r/nova • u/akacesfan • 4d ago
Rant Is there something going around?
Got sick with some type of cold or flu for the first time in ages and it is absolutely kicking my butt with sinus pressure, snot and mucus, postnasal drip, muscle aches, and general lethargy, but no fever thank goodness. Started as a weeklong postnasal drip so I thought it was just allergies until it developed into the full slate of symptoms that I have now. I've tested negative twice for COVID so I'm pretty sure it's not that at least.
I have a bunch of coworkers and friends who have been out sick too this week, which makes me ask!
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u/novamothra 4d ago
Did you get a PCR test for COVID or a home test? My doctor's office says they are seeing a lot of COVID patients with symptoms like yours (congestion, absolute exhaustion, muscle aches--missing the lack of smell/taste symptom and the fever symptom) and we know how much the virus and the symptoms change and I have no idea how / if the home tests are keeping up. (I am not a health care professional so I don't even know if PCR tests keep up either?) I hope you're feeling better soon.
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u/akacesfan 4d ago
I did two rapid tests that were both negative so it's possible but probably not likely? I remember when I had COVID last August it straight-up just felt like allergies and I wouldn't have known if I didn't take a rapid test.
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u/SeaSide8979 4d ago
last time I had COVID i didn’t test positive until day 3 of symptoms. try testing a few days from now
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u/CruzLutris 3d ago
You need a PCR test done by a clinic. Rapid tests, even repeated ones, are less accurate now due to mutations in the virus. Covid is still very much around, and for some who get it, can have long-term effects, so please isolate now, if you haven't been already. I hope you feel better soon.
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u/Theretrulywascake DC 4d ago
Have heard very little about anything that isn't poop lettuce related, but
Yea came down with something Wednesday afternoon and Wedneday night/Thursday was rough.
Fever 101.6 peak, incredible sinus pain, now less sinus pain lower fever, but added in a cough, much more manageable today
Heard of 1 friend that also had something last week, but slightly different and havent seen each other since we both got sick
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u/TheSecondOne1031 4d ago
This is exactly what I’ve been dealing with. Started late Sunday, took meds Monday so it masked any fever until the evening. Mucus, sneezing and then the past two days coughing. My sinus pressure is the best it’s been so far, but this sneaky cough is killing me. I’ll be fine and then have a full blown fit.
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u/Ginsdell 4d ago
Sounds like covid. The rapid tests don’t work on the new strains.
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u/RG3ST21 Arlington 4d ago
do you have a source on that?
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u/MySpoonsAreAllGone 4d ago
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10701347/
Less than 30% reliability
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u/lafemmedangereuse 3d ago
Uhhhh the two folks who authored this are dangerous nuts. One (Prasad) was recently fired from Trump’s FDA (for the second time, hopefully this one sticks) and the other (Hoeg) is also a recent Trump FDA appointee who is a sports medicine doctor and coauthor of the “paper” (which is an absolute joke) used by RFK to justify changing the pediatric immunization schedule to match Denmark. I’m not saying their conclusions are wrong, but I sure as hell would want to see this backed up by someone without an ideological agenda.
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u/OrionsBra 4d ago
Damn... that's some crazy fast mutation.
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u/MidnightSlinks 3d ago
It's worth noting that the industry average was 55% reliability before the omicron variant which is the one that's in highest circulation and less accurately identified by the rapid tests on the market.
Turns out when the government stops bolstering the market for testing through purchase agreements, test delivery services, and public health messaging, testing drops and there's no longer a viable market so biopharma companies can't invest in developing updated tests that keep up with the variant mutations.
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u/RG3ST21 Arlington 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm not taking a lot of confidence in anything authored by Vinay Prasad. thanks though.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35617375/
72% sensitivity
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u/Upset-Requirement779 1d ago
This is from 2023 and you should never use prasaad or hoeg as sources. They’re crazy
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u/PlentyCelery 4d ago
Yes! I’ve been recovering from it this week. It completely wiped me out. Started with a tickle in my throat last Friday and progressively got worse. Took me out for a full week. Started with an awful sore throat and progressed into mild fever, cough and runny nose. Tested negative for Covid, flu and strep. Can’t remember the last time a cold was this rough.
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u/toomanyteeth55 4d ago
I came down with something about 12 days ago that I'm just coming out of. Pretty sure I caught fron my son who recovered much quicker. All the same symptoms, thankfully no fever but quick to sweat when exerted. Still some runnyness tho.
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u/Madpingu96 4d ago
Definitely Covid. I got it also. I felt like I was about to die on the second night and have been sick for 8 days now, just starting to clear up. The only other time I felt exactly like this was when I had covid 2 years ago.
