There's a really bad strain of cold going around

Orange 🍊 juice to the rescue!

I had it last month and it lasted 2 1/2 weeks. You have my sympathy OP.

I coughed for like 3 weeks recently. Nasty stuff, although I wasn’t congested and nothing was really sore.

Two and a half weeks, R2?

OMG, I can't take it.

I've only had it a week, and I'm completely miserable.

This is awful.

Being a superwhore gave it to you, stop lying.

Sorry r4, it is going around here and it takes longer to recover from than a normal cold.

Yes, a sore throat that lasts longer than usual with a cold. That part lasts 4 or 5 days. The sinus pain and nasal congestion lasts for over least two weeks. Take a mucus and phlegm reducing cough medicine. No DM shit or anything with pseudoephedrine - they will only make the sinus pain worse. Take a saline nasal spray 3X a day and the cough syrup every 8 hours. Tylenol for the sore throat and body aches. You will be very tired with this cold, it more like a flu. Sleep. My co-workers mother just died of this cold 2 weeks ago. It's best to take time off from work until the worst of it is over. The cough lasts for over 3 weeks but if you don't die of it you should feel quite a bit better after 18 days or so.

[quote] My co-workers mother just died of this cold 2 weeks ago

Are you serious??? That's awful.

Does the CDC categorize something like this, which isn't classified as the "flu," but can be as bad, if not worse?

This sounds dangerous.

r7 is not me at r2 and r6

Why would R7 be you at R2 and R6?? What a strange response R9. Did you get the encephalitis with this virus that killed my friend's mother? Because you seem disoriented.

I am R7. This illness has been classified as the flu. Your doctor is wrong.

Activity is being caused mostly by influenza B/Victoria viruses, which is unusual for this time of year. A/H1N1 viruses are the next most common and are increasing in proportion relative to other influenza viruses in some regions. CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 2.6 million flu illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths from flu.

As you see, you are unlikely to die from it, but people do. My friend's mother was only 56. She was in good health otherwise. So sad. But you know, it's a random world and she didn't listen to her body.

Take the mucus and phlegm reducing cough syrup, a saline and aloe pressurized nasal spray, Extra strength Tylenol and eat protein for antibody production. Avoid dairy products. Stay hydrated. Sleep with your head elevated. Hold a pillow to your stomach when your cough becomes violent. Don't risk complications. Do not go to work or outside while you still have a fever or body aches. But do stock up on supplies. If mucus production become virulent, you MUST get to the hospital for a chest xray and blood gases. Do NOT go to a clinic and ask for antibiotics without a chest X Ray. General symptoms will not go away before 12 to 18 days. Another week of coughing and feeling tired after that. Good luck OP.

Yes. For God's sakes listen to Dr Cunt here.

R10 that's scary.

Especially since I had my flu shot back in September, and I still came down with this "whatever it is."

I forgot to add the fever part of my symptoms. I'm sweating, then freezing, then sweating, then freezing. It's the freakiest thing.

The cough is really the worst, though. It's literally non-stop coughing for a week (so far). And NOTHING I have taken, has alleviated the coughing.

I feel sorry for your friend's mother. 56 is relatively young to die of the flu.

So what you're saying is that this will most likely continue for another week or two, and there's nothing I can do to make it end sooner?

Maybe it's leukemia, OP.

Good luck.

You're a woman, aren't you? Of some kind.

Now I've told you what to take. The cough is inherent to the virus but is partially triggered by the non stop post nasal drip down your throat. So the mucus and phlegm reducing cough syrups do help with this. The mucus becomes thinner and less of a trigger for coughing. I've told you this 3 times now. Take two extra strength Tylenol every 6 to 8 hours. No more than 6 per day, but always 2 at once. Get the coated ones if possible and take them with a bit of food. No need to get liver failure on top of this killer flu. Do not go to a clinic, they're bored of sick people. If you are very worried, go to emergency. But be prepared for a long time sitting up. Best to wait it out and keep yourself amused. Hot showers do help to feel better. Try to have one daily. Do go out to a corner store and get some snacks and treats and juice and gatorade if you don't have a friend to do it for you. It will tire you out but you'll feel better with some comfort supplies. Eat as much as you want, just not much dairy. No supplements will help. No lemon or honey or salt water gargles. You are alleviating symptoms and getting rest. Stay hydrated. Do are your told.

*Do as you're told!!!

I had a bad chest cold with phlegm that lasted for over 2 weeks. Painful. I took Oregano oil extract and I think that helped a little.

You are marvelous R7. Well informed and detailed. Thank you for guiding us through this. It sounds like a real bitch. Fingers crossed I stay clear of it.

I drink a lot of teas (fennel, mint, camille), and when I feel even the slightest hint of a flu symptom I get myself an Earl Grey tea with lemon, honey, and lots of rum and go to sleep.

Treat yourself (and that includes your body) with love and care.

I had pneumonia and then shortly after that cleared I had a sinus infection. I was like a mucus factory for weeks. I was doing a food grade hydrogen peroxide gargle for my gums and then after about 2-3 days of gargling with H2O2 the sinus Infection cleared up. The about Three days later a ton of backed up mucus cleared out then I was completely cured. It was such a relief. I think the hydrogen peroxide killed off the germs causing my illness.

I've had it for 3 weeks+. I'm coughing, but there's no congestion. No nasal drip. No runny nose. Occasional sneezing. Loss of taste and smell, but no loss of appetite.

Only thing is to drink lots of fluids, take ibuprofen, daily vitamin C, chicken soup, and get plenty of sleep. Of course, how can one sleep when coughing up a lung?

Good times.

I had a lung-rattling cough for about a month that's finally tapering off.

I got this last year about this time. The entire episode lasted from late November till mid-March --- three successive waves. Slights lulls in the misery and then it would come roaring back.

After the second bout, I went to my PCP, embarrassed to be coming in for a damn COLD, but I was miserable. Couldn't sleep during the worst of it.

I was tested for flu (not flu) and given two injections in my butt, and a prescription for some souped up cough medicine. Still unsure whether any of that did me any good. Time seemed to be the only thing that helped.

Who came up with these SUPER COLDS? Is this Asian in origin, or Russian, or South American? Where did this shit come from!?

[quote]Where did this shit come from!?

His name is Flagg. The Dark Man. The Walkin' Dude.

Were you tested for rabies? I knew someone who had this and it turned out to be rabies. On the off chance that it's rabies, drink plenty of water. Good luck.

I currently am in the throws off this cough/cold. Thankful that I found this thread. I have been taking the getting for flu version of Walgreens generic NyQuil, which has acetaminophen, as well as 30mg of dextromethorphan, the same cough suppressant in Delsym. During the day I supplement with the orangey gel tabs. My buddy does not feel achy like the flu, but the cough is a bitch. I am using a cool mist humidifier in my bedroom. I am going to add a mucous reliever medicine, thanks to the suggestions in this thread.

Goodness, I wish we could edit!! Getting=generic, buddy=body.

Got this 3-4 weeks ago and still coughing a little. Know of someone who has developed a serious chest infection from it - was initially fobbed off with antibiotics which didn't work.

I found sweating it out while sleeping sometimes works. Wear a sweatshirt and a knit cap to bead. Be prepared to changed into a similar shirt and cap the middle of the night. I do this for about 3 nights and helps get rid of the cold.

I also had this terrible cold for 2 1/2 weeks. Nothing helped to alleviate the symptoms. I honestly thought I had pneumonia. Went to my pharmacist who recommended Mucinex Expectorant tablets. I was so much better within a couple of hours. That stuff is fucking awesome.

Yes R22, Boris came to America to infect us. Why does it always have to be the Russians with you all?

Make sure to share it with your coworkers. Happy Holidays!

R30 -- Because I am not a deplorable who thinks the Russians are just misunderstood and suddenly our friends ... ?

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

It lasted 20 days for me, and yesterday afternoon I thought it was finally over, but woke up this morning with the congestion in my lungs back, coughing again, sore throat again...

OP, I suggest you read my entire thread on how to cure a sore throat and nasal congestion. Really worked miracles. I added a Western product for those who don't like Chinese medicine.

Also suggest adding preferably raw garlic, onions, capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers or use Louisiana hot sauce, as well as Tumeric and curry powder to your chicken or vegetable soup. One of the reasons why chicken soup has always been proven to cure colds and related illnesses.

What part of the country do you sick posters live in? No offense, I just hope it’s not by me.

Arkansas & Tennessee. I blame the FedEx pilots bringing in the latest and greatest cold viruses to Memphis International Airport from all over.

Thanks so much for your good advice and tough love, R7/R14.

I'll be taking it.

This thread is CONTAGIOUS!

My partner has it. His coughs are horrible. So far, it's lasted 2 weeks, but it's getting better

Hot, soapy showers. Hack, gargle and blow your nose in the warm steaminess- get it all out.

Sounds like the new Grid. Ughhh.

People are always sick up here in MA. Someone just sneezed next to me. Ugh

Take a teaspoon of fire tonic every morning.

......

Who are these people who can call in sick to work? Even with a cold? No one in my office has ever “called in sick”. We are expected to be at the airport 6am Monday and at the client all week - even if violently ill. I dream of a job where I can take a sick day because I have a cold.

[quote] I forgot to add the fever part of my symptoms. I'm sweating, then freezing, then sweating, then freezing. It's the freakiest thing.

I had the same thing and got up in the middle of the night to change my t-shirt because of the sweating. Got a towel to remove the sweat. Then I was shivering.

It took about two weeks for it to go away. Fine now.

R37 exactly. NYC here, washing my hands every few hours.

This is why companies need to bring back maintenance crews and clean their buildings, floors, windows, desks etc.

Everything is so filthy these days and it makes for horrible flu seasons. America used to be a clean place, for all its other problems.

BRING BACK SANITATION!!!!!!

Yeah. People need to wash their hands more often.

I came down with it the week before Thanksgiving, with strep throat on top of it. It took about three weeks before I felt fully back to normal. I used to only get sick for about 5-7 days. These days the crap going around clings on for two or more weeks. Exhausting.

Last year, I got three similar things in a row so that I was sick on and off for about six weeks. Each one lasted about two weeks or more. I'd feel better for about a day or two, then I'd get hit with the next round. Finally got over everything and have been fine until Thanksgiving.

When at the grocery store get the wipes before you get your cart and wipe the handle down.

I’m going on my third week. Miserable.

You can wash your hands 1000 times but if the virus is all over these filthy surfaces then it won’t help.

Corporations have decided that it’s ok to let public spaces be completely disgusting.

My best friend works in a hospital and brought this little "gift" home with her and then gave it to me. This strain absolutely doesn't want go away. I'm on week 3 and finally much, much better - but still not 100%. The phlegm and congestion just never stop it seems. I have never coughed so much in my life. Invest in a good decongestant and plenty of Vit. C and Zinc. I never had any indications of bacterial infections, so never bothered to see my GP. Good luck guys!

Thank you OP, for your timely warning A WEEK after I got this infection. Maybe next time, you can warn us about bush beating al gore.

