetite, can't taste anything, can't smell anything, just feel awful.
Poor DH made us both a plate of toast with a cup of tea for dinner earlier as neither of us felt like eating much. He then managed to drop the tray as he put it down on a table and we had a river of tea under the sofa and slices of buttered toast on the sofa itself

Same here, believe it was Covid but didn’t even consider going to GP as they’re not going to prescribe anything ( unless it became life threatening) and seemingly want to avoid the word “Covid”. I remember years ago when people had a cold and they’d constantly say “stay back I’ve got a bad flu” or “I’m not visiting as I don’t want to give it to you”.. so I just revert back to that routine, rest, fluids and eat little and often.

Just checking in to say that I had a good day yesterday.
On the whole my symptoms have cleared up and I feel more comfortable. Still rather tired but very thankful to not be feeling ill.
Wishing everyone a speedy recovery.

Sorry, posted quickly. A friend who works in the nhs told me it’s possible to buy an immunisation, cost just under £100
That seems a lot to me but I know nothing about the cost of immunisations.

Or have health conditions that mean you’re vulnerable

Apparently you have to be 75 or over to be eligible for the Covid jab this time..

IOMGran that's interesting because my slightly out of date test kit didn't register anything in spite of having liquid in the test tube.

My sister in Newcastle and myself in Manchester both suffering from the same symptoms as reported here and neither of us COVID positive using in date testing kits
UKHSA data shows slight COVID uptick but still at very low levels. No mention in any data still published of any newly defined circulating infection but unfortunately routine testing seems to have diminished. We'll just have to soldier on and treat ourselves symptomatically.

We have just made appointments for flu & covid jabs. Next month at our health centre.

Same symptoms, mine lasted 6 weeks still getting hot flushes and I'm well past Menopause. I was exhausted lost interest in everything and became rather depressed through it.
Sleeping for 1/2 hours at a time and when I caught up with lack of sleep I slept for 15 hours. Now back to normal and happy if I get 4 hours solid sleep. Try and drink fluids and eat apples either grated or sliced.

I’m in the test for Covid group, I did yesterday, negative thankfully. The NHS site on heavy viral load indicates this kind of virus can mimic stroke symptoms which led to my blue light ambulance journey.
It also indicates these viruses can allow previous like Covid symptoms to recur. I’ve no chest infection but yesterday, I walked to open the door to a friend who brought bread n milk - I was so breathless, same as when I had Covid

Thanks all of you for your kind words. This thread is a little reassuring, so many of us with such similar symptoms . I’m feeling more myself but haven’t left the house since coming home on Monday

Yesterday in the chemist having my BP checked I met one of our parishioners .
He asked me why I didn't go to church last Sunday and then , said that I should have attended .
It was another occasion when I felt totally exasperated and frankly - not believed .
Having endless chest infections has compromised my immune system and I often feel extremely unwell .
I did last Sunday .
My head ,ears and entire body ached .My throat was scratchy and my voice croaky .
I had a dry cough .
My stomach was upset - constipation followed by diarrhoea .
My nose bleed copiously.
I just wanted to sit quietly and doze in front of the TV . And that's what I did .
With vitamin c , zinc , echinacea and drinking lots of fresh chicken soup -it has passed off .
One of my neighbours has had similar bouts of illness and friends are complaining about feeling really off as if they have the flu .
Whatever this bug is - it's insidious .
I'm hoping that it becomes history and that everyone will get better .

Just out of interest are you still getting 6 monthly Covid vaccinations in the UK?

advisable not to get too close to people and to maintain good hygiene, I don't think it is realistic to go into Covid mode and isolate for days on end
I don’t think anybody is talking about isolating for days on end although frankly I didn’t want to see anybody or for anybody to see me
But by identifying Covid we can at least protect the more vulnerable if not exactly isolating, but at least keeping clear of the elderly, vulnerable , hospitals etc.
Final PS -one D and SIL I was on holiday in France with, went down last week apparently - clearly caught it from me -but have recovered quickly. It reinforces my conviction that us oldies don't necessarily bounce back from it and struggling on “bravely” is possibly not only bad for our own health but also that of others.
Just test! And at least you know where you are.
As I said a fiver from Amazon for 5 or 6.

Eloethan

I think we have maybe got a bit fixated on Covid. People were ill like this before we had even heard of Covid. I remember when most people got a really nasty cold - nose bunged up for days, streaming eyes, etc. - at least once a year.

Some people on here have tested positive for Covid, others have tested and proved negative. It doesn't really matter what you call it - whatever bug you have it is probably, at least to some degree, infectious and, although it would probably be advisable not to get too close to people and to maintain good hygiene, I don't think it is realistic to go into Covid mode and isolate for days on end. We can't always avoid illness but just try and keep properly hydrated and have plenty of rest - and then just hope for the best that it soon goes away.

I hope everyone who is feeling ill at the moment soon feels better. I don't feel 100% but things have improved.

Absolute balderdash. COVID is more like Influenza which you could reasonably expect to catch maybe 5 times in your life. COVID is often a yearly experience. I know young people with kids in school who have had it 6 or 7 times now. The long term damage done to our health is as yet unknown. But the economy......