How long did covid last for you?

I have been told, by a nurse, that I have had COVID twice, and to isolate for 5 days each. Both lasted less than one day. My symptoms where a cough so bad as to hurt my arms that hurt worse than a blood pressure cuff. I am double vaxxed and double boosted, and I have all the flu shots for the past 5 years.

I have a headache now, and I hope it isn’t an infection.

Best wishes on your health.

The worst part was the isolation, but I had a rainy day fund and was able to order Meals on Wheels for a pay later deal, and take out .

First time I didn’t know I had it.
Second time, about a week.

I pretty much slept the whole time, and people woke me up to remind me to drink water. I had a lot of snot. The sleeping lasted a few days.

All in all it wasn’t bad. I take a lot of supplements, and I know they helped.

oh yes this is me – sleeping… man the exhaustion is real!

I’ve managed to avoid it so far (or had it so mild I didn’t notice) but I know a lot of people who have had it. About half said they were feeling better between day 5 and 7 and the other half between day 10 and 14. One thing to watch out for is that the cough seems to hang around for a while afterwards maybe another 2 weeks or so.

I had it early on. Had one night of burning up/icy chills, got tested the next day and found out I have Covid. Second night was about like the first, just to a slightly lesser degree. I was required to quarantine for 10 days. After the first 2, I had no symptoms other than a slightly burning nose once in a while. But people react differently to it. Some get hit hard, others not so much. My wife didn’t have bad symptoms, but she lost her sense of taste and smell and it still hasn’t returned to any great degree.

I had it in spring 2022. It started with a really bad sore throat, then headache, chills, head cold, coughing, sneezing. I couldn’t taste food. I spent about five days in bed and was sick for about 7 days total, or maybe 8.

Five days or so, very similar to a bad sinus infection. No real appetite although I couldn’t say I lost smell and taste. Five days of isolation then about 5 more with doing some errands masked. I had it last summer and may have had a rebound case in October; the test was inconclusive.

It doesn’t sound like your case is terrible. Do you work on managing your anxiety?

Have not had it yet, I think.
I have been isolating myself at home for about 3 years now. Never went out before anyway, and cutting out the daily train commute for 3 years clearly helps prevent exposure.

Hi! Wow, it’s nice to see you pop up here.

I haven’t had it yet, but I know a lot of people who have. Most are sick around 10 days, but it’s varied 5–21 days, and a few have severe weakness or some other problem ongoing. Some people are only sick the 5 days, but have a lingering cough a week more to finish clearing their lungs. I know people who never got the cough, just basically a stuffy head.

More recently a lot of people complain about laryngitis, which seems to be a newer symptom, but not everyone gets that symptom.

@janbb Why do you call it a “rebound” case?

@JLeslie I don’t really know what to call it since I don’t know if it really was Covid. I did not take Paxlovid but I don’t analyze my illnesses as closely as you may.

@janbb Sounds like you caught another something. You were just sick again.

Rebound is usually when a treatment wasn’t effective or symptoms from withdrawal of an addictive drug. Like when someone gets a rebound headache from caffeine, or when someone’s antibiotic treatment is insufficient and they were never really cured they sometimes call it rebound, although I completely disagree with using rebound for that. In fact,

I’m wondering if the Paxlovid course of treatment is too short and that’s why some people get sick again. Maybe two more days would prevent most of the rebound cases. I’ve been curious to look up the duration of testing they bothered with during the trials.

The shorter the days, the faster they get through trials, and the faster they get to market.

I got it at the very beginning.
March 22, 2020
Broke the temp on Day 5. Broke the respiratory issues on Day 6.

Keep us up to date. Best wishes for a swift full recovery.

I got it at the end of June, 2022.
It started as a sore throat and lingered in my chest as a cough for weeks. I only felt bad for a day or two, but work made me take off for five days.
I’ve had all vaccines, so maybe that’s why my case was not severe.

FYI the US government is now giving every household four free tests, 12/2022, if you google covid.gov/tests. I ordered mine yesterday and they’ll ship next week.

@jca2 Thanks for the reminder. I just ordered mine.

Thankfully I nor my wife has contracted Covid but many of my friends and family have, but we have been taking all the recommended precautions such as wearing masks. In fact we still are.

You don’t say whether you have been sensible enough to have the Covid vaccines.

Although the vaccines cannot stop you from contracting Covid it definitely lowers the effects.

However if you have done the Covid test or your doctor gave you one and that has confirmed you have the virus the the advise is that you should as far as possible isolate yourself in order to minimise the chance of passing it on to others and when in the vicinity of other wear a mask.

I have to say that from the description of your ailments I am concerned as to whether you do actually have Covid.

If it is then you should be feeling better by now unless of course you have developed ‘Long Covid’, which I pray you haven’t.

I believe you should ask your doctor to re-examine you to determine whether it is actually Covid.

In my Country (England) during our two lockdowns from Covid not one person I know contracted the virus but after in our Government’s ‘infinite’ wisdom and they said we did not need to wear masks or isolate.