[quote] I came down with it the week before Thanksgiving, with strep throat on top of it.

My cold started the week b/f Thanksgiving also. First symptom was a sore throat and hoarse voice like pharyngitis. I also have/had a sinus headache. The only thing that helps, for me, is rest. Hot showers also feel really good. I bought some bromelain (pineapple) pills, b/c those have helped me in the past with sinus issues.

It's a bronchial virus. Been hacking up a lung since Thanksgiving. My building elevator sounds like a tuberculosis ward.

I got a flu shot this morning. I've never been overly worried about catching the flu, but this year it 's running rampant through my part of the country so I'm not taking any chances. And luckily I got the last dose of over 65 vaccine they had in stock.

I'm glad to see a thread about this. I got it a week before Thanksgiving and it was the strangest and longest lingering cold that I've ever had. Absolutely the worst cough I've ever had and it was caused by a tickle in my throat and not chest congestion. Sore throat, low grade fever, chills and exhaustion, but none of the other aches that come with the flu or a cold, aside from pulling muscles in my back and stomach from the relentless coughing. I wasn't able to speak for a few days because every time I tried, I'd just break into a coughing fit. I just started to feel better last week.

Lemon tea with a heaping teaspoon of ginger and honey helped a bit with the throat tickle/cough.

I once gave a bad case of the flu to a FB. He lost 5 lbs so he actually thanked me for it.

Gargling with sodium bicarbonate really helps, especially if the coughing keeps you from sleeping.

The Flu is not getting more powerful it’s just that people don’t clean public spaces like they did even 10 years ago.

MAKE AMERICA CLEAN AGAIN

Also, the staph explosion a few years ago happened at the same time that most all hospitals were taken over by investment groups, and the non profits consolidated.

They drastically reduced expenses, and staph got out of control.

Corporations have thrown the baby out with the bath water. Even these so called “non profits”.

Anything to save a buck. Enjoy your flu!

Ugh, this sounds like that horrible flu from two years ago and came in two waves. Just as you thought you were feeling better, the second wave came. Many people I know, including myself were sick for a month.

A cold is caused by an adenovirus that is located in your nose and sinuses. Flu is caused by an influenza virus that is located in your lungs. There is no effective vaccine to prevent colds, unlike flu. I was told by my PA that this season's cold is a new, "super virus," and can make you very ill indeed, but antibiotics should not be used unless there is a secondary bacterial infection. OTC drugs generally aren't very effective, although an anti-inflammatory like Tylenol can reduce fever and aches. If one is coughing and not producing any phlegm, then probably a cough suppressant is in order. There is oral medication that quiets the reflex and doesn't contain opiates. An OTC like Nyquil has several ingredients that are potentially dangerous--so if you want the heavy leaded syrup, get a prescription medication because even cough syrup containing opiates is safer than that swill.

[quote] w garlic, onions, capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers or use Louisiana hot sauce, as well as Tumeric and curry powder to your chicken or vegetable soup. One of the reasons why chicken soup has always been proven to cure colds and related illnesses

So much nonsense in this thread, it’s hard to know where to start. Americans are so ignorant.

Chicken soup has not been proven to cure colds & related illnesses. The fat in chicken soup is an emulsifier that helps loosen secretions, much like guaifenesin. That’s all.

Mucinex is nothing but guaifenesin, which has been around in cold medication for decades. The manufacturer simply took this common ingredient, put it in a capsule, gave it a new brand name and marketed it as a miracle cure. They also jacked the price up about 1,000 times. Now it’s nigh impossible to get guaifenesin in an affordable medication. For years Walmart sold it as Equate cough & chest medication, $4 for 30 tablets. Before that, they sold it in daytime/nighttime medication for 88¢. Yes, only about 7 years ago this stuff was sold by Walmart for 88¢.

Well, Walmart put the word “maximum” in front of the words “cough & chest congestion” and sell it for about $15 now.

Wearing sweat shirts and hats to bed is not a “treatment” and it doesn’t cure anything . The stupid things you do don’t cure you of a virus. A virus either kills you or runs it’s course in its own due time, unless a dr gives you an antiviral drug like Tamiflu to shorten the duration.

Over the counter drugs, Chinese herbs, teas, lotions, potions & incantations aren’t curing your virus. You were going to get better anyway. You just happened to do something at the time the virus was leaving you and believed coincidence was causation. Stop telling people to do stupid things. My father swore eating a teaspoon of Vick’s Vaporub sprinkled in salt cured a cold. He took it until his cold went away & pronounced himself cured by it. Some things can loosen mucus, calm a sore throat, help a cough. They’re not curing you, but they are treating symptoms appropriately. Dumb things like making yourself sweat or eating Vick’s or curry isnt helping.

Nor is blaming Fed Ex pilots (are you retarded?)

Reminder, the next time you point your finger at someone & claim they’re disgusting for giv8ng this to you —— you’re going to give this to someone else.

R68 is a crashing bore and a would-be know-it-all. Ignore.

The Science Behind Chicken Soup

Anti-Inflammatory Effect: A 2000 study published in CHEST suggested that the mild anti-inflammatory effect conferred by chicken soup could be one of the reasons behind the soup’s ability to mitigate symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections like the common cold. Typically, when an individual comes down with a cold, the body responds with inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. The inflammatory response in turn signals white blood cells (WBCs) to migrate to the region. This migration of WBCs into upper respiratory tract may contribute to the commonly encountered cold symptoms, such as stuffy noses.When the researchers measured the ability of the WBCs to migrate through a filter from one side of a chamber to the other side, they found that fewer cells migrated to the other side of the chamber in the presence of chicken soup. As a result, the scientists of the study propose that some ingredient in the soup may be responsible for slowing or blocking the migration of these WBCs to the upper respiratory tract and thus, aid in relieving cold symptoms. Nevertheless, from this study of chicken soup (made from ingredients including chicken, onions, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, celery, parsley, salt, and pepper), the researchers were unable to identify the biologically active compound [6-7]. A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Therapeutics suggested that a compound called carnosine, which is found in sources like chicken soup and chicken breast, could help inhibit the proinflammatory conditions typically associated with the initial stages of viral infections and prevent the development of the common cold [8].

Increased Movement of Nasal Fluids: Although hot fluids typically aid in the movement of nasal mucus, chicken soup can be superior to hot water in increasing the movement of nasal mucus, clearing the airways, and easing congestion. This insight into chicken soup is based upon a study that examined the nasal mucus velocity of 15 healthy subjects who drank cold water, hot water, or chicken soup. The results of this research (published in a 1978 article in CHEST) demonstrated that compared with hot water and cold water, hot chicken soup led to improved nasal mucus velocity [9]. Furthermore, according to a 1998 report from Coping with Allergies and Asthma, chicken soup may improve the ability of the tiny hairline projections in the nose (called cilia) to prevent infectious particles from afflicting the body [10].

-UCLA

Again - chicken soup has never been “proven to cure colds and other related illnesses.”

Be careful when it comes to science on datalounge, where threads about ghosts & the supernatural attract flocks of credulous frau officeworkers

R66 exactly. Two-workers and my husband are in their third week.

The day my husband finally went in to get drugs I followed in for Tamiflu. I had about three days where it felt like it was coming on, then I got better other than feeling really tired. I also had the flu shot in October.

The doc said that I'd still get it, but both the vaccine and Tamiflu would reduce the severity of the symptoms. He was right and I am beyond grateful.

R68, the gingerols and shaogals in ginger root are anti-inflammatories, antimicrobials and contain antioxidants. Honey is also an antimicrobial. The ginger honey tea not only relieves a sore throat but they are known to kill some of the agents that cause colds.

R72, you shouldn't use Tamiflu unless you know you have the flu. You're body builds a tolerance to it and it becomes less effective the more you use it.

R68, WebMD is only one of many sources praising chicken soup.

R68, Mayo Clinic advocates warm liquid including chicken soup.

R68, Another medical info source lauding chicken soup with onions for colds.

And absolutely none of those claim it cures the common cold.

OP What city are you in? Cleveland Ohio here. I had the same thing last year. The coughing lasted for a month.

R68, "Relieving symptoms" makes almost everyone feel much better, more energetic, and less depressed. Furthermore we're less miserable to be around just by the fact that we're not exhibiting the worst of the symptoms of the illness we are fighting. Good enough for me

R79, In Vegas and was so sick last year I couldn't swallow any liquid for over a week. Went to quick care and got prescription cough syrup and a shot and my constant hacking cough ended. Been a very, very long time since I was that ill.

I've barely been sick at all this year thankfully.

I've had a terrible sore throat since Saturday. I rested Sunday, hoped I'd be better today but instead feel worse. I drank 5 cups of ginger and turmeric tea which made it a little better during the day, hopefully I don't get any worse.

It's interesting to learn that this was flu. I had been coughing my head off, and I had this weird feeling of heat behind my eyes, which is something that always happens when I get the flu, but I never advanced to muscle aches and chills.

I hope this means I'm done. Last year, I had both A and B within two months.

Wait what is wrong w NyQuil?

R67 Tylenol or Paracetamol is not in the NSAID class. It does reduce fever, and is an analgesic, but not an anti-inflammatory drug.

Those suffering viruses may benefit from Elderberry extract, like Sambucal, or one from the health food store. Elderberry has anti-viral properties. Guaifenesin is also highly effective, and comes from a tree bark the Native Americans used for similar purposes. It's known to be a folk remedy for Gout also. Sadly as R68 mentioned, it's no longer easy to find generic or store brand 'plain' Guaifenesin. Mucinex and other brands have created cocktails of OTC ingredients.

Chicken soup helps. The studies have been out for decades now, increased mucous flow, and thinner secretions aid expectorating. Rest, fluids, hot teas and hot baths can all contribute to comfort and relief of symptoms. Europeans tend to believe in letting fevers run their course, when not dangerously high.

I already told y'all what to do at R7 and R14. Nothing more need be said. Nobody needs elderberry or tumeric, zinc or chicken soup. Any hot liquid will do. Duh. Now do as you're told.

My boss once continued to come to work with the world’s worst cough. He finished two rounds of antibiotics, he told me. Because I had a computer job, he was standing over me a lot and coughing on me. Eventually I caught it and I blame him 100%. I was hospitalized for 5 days with pneumonia and almost died. I went to work one day after, and could have passed out there, with the slightest effort. Then I stayed home for a month.

I normally wouldn’t blame anyone for passing a flu/cold to me, but that jackass had the nerve to write in my review “Pierre does great work [italic] when he’s in the office.” [/italic] I never explained to him how that was unfair and I regret that.

Elderberry can be effective at shortening duration of symptoms. If you've been exposed, please also consider taking N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) 600mg in the AM and PM for next several days. It can sometimes prevent the development of influenza entirely. If you do come down with a flu or cold, taking NAC in the AM and PM can shorten the duration of the illness.

