Day One
My wife had some permanent health problems, so we had moved together into a care home.
Things were settling down, as we organised ourselves, but my wife started to have problems swallowing food. This was part of her permanent illness. But that night she could not sleep because of her difficulty to breathe. Finally at 02:00 in the morning I called the on-service nurse, who after consulting with one of the care homes doctors decided to transfer my wife to the local hospital.
I waited nearly three hours in the emergency waiting room, before being told that my wife would remain there until later in the morning, and that I could not see her. But I was also informed that she had tested Covid positive.
I returned to the care home to warn them, but the hospital had already done that.
I picked up some essentials from our care home apartment, and decided to go back to our old apartment for the time my wife was in hospital. The guardian at the care home gave me a mask and a self-test kit.
Back at our old apartment, at about 06:00, I self-tested negative for Covid antigens.
I went to sleep, woke in the afternoon, but felt a little odd. A bit hot, with a dry cough. At 15:00 I used one of my own self-test kits, and still tested negative for Covid antigens.
I saw my wife at the hospital. She was in isolation, so I had to wear protective clothing, gloves, and face mask. I saw her for about 5 minutes, but she knew I was there.
Back at home I tried to sleep, but now I felt like I had a temperature, I was coughing a lot, and had a major headache. All my bones and joints were aching.
I could not sleep, and had to pee about every hour. After every pee, I would drink some water.
Both my wife and I had received the complete set of four vaccinations against Covid.
The test I took was the so-called “lateral flow method“. This is a rapid testing uses to detect proteins or antigens that are present when a person is infected with COVID-19. The test differ from the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which look for genetic material from the virus and are generally more sensitive.
Day Two
I can’t say I woke up, because I didn’t get any sleep with the dry cough and going to pee every hour. I also now felt really, really tired.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self-test kits, and now tested positive for Covid antigens. Not really surprising, given how I was feeling.
I needed to self-isolate, but the important thing was that I had not interacted with anyone (the people in the care home had already been warned).
I did not do a PCR test. Obviously my wife had Covid, and I also had it, so I didn’t need confirmation. My self-isolation period would start now.
A hospital doctor phone me to give me a status update for my wife, and to warn me for the worst (just in case). My wife had aspiration pneumonia which is a type of lung infection that is due to a relatively large amount of material from the stomach or mouth entering the lungs. This is a defective swallowing mechanism, and was the result of her neurological disease. It is not something that occurs automatically, but can occur under certain circumstances. It is not an uncommon condition in a care home, and this type of chest infection can be a recurrent problem.
In the evening, just before closing, I went to my local supermarket (with my mask and gloves), bought food, etc., and paid using the automatic tellers. I appreciate that this was not the ‘recommended’ thing to do, but I needed to rapidly buy everything (milk, tea, food, etc.) since we had effectively close the apartment and moved in to my wife’s care home. I felt that buying ‘everything’ needed for the next 12 days was the best option. Returning home my objective was simply total isolation, and wait at least 5 days.
Not much appetite for food.
That night I slept reasonably well, but still woke 3-4 times to pee.
Day Three
Woke reasonably refreshed, but still hot, coughing, head aching, and feeling very tired. Not much appetite for food.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens. Not unexpected.
Day Four
Had not slept that well, but woke feeling more lethargic than tired. Felt still a bit hot, coughing but not too much, and head aching but only around the eyes. Not much appetite for food.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens. Not unexpected.
Day Five
Spent the afternoon-evening watching TV, and didn’t sleep that well. I fell into my old routine when my wife was in hospital. I would wake at around 03:00 or 04:00, try to sleep again, fail, breakfast at around 05:00, and then sleeping again to about 09:00.
I certainly felt less tired, but still a bit lethargic. I did cough a bit when awake, nose a bit blocked, and a headache just above my right eye. Still a bit tight across the back shoulders. Eyes feel a bit tired. Not much appetite for food.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens. Not unexpected.
Day Six
I had tried to keep myself awake watching some interesting TV, and then slept well for more than 6 hours, waking about 06:00.
Still felt a bit lethargic, but willing to do some cleaning, etc. Still coughed a bit when awake, and nose a bit blocked. No headache, but still my eyes felt a bit tired. Less tight across the back, but arms a bit ‘tired’. Not much appetite for food.
Noticed that I tired quickly.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens.
