Googling, Quest Diagnostics can test for COVID-19, influenza and RSV with one nasal swab sample. I wonder if the OP can ask his doctor to prescribe such a test. (On the other hand, the OP said he didn’t test positive for COVID or the flu, so he may already have had the combined test.)
Right there with you, buddy. I’ve had the same runny nose/nasal congestion, bad cough, headache and fatigue. Tested negative for COVID. No fever, no body aches, so probably not flu (at least in my experience flu always has a strong fever component).
Two weeks later, and I’m finally starting to get rid of the cough. It’s getting old, although I guess my abs have got a good workout from all this.
My guess is RSV; it fits the symptoms and the duration.
Yeah - a lot of viruses can lay the ground for a secondary bacterial infection for those who are especially susceptible - I am one such (lifelong asthmatic). I’ll go with steroids and if those don’t help much it’s most likely bacterial. Or if I’m sick enough by the time I get seen, a doc will sometimes add an antibiotic to the mix right away.
Two outliers from my own history: Once, during a flare, I called the on-call doc for my practice (this was about 16 years back). Got someone other than my usual doctor. “OH NOES, I can’t prescribe steroids, I’ve seen people break hips after taking them”. Got an antibiotic which briefly made things better, but 48 hours after that call it got worse. I was on the phone (I was out of town, could not go in person) with my regular doc - who prescribed prednisone and a stronger antibiotic.
And another time where I kept getting sicker and sicker over 2+ weeks. Went to urgent care. “OH NOES, WE CAN’T GIVE YOU ANTIBIOTICS” and got a course of steroids. 48 hours later, was not even remotely better (typically the 'roids will help within 24), went back, got a SHOT of a steroid, and a “just in case, don’t fill until tomorrow” scrip for antibiotics. The steroids may have helped some at that point - but knowing my own history, I started on the abx promptly. Those also typically have an effect within 24 hours, from my own past experience.
Re the OP’s experience: sounds like they may have jumped to antibiotics sooner than I’d have expected, but I don’t know a) the timeline, or b) his history.
I do wish there was a routine way of telling whether a bad cold has progressed to a bacterial infection. I’ve never been asked to provide a sputum sample - and I still occasionally hear “if it’s green, it’s bacterial” even when I KNOW that current thinking has largely debunked that.
Slowly feeling better.
I may be good for the World by Tuesday.
Perhaps.
I’ve had a dry tickly cough for WEEKS now. It started out as a cold or flu. I am still coughing my azz off, mostly at night. Feeling foggy, fatigued, taste and smell comes and goes. Sore throat off and on for weeks, from coughing, I think. My nose is clear and not runny, but when I take a deep breath, my throat and upper chest feel …strained? prickly? . Occasional fits of sneezing! …been to the dr. Tested negative for covid, no pneumonia or bronchitis… I take ibuprofen and I have a prescription nasal spray and some cough remedy in gel caps. Also taking Mucinex off and on. I’m vaxxed. and elderly. I don’t know what’s going on. I recently moved, wondering if I’m allergic to something? The carpet? No runny nose. Oh, and my eyes were really goopy and grainy and red.
Perhaps an exacerbation of dust mite allergy triggered by move to new environment and exposure to larger quantities of allergens?
I had a flare up of very similar symptoms centered just like that around my eyes. Went to the optometrist who suggested dust mite allergy, prescribed combo steroid/antibiotic drops for my eyes for time limited relief, a mild steroid lotion for the skin around my eyes for as-needed itchiness relief and gave me a handout detailing housekeeping measures to decrease dust mite allergens (dust mite proof pillow covers, frequent bed linen laundering, vacuuming and cleaning regimen, improving air quality). Those made a big difference to my eye comfort and health.
Thank you…the carpet, I’m assured is brand new. My own pillows and bedding…well, I should be used to that by now.
The cough can linger for a while after COVID - or even after non-COVID infections. The time where I spent 2-3 weeks getting sicker, I was hacking up crud for at least a month afterward. When my husband and I had COVID, I had a mostly-dry cough for a few weeks; my voice is still hoarser than normal, 10 weeks later.
I had tested negative for covid twice during this time, but I think I might have had it. Not a textbook case of symptoms, but the cough and foggy feeling and lack of taste and smell are significant.
Are you fully vaccinated / boosted? And did you have a significant reaction to any of them?
Our housemate is fully boosted, AND felt wretched after each shot. She had what sure seemed like symptoms the time the rest of the household had the 'rona, but tested negative on a PCR test, twice.
I’m convinced she had it - and that her vaccine status meant her body fought it off enough that she wasn’t shedding enough viruses to be detected.
There are a number of references suggesting that you CAN have a false negative PCR test and still have COVID.
And the home testing is definitely not as sensitive - I had a home test come back negative, and a PCR test 4 hours later come back positive. My husband did a PCR test in the morning, and a home test a couple hours later - the PCR was positive but the home test was negative.
Oh, and we are all vaxed / boosted - our cases were breakthrough infections.
In August, I had three negatives on consecutive days, while symptomatic (my husband had tested positive on day 1). Skipped a day, tested positive day 5. All of mine were home tests (DH had both a home test and an urgent care clinic test). I’m fully vaccinated, he is completely unvaccinated.
I’m double-vaxxed, waiting to get the booster jik I did have the covid. If I did, I’d have to wait till February 2023 to get a booster… The doctor said home tests are not always reliable, and testing negative doesn’t always mean negative. Positive results are overwhelmingly positive. .
In time for Thanksgiving. Hope you stay on the upswing. Finally dragged my wife to the doc on Sunday. Flu as suspected. Thanksgiving recovery for her too.
My rather minor problem started Sunday ~10 days ago. The worst (which was real mild) was done by last Wed.
Now a week later my energy is normal but I still awaken with a head full of snot that slowly improves through the day and a slightly goopy cough all day every hour or so. It’s unclear there’s been any improvement in the last 3-4 days, so I can’t say whether I’ll be “enjoying” this for another few days or another few years. Yecch!
I’m glad you’re improving.
But still sick-ish.
This stuff just hangs on forever!
It’s been over a month. Are you over the crud?
Mostly–but my Asthma has kicked in, bad.
Any update on that?
When I had my case of the 'rona, back in September, I pretty much EXPECTED to have an asthma flare - as this happens nearly every time I get a bad cold (and yes, I know COVID is worse than a bad cold, but I assumed I’d follow that pattern). Sure enough, after about a week, I felt like things were trending that way, so I started a prednisone taper.
The “fun” continues–asthma rather improved, but a prostate infection–a bad one, has started up.