When I come down with a respiratory virus, I take elderberry and NAC in the AM & PM, oregano oil and ginger in the AM, and vitamin C as ascorbate sodium powder throughout the day in hot liquids, and zinc in the PM with dinner. I also stop all forms of dairy. It may help to elevate the head of your bed when you're sleeping, especially if you have chronic breathing issues. And above all, if you get sick: get extra sleep. Wishing you all good health.

Nothing works. I've told you fucktards. Blow your brains out if you have any. Do it now.

Gosh I bet R68 is a real blast at parties.

People eat chicken soup and drink Ginger tea when they're sick because it makes them feel better. That's all that's necessary. So what if they think they're helping 'cure' themselves. Just because you know THE TRUTH doesn't mean you need to fucking tell people.

omg DL has ACTUALLY become a load of elderly people talking about their medical complaints in the waiting room

Because everyone is sick, idiot, R91. After two horrendous weeks, I just got out of a severe cold; and am waking up all covered in sweat again. I'm hearing my brother in the next room coughing like crazy. I'm guessing I caught his cold now smh

[quote] I'm hearing my brother in the next room

yum. please tell use more...

R87, your boss sounds like a complete jackass. Next time you’re sick, please be sure to sneeze into your hand and wipe it off on his keyboard when he isn’t looking.

I mentioned getting the over 65 flu vaccine yesterday up thread. I have never had any noticeable side effects to the regular flu vaccine before, but this one has knocked me for a loop. I had trouble getting out of bed this morning. I felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck. And every joint in my body aches.

Oh well, I guess 1-3 days of this is better than getting this heinous flu going around.

Don’t overlook the benefits of a humidifier, especially at night. Cool or warm steam, don’t matter. It helps loosen up those secretions and prevents drying and irritation of the linings your nose and throat, which worsen your cough.

Don’t overlook the benefits of a humidifier, especially at night. Cool or warm steam, don’t matter. It helps loosen up those secretions and prevents drying and irritation of the linings your nose and throat, which worsen your cough.

What is wrong with NyQuil?

Is NyQuil bad?

Has anyone done a study comparing chicken soup to other types of soup in its effect on cold or flu?A lot of people lose their appetite when they have colds or flu. So maybe the benefit isn't due to chicken soup per se but the fact that people were getting calories and protein and inhaling steam as they were drinking the soup?

I have nothing against chicken soup per se but I find that soup in general is comforting when I have a cold or flu. I don't eat chicken so it ends up being miso with tofu and seaweed or vegetable soup and it seems to be beneficial. I rarely have any appetite at all when I'm sick.

On the subject of tylenol AKA acetaminophen/paracetamol, I avoid it whenever I can. I also avoid combo products containing tylenol. Acetaminophen is a liver toxin and the damaging dose is too close to the therapeutic dose, particularly if you are taking an extra strength cold product. Most OTC cold remedies include acetaminophen and you should not take Tylenol if you're already taking a cold medicine for that reason.

if you belonged the Costco they sell huge bottles of just guaifenesin and they're ridiculously cheap compared to Mucinex. I have a large bottle and if you only take it for cold relief you're going to have it for a long time. Stored properly it does not seem to go bad. That's true of many drugs no matter what the expiration date says on the package.

The link below is to a ProPublica article but there are many articles in science related publications including the Harvard Health Letter about drug expiration dates. Harvard Health says the exceptions to the expired medication being safe rule are insulin, nitroglycerin, and liquid antibiotics.

I would be hesitant to use any liquid medication long past the expiration date, but I would not hesitate to use old pills. There was a particular formulation of tetracycline that did degrade over time but that type is no longer sold.

Did any of you who got a flu shot still get this cold?

I don't think it's the flu. It seems more like a bad cold.

Yes - got flu shot, got this nasty cold. It’s not the flu - no fever, just insane sinus congestion, drainage, coughing, sore throat. I can function - but I’m miserable. Bah humbug.

Yeah, it's a definitely a cold, not the flu. The "worst day" of this particular cold is not as bad as the worst day of previous nasty colds that I have experienced. THAT SAID, this cold lasts more like 3 to 4 weeks when my average in the past was 4 to 5 days. You really start to run down, trust me.

Yes, R101, I got a flu shot about the end of October. This is not the flu, it is a bad cold.

As others have said, my major symptoms have been massive congestion in my lungs and head, insane coughing, headache, that hollow weird feeling in my eye sockets, and complete loss of energy.

I've had no fever, though I did have night sweats several times, and they would then turn into chills.

Mine started the Monday before Thanksgiving, and this past weekend I thought I was finally almost over it, but I still had congestion in my lungs and head I couldn't get rid of. Yesterday it started getting worse again, and today I hardly have the energy to get out of bed.

Wear a mask in public, clean grocery carts with sanitizers, wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer. Don't hug people, tell people in advance you are trying to avoid sharing germs from either side. This is a bitch.

Where are all you sick people located?

I was in Pittsburgh at the time, r106.

Chicaaaaago

Dallas, tx checking in. I have heard many coughs inn church, bus, grocery store too.

^^^^ Hopefully all those people coughing in church will die.

I wouldn’t take r109’s word on anything considering where he’s been spending his time.

R100 Soup helps because it's warm and comforting, and gives you some calories and hydratation. There's nothing particularly therapeutic in chicken soup.

The cashier at my grocery store had a cold, ACK now her germs are on everything I bought.

When I was sick as a kid mom would give us Campbells chicken soup and a Coke and tell me to sip it slowly. The Coke always cheered me up because as a kid we didn't get soda much so it was a treat. I always make sure I have Coke and soup in the house and it still makes me feel better.

Does anybody feel like you're getting better, then the next day, you feel sick again? That's what it's been like for me. I feel better, can be productive, then the next day I need to rest again. Ugh.

Yes that's how my friends mom died of this thing. She thought she was better and didn't pay attention when she started feeling dizzy and short of breath again. The virus went to her brain. But if she tried chicken soup she would have lived.

Lighten up Francis r116 yes you probably give good advice but ease up on the attitude.

[quote] ], WebMD is only one of many sources praising chicken soup

It does not say chicken soup “is proven to cure colds and related illnesses” as Datalounge fraudom declared in this thread.

That’s what we’re discussing.

Not whether it tastes good or reminds you of your mom, or if the emulsified fat liquifies secretions.

The claim made here was that chicken soup has been proved to cure colds and related illnesses. You can do a zillion searches to find articles saying chicken soup will make you feel better. We’re not saying it doesn’t make you feel better. We’re saying it doesn’t cure colds & related illnesses. Feeling better does not equal cured.

Thanks for the mucinex advice.

It did help with the congestion.

Jesus fucking Christ, R118, everyone knows there is no cure for the common cold, but fuck, you are seriously invested in fighting a war with people who just want to feel better and who know that this is one component among several that make it easier to get through.

But there are things one can do to lessen the symptoms and perhaps even speed up the recovery.

[quote] everyone knows there is no cure for the common cold,

Everyone except R36, who posted that it does & then posted a jillion links to articles about chicken soup after she was told to stop posting her junk science.

Oh yeah, there it is

[quote] Also suggest adding preferably raw garlic, onions, capsaicin - the active ingredient in chili peppers or use Louisiana hot sauce, as well as Tumeric and curry powder to your chicken or vegetable soup. One of the reasons why chicken soup has always been proven to cure colds and related illnesses.

Don't forget the raw apple cider & tea tree oil.

R118, Zinc has been clinically proven to shorten the length of a cold. Chicken soup contains zinc.

Possibly the dreaded EV-68

Shorten ≠ cure

Shorten ≠ cure

It’s been months and I still have the flu.🤒

I’ve had it for just over a week now. I’ve been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I’m only just feeling better. My sinuses were so bad that I was shaking from the pain and not thinking rationally. Could not eat for days.

I had that cold around Christmas, three weeks and I still don't feel right.

I’ve had it since Christmas too, right after I came home from abroad.

They like to be called ladies now, R131, not broads. :)

Well I got sent to a pulmonologist in December who told me I have emphysema & that I didn’t have a cold at all but had an “exacerbation of emphysema.”

I’ve had a cough for 2 years & kept telling my dr every 3 months when I visited & she kept treating it as something minor. First she thought it was my allergies/post nasal drip. 3 months later she decided I had thrush because my tongue was bald & gave me troches, which did nothing, 3 months after that my WBCs came back elevated, so she decided I had bronchitis, so she gave me antibiotics and a steroid pack. I felt much better - thanks to the steroids.

But at my next 3 month visit my WBC were still elevated so I got sent to a hematologist. I told him I had a cough. He did a CT to check for cancer & didn’t see anything. Then I got poison ivy and I felt much better again - because my dr gave me a steroid pack. Finally I went to see the heme while I had the bad cold. He gave me antibiotics & did a chest X-ray. Chest normal. Shrugged shoulders. I said, “I’ve had a cough fir 2 years & nobody thinks I have anything wrong with me, but my WBCs keep coming back high, so there’s donetbing wring. I want people to be more aggressive here.”

That’s when he said “Why don’t you go see a pulmonologist.” I got diagnosed about 10 minutes after I walked in the door of that office, Did it really need to take 2 years? I told every dr I had a long history of smoking since I was a kid, plus my dad smoked 3 packs a day in our tiny house. My mother smoked too, so I stated smoking when I was a zygote. I haven’t smoked for years. .

OP is right, this has been a bad one, gone around my office twice now, I've missed about 6 days work from it. Still tough to find energy, but today's sunny so maybe that will help. Eat right people!

Sounds like coronavirus. Can't believe I'm the first to say it.

I got sick last Monday, February 10. It's one of the three worst "sick" experiences I've ever had. i have a cough that goes away somewhat, but only if I am seated. The moment I lie down I begin to cough frantically. It's ruined my sleep.

I'm taking one inhaler, Flovent, which is having no effect. My doctor prescribed another, but I want to wait til I know everything I need from the drugstore before I go and pick it up.

I'm beginning to think I'd prefer death.

Can I have your stuff?

I had the strangest disease between christmas and new year too : I had flu-like fever/nose congestion/gastroenteritis/bronchitis in rapid succession (two days each). It was completely puzzling.

I remember very well : it started on Christmas eve, the first two days I was basically stuck in bed shaking with zero energy and a fever, I thought here we go, caught the actual flu, I'll be down for at least two weeks. I completely perked up on the third day, but by then I had woken up with a nose almost completely blocked. But by the second night it suddenly cleared out while I was watching TV. I had never recovered so quickly before. THEN the next two days I couldn't eat anymore, I had a nasty gastro (BOTH diarrhea and vomitting no matter what I ate/drank) and when THAT cleared I caught a horrible cough that felt like my chest was being stabbed everytime I coughed, lost my sense of taste the whole thing, and that lasted... for two days. After that there was a lingering itching in my throat for a bit but nothing to write about.

It was the strangest disease I've ever had. Like I caught everything in succession and my immune system successfully beat each like a motherfucker. I'm 37 and a smoker. And in Western Europe.

I'm at day 18. Cough has mostly abated, but when I do cough, you'll want to move away from me. I don't have to go out much, so I don't. Still suffering from extreme head congestion and dehydration. No combination of nasal goo and spray keeps my nostrils from being completely scabbed over. Disgusting.

