Would I have Covid or not? My test results are in | Matt Mohan-Hickson

In case you missed last week’s column, I had symptoms of Covid-19 and got myself tested.

After four long days of waiting, during which time I felt absolutely rotten, I finally received the text I had been hoping for. My results had come back negative, no coronavirus in this body.

If you missed Matt’s column last week, here it is

In the moments after getting the all-clear I felt a huge sense of relief, like a pandemic-sized weight had been lifted from my chest.

Not just because it meant I did not have a killer virus, but more that I was no longer inconveniencing my housemates and keeping them all locked up in our home.

Never had I been happier to step outside and take in the city air while strolling up and down Fratton Road.

But after this brief stroll, I found myself completely knackered and feeling weak. I was also left with unanswered questions about exactly what had been making me so ill for the previous few days.

Was it flu? The aches I had been suffering certainly seemed to be a sign that it could have been. I guess I will never know for sure. Just another of life’s unanswered mysteries.

But despite that initial wave of relief at not having Covid-19, I was soon left with an overwhelming feeling of frustration.

I could feel I was close to being well again but I was still so weak and exhausted, the toll from my body fighting the sickness I assume.

Simple things like walking up a flight of stairs, or going for a short walk, left me out of breath and feeling weary, needing a lie down.

It was just so frustrating – normality was in sight but it was just out of my grasp.