Coronavirus in the UK

I am really sorry to hear you are not feeling too sharp, hope that everything sorts itself out for you
Please keep yourself safe.

I had a very bad cold about a week and a half ago.
With all the trimmings, dry cough but no fever. I know because I invested in an infrared thermometer and kept checking up more often than not.
Bought Cavonia for the cough and catharr, a shed load of sudafed for the congestion, Panadol , and fresh lemon, to chuck in a cup of tea with honey...
And now safely ensconced with her indoors, which incidentally is doing my head well in...

My father (a Pharmacist) would bring back cough medicines for us when we were kids, but he did make it clear that he didn't believe they actually worked, so I've never really taken them.

Still feel hot but not too bad.

I honestly don't know what it is I've got John, this started at about midday on Friday and by Saturday I felt not bad and temperature was fully under control, Sunday I was fine and then this morning I suddenly had a fever again which I still do, but I don't feel that bad.

So what it is, i don't know, I hope is is something else but I would expect more serious symptoms in the next day or two if it is going to get worse, I didn't work this afternoon but I did some work this evening and actually solved a problem or two so that's good, will see how I am in the morning.

It took me weeks to shake off the thing I had in January, I mean really nearly 6 weeks, phlegm in the morning and blowing individual nostrils into the bath every morning coughing up phlegm into Kleenex regularly, but that's me every time I get a chest infection which is basically once a year sometimes twice a year.

I see from that article that Marion is still on a ventilator, ventilators are not a panacea they are highly invasive and need a lot of additional equipment to support the use of them and in reality they are not a treatment they are just life support until your body can recover on its own, without a ventilator people in this bad a state will die.

I hope she recovers and gets off the ventilator soon and that your uncle recovers as well.

On symptoms, I think we have to be realistic and assess ourselves carefully as the NHS is under enough pressure without having people like me turn up putting more pressure on scarce resources.

They have said, a new persistent cough 'or' fever, so not necessarily requiring both symptoms at the same time that was yesterday on one of those Downing Street broadcasts.

My own symptoms, I've not really had a cough but I have had a sudden fever of 39.5 C last Friday followed by 38.5 for most of yesterday, this morning I am back to normal at 36.7 C.

5 days from onset of first symptoms you are either getting better or you are deteriorating if you are deteriorating then you will likely then need hospital care i.e. supplemental oxygen, those who end up needing critical care go down hill into ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) within 3 or 4 additional days and that's the mechanical ventilator stage.

The hope is that some of those needing oxygen will be helped by these positive pressure devices that F1 are involved with and reduce the need for mechanical ventilation which is very invasive and damaging.

The problem Mike is that extra oxygen and these ventilators are not really a treatment they are just keeping you going keeping you alive until your own body can fix things.

I thought the over 70's had been told to stay at home for 12 weeks irrespective of medical conditions?

Don't know that's why I put a question mark at the end.