The first time I coughed so much that my arms hurt.
The second time nothing interesting.

Horrific sinus distress was the first symptom. The weird thing was ticking off the symptoms like a list, day by day. Wednesday, sinus. Thursday, bad muscles and joint aches. Friday, headache. Saturday, sore throat. Sunday, distressed gut. And so on. Fatigue throughout.

Both times I started with bouts of burning up and freezing chills. Sometimes both at the same time. Even during the burning up times my fever never went over 98.8 F. After that some lethargy (I attributed it to boredom, isolated to one room and reading book after book), and a little burning nose.

My wife ended up with some fever and chills and headaches, but she ended up losing taste and smell. That’s been about 2.5 years now. Some has returned, but it is a long process apparently.

I had Covid twice. The first time I started with very bad sore throat, I described it like knives in my throat. Then cold-like symptoms. Chills.

The second time I had Covid, which was this past Christmas 2022, It was just like a cold with a little bit of chills. Not as bad as the first time. The first time wasn’t awful, just about five days of staying in bed, taking it easy. The second time was just like a cold.

I haven’t had covid, but my mom and a close friend developed laryngitis. In fact, my mom was insisting it was a cold, but she caught it from my dad and he had a very mild fever for a couple of days. They both were congested. Then two days in, my mom started to lose her voice and then I really pushed them to test. They both had covid.

Shocking my parents with so many health problems had relatively mild cases. My mom’s laryngitis was not anywhere close to my friend; my friend was to barely a whisper for almost two weeks. She also had a higher fever and more misery overall.

Anyone who has a fever and heavy congestion together should test for covid in my opinion. Adults don’t get fevers over 100° with a cold. The flu doesn’t usually have heavy congestion, it’s very little or none. Strep throat has a very bad sore throat, like swallowing glass, but never congestion.

I know people who had a tough time getting back to normal or who are still struggling with breathing and other problems.

@canidmajor That’s how I’ve experienced symptoms the last two times. Each day was a new symptom! :(

@jonsblond As unpleasant as it was, the basic silliness of the “to do” list of miseries did provide a bit of comic relief, though. :-)

Like @canidmajor my symptoms came one after another instead of all at the same time. The 2 confirmed times I got it, I started w a sore throat, moved to fatigue, runny nose, fever.

In Jan 2020 I got a nasty flu from a guy from Ohio, but this was before Covid was confirmed to be going around either Ohio or Calif. I am now suspecting he got Covid from a Chinese visitor in an airport on the way to Calif. By the time I met him, he was fully contagious. Terrible fever, sore throat, coughing. Super contagious – gave it to my wife and daughter. They got the shortness of breath too. Sounds like it was Covid but there were no tests available then.

Runny nose and headache followed by fever and exhaustion. It was very short-lived. Felt tired and had a runny nose Wednesday and a headache, by Wednesday night I had a fever. By Thursday morning fever and headache were gone but the runny nose remained. By Friday no runny nose and felt fine. My SIL and nephew were exposed along with me at a party and they were staying with me. Both of them only had coughing, congestion, and headache and feeling tired with a slight fever for a few days. But the coughing and congestion lasted them 2 weeks for them and both lost the sense of taste and smell. I did not. We were all vaccinated but they were vaccinated less than 2 weeks before they caught it. I was vaccinated 2 months before.

Either Covid has become wimpy or the vaccines actually work.

@RocketGuy It’s a little of both probably, but people are still getting hospitalized or needing oxygen at home. I have two friends who needed oxygen at home. One was sick about two months ago, the other was over 6 months ago. The numbers are way less for severe illness, but still seem to be way more than the flu.

There was a moment over the weekend when my symptoms got worse and I thought I’d have to go to the hospital. That was on day 8 of Covid for me. It’s now day 10 and I’ve finally been cleared to return back to work tomorrow. I was still testing positive yesterday. Covid was no wimp for me. It kicked my ass. It was a very depressing week and a half for me. My work is strenuous and I’m not looking forward to returning to that. I’m still very fatigued and going up a flight of stairs puts me out of breath.

@jonsblond Just because you’re no longer contagious, if you are experiencing symptoms that make you feel fatigued and unable to do your job, you can always get a doctor’s note to stay out longer.

I just had one of these new strains of Covid and it took me out for 2 weeks. I haven’t been that sick since I was a kid.

My first symptom was a horrible headache, then complete exhaustion. Mot really sure of much else after that.

Oh, @tinyfaery, feel better soon! <3