Ever since that I know of over 20 people who have contracted Covid, a couple long Covid which in my opinion just proves that taking the right precautions such as wearing masks and isolating if the virus is contracted goes a long way to cut down the risk of Covid.

@Poseidon I believe @tan253 lives in England now too. I might be wrong.

@tan253 By the way, most people I know who lost their ability to taste got it back within 3 weeks, but I do know a couple of people it dragged out longer, well past when they felt all better.

@Poseidon The OP is only on day 5, that is not a long time. The OP is an admitted hypochondriac, so her anxiety is most likely her own catastrophizing of the situation. It doesn’t sound like her covid symptoms are severe, but rather fairly typical. She is in touch with her doctor.

@Poseidon Five days of being sick doesn’t qualify as “long covid.”

Hey! Thanks guys, I“m in NZ. I’m actually better, but my anxiety really took me for a WILD walk…. the lack of smell and taste is intense! Yesterday I could smell some scents and today NOTHING! I had some oils all set up to smell them just to test my sense of smell and now I can’t smell them at all, I hope it comes back fast…. Thanks everyone – hypochondria and covid not fun.

So far still Covid free, so is my whole family. We are kinda germaphobes’ always washing our hands and wearing masks when in public even when we don’t have to.

I was off work for a week. Three really miserable days aches and exhausted, then like a bad cold for another week. The dry cough hung on for about six weeks though.

I’m sorry you are struggling. My family had Covid in November. Our 18 year old son had it first. We think he got exposed on Halloween. Four days later I took him to the emergency room because he could barely move and he felt like he was going to pass out. After they took his vitals during check in my son bypassed everyone in the waiting room. His blood pressure was extremely low. They admitted him into the hospital and he was almost put in ICU. His bp slightly improved so they put him in intermediate care. He spent 24 hours there before he could come home.

It took many hours before the doctors knew what caused his bp to drop. It’s rare: https://www.cdc.gov/mis/mis-c.html

It’s been six weeks since we were all sick and we’re almost back to 100%. Our energy is still slow and I’m hanging on to a minor cough.

When do you think you’re past the ‘worrying’ stage of covid? I keep waiting for the stage with my panic… I’m day 6 – I think I’m past it?!

Usually the worst happens in the first few days of onset of symptoms.

Yeah thank you – I’m hoping I’m past the hard slog – it’s so hard to know as google terrrifes you… @JLeslie hi!!!!!!!!! :) xo

Stay away from Google. Please.

Trust your gut and call or visit a medical professional when you feel it’s needed.

Thank you – yes google is NOT my friend.

Almost three years now.

I think you’re past any chance of some sort of very extreme worrisome symptom. Most people I know who wound up needing an inhaler or had symptoms that felt life threatening and went to the hospital were that sick by the third day.

A few people I know weren’t shaking it after a week and were given antibiotics under the assumption it was a bacterial secondary infection to the covid. However, I know plenty of people who were overall better after ten days, but had a cough or laryngitis or no smell for an additional week or two and didn’t need any prescriptions. They took some OTC cough medicine if they needed it.

Let us know how you’re feeling. The collective will want to know that you’re ok.

@tan253 I know you specifically asked for personal experience, and I don’t have any, but I just wanted to say that I hope you are completely recovered soon and can fully enjoy your holidays. <3

The worst of it, two days.
Chest pains, two months.

Rick and I got it in 2020 before they were testing. Lasted about a day.
My chest got so tight that I took myself to the ER to get it checked out. Today they’d slap me in the hospital I’m sure!

Day 8 and feeling congested – I think I’m better – it’s the COVID panic that got me the worst!

Hopefully taste and smell will come back soon!!

Well, mine did, but now things just don’t taste right.

Well I’m slowly getting my smell and taste back – but still can’t smell my dogs paws ;) They were my favourite thing to smell as weird as that sounds, they smell like burrito chips, so I’m going to keep testing by senses by smelling his paws! To be honest the covid panic that hit me was worse than covid itself… that covid panic is real!!!

@tan253 Everyone is different. I was actually relieved whenI got it because it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

@janbb – were you vaccinated prior to infection? I was, and it took 10 days before I tested negative after catching it last summer.

@RocketGuy Yes, vaccinated and boosted and it took 10 days to test negative. but my sympotms were not terrible. And my main point was that not everyone has “covid panic.” I was more afraid before I got it although I certainly don’t want to get it again.

Edit: “symptoms”

same with me – vaccinated, mild symptoms

Seven days.

I’m vaccinated but I catch Covid all the time due to being out in large gatherings constantly. It usually lasts about 3 days for me. When I have the disease, I stay home till I test negative.
Like most diseases, Covid has “evolved” to be more contagious but less deadly. The virus “wants” to survive, so it evolves away from deadliness, and evolves towards contagiousness.

Not that it “wants” to survive, the variations that propagate better just become more widespread.