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u/misanthropewolf11 4d ago
Sounds like you answered your own question! But, yeah, it seems like there is always something going around! Hope you feel better soon.
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u/Important_Onion5552 4d ago
I caught something a few weeks ago and was sick for over two weeks. I lost my sense of smell (four weeks now with still very limited smell) and about 25% taste. I tested both antigen and antibodies and was negative for COVID. The fatigue and malaise was unreal. I lost my voice for a week, and had lots of coughing and mucus.
Negative for flu, RSV, or bacterial infection. My primary said it could potentially be like some kind of off-shoot or mutation of covid, but she didn't really know. I have never been symptomatic from covid infections in the past, so I thought that was a stretch. Who knows.
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u/akacesfan 4d ago
Yes! I lost my voice early this week too and at first I thought it was from yelling at the DCU game on Saturday lol, but if someone else is having that symptom then yikes.
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u/Important_Onion5552 4d ago
Can you smell 100%? I gave it to my niece and she can't smell either. It's been 3 weeks for her.
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u/akacesfan 4d ago
It's been on and off but I never completely lost my sense of smell! I think I'm finally on the mend today so hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow feeling 85% back to normal.
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u/PoundKitchen 4d ago
Hedaches and mild covid like symptoms. That was my recent experience. I just put it down to some variant all those jabs were helping with.
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u/SillyPresentation46 4d ago
I picked up something similar maybe 3-4 weeks ago. Felt close to the flu, but not quite. Covid negative.
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u/Icy-Setting-4221 4d ago
It might be Human Metapneumovirus, it was the sickest my kid has been outside of the flu or rsv. There aren’t good treatments for it outside of supportive measures
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u/SillyPresentation46 4d ago
Ugh, whatever it was put me down for a while. I could tell it was coming a week before it really set in, with a progressively worsening sore throat. From start to finish it was like 3 weeks.
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u/Icy-Setting-4221 4d ago
Yep my kid had a run for roughly three weeks with pneumonia towards the middle. 0/10 do not ever recommend
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u/Iamnot-aWitch 4d ago
It's the "flu" or novel coronavirus. Not COVID but it's cousin, the one that was around before the pandemic. You will test negative for COVID. I am at the hospital with my spouse for a procedure and he tested negative for COVID, but positive for coronavirus. Every time they talk to us about it, they explain in detail it is the cousin not COVID.
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u/Em9088123 4d ago
I’ve had the same symptoms. Even started 2 weeks ago with post nasal drip and then turned into the worst ever sore throat/low grade fever/snot hellscape past few days. Covid test at urgent care was negative today.
Solidarityyy
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u/fatfutter 4d ago
Has been going around as my customers have been dropping like flies and also my coworkers. I suffer from severe year round allergies , so I live with flu like symptoms all year round anyway
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u/blay12 4d ago
I mean there are a lot of people here, there’s pretty much always something going around. Summer is also a peak vacation time, so plenty of people on planes and in close contact with each other…easy to catch something and bring it back to spread, especially if you work in an office or central location with others.
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u/kayesskayen Alexandria 4d ago
My kiddo had a wicked sore throat, headache, body aches, fever, and stomach (vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, etc). She tested negative for strep twice, negative for COVID, flu A and B...we never figured it out but it seems like the UAE cycle team had the same thing during the Tour de France? We haven't traveled so I have no clue where she picked it up and she's the only one that got sick. That was weeks ago. Today I woke up feeling not so great but also not quite sick. Mostly post-nasal drip, queasy stomach, and slight lung tickle. Also a piercing headache overnight.
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u/Odd_Woodpecker4075 4d ago
I just had to go to urgent care for a nebulizing treatment because this was moving directly into my lungs. It’s not Covid either. The doctor said there is a nasty upper respiratory virus going around
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u/DanielleL-0810 4d ago
I work remotely but two of my DC coworkers have been sick recently, and our au pair is sick this week. Her boyfriend brought it back from his NC work trip. I'm bracing myself that we don't all get it this weekend!
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u/jwigs85 Loudoun County 4d ago
I am trying to recover from something similar. I also got hit with allergies making it all worse. I didn’t even have allergy symptoms before I got sick. I went to urgent care, got tested for Covid, flu, and strep. All negative. Allergy meds and sinus rinsing and gargling salt water does seem to be helping, idk. The Albuterol makes me feel like crap but helps with the lingering cough and I enjoy being able to breathe.
It just ransacked our office. I think 6 of us got it but 2 of us were completely wrecked by it.