But my head clears when I lie down, and doing that no longer makes me cough. I'm recovering, but it is SLOOOOWWWWW.

Food still tastes weird. I have no taste for coffee at all. When I'm drinking it again, that's when I'll know I'm better.

Sounds like COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been going around since mid December and just wasn't called that until recently.

[quote] I have no taste for coffee at all. When I'm drinking it again, that's when I'll know I'm better

Same here, R139!!

I was always a coffee drinker before I caught this dreaded cold, but once I had it, I just didn't want to drink coffee any more.

Instead, I switched to tea, which just felt much more soothing and comforting.

Nearly three months later, I'm still drinking tea. I haven't gone back to coffee.

Weird.

R135 and r140 have said what I recently have been saying. I think we had the Coronavirus. I too suffered from this odd cold mid December. I originally posted at R25, December 16, 2019. It also went around work, but not 'everyone' got it. I found this thread talking about a weird cold, and found the information helpful, and it indeed help me manage my symptoms. I was taking NyQuil at first, that had everything; decongestant, cough suppressant, etc. From reading this thread, it was recommended to stop the decongestant, and concentrate on Mucinex ( I bought generic) a cough suppressant, and Tylenol (again I used generic acetaminophen) for the occasional fever feeling, and bought a cold mist humidifier for sleeping comfort. I was feeling better within the week (took 1 day off). My mom who lives with me got the symptoms just days before Christmas. I started her on the Mucinex/, cough suppressant/ Tylenol regiment. My Christmas time visiting older not so wiser brother took Mom to Patient First. That doctor gave her an antibiotic, told her to STOP Mucinex and cough suppressant. Her symptoms did not diminish, until I put her back on the Mucinex/, cough suppressant/ Tylenol regiment. I let her continue the antibiotic. She was weak from coughing, and not to take a cough suppressant? Really? My partner got it after New Year's, and had the cough so bad, it caused a painful hernia that required an ER visit. I also put him on the Mucinex/, cough suppressant/ Tylenol regiment, and his symptoms relieved within the week. I wonder if they could or should do a test to see if indeed we had this or not? It would be interesting if the Coronavirus was around earlier.

A week ago I was surrounded by several relatives who had this cold strain with sore throats sinus congestion mucous and coughing. A couple of days letter I woke up feeling as though my neck glands were swollen. I immediately started dosing up on zinc and vitamin c for about 5 days, and while my throat felt a little craggy, the symptoms never went beyond that. I think I lucked out.

It’s regimen, not regiment.

Had it two weeks ago. It was really bad for 6 days on day 5 i started vomiting. Still have residual congestion.

I had this starting in early February and am just about over it. Somewhere between cold and flu. The 3rd-4th day, I threw up and was extremely nauseous. Cough that hasn’t quite completely cleared up after almost 4 weeks. A solid week+ of feeling I should not be working but because of my crappy job having to work most of it. It was definitely unique and unlike anything Ive had before. And I did get a flu shot.

I’m really curious if this was cornoavirus. If it wasn’t, then it is really weird that a different strain of a uniquely strong virus is going around. Various members of my extended family have had it - all experienced a worse than normal cold/mild flu that lasted for close to 2 weeks+.

R146, one clue to that would be whether there has been a higher-than-usual death rate from pneumonia, although we are also having a fairly bad flu season (definitely influenza A, not Covid - they can test for for it), which would complicate the question.

It would be odd if Covid-19 had been going around the US since December and not caused a spike in deaths among the usual high-risk suspects.

Reading this thread makes me want to spray Lysol on my IPAD.

Had this horrible cold for 3 weeks which also included conjunctivitis. Finally at close to 100%. Now I know of three other people who have the same sequence of cough, congestion, conjunctivitis, incredible sore throat, runny nose & back to deep cough.

I had it, I thought I would never get better.

OP = Corvid-19 Patient Zero

I can confirm there was an especially robust cold going around in late December. I came down with it right at Christmas and had miserable nose/throat symptoms and a congested chest for a solid two weeks—quite a bit lengthier and more severe than colds usually hit me. But no fever, aches & pains, or physical weakness so I'm confident it wasn't influenza or coronavirus.

China should be NUKED!

The whole country is a fucking VIRUS and a filthy shit hole

I had this too and had to get up in the middle of the night to change my T-shirt soaked with sweat. Then back to bed for a while and then shivering.

I had this for at least two weeks.

Sweating and shivering, too. Day 20. No conjunctivitis, thank God.

R153 = Donald Trump

I had this cold and knocked it pretty quickly using the neti-pot several times a day. Make sure to use distilled water only.

All of us who had this disease ....if you get coronavirus, please post it here. Because a lot of us were so sick we were afraid we’d die. We had chest tightness & shortness of breath that led us to think we were going to suffocate. It took weeks to months to fully recover.

I’m interested to see if people who had this also get coronavirus. Because I think it might have been coronavirus. It just seems to be an awful coincidence that many of us had our flu shots, yet were told we had flu. Or were told we just had a cold when we told our doctors that they were so very sick that they were scared. Or told,,,,you’re old.

I wonder if it was here sooner and many flu deaths were really from covid 19 because let’s face it, nobody was testing for covid 19.

The illness described in this thread has a sinus component. And I’m not hearing much about a fever.

But we’ve heard over and over, maybe 100 times on here, maybe 300 times? Definitely a 1000 times by now if the larger media is included, that THE CORONAVIRUS DOES NOT HAVE A SINUS ELEMENT AT PRODUCES A FEVER.

I had fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath in December. The cough lasted 6 weeks and finally went away, I did NOT have a runny nose or anything nasal.

A lot of people automatically took Mucinex that would make their noses run.

Ok but COULD YOU PLEASE WORK THOSE FACTS INTO THE CONVERSATION. THAT’S ALL I’M ASKING HERE.

Eerie to look at threads like this knowing what we know now.

I've this in NYC for two weeks. Most annoying cold I've ever had. Definitely not the flu but so much stuff coming out of my head and chest.

R164, do you think that is corona?

If so, how do you reconcile the face that corona doesn’t have stuff “coming from head...”?

R165 - No fever, no aches.

[quote] It would be odd if Covid-19 had been going around the US since December and not caused a spike in deaths among the usual high-risk suspects.

If we'd had testing available we would probably know that there are/were hundreds of thousands of cases already and we've all already been exposed.

[quote] It would be odd if Covid-19 had been going around the US since December and not caused a spike in deaths among the usual high-risk suspects.

If we'd had testing available we would probably know that there are/were hundreds of thousands of cases already and we've all already been exposed.

If we'd had testing available we would probably know that there are/were hundreds of thousands of cases already and we've all already been exposed.

And now China has bird flu. If that one ever becomes more contagious we are really in trouble. 60% death rate.

OP here.

Little did I know when I posted this back in December, that we would be dealing with the Coronavirus, four months later.

I'm now convinced that I had it.

I got sick right after Thanksgiving. I thought it was just a cold (since I had the flu shot).

But it wouldn't go away. It was unlike anything I've ever had before. Coughing fits that wouldn't stop. Heavy mucus. Slight (but not high) fever.

Interestingly, I think I passed it on to my brother, who got very sick around Christmas time. He was so bad that he could barely breathe., and he felt like he was going to die.

Knowing that I probably had the coronavirus, makes me feel a little bit more at ease now.

Luckily, I'm a hand washer, so I don't think that I spread my germs to too many people.

So the Corona virus has been here for a while, it seems.

"I had fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath in December. The cough lasted 6 weeks and finally went away, I did NOT have a runny nose or anything nasal. "

R160, I could have written your exact words. I had it from the Monday before Thanksgiving until the week after New Year's. There were several days, not necessarily contiguous, when the shortness of breath was severe enough I couldn't lie down and had to try to sleep in a recliner. I didn't go to a doctor, because I'd heard so many stories about medical offices being full of it and I didn't want to cross-contaminate myself or anyone else. I considered going to an ER a couple of times, but ultimately didn't, for the same reason. Also, even after I thought I was over it, I was extremely weak and had no energy for a few more weeks.

I live in the middle of flyover land in a small city, and lots of people around me had similar symptoms. I stayed home and avoided everyone throughout the holiday season, because I didn't want to transmit it.

Now, of course it sounds like the symptoms of covid-19, but we only had a few flu deaths reported in my state, and I don't know if they had the same symptoms as me. If it really had been the coronavirus, it seems like it would have been detected.

Hopefully you go tits up in the night into hell, OP.

I had this “cold” and posted on this thread last fall. I got sick before Thanksgiving and was low-grade sick for several weeks. Symptoms: upper chest, dry cough, clearing my throat a lot (could’ve been acid reflux). Sorry, I’m forgetting all my symptoms now.

Now, I just got a sore throat, but it seems to be subsiding.

Op, I would contact a doctor or medical center and ask if they can test for your already having had it.

r176 There aren't enough tests to go around for anyone currently suffering symptoms. How the hell would that help OP now?

The tests aren't the same. Worldwide serologic testing (blood test for antibodies) will eventually be done to get a truer picture of how many people were infected but not diagnosed. Until then, the case fatality rates being bandied about are just speculation.

Researchers in China have released a study (as yet not peer reviewed) that suggests those with blood type A are more susceptible to and likely to die from the virus that someone with blood type O.

^ ’than someone’

R179 I thought it was supposed to be type B?

Maybe fixating on blood types is a pseudo-scientific dead end?

R181 Exactly. Same with the stupid fucks who believe in Jebus Cripe.

Nope. Not a crazy idea; not a new idea.

It's a shame that the idiocy of conspiracy theorists (O negative = shape-shifting lizard person) has caused people to bristle at the mention of blood type, because it absolutely does play a role in how the body handles infection. From one of many, many papers on the subject:

[quote]Blood group antigens represent polymorphic traits inherited among individuals and populations. At present, there are 34 recognized human blood groups and hundreds of individual blood group antigens and alleles. Differences in blood group antigen expression can increase or decrease host susceptibility to many infections. Blood groups can play a direct role in infection by serving as receptors and/or coreceptors for microorganisms, parasites, and viruses. In addition, many blood group antigens facilitate intracellular uptake, signal transduction, or adhesion through the organization of membrane microdomains. Several blood groups can modify the innate immune response to infection. Several distinct phenotypes associated with increased host resistance to malaria are overrepresented in populations living in areas where malaria is endemic, as a result of evolutionary pressures. Microorganisms can also stimulate antibodies against blood group antigens, including ABO, T, and Kell. Finally, there is a symbiotic relationship between blood group expression and maturation of the gastrointestinal microbiome.

Another:

[quote]Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is a highly pathogenic emergent virus which replicates in cells that can express ABH histo-blood group antigens. The heavily glycosylated SARS-CoV spike (S) protein binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 which serves as a cellular receptor. Epidemiological analysis of a hospital outbreak in Hong Kong revealed that blood group O was associated with a low risk of infection. In this study, we used a cellular model of adhesion to investigate whether natural antibodies of the ABO system could block the S protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 interaction.

