Evening everyone.

I have no idea if this has been done or similar posted before however over the past 7 years since I’ve been on this forum I’ve received some great info and advice and wanted to put this on here. Not everyone gets to the PIT.
If it helps just one person with a symptom they have which means they get test quicker it must be a good thing.
Im not a health professional and this is only based around my own experiences with a positive test.

My understanding of the Covid symptoms were a persistent new cough, loss or change of smell and taste and a high temperature. My experiences along with my wife’s were very different to these.

I noticed a very light tickly, clearing the back of the throat cough at the very start, it was no way persistent and certainly didn’t happen 3 times in an hour like is mentioned on the NHS site. From then until now the cough has stayed the same and only springs up every now and again and more noticeable after drinking or moving.

I then noticed on the second day that I was very tired and found it very difficult getting my arse off the sofa, this then progressed in to a sinus type headache and pains in to my neck. I then noticed a very strange sensation throughout my whole nasal cavity and roof of the mouth which can only be described as on fire or like someone’s injected me with pepper. I grabbed hold of my aftershave at this stage and could still smell it but hadn’t realised I’d lost my taste. I then noticed my taste had gone when my wife made a cuppa later on in the evening. At no point have I even been blocked up which is normal for me when I get a cold. I then developed a very slight runny nose and my voice was hoarse.

I then later that evening developed a temperature which made my face, neck and back very hot and sticky and when measured with a boots digital thermometer was showing 38.2.....this quickly passed with an open window.
On top of this I’ve also had intermittently very cold hands and feet that are very difficult to warm up even with a hot water bottle.
I have also completely lost my appetite have had no feelings of hunger at all.
A mild metallic taste has also been present for most of this.

I read from various reports that there was a huge difference between a cold loss of taste and Covid loss of taste, the difference being that with Covid loss was normally a total loss and not being able to distinguish sweet and sour, for me this was total rubbish. Although I’ve lost my taste and smell I can still distinguish sweet and can smell the merest hint of coffee. At the stage I was reading this I was using this as my assumption of being clear of the virus so please don’t do the same as I did.

SO Please, if you or any of your friends and family have developed any slight cough or have any small change at all in your taste and smell get tested and lock yourself down. I was expecting, wrongly, that the symptoms would have been more severe and in reality apart from the tiredness/ exhaustion and head pain mine have been unremarkable.

Stay safe everyone

FFF.