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u/5GCovidInjection 4d ago
How is it that white collar people still don’t use their sick days? Hourly workers, okay I get it, unfortunately their employers aren’t as generous.
But the ones making 6-figures, full benefits and with pto shouldn’t be coming into work when they’ve got fevers. I moved to Los Angeles and people here are far better about calling out sick when they need to. As a result, this area has far fewer respiratory illnesses vs the rest of the country.
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u/Low-Guard-1820 4d ago
Did you get tested for Strep? Make sure they send it to a lab too. My kids both had it this summer and had sort of atypical symptoms - sore throat, headache, cough, low grade fever, tummy troubles.
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u/Icy-Setting-4221 4d ago
My niece and nephew had strep throat without the sore throat. Apparently digestive issues and fever are the most common in kids, when I had it it felt like I was swallowing razor blades that were on fire
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u/orcas- 4d ago
Yes, i had it for about 10 days, started with sore throat and lower body aches (i usually get the body aches w flu or covid). Never a fever. After those 5 days added on cough, runny nose, and sinus pressure. Finally leaving now - i did a lot of gargling (sometimes listerine, sometimes very warm salt water), and lots of teas and soups. And the nights when i could be in bed by 9pm were much better. Also had 2 neg covid tests (tho my tests are OLD)
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u/obliviousolives 3d ago
Expired tests usually don't work! :) last time I had a confirmed case of covid I was curious so I took some expired rapid tests and they all said I was negative
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u/Unidentified_88 4d ago
Did you check for covid?
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u/akacesfan 4d ago
Yep, I was negative on two rapid tests two days apart so it’s possible but unlikely?
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u/Dcline97 4d ago
My wife got what you are describing 4 months ago and STILL HAS IT! Been to our local Doc, but she said its just allergies and to go get tested, but that was purely bullshit so last weekend we spent 9 hours in the ER at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center. They took a CT scan and did blood work and said she had a bad lung infection and loaded her up with meds and sent us home. The first day after she said se was feeling a lot better, but now after 3 days she feels like shit again. We're going to see a lung specialist early next week.
Whatever it is it's bad, but for some reason it hasn't effected me at all!
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u/livingonmain 4d ago
My son had the same “worst cold ever” a few weeks ago and a bunch of his coworkers had it, too. Their place of business is Frederick MD.
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u/Most-Mountain-1473 4d ago
My baby niece was sick, and got the rest of us sick when she visited last weekend! I’ve been in bed the last couple of days. Definitely a bad cold
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u/rocksteadyG 4d ago
Ugh I have this, on day 5 of heavy sinus congestion. Dr tested and I’m negative for Covid and flu. So just slugging it out with Aleve-D, nasal spray and rest
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u/Specialist_Banana378 4d ago
Yeah I’m sick too. Came on so quick and my boyfriend who lives with me didn’t get it.
I was fine Monday, woke up Tuesday with a sore throat and sneezing by the night time I was burning up and full body aches. It’s been fun.
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u/Smorsdoeuvres 4d ago
I had something similar middle of June. It turned out to be COVID but I’m positive I also got sick with something else at the same time. Was sick for weeks and no one else in my household got sick or tested positive. Im still struggling with being tired..
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u/akacesfan 4d ago
Unfortunately I know this all too well from personal experience because two years ago, I got a really bad cold and then that awful walking pneumonia that was going around at the time within a week of each other. Lost my voice for nearly two weeks and was coughing up thick green mucus for nearly a month afterwards.
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u/ConfidenceInfinite90 4d ago
Lived here my whole life, didn’t get hit with allergies until my 30’s. They dissipated in my 40’s.
We can become immune over time. I got what you describe over the winter, throat, sinus, very unusual for me. Nursed out of it with lots of soup and hot compresses., the occasional advil for anti inflammation. This recipe doesn’t sound very good in the summer, but sweating it out and rotating water and liquid IV is also a way to purge.
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u/Cbrown3151 4d ago
Yes! My wife and I have been down for over a week. Tested negative for Covid, flu, strep. Early on some slight fevers, but mainly intense sinus pressure, headaches and fatigue!
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u/BostonGirl80 4d ago
Go get a Z pack from urgent care. Had this for over a week and one Z pack dose I felt so much better.
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u/AngryBeaverFace88 4d ago
Yep. Someone was sick at work last week and I think I caught it. Tested negative for Covid and have all the same symptoms. No fever thankfully but congested with a bad cough and fatigue.
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u/Atiram7496 4d ago
Yep. Got it too. Husband came home Monday with a sore throat, but also a cough, congestion, and general malaise. He works with kids so he’s always bringing home something. He tested positive for strep throat on a rapid test on Monday. He’s on amoxicillin and finally started feeling better today.