I think if you had heavy mucus production then you probably didn't have Covid-19. The dry cough happens because the virus doesn't trigger the body to produce mucus, which in other flus and colds is what allows us to cough out the virus and rid ourselves of it.

I had extremely thick mucus that wouldn’t clear. It felt like wallpaper paste. There wasn’t a lot of mucus or post nasal drip otherwise. Minimal sneezing, too. Mainly an incessant, non-productive cough.

The violent cough didn’t start to go away until I cleared that mucus out with Mucinex. The virus was just having a party in that environment.

I've had a severe runny nose and thick mucus for about 4 days. None of the OTC or prescription meds are working. Yesterday was really bad. This morning I woke up and started constantly coughing for 20 minutes. Now my throat is sore and my chest is feels like someone sat on it.

I'm hoping it's just bad allergies (we already have pollen all over our cars in Atlanta)

Say goodbye to r187, folks.

Hold me DL 💕💕💕

OP is the Gaetan Dugas of COVID-19.

I had the oddest flu/cold thing about a month ago. It was concentrated in my neck muscles and the pain migrated to my ear and jaw, but only on one side. Oddest thing I've ever had. It was accompanied by a low grade fever and fatigue, but no phlegm.

I used to laugh when my older relatives complained about getting a cold in their neck or other body parts. I realize now that it was probably swollen glands fighting off something and putting pressure on my jaw and ear canal.

Flu cases are increasing instead of decreasing right now. One of the worst flu seasons in modern history.

It’s just now dawning on R191 that he shouldn’t have participated in that orgy when he visited Wuhan.

R191, one of my first symptoms that I'm trying to come down with something is my neck. It will get so stiff and sore, like someone jammed an iron rod down in my neck. When it finally loosens up I usually have a sore throat and then the congestion starts.

Covid doesn't produce mucus. It's all dry.

Those glands in your throat and neck are incredibly responsive to pathogens, R194. I've had a cold with a stiff neck before, but what was weird was isolation on only one side.

R195, I'd love to get tested to rule it out because it was so odd, but we know how that's going in the good ol' USA. I've been self-isolating anyway because I work from home and do not like large crowds.

If it was COV-19 then I did the right thing before I even knew it. I was worried I was losing my mind because I didn't even want to go out for a walk.

Mucus has been the star of my viral infection. I've had whatever this is since February 9, and every symptom is gone except for having to spend an hour blowing my nose every day, especially right after I wake up.

No corona.

I find that OTC meds really don't work...Alka Seltzer plus works a bit but nothing else does.

[quote]it's no longer easy to find generic or store brand 'plain' Guaifenesin

If you have a Kroger, look for their "Check This Out" brand, they still carry it. There's a regular guaifenesin type and a guaifenesin with dextromethorphan version. I also managed to get some Equate guaifenesin from Target online this week.

Amazon has Kirkland brand usually but it's sold out now, for obvious reasons.

The stuff you used to be able to get in a bunch of store brands that was made by the Perrigo company is hard to find nowadays, though. A few years ago Mucinex tried to sue everyone and get them to stop making it -- they do this every few years, apparently -- and some companies didn't start making it again when the lawsuit was thrown out.

In December, I had a ton of FB friends across the country and in L.A, who had this. We all wonder if it was the lesser strain of Covid-19. Just learned this am that the first LA death was denied a test because her fever wasn't high enough.

Just developed (I'm self diagnosing) bronchitis from being exposed to 7 year old mold, dust, mice droppings and lord knows what else was in my garage and storage room walls - my not-quite-slum landlord got a surprise inspection and has to demo and redo all the walls and ceilings. I had to cart all my shit to my office and developed a mucusy cough that night. No fever, swollen glands, lots of expectorating. I'd like to go out and do a wee bit of shopping (I'm pretty well stocked up, but would like some fresh bread) , but I don't want to be treated like a leper should I cough..

The regular cold/flu season along with extremely high pollen count is complicating this Covid mess. My allergies have been wicked the last few weeks. My car is covered with yellow powder and my eyes are itchy and watering constantly.

I had this - still kind of do - the cough remains for what seems like forever. I can manage most of the day but right before bed I start coughing. I have been taking thc gummies to help me sleep and some nyquil cough works wonders.

My roommate got tested for Covid yesterday. Results Monday.

My roommate got tested for Covid yesterday. Results Monday.

Are y’all separating?

I’m on three weeks and still coughing and runny nose! Sheesh!!

Oak pollen here in Florida is horrible right now. I get a sinus headache and weepy eyes.

One thing i'll mention - allergy season has started early this year in February. So I've started taking my allergy medications. Got the pills, the eye drops and the one you squirt in the nose to keep them at bay.

it was the covid. it has been here all along.

R20 and R138 both mention losing sense of taste (and smell too for R20), a hallmark of COVID-19.

Are any of those first posters still around? Hello?

R212 Losing your sense of smell and taste is extremely common whenever you have congestion, it's not unique to COVID-19. Everyone in this thread is describing sinus and congestion issues.

I described mine from the end of November. Severe cough and fever. My chest was raw and hurt from constant coughing. I spent most of the month lethargic on the couch. I thought it was going away mid December , but after a few days it even felt worse. It wasn’t until the beginning of January that I felt 100% again. I never had nasal congestion or a runny nose. I also had pink eye.

OP/R171 -- had you traveled anywhere when you first got it? You may be patient zero.

R213. There is a difference between losing your sense of smell/taste as a result of a cold/congestion, and completely losing them with no congestion. I’ve had many sinus infections and allergies that affected mine, but never to this extent. It’s a solid week now and I cannot smell a thing. It’s unnerving.

You definitely had it r214.

I had congestion and a few other symptoms that makes me think my February bug was something else. Although I did test negative for flu.

I never had a fever over 99

R216 I was responding more to those who are looking at posts from December and retrospectively attributing them to coronavirus despite having different symptoms from the COVID-19 profile. I also meant to mention R211 instead of R212, oops.

Hope you feel better. That does sound unnerving.

This thread is an interesting document

Anyway if cover-19 was going around USA in December, why weren't there more deaths?

Maybe there were, but they were attributed to regular Influenza. Also, there were 2 strains floating around too.

we do not know how many people have died, there was no testing for this virus in this country until recently. even now, the testing is limited.

Covid 19 wasn't in America in December, we have other diseases here.

It was probably here in December.

The military world games were held in Wuhan in late October 2019. 10,000 military members from around the world attend these games. A major hub for flights to China from the US is through Seattle/Tacoma which is probably why Washington was one of the first states to deal with Covid.

I was traveling in November and got a illness like no other— the closest I can recall was pneumonia three years ago. Fever, sweats, body aches, deep chest cough, shortness of breath— all the hallmarks of Covid. I’m hoping to get an antibody test when they become more widely available because I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the virus came over here far earlier than has been reported.

It’s chilling to read back through the earlier posts and see symptoms (without runny nose/nasal issues) similar to covid19.

The thought that people were suffering and confused by the unusual aspects of their illness combined with the fact that no declarations about Covid19 had yet been made is disconcerting to say the least.

R20 probably had it.

[quote] Anyway if cover-19 was going around USA in December, why weren't there more deaths?

Because most people don't die from it.

Even today, the "experts" are saying that most people who die from it have had pre-existing conditions.

I'm convinced that these early posters on this thread, had the milder version of Covid-19.

And who knows? Maybe some even died. We wouldn't know, because of course, they would not have posted here again.

The only thing is that COVID-19 spreads extremely quickly. There are quite a few people describing similar symptoms in December on Datalounge and in other places—if there were already so many cases in December we would have seen hospitals getting busier much earlier than they actually did, which was mid-February to mid-March.

It's hard to say because our testing is so limited. All kinds of bugs go around in winter, and apparently this was a bad flu season too.

“Also, there were 2 strains floating around too.“

LINK??????

I was one of the posters who had a lingering cold last fall. At first, I thought I had Corona, now I realize I didn't have a fever last fall. So, no, I don't think I had CV.

R7 had said his coworker’s mother died from it.

A month ago I would have said my cold (which was almost exactly what OP described) might have been CV-19 because it was so severe and lasted for so long, but my fever only lasted half a day and didn't get above 100.8, so I doubt I had it.

But it was kind of odd we had such a hard cold and flu season before CV-19 even hit.

r229. It's all theoretical, but it would make sense why some people get the 3 week one and survive, while others die in 2 weeks:

We will never know if we had corona because our government will not provide the antibody test. If we all found out we have the antibodies, we could all be allowed back to work. Trump won't do it, because he doesn't want to hear how many had it under his watch.

33% of COVID-19 patients do have a productive cough or are producing a lot of mucus. I had this for over 2 weeks, low grade fever, terrible headaches, crazy dreams, night sweats, no appetite at all, lost sense of smell and taste for 5 days. I'm pretty sure I had it. I asked for the test twice with my virtual provider but did not meet the criteria.

We know, OP, we know:

r236

The OP was from Dec 2019 and you think he should've read an article nearly four months into the future?

Yes, he should, R237. For instance, I am saying right now that I agree with R301's comment, which will appear in a few weeks.

Not if this weird nagging cough and fever don't let up!

It's so freaky to read this thread now and come across "dry cough for 3 weeks" "chest pains" "loss of smell and taste" "gastrointestinal symptoms" "conjunctivitis" "coworker's mom that died because she got worse after getting better and it went to her brain"...

If we ever get that test I'd like to know how many people here have antibodies.

[quote]If we ever get that test I'd like to know how many people here have antibodies.

I want to know, too, r240, beginning with myself. I had a very wet cough, though. And my "conjunctivitis" was really "touched Lysol-ridden doorknob, then my left eye"-itis. And I did not have gastro symptoms. But I was otherwise very sick in February and March.

[quote] beginning with myself.

*eyeroll*

I had a fever followed by three weeks of a debilitating dry cough in late 2019. At one time the coughing was so bad, I think I coughed up what looked like a piece of lung-tissue. According to my doctor it wasn’t bronchitis.

R236 is an obnoxious asshole, with egg on his face.

I'm curious about this because I had many of the symptoms include fatigue, tightness in the lungs and even something that looked like pink eye. This was late 2019

What’s the hold up on the antibody test?

This may be the greatest thread on DL ever.

I still think my boss got COVID-19 in December. She always gets sick once a year, but she was VERY sick at the end of last year. It was the longest she'd ever been out of the office. I also heard about many people getting the flu (or at least we thought it was) although they got the flu shot. So this virus was going around for a while.

I've never had the flu and I hope I never do. Ain't got time for that!

Don’t nobody got time for that, r248.

Just FYI, the guy who said his friend's mother died is a troll who goes around to a bunch of threads talking about how he's going to brutally murder women. His "she died because she didn't listen to me about chicken soup" thing is just shtick, it's not real. He didn't accidentally have any early insight into CV19.

He's on a Polanski thread saying Sharon Tate was a "whore" who "wasn't really murdered" and on a Barbra thread saying someone should stomp on her neck and shoot her in the head.

