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March 28, 2024, 10:27:03 AM

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Lateral Flow Tests

Started by bgmnts, September 28, 2021, 02:44:56 PM

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JaDanketies

Lots of plastic waste from this COVID. A thin layer of sterilised hydrocarbons in the fossil record.

imitationleather

Took one earlier today as I was doing rather a lot of heavy petting with strangers at the weekend and I feel rough as arses now.

Negative. Probably just got a dose of something far more life-threatening instead.

Cuellar

Used to see lots of discarded LFTs down alleys, in out of the way hedge-rich environments, places like that.

What's the story there? Anonymous sex? You arrange to meet, then do an LFT in the presence of your fellow sexer, then make small talk for 15-30 minutes?

Blinder Data

Quote from: bgmnts on September 28, 2021, 02:44:56 PM
Have to start taking these despite only being in the office once a week for half a day.

Where? How? Why? What? When?

Is this your first experience of Lateral Flow Tests? If so, how the hell have you managed to avoid them?!

Cloud

I had a throat like razor blades since Sunday evening.  We had some mini Milky Ways in case any kids came round (they didn't), so I probably ate the wrong one.

Past few days have involved mild shivers on and off, mild headache on and off, general feeling of crud.  Negative LFTs throughout.  It's easing off now, though I still have the sniffles remaining.

imitationleather

Quote from: Blinder Data on November 03, 2021, 03:56:28 PM
Is this your first experience of Lateral Flow Tests? If so, how the hell have you managed to avoid them?!

The one I did earlier today was my first time doing one.

I've avoided them by not having a job that requires going to an office or indeed even leaving the house, I guess. Also I got double jabbed before clubs started sometimes remembering to ask for proof on entry.

bgmnts

Quote from: Blinder Data on November 03, 2021, 03:56:28 PM
Is this your first experience of Lateral Flow Tests? If so, how the hell have you managed to avoid them?!

I was only in the office once a week and I had only just started so they hadn't told me I had to do one.

It really is pointless stuff though, considering how invasive and unpleasant it is, knowing that it's not even reliable.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

I also did my very first LFT a few weeks back, a Day 2 return to the UK one.

It ain't pleasant but not outright awful. Was surprised that the sensation lingers a while right at the back of your nostrils.

Would do it again if required.

MojoJojo

Quote from: bgmnts on November 03, 2021, 04:42:54 PM
I was only in the office once a week and I had only just started so they hadn't told me I had to do one.

It really is pointless stuff though, considering how invasive and unpleasant it is, knowing that it's not even reliable.

Considering how many people are symptomless and can still spread, it really is a sensible measure, even if it isn't perfectly reliable. The main problem with them is people don't do them when they don't want to have to isolate.

I've never had to do one but I've been doing about two a week, plus extras if I'm going anywhere bringing me into contact with lots of people.

flotemysost

Yeah, I'm doing them regularly despite mostly WFH still, given I've been fairly sociable since getting double jabbed (obviously I'd get a PCR if I ever suspected I actually had symptoms, though).

I don't find them too invasive or unpleasant, I'd rather that in exchange for at least some additional peace of mind. I often do them alongside my hospital worker flatmate who has the technique down pat, so hopefully it's as accurate as it can be.

HOWEVER I ordered a new pack today and one of the little Yakult fluid tubes had split open before I'd even used it, everything was all soggy in the sachet. BRING BACK ARE TONSIL SWABS

Cloud

Since I had a sore throat earlier in the week I'm actually inclined to keep some of the older tests around.  Just makes sense to be able to swab that area still if something turns up there..

Originally was working my way through the old ones and keeping the new ones for "in a hurry"

Blinder Data

Quote from: imitationleather on November 03, 2021, 04:16:30 PM
The one I did earlier today was my first time doing one.

I've avoided them by not having a job that requires going to an office or indeed even leaving the house, I guess. Also I got double jabbed before clubs started sometimes remembering to ask for proof on entry.

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on November 03, 2021, 04:55:49 PM
I also did my very first LFT a few weeks back, a Day 2 return to the UK one.

It ain't pleasant but not outright awful. Was surprised that the sensation lingers a while right at the back of your nostrils.

Would do it again if required.

Hmmm. I guess I just assumed everyone would have done loads of them by now. I think I ordered my first batch in the spring to use before going on a trip or meeting up with pals, or when feeling ill, or when there's a contact with a positive case.

I do a LFT and five minutes later I think to myself: "Hmm, I have a sore throat. Maybe it's COVID?" No, you fanny, you've just poked your tonsils with a stick, of course you have a sore throat!

Ferris

Depending on the type of test, you don't have to do the tonsil thing for them to be effective. Our advice is 2cm up nose, swab inside of each nostril 5x then call it a day.

Not sure if the UK has different tests, but I hated the tonsil ones (which are still the requirement for PCR) but the current rapid tests are fine. I'm doing one every week or two because they're free and take 5 minutes so why not.

MojoJojo

In England they used to be tonsil ones but they changed at some point to just up the nose. Big Clive did a video on them a few days ago and he had the throat ones, so I guess it depends on what part of the UK you are in.

olliebean

Just got a 7-pack of these, and they're the sort you just put up your nose, no tonsils. But you've got to do both nostrils. Frankly I'd sooner do tonsils and one nostril, because doing the tonsils is uncomfortable, but once it's done it's done, whereas doing the nostril bloody hurts, and keeps on hurting for a while afterwards, and the only consolation was you only had to do one of them.

shoulders

It's uncomfortable and there is a faint complaint of 'could you not rag things up there please' for a while afterwards but nothing too drastic, I don't feel.

Are you really ragging it to fuck?

olliebean

I've only done the PCR ones before, which basically say to stick it up until it meets some resistance (I've not been ramming them up there, just inserting gently until there was some resistance) and then rotate it for 10-15 seconds. Makes my eyes water, and my nostril doesn't feel right for a while after.

mothman

If you find it's tickling the back of your skull then you've probably pushed it too far.

olliebean

Just noticed the lateral flow ones specify "less than 2.5cm from the edge of the nostril." I reckon they could do with putting a mark on the stick, 2.5cm from the end of the swab, so people know not to push it in too far.

peanutbutter

Are there cheap places to get a "professionally administered" one of these done? Need one for christmas and it's looking like it'll be 40 pound?

wooders1978

Got pinged and ordered to self isolate until my pcr shows up negative - I've done a couple of lateral flows since getting pinged and they have come up negative, I quite fancy a long walk and pub today, would I really be such an awful person? 

mothman

"Cuh, it's one rule for Wooders and another for the rest of us!"

Milo

Every time I do a lateral flow test I get an insight into the plight of an infertile couple.

mothman

Is this your way of saying you've only recently learned you don't pee on LFTs?

Milo

Getting just two drops of fluid has been a challenge.

Fambo Number Mive

Quote from: wooders1978 on December 12, 2021, 12:02:31 PMGot pinged and ordered to self isolate until my pcr shows up negative - I've done a couple of lateral flows since getting pinged and they have come up negative, I quite fancy a long walk and pub today, would I really be such an awful person? 

LFTs aren't as good as detecting positives as a PCR, so I'd advise waiting until the PCR results. Hopefully they shouldn't take long - when did you have your PCR?

flotemysost

When we were going into the office, everyone had to do a routine LFT before coming in and one of my colleagues kept getting positive tests, but then a negative PCR - I'd heard of the other way round, but it seems like there's something that can trigger the LFT yet ain't the 'vid. Either that or she got a dodgy batch of tests. She does have two nursery-age children, so I suppose they're probably humming with all sorts