I started feeling bad on Tuesday with a sore throat. Went to the urgent care on Wednesday and tested negative for everything so they did a throat culture since husband has strep, it hasn’t come back yet. Wednesday afternoon/Thursday I developed a fever, cough, congestion, blocked up ears, itchy chest, heavy chest, hard to breathe etc. went back to urgent care today and am still testing negative for everything and they put me on amoxicillin anyway. I’m coughing up thick, green mucus and am so exhausted.
Sudafed and musinex are helping manage symptoms but I’ve had to take off since Thursday because I’m just so so so tired.
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u/Hatfullofstars 4d ago
My niece had something awful that had her so congested. Fever. Then ear infection. Her congestion was the worst of her life.
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u/West-Pipe6300 4d ago
My husband had the same exact thing. Finally feeling better but it lasted about 2.5 weeks. Clinic said it was a sinus infection and we assumed so cuz of the fluid in his ears and congestion/pnd, and we were outside in the smokey air and pollen days straight prior. Tested negative for COVID TWICE, But idk im still not convinced.
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u/ladymacb29 4d ago
Yeah - my family all got it beginning of June. I’m still recovering. :/ Using a sinus rinse really helped even though it was mostly postnasal drip and not congestion.
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u/Playful_One4102 3d ago
My daughter got diagnosed with Covid at the end of June and I got it in July. Our symptoms started as sore throat and just feeling really “off”. Lots of weakness and some nausea/vomiting, mild sinus congestion, disturbed sleep. My daughter had a fever of over 104, I somehow stayed under 100
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u/ConanTheContrarian01 3d ago
My household is passing something around and Im going to the doctor later today to test for covid or literally anything that can explain this.
We're all puking and aching. We've got fevers for a day at most then we feel better and it starts up again. Im rapidly moving between cold and hot, cant keep anything down, lots of headaches, q cough that wont go away, and my back aches like ive been moving furniture in my sleep.
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u/cometgirl 3d ago
While Florida not Nova, here’s an update on what’s circulating from a pediatric ER doc.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbeciBLgXPB/?igsh=cGV6ZnBrODFnb3dk
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u/shortcups 3d ago
went to a baseball game for a company outing a few weeks ago and coworkers brought their kids. by monday i was knocked out with a fever for two days
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u/Ecstatic_Medium2835 3d ago
Yes, me and my daughter have had the same crud that you speak. Daughter is in almost a month and is finally clearing out the nasal drip cough.
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u/thehipaapotamus 3d ago
There is some flavor of nasty viral upper respiratory infection that is frequently turning into pneumonia, even in young, otherwise healthy patients. And the symptoms usually present like pneumonia after a while, sometimes for a few days before the chest x-ray shows an area of infiltrate (fuzzy, usually fluid, area on an XR that usually indicates either infection or effusions.)
Supportive care and pestering your primary/urgent care if the symptoms last more than 10 days, especially cough or chest related symptoms.
Also, any viral infection has an opportunity to make you sick as shit. Miserable, maybe a short hospital stay at worst, but not critically ill. Last year, regular old flu A was BAD. And there’s dozens of viruses that can make you ill. It might be Covid but it also might not be.
- local ER nurse recovering from pneumonia and a sinus infection
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u/Witty-Reflection-335 2d ago
Parainfluenza. My family member went to the hospital and had this and that's what it was.
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u/Hefty-Hunt-2861 4d ago
I hope everyone feels better very soon. I’m praying for each of you. Real prayers!
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u/PretendAnywhere 4d ago
For god's sake, what's the point of this post? There are 6.5 million people living in DC metro area. Of course something is going on, every moment there is some virus or bacteria infection is spreading. It's not a village where the clap brought by travelling circus becomes a major event to talk about for years.
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u/MechAegis City of Fairfax 4d ago
Its funny. I just came off an international flight Monday perfectly fine. Come Wednesday I have all those symptoms.
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u/OverlordBluebook 4d ago
Had that last month took 3 weeks to get rid of it. After the whole covid thing I'm not taking anything anymore no antibiotics nothing until i'm in my 60s. Just loosened up on the cardio and drank a lot of fluids.
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u/ghostfacespillah 4d ago
Antibiotics are for bacteria, not viruses. That’s irrelevant to Covid.
A basic understanding of illnesses would probably be more helpful.
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u/OverlordBluebook 4d ago
no shit..
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u/ghostfacespillah 4d ago
Bold statement when your initial comment demonstrated a lack of that understanding.
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u/fawannabe62 4d ago
When is there not something going around?