It was interesting to see that the red line was significantly less intense (i.e. fainter), which according to some sources might have meant that I was less sick, less infectious, and that I was nearing the end of my infection. The reality was that this was not confirmed by subsequent tests, some of which produced very solid looking red lines in the test unit.
The doctor from the hospital phoned to tell me that my wife was now Covid-negative. She still had a small urinary infection, and was on antibiotics, but he felt that she might leave hospital in the next few days (she actually stayed in the hospital for longer).
Day Seven
Watched TV until about midnight, and then slept well for more than 6 hours, waking about 06:00.
Still felt a bit lethargic, and felt that there was a cough always waiting at the back of my throat. My nose was still a bit blocked, but breathing wasn’t affected. No headache, but I felt a kind of lightly tied band around my forehead. Bit tight between the shoulder blades. Not much appetite for food.
Noticed that I felt slightly light-headed, in particular after a pee or when standing doing something. But I did manage to do some household chores, cleaning, washing, etc.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens.
Day Eight
Watched TV until about midnight, and then slept well for about 7 hours, waking about 07:00.
Still felt a bit lethargic, a cough was always waiting at the back of my throat, and my nose was still a bit blocked, but breathing wasn’t affected. Not much appetite for food, but started to eat more or less normally again.
Had to blow my nose several times, the cough, nose block, etc. now feels like a mild cold.
Did manage to do some work tidying up, etc. I was able to concentrate better, but did get tired after a while. Managed to go out late evening for a short walk, wore a mask, and didn’t meet anyone.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens – that my seventh positive test. If fact this time the positive was a very intense red line on the test unit. This was a bit worrying, and I hoped that it did not mean anything special. But I was still well within the usual 10-days ‘isolation’ period, plus 3-days after symptoms had disappeared.
Day Nine
Slept reasonably well for about 7 hours, waking about 07:00.
Still felt a bit lethargic, a cough was always waiting at the back of my throat, and my nose was still a bit blocked, but breathing wasn’t affected.
Not much appetite for food.
Still felt slightly light-headed, and I tired easily.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens – that my eighth positive test.
Day Ten
Slept reasonably well for about 7 hours, waking about 07:00.
Still felt a bit lethargic, a cough was always waiting at the back of my throat, and my nose was still a bit blocked, but breathing wasn’t affected.
Not much appetite for food.
Still felt slightly light-headed, and I tired easily.
At about 12:00 I again used one of my own self test kits, and still tested positive for Covid antigens – that my eighth positive test.
Day Eleven
Decided to stay isolated and test after another two days. I was sleeping reasonably well, but still felt a bit lethargic. There was a persistent cough was always waiting at the back of my throat, and my nose was still a bit blocked, but breathing wasn’t affected.
I started to eat normally. but without appetite.mStill felt slightly light-headed, and I tired easily.
I still tested positive for Covid antigens – that my ninth positive test.
Day Fourteen
I still tested positive for Covid antigens, but the hospital confirmed that my wife would be returning to the care home. I spoke with the care home and they had no problem for me to return to the home to wait for her.
Since first testing positive I had almost all the usual Covid symptoms including sore throat, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, cough, muscle aches, and a slightly hoarse voice, but not an altered sense of smell. But I only really suffered for 1-2 nights, and it was the blocked nose and persistent cough that were the most annoying over the whole period.
In fact the only symptoms that remained were a partially blocked nose and a cough. During the 14 days I lost 1.5 kg in weight.
Day Nineteen
I tested negative for Covid antigens, but still had a partially blocked nose and an occasional cough.
Long-Covid is where symptoms persist beyond four weeks, and it can affect a persons neurocognitive, cardiovascular, pulmonary, musculoskeletal, and psychological health.
This is not my situation, however it has also been noted that about a quarter of those who later tested negative continued to experience at least one Covid-style symptom for up to three months. Interestingly, fatigue symptoms, level of exhaustion post-physical or mental exertion, quality of sleep, or generalised muscle aches and pains, were similar across both those who had had Covid, and those who had tested negative for Covid. The problem is that chronic fatigue is common after many other types of infectious diseases, e.g. flu.
It looks as if my partially blocked nose and occasional cough may just be the results of my weakened immune system. I’ll soon be getting my flue vaccine.
Day Twentyfour
Still waking up with a blocked nose, and the back of my throat is dry and makes me cough. Ricola originals very helpful.
Was told not to have a new Covid vaccination for the next 6 months.
Day Forty
Felt fine, but still had a dry throat that made me cough occasionally.