I know most people who think the guy said something useful won't read this, but I really wanted to make sure it was added to the thread.

I hope this was Covid-19 because I had it and I hope I got the antibody

It was the beer flu

Bump because I think I may have had the Coronavirus earlier than the pandemic broke out. I was in Curacao in February (which seems like ages ago now) and came down with this horrible illness while I was there. I had a high fever, a hacking wet and dry cough, muscle pains, the inability to breathe for a time and this horrible taste in my mouth.

When I got back home, which was shockingly easy to do at that time because the TSA just waved me back into the country after the plane disembarked, with no questions asked (thanks Trump), I went to an urgent care clinic the next day to get checked out. They couldn't determine what it was at first, but then a lab test said it was strep throat. I don't buy that. The symptoms were way too intense to just be strep throat. That's why I think I had Covid19. I'll be able to determine this once the antibody test is more readily available.

As an aside, I went to almost all parts of the island on my trip. This means that, if I did have it at that time, then Curacao is way underreporting their numbers.

r245, I had what I assumed was a bad cold that started in mid-March and it lasted about 12 days. I had the fatigue and some other cold-like symptoms (but never a fever), but 7 days into it I woke up and one of my eyes was bright red and somewhat weepy like pink eye. It was freakish. I had a phone appointment with an MD and he diagnosed me with an Upper Respiratory Infection (a cold), but the eye thing still left me concerned. The redness decreased over the next few days and was gone completely after 4 days. Recently, I read an article about the instance of red eyes or conjunctivitis in some of COVID patients, which left me wondering. I just wish testing (both types) was more readily accessible. it's baffling that it isn't.

This whole thread is FAKKE NEWS. Our golden emporor TRUMP would never let bad things happen to great America.

People do realize that Covid didn't "break out" when they started testing for it, right? Of course people had it back in December and January - that's exactly when people take their winter vacations and travel through international airports. It's also when Chinese students went home for winter break, then came back in January with the virus. Don't think this is the first wave - it's not. Do a body count of people who died from the "flu" in January and February, and I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are higher than normal.

I'm pretty convinced I had the Chinee Sneeze back around Thanksgiving. Feel fine now but it was awful.

any follow up from OP?

In January, I had a horrible hacking cough that lasted several weeks, preceded by a mild fever. I could cough so hard, my lungs would hurt for some time after. My mom had a terrible illness around that same time where she couldn't get out of bed for weeks. My dad soon after got what he called "the worst illness I ever had" in February. He had pink eye and everything. I wonder if we all had it. Many of my co-workers got very sick around the same time.

For the last fucking time:

I had this for the whole month of February - fever, body aches, constant and neverending hack. The reason I don't think it was the Rona though is I managed not to get anyone else sick, even though I was coughing the entire time.

[quote] The reason I don't think it was the Rona though is I managed not to get anyone else sick, even though I was coughing the entire time.

The people around you could have been asymptomatic, R261.

R261, they could be asymptomatic carriers. Tons of people are.

I had it in January and it lasted for 3 weeks. Extreme lung congestion as R186 stated, the mucus was very thick and heavy, like wallpaper paste. Chest felt very heavy and painful. I went through 3 bottles of expectorant cough syrup, it was the only way I could breathe. At night I used a heating pad on my chest to break it up. There was never a huge amount of mucus coughed up. Extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. Several coworkers and their family members had it around the same time too. I am convinced it was the virus.

I had these symptom back around Thanksgiving. Before this thread was created. I thought the pink eye was odd. I'm sure some adults get it but I associate it with little kids in grade school. It just seemed odd and with all the other symptoms I believe I had it. This thread was created mid-December.

R10 I don't know where you got your flu numbers from but they are wrong and far too low.

Documented Covid deaths from Seattle as early as Feb. 6th now.

[quote] I had these symptom back around Thanksgiving. Before this thread was created

[quote] This thread was created mid-December.

The conversation between R7, R10, R12, and R14 is fascinating documentation between people who actually had the virus, and someone offering them a diagnosis.

And if you read the comments R65, you'll see that even though the thread was created in mid-December, many people had been suffering from the virus for three weeks or more.

So you're not the "first" or only one here to have had it that early.

I had it starting the Monday before Thanksgiving, and it lasted until some time in January. I know COVID-19 supposedly wasn't in the US at that time, but I can't help wondering if that's what I had. I didn't go to a doctor, because I didn't have insurance at the time. It wasn't like the flu and it wasn't like an ordinary cold. The primary symptoms were shortness of breath, exhaustion, severe headaches, and occasional fever, though it never went very high and wasn't consistent.

Fortunately, I stayed home alone through all the holidays and had very little contact, because although I didn't know about COVID-19, I didn't want to give whatever it was to anyone else. It was a big topic of conversation on social media for several people I know, and we were all talking about how terrible it was and how it didn't fit with any kind of flu or cold any of us had had before.

There's no way I can know for sure until it's easy to get a test, which I'm not going to bother with for now, because they aren't available where I live for people with no symptoms, and anyway, I just stay home and avoid contact with everyone, except for a masked/gloved trip to the grocery store every 10 days to 2 weeks.

When it is possible for me to get an antibody test, I will do it, so that if I have already had it, I can volunteer to do an essential job.

R269 here. Also, I forgot to say, I had a horrible cough that was really the worst part of the whole illness.

I'm in my second week of this. I had a nasty cough that wouldn't stop. Then I started to feel better and all of a sudden the sore throat hit. I've been laying in bed mostly.

I too had something a great deal like what's now described as Covid-19, twice, just before Thanksgiving 2019 and again at Christmas, lasting into the first couple of weeks of January. Both times I went to the doctor for it and had a steroid shot and a course of antibiotics - not for the originating illness, which my doctor believed was viral - but for the bronchial pneumonia I was developing as a result of it. Both times the illness dragged out to around three weeks.

Maybe I've already had Covid-19.

So you had TWO distinct bouts of this, r272? Do you feel that you really didn't get over the first one and went back to work too soon and maybe that's why it rebounded at xmas? Aye yi yi, you poor thing.

Yeah you all had it before anyone else did.

R274 - onset in China is thought to be November, but could be earlier. It has a long incubation stage, but can have sudden onset of symptoms. It lives on certain surfaces for days. People travel. It's not inconceivable that people in other parts of the world had it in December. The first cases in the US are not the ones where people were first tested.

From mid-December to mid-January, I was sick. Dry cough, couldnt even speak with coughing. Super fatigued, very sore throat. Also had pinkeye.. I tested negative for flu and strep. It would not go away. Doctor gave me a steroid shot when I went to urgent care after four weeks, and I started to feel better but then was sick again. It lasted five weeks for me. I am interested to get the antibody test, bc I have never been sick like this (I had the flu in 2011 and 2013 and neither time did it last that long). My kids had it too. We are in Texas. My older kid goes to a school with lots of international students, a lot of the parents travel to Asia for work/family obligations.

R276 - did your kids have the same symptoms?

Did the OP die?

Yes OP was worm food.

Yes, mids had the same symptoms as me. They both hd coughs for over a month. We were at pediatric urgent care at least twice.

Yes, R273. At the time I put it down to the holidays and being in contact with people who'd been in contact with relatives from other parts of the country. Then too, I live with my brother, and he had it in between my two bouts. The second bout was far worse; I really thought I was gonna die.

The media has noticed these kinds of claims and basically pooh-pooed the idea that they could have been instances of the novel coronavirus, remarking that it cannot be verified. I would think that it can; if I test positive for antibodies, it would strongly suggest that my brush with serious respiratory illness late last year was in fact Covid-19. I haven't been anywhere; I practically live like a hermit anyway, and I haven't been sick again... yet. (knocks on wood)

BTW... since when has Daily Beast become subscriber-only? Damn 'em.

[quote] —I got all of his stuff

Bitch, you couldn’t let us know? All I wanted was one of his Hummel figurines to remember him by.

Saw something on the news last night that they think the first case in the US was more early in February than they thought. I think it was California.

R276 I'm in TX too (Houston) and I'm sure I had it for 3 weeks in January. Where in TX are you?

I've read somewhere, I forget where, that the first case in China was late October, which would make sense if it was here in November/Dec.

Maybe the post at r281, r285?

I would go so far to say that I had this back in...JUNE.

I had something mid-February that at the time I thought was weird and atypical of my usual annual sore throat. I coughed nonstop, and yet I didn't have a painful, scratchy throat, and it wasn't hard to swallow (haha), but it felt so unusual. Body and head ached. No fever. Lasted almost two weeks.

This is what it looks like as seen on Inside Edition 4/22/20. Thank God he made a recovery.

that would be better without the dramatic music and the intercutting between kid and mother's testimony. why do so many otherwise interesting reports have to be produced in this cheap, maudlin style?

New tests show that 1 in 5 New Yorkers have already had it and survived.

I'm r138 and wanted to share some interesting news I just watched on tv : they tested blood samples from people admitted in the ICU for severe pneumonia in late December in my country (France) and one of them was positive for Covid19 (December 27). HA ! Exactly when I got my weird disease. Hopefully that's what I had too.

Well I had it in late Nov early Dec & it coincided with my trip to the city where I always eat at my favorite Chinese restaurant, owned by Chinese immigrants who routinely travel home & back. I don’t care if I picked it up there, I’m never going to stop eating there.

It was the beer flu, manufactured in Wuhan by Chinese.

R281 the cluster outbreak in Wuhan started in the second half of December, the earlier local cases can be traced back to late November. From the timeline of those anecdotes, it might just prove to them the virus was brought to Wuhan from somewhere else... pinpoint the patient zero is extremely hard and virtually impossible in the flu like pandemic, California started to test people for antibodies, it might reveal more interesting findings on how many people already got it and for how long.

Nonetheless, the huge spike in deaths happened in April, not before. What I fear is that maybe it never goes away. It attacks over and over again until months or a few years later, it finally kills you. Nice knowing all you doomed people though.

[quote] Nonetheless, the huge spike in deaths happened in April, not before.

That’s not necessarily true. People died before April, but their deaths were attributed to pneumonia or the flu or, if they had underlying conditions more than likely those.

It’ll be interesting to see how many people died from “complications of diabetes,” or pulmonary embolisms prior to COVID-19 coming into the lexicon.

They died before April but not in huge numbers, that's the point. They died in huge numbers in April.

[quote]pinpoint the patient zero is extremely hard and virtually impossible in the flu like pandemic

Which is why China knows exactly who is patient zero.

They also found genetic evidence that supports suspicions the virus was infecting people in Europe, the US and elsewhere weeks or even months before the first official cases were reported in January and February. It will be impossible to find the "first" patient in any country, Balloux said. Just as we suspected here on this thread so many months ago.

Severe mystery illness experienced by festival attendees at Sundance around the very end of January:

FAKE NEWS.

IT"S a HOAX.

DELAY THE ELECTION.

What pandemic?

Fascinating r301, thanks for posting.

Now who is this tentpole actor?

"One actor best known for his role in a major studio tentpole was "gravely ill," and members of his team also succumbed (he declined to speak on the record)"

I'm glad this thread floated back to the top again. I'd seen it earlier and was amazed how early Covid was with us. Frightening to know how much at risk we were and how quickly it spread.

