the holiday COVID blues

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

my wife was experiencing some very mild, on again, off again, on again cold symptoms over the past week and a half. first it was feverishness (and nothing else), then it went away, then a few days later, out of nowhere she started getting a lot of nasal congestion. she went to take a COVID test but realized that the last few tests we have are actually expired by a few months. she decided to take one of them anyway, just so it wouldn't go to waste... it came back positive. what I'm wondering is... if its expired by a few months, would it be more likely to produce a semi-accurate positive, or negative result? she's in the process of getting some brand new COVID test kits today so that we can get a more accurate result. we shall see. if its a true positive, this will be her very first known case of COVID that she's ever had (in our family, so far, me and one of my sons had COVID once, earlier this year)... and it will completely obliterate all the holiday plans that we have lined up for the rest of this week, from tomorrow, all the way up to the 26th... ugh... keeping my fingers crossed for a negative result soon.

 

[paul-e-mann]

my wife was experiencing some very mild, on again, off again, on again cold symptoms over the past week and a half. first it was feverishness (and nothing else), then it went away, then a few days later, out of nowhere she started getting a lot of nasal congestion. she went to take a COVID test but realized that the last few tests we have are actually expired by a few months. she decided to take one of them anyway, just so it wouldn't go to waste... it came back positive. what I'm wondering is... if its expired by a few months, would it be more likely to produce a semi-accurate positive, or negative result? she's in the process of getting some brand new COVID test kits today so that we can get a more accurate result. we shall see. if its a true positive, this will be her very first known case of COVID that she's ever had (in our family, so far, me and one of my sons had COVID once, earlier this year)... and it will completely obliterate all the holiday plans that we have lined up for the rest of this week, from tomorrow, all the way up to the 26th... ugh... keeping my fingers crossed for a negative result soon.

Those tests have a 50% accuracy rate. If it comes back positive fast then she probably has it. If its been a week and a half since first symptoms then she's well beyond the contagious stage and nobody has to worry about catching it from her. Isolate 5 days and wear a mask around people 5-7 days, thats the recommendation. She can show signs of symptoms for months sadly for her but I think you'll be good for the holidays as long as she feels ok. Pretty sure she can test positive for months once contracted so you cant go by the tests, you just gotta go by the recommendations of isolation and mask for the time period.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

Those tests have a 50% accuracy rate. If it comes back positive fast then she probably has it. If its been a week and a half since first symptoms then she's well beyond the contagious stage and nobody has to worry about catching it from her. Isolate 5 days and wear a mask around people 5-7 days, thats the recommendation. She can show signs of symptoms for months sadly for her but I think you'll be good for the holidays as long as she feels ok. Pretty sure she can test positive for months once contracted so you cant go by the tests, you just gotta go by the recommendations of isolation and mask for the time period.

yeah, I was worried because her positive result came up immediately. in less than a minute. but... from what I've read, expired home tests are supposedly even less reliable than they normally are. I'm hoping that is true. the problem is, its kinda difficult to determine when her symptoms started. about a week and a half ago was when she started feeling feverish and weak. but around that time, she took a home test, and it came up negative... then a few days later she felt better... then a few days after that was when she started getting all stuffed up, so the nasal congestion probably started around 2 days ago, I think. either way, the new test is being procured as we speak, and she will be telling me the results any moment now.

 

[donwagar]

This:

If its been a week and a half since first symptoms then she's well beyond the contagious stage and nobody has to worry about catching it from her.

I'm just coming out of Covid with the added pneumonia bonus. It's pretty slow to clear up.

Also, you can't do an accurate test again for about 90 days - I think that means she will still show positive because she'd had it.

I would think the fever would be the indicator of when it started.

 

[Metroman]

If I was still feeling bad, I would stay away from people.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

This:


I'm just coming out of Covid with the added pneumonia bonus. It's pretty slow to clear up.

Also, you can't do an accurate test again for about 90 days - I think that means she will still show positive because she'd had it.

I would think the fever would be the indicator of when it started.

what do you mean, you can't do an accurate test for 90 days? she got a positive result from a home test that was expired by a few months. so she's in the process of getting a new one so that she can re-test.

 

[paul-e-mann]

what do you mean, you can't do an accurate test for 90 days? she got a positive result from a home test that was expired by a few months. so she's in the process of getting a new one so that she can re-test.

Have her go to the doctor to get the long test, takes a day or so for results but its alot more accurate, the quick home tests are just junk. She could test positive for up to 90 days but I believe its a false positive.

 

[paul-e-mann]

yeah, I was worried because her positive result came up immediately. in less than a minute. but... from what I've read, expired home tests are supposedly even less reliable than they normally are. I'm hoping that is true. the problem is, its kinda difficult to determine when her symptoms started. about a week and a half ago was when she started feeling feverish and weak. but around that time, she took a home test, and it came up negative... then a few days later she felt better... then a few days after that was when she started getting all stuffed up, so the nasal congestion probably started around 2 days ago, I think. either way, the new test is being procured as we speak, and she will be telling me the results any moment now.

My wife just got over covid, if you take tests too soon they come back negative, thats what your wife experienced and so did mine. It wasnt until she took her 3rd and 4th test many days after did it come back positive. Just keep track of the day when she first experienced symptoms and especially fever, thats day zero then count 5 days from there to isolate, then 5-7 days wear a mask around people. I had covid over the summer so fortunately I'm immune for the time being, my son caught covid at school and passed it on to my wife the first week of December. They are both better now with minor symptoms.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

UPDATE:
her second test came back positive immediately... bummer... we were just saying the other day how amazing it is that her and my oldest son have most likely completely avoided getting COVID at all, over the past 2 and a half years that its been ravaging this country... the good thing is, we're thinking this past Saturday or Sunday was probably the last day she felt feverish, so that means she just needs to quarantine for another day and a half, and then theoretically, her level of contagious-ness should drop way down after that. obviously she will mask up wherever she is, for at least 2 to 3 days afterwards. unfortunately, it looks like our trip to my parents' house to celebrate: my twin brothers' birthday, the traditional Italian 7-fishes dinner, and christmas - is completely cancelled (for us, anyway)... my wife is thoroughly embarrassed and disgusted.

 

[paul-e-mann]

UPDATE:
her second test came back positive immediately... bummer... we were just saying the other day how amazing it is that her and my oldest son have most likely completely avoided getting COVID at all, over the past 2 and a half years that its been ravaging this country... the good thing is, we're thinking this past Saturday or Sunday was probably the last day she felt feverish, so that means she just needs to quarantine for another day and a half, and then theoretically, her level of contagious-ness should drop way down after that. obviously she will mask up wherever she is, for at least 2 to 3 days afterwards. unfortunately, it looks like our trip to my parents' house to celebrate: my twin brothers' birthday, the traditional Italian 7-fishes dinner, and christmas - is completely cancelled (for us, anyway)... my wife is thoroughly embarrassed and disgusted.

Glad to hear she's feeling better!

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy47]

Glad to hear she's feeling better!

well, the feverishness is completely gone, yes... right now the only symptom she is dealing with is some massive nasal congestion. also, she's really bummed out because we had a nice, fancy holiday work dinner planned for tomorrow, and a trip to go see my side of the family this weekend... that's all in the sh*tter now, and she's really upset about it.

 

[paul-e-mann]

well, the feverishness is completely gone, yes... right now the only symptom she is dealing with is some massive nasal congestion. also, she's really bummed out because we had a nice, fancy holiday work dinner planned for tomorrow, and a trip to go see my side of the family this weekend... that's all in the sh*tter now, and she's really upset about it.