How's OP now?

Does this actor play a tentpole? Is his performance wooden?

WOW... DL has said it first!!!!

More evidence coronavirus had spread to the West BEFORE China came clean: LA doctors find evidence it may have been circulating in US MONTHS earlier than first reported case

you can get an antibody test to see. Though, I don't think many of those antibodies tests are accurate.

This thread is now famous.

I swear I had it over Thanksgiving. Night sweats where I had to get up and change my wet t-shirt, followed by teeth chattering chills. Difficulty breathing, fatigue. It lasted about 2 weeks and started to feel better in week 3. Then I got pink eye, which is another symptom.

This was when were just hearing about it so it didn't occur to me and thought I just had the flu

I'm curious about the early posters in this thread if they have any of the possible purported residual by-products of CV19: scarring in lungs, heart anomalies, depression.

Going way, way back with a question re the OP: Can you be "tested" for the flu? I've never heard of that.

yes, I've gotten a flu test

r311, that sounds like the AIDS

Thanks, R314. Is it a blood test?

no, I've had it twice, and you will never forget it, just like the covid test, it's a long swab stuffed into a nostril

it's super quick though, like maybe five minutes wait. recall, the flu has been around, in various strains, for centuries - covid, no

According to this thread, it looks like coronavirus started in mid-November and some Datalounger from New York City gave it to some Chinese person in Chinatown who went back to Wuhan. I’m curious to know if anybody on this thread who said they had symptoms later got a positive test or antibody test for coronavirus either showing that you had it or if you didn’t get Corona virus later that you had immunity from 2019.

It's going to be gone by Easter!

Has anybody who had this strain over the holidays last year which feels very much like COVID gotten an antibody test? I had this last year from mid December-January and had been traveling in Europe. Would the antibody test work now? It was dry hacking cough that would rattle a building, fatigue and constant low grade fever that would cause drenching night sweats at night. Everyone on my flight to London seemed to have it as well and we were all sharing cold/flu meds with each other.

I got the flu shot a week ago, then this weekend got a little bit of sore throat and some runny nose.

It's a dirty, filthy world.

A friend was very sick with covid-like symptoms in December but didn’t test positive for the antibodies in the spring. But hasn’t the thinking changed about testing pos for antibodies and its relationship to immunity?

At least 60% of my co-workers has this weeks-long "cold" last December and January. We work in a hospital. Some of us never got sick even though we were around them all the time. Anyway, several of them got tested for Covid antibodies in the Spring and all of them were negative.

DL called it

Several people in my immediate family including my partner seem to have had this, though it was during the period where there were no tests. My partner and I both took a the antibody test a few months later when it became available and we both came back negative. I never got sick at all. But they told us the antibodies do not seem to last very long at all.

Had friends return from 3 weeks in Asia, including China, in late December -- they were all very sick, and then I got sick in January. Lots of night sweats, some chest pain, one lung then the other later. No fever, little coughing. Gastro-intestinal symptoms and nightmares like never before. Lasted for weeks and weeks.

SHIT

r326, went to Myanmar and Thailand with a friend, with overnight stops in Osaka in Dec, in Hong Kong in Jan, and an exchange in Narita, arriving in L.A. 1/11. On the plane from Bangkok to Hong Kong, the flight attendants sprayed (what I thought was) disinfectant down the aisles before landing, which kinda freaked me out- I had never seen that before.

Back in L.A., I did some research about that, and apparently it was normal for that airlines (some kind of fumigant, which I wasn't happy about inhaling), but 2 days later, the Chinese officially announced their cases. But because of spraying and DL, I was hyper-aware of the pandemic and stocked up.

Also, traveling friend had to return to Chicago from L.A., flying to Dallas, then flying to Chicago. He ended up getting CV19 (I don't know when he got it though) and not telling anyone until he tested for antibodies.

wow!

OP here.

So I posted this about a year ago.

Little did I know what would happen, nearly a year later.

Oddly, I got sick right after a trip to Vegas in November.

And I have a trip to Vegas planned next week.

I'm a bit hesitant to go, because the Southwest seems to be ramping up in its Covid cases, and it's making me nervous.

Also, Covid cases seem to be linked to airlines, travel and tourism.

What say you, Datalounge?

Should I go on the trip?

Little did we know that this thread would signal the beginning of the end.

R330 you’ll catch it again and we’ll look forward to a new thread:

There's a really bad strain of covid going around And it SUCKS. Painful sore throat. A very bad cough that won't go away, even after a week. Heavy mucus and sinus pain from all of the congestion. And nothing seems to work on it. Not the OTC flu medicine, or antibiotics, or even regular medicine. It's not the swine flu, because I was tested for it. And it's not pneumonia, because the doctor checked. It's just a covid. A very BAD covid. And it fucking SUCKS. Beware, everybody.

/FAIL R332.

r330 You should cancel your trip until the vaccine. Some people are getting reinfected and for some, the second time is worse than the first. Maybe you will be fine, but do you really want to risk it when you can wait?

[quote] Maybe you will be fine, but do you really want to risk it when you can wait?

Definitely not, R334.

I'm leaning towards not going to Vegas, even though my trip is paid for.

I didn't realize it when booking, but it just hit me when I saw the date on my e-ticket, that it was just about the same time last year when I went on a trip and came back sick.

It was right before Thanksgiving. Almost the exact same time frame.

Which is why I'm freaked out about it right now.

Wow, I don't know if I posted on this thread when it was new, but I got sick the Monday before Thanksgiving and stayed sick until the middle of January with something that was like a cross between a cold, the flu, pneumonia, or something else. I didn't go to the doctor, because I couldn't get an appointment until mid-March, and there were a few times I was so sick I thought I should go to the ER, but I was too sick to drive and too poor to call an ambulance.

I still think it was similar to what I've heard described as Covid symptoms, but as I'm in the middle of the country and Covid was then unknown, that is unlikely.

R333 the biggest failure is you, who has to make life decisions based upon Datalounger feedback.

R330 I say put it off. I honestly don't think you'd have much fun with Covid on the brain much of the time. And Vegas in particular just seems like a place you'd get it

Take care of yourself!

What a difference a year makes.

[quote]I'm leaning towards not going to Vegas, even though my trip is paid for.

with numbers at catastrophic levels right now you'd be a fool to go now.

I used to travel for a living too, but why anyone would go now unless you're mother is dying, is beyond me

How is the coronavirus situation in Nevada?

Good, bad, or ugly?

So I suspect I had COVID in December after flying in the last week of November. In fact, I was one of the early posters and followers of this thread. Do you think I can get COVID again?

I think we all can, R342.

The virus seems to be mutating, so I don't think it's the same as what we had before.

r342, there are well documented cases of people getting it twice

That is what I am afraid of. I was sick as a dog for 4 weeks with night sweats , no taste , no smell, and fatigue, I am not one of those asymptotic people. My partner never got sick at all.

it does seem that when a person gets the virus again they get it in a milder form, still, better be safe than sorry

Italy now reporting it was in Milan in September 2019.

R345, thats HIV, not Corona.

I’ve had pneumonia since March and am on my third round of antibiotics, now. My doctor initially though I had asthma, so that delayed treatment. Then found I was COVID negative and had no allergies. Then I insisted on more tests, and an X-ray said I was fine. Another month later, I saw my doctor with a written list of my symptoms, so I wouldn’t forget anything that might be relevant, “It will take 6 months to chased down all those symptoms”, he said. What a stupid, stupid thing to say, they were all just put symptoms compatible with the flu, or COVID, or pneumonia, or similar.

I demanded more tests, and a CAT scan found that I had pneumonia. It didn’t take 6 months, it took one god damn CAT scan in July.. I had a relapse and treatment again in August. And had a clear CAT scan then. They were going to declare me to be fine this month, but I again demanded another CAT scan, just to prove that treatment worked, even though I feel better. They weren’t going to bother. But they did the test, and my pneumonia is back. If this round of antibiotics fail, I’ll have to get IV treatment, whatever that entails.

You have to be a strong advocate for your own health! In the middle of a pulmonary pandemic, I’m in danger, gurl!

I posted last fall on this thread about a lingering cold. I got tested for coronavirus in the summer: negative.

Pierre, you in trouble gurl

R351, thank you for your comment. I have been extremely careful, knowing that I already had this preexisting symptom which COVID loves to encounter.

At one point since March, I had a 24-hour fever of 101°f, with chills, but that passed. I’ve never had a 24-hour fever before. I had headaches, which I usually never get, and my body ached, including my face, which never happened before. Also night sweets. It makes me wonder if that was COVID, after all.

I once read that some people with covid heal, and then is hit hard with a second attack. It is possible that COVID was never fully eradicated in those people who got sick, twice. Maybe the virus hides in the liver or kidney or somewhere that we’re not looking for it, and something triggers it to re-emerge. It’s too early to know, I believe.

Last Spring, my sister said she had the worst flu she ever had in her life, and despite her doctor testing and determining that she had flu stain A, I still wonder if it was COVID.

but the doctor said it was influenza alpha

[quote] Last Spring, my sister said she had the worst flu she ever had in her life, and despite her doctor testing and determining that she had flu stain A, I still wonder if it was COVID.

I have also been wondering about this.

I had all the symptoms of Covid last Spring, got tested - and negative.

Had another bad cough, severe headache, fever, chills, etc. in October.

I got tested, and negative.

I'm starting to wonder about the accuracy of testing.

you all are dumb asses

R349, I have bad lungs and I used to get severe bronchitis every year that lasted from about March to August. Antibiotics didn’t work any more. The only thing that worked for me was taking long walks in the sun for hours on the weekends. Like five or six hour a day walks for two days. That makes you get a lot of vitamin D and the gravity drains your lungs. When it was cold I would wrap a scarf around my neck and bundle up. Nothing else worked. I also took 2000 milligrams of vitamin C in the winter.

The reason I don’t get that any more is I now take flu shots every year, have taken the pneumonia shot, and I’m a lot more conscious of wearing a hat, scarf and gloves when I go out in the winter. I wonder if steroids might help you.

R330, I live in Las Vegas and I absolutely wouldn’t recommend it. There’s a law here saying you have to wear a mask everywhere. There are idiotic Deplorables here and there wearing the mask below their nose, but most people obey it.

The case numbers are still going up. There are lots of people going out, stores seem to have normal traffic. I went to Costco at 10:30 am yesterday and the parking lot was so crowded I just left. They open at 10:00 am.

There is going to be a lot of Thanksgiving traffic, shopping and holiday family events, and in the next few days and weeks, the infection rate will skyrocket. I have elective surgery coming up in December, and I think they’re either going to end up cancelling it or I will. The hospitals will probably be pretty full by then. And believe me, I would never do that unless I really had to. Thanksgiving is going to be an absolute shitshow and we’ll be living with the consequences for months after.

There’s just nothing social going on here that’s worth the trouble. You’re pretty much guaranteed some Deplorable will be at any public event spreading disease. Those are the only people that want to go to most places.

Thanks, R356. The second round of treatment I had included Prednisone, and it made me so speedy, I cleaned my entire apartment, and I mean entire everything.

I find it funny because the news was commenting on Trump receiving steroids for COVID and they were questioning whether his judgment might be questionable, I mean more questionable, on the steroids. From my personal experience, that answer is, “yes, highly questionable!”.

R355, as you’ve posted on this thread 12 times I guess that makes you the dumbest ass of all.

nope, not at all in fact

Sorry op of this thread, but Benedict Cumberbatch has declared that he was "Patient Zero" for Covid.

And since he's more famous than you are, he wins!

He’s lying

This thread is from December 2019 before covid was known. Sounds like the 'rona. Another old thread.

that's why the thread is still around

This thread needs the vaccine..😆

It's interesting (and sad) to read the early comments before information about the virus came out...in January/February. This was the beginning of the horror that followed for over a year....and many unnecessary deaths.

right? even R2 was aware taht this wasn't a normal cold

I blame Benedict Cummmberbitch.

Was this later proven to be early, undiagnosed Covid? R1, my Mother insists that all one needed to conquer Covid was orange juice and Jesus!

This is like the original 9/11 thread, documenting the tragedy in real time.

Very interesting read.

Has anyone in New York downloaded the excelsior pass app yet?

what is that?

Sorry posted in the wrong thread. It’s New York State’s vaccination app, but never mind.

I have wondered whether the souped-up, super cold was a precursor to COVID-19? Whether it came from the same source?

And if having had the souped-up version (the common cold is a corona virus) provided immunity to the more lethal COVID-19?

Things to ponder ... .

cols are always around, but these symptoms don't sound like any cold.

and no, having cold doesn't give you immunity to anything but that cold.

And you are, Dr. Who?

no, just better aware of virology than you seem to be

Studies have since shown that Covid-19 was present here in the US contemporary with the beginning of this thread, in December 2019. It's possible some of us had it.

very likely in fact

R377 is a would-be know-it-all. Thinks what he “knows“ is true.

Check this:

R380, nope, I’m not. But lies and disinformation are rife online, anyone suggesting that “some of this and that means it could. . . “ is lying unless proven

I posted back in December of 2020 r25. I had stumbled upon this thread, and this mystery east coast thing was going on. A co-worker and I were inflicted at about the same time. This thread caused me to change the medications to just Mucinex, Delsym and Tylenol. I had the cough sore throat for awhile, but at work on a Friday, it was bad. The co- worker as well. I told my boss no working for me, went home, find this thread and the new medication combo. I was off Sunday, & Monday as usual, so I was able to get Friday thru Monday housed in my bedroom. Early Tuesday morning, I woke up in a huge body sweat, indicating the fever had broken. I felt immediately better. I went back to work, weary, but managed. The co-worker (we did not really work together, just in the store) was hit harder, and out for about 2 weeks. My mom also got the same symptoms, and I started her on the medication combo; but my visiting brother took her to Patient First, where they said no to those meds, take this antibiotic. Visiting brother leaves, several days mom not better, I start her on the med combo, feels better in about a week. I have not taken the antibody test, and we all have our Moderna shots in the household. I don't know if anything would show up now.

amazing

I remember back then, maybe in January.2020, my neighbor never left her house for a month. Normally, she's alway out...either working or taking care of her parents..always on the go. She was never home. Her car was parked and not driven. Later, she said she had a very bad flu. I'm sure it was covid, looking back on it.

I had it back in November of LAST year

So, November of 2020?

Yes..

Glad you’re ok.

Just hung out with two people who had it- one of them got it in Dec. 2019 and was out for 6 weeks (at that time, doctors couldn't tell her what it was), and the other, mid 2020's, his symptoms weren't bad (the whole family got it), but this father was in the hospital for 3 weeks.

Some idiot early in this thread INSISTED that there was no mucus or snot involved when you had Covid. He was SOOO sure of himself too. Haha.

Reading through this thread, it's the people who in December 2019 who lost their sense of taste and smell that really stop me cold. Fascinating. Those folks definitely had it very early.

Can we have OPs things?

R392, right? When i fist encountered this thread six months ago it ran a chill up my spine

Was one of those who had the 2019 cold / flu from bell. Fatigued for weeks. Lost sense of smell or taste.

That post is oldish. Do not answer it.

Oh look R396, there’s a shiny, new penny over there.

Now scram

This post is important, as it chronicled the virus before it was identified.

incredible

I archived this thread if anyone wants to bookmark for posterity

My encounter with COVID started about the 2nd week of December 2019. I firmly believe my exposure was the LA Car Show a week prior. Sick and exhausted for 6 weeks. My sense of taste returned quickly but sense of smell has not except for occasional phantom smells from time to time.

I remember this thread. If only we listened to OP.

We DLers know that a lot of people had undocumented 'Rona way before March 2020. Hopefully that means we're closer to herd immunity than we think we are.

Well, we’ll…

R7/R10's post is.... amazing.

[quote] My co-workers mother just died of this cold 2 weeks ago. It's best to take time off from work until the worst of it is over. The cough lasts for over 3 weeks but if you don't die of it you should feel quite a bit better after 18 days or so.

[quote] As you see, you are unlikely to die from it, but people do. My friend's mother was only 56. She was in good health otherwise. So sad. But you know, it's a random world and she didn't listen to her body.

Little did we know, huh?

This thread was a warning of what was to come : (

I wonder how many DLers we lost ...

Too many

[quote] Who came up with these SUPER COLDS? Is this Asian in origin, or Russian, or South American? Where did this shit come from!?

R22 had it right from the beginning.

Indeed, R408.

And now we know it came specifically from a Wuhan lab, with proof that the scientists working there were some of the first to get sick from the virus.

we don't know if it came specifically from the Wuhan lab

Trumpistas "know" it, R410.

R400, is that a public archive that anyone can send a page to? How is it different from the Wayback machine archive?

R412, Yes, anyone can archive there. The interface is user-friendly but due to not knowing much about it, I still archive to both sites.

I feel it coming

Fortunately for you, R414, at this point in time you are most likely feeling the effects of allergy season in high gear.

Ah memories.

WoW. I had COVID. I just now realize. I posted on this thread in December 2019. More than once. Giving info & advice. Mister Know it All. When I read what I wrote - I am kind of upset. What a strange feeling.

Pieces of string, too short to save.

Don’t be hard on yourself, R417. I’m betting you helped some people.

Yeah, prescience

Thanks R418. I truly had forgotten all about this but it just showed up today when someone W&W one of my posts on this thread. I've read a lot of the posters over again. Damn. I'm still a know it all. But I didn't - did I.

This is completely unscientific. And, let me be clear, if it IS true, I have no argument with Asian people of any kind. Any harassment of them is absolutely disgusting.

Having had Covid, my feeling is that it was made in a lab and escaped. Something about it just felt way too efficient, for lack of a better word. It felt very targeted, if that makes any sense. The way it COMPLTETLY knocked out my sense of smell- how it went away all at once, and seemed to come back all at once. I'd never had any kind of illness that felt so "controlled."

If I was a betting man, I would bet on man made.

Are the original symptoms the same for the Delta variant?

no, they aren't

Wow….reading through the first hundred or so posts was creepy. It wasn’t until 2/18/2020 someone pointed out it sounded like OP had coronavirus.

I first heard of covid in December and asked my wife to take extra cash out of the bank in case the banking system was interrupted. I should have asked her to buy toilet paper instead.

We had a bad “cold” go through our office in December 2019. A couple co-workers had, at that time, travelled internationally. One co-worker had a really bad cough, and I remember her complaining her taste buds were messed up. I’m certain covid was going around much earlier than thought.

Well there seems to be another "cold" going around.

Lots of people coughing and sneezing, and they also have sore throats. We have four people out sick with it in our office.

I'm assuming this is just a "regular" cold going around, but in a Covid-world, it could be anything.

Stay safe, everyone!

There is another bad cold going around now. It's called the Beer Flu

get your flu shots too

I feel like I'm experiencing the after effects of Covid.

I was never diagnosed with it because I thnk I had it in late 2019.

Since then, I've had some severe bouts of tiredness and weakness.

Recently, I've had a lingering sore throat, tiredness, weakness, and lots of mucus.

Is this something that could be Covid-related?

i had covid symptoms and a cold/fever that wrecked me for a few weeks in feb 2020. Also used a gym that was shared by hotel guests at a major international airport.

But we'll never know. There are always very bad colds and flus that go around. Once i went on an international trip where i was with the same 40 people for 10 days. by the time we got back, a lot of us were sick and had to go on anti-biotics. When I would blow my nose in the morning, I would have thick, bloody mucus that was shaped like my sinus cavity. People who travel are exposed to all sorts of things.

I had a bad cold for a few days. Had pain swallowing. Thank god for tea!

I emailed the link to this thread to the researchers at Wuhan Lab for their investigation into how COVID started and they replied that I'll be dead by midnight.

[quote]I first heard of covid in December and asked my wife to take extra cash out of the bank in case the banking system was interrupted. I should have asked her to buy toilet paper instead.

What about vitamin d and zinc?

You sound deranged, R433.

Everytime I get a cold now, I have an extra hard time breathing.

I think Covid really did damage my lungs, because it never used to be that way.

This thread is almost two year old. It was COVID

This thread is so depressing. Any of us imagined anything.

R7's post is haunting.

One of the first Datalounge records of someone dying from Covid, back in December 2019.

any of us

I remember that by the time this thread started, a Discord "friend" said he wasn't feeling very well, "If I don't show up it means I died lol". Never heard from him again

I’m 5x vaxxed now, but about a month ago I got sick with the WEIRDEST cold when I was 4x vaxxed & still wearing a mask indoors. I swear I caught something from my sister’s cat whom I’d been babysitting; the cat was sneezing quite a bit when she was first brought over. The first day I was sick I had a horrible sore throat that only hurt on one side. The next day it went away but I had an enormous swollen lymph node on that side of my neck. The node stayed swollen for a good 4 days. On the 2nd day of being sick I developed an odd cough, not really a productive cough that brings up chest mucus, but more of a dry, asthmatic, choking type of cough. Even though I started feeling better about day 5 or so, the cough lasted for an entire month, despite taking cough syrup & occasional DayQuil/NyQuil to sleep. I took a few Covid tests near the beginning & was always negative.

Stranger too is that my sister got sick the day after I did & she was even worse. Her cough lasted a good 6+weeks & triggered major asthma attacks (she does have asthma, unlike me). She was on heavy asthma meds which didn’t put a dent in her cough.

My sister & I both slept & snuggled with her cat & were face to face with it. No one in either of our households got sick, though everyone else had much more limited cat contact.

And we’re not allergic to the cat; I’d cat-sit her before with no reaction, & my sister’s cold went away eventually.

Fascinating stuff.

Thanks, whoever resurrected this thread.

It was from nearly three years ago, documenting the start of Covid.

Totally, it was the very first id’ heard of it at all, likely any of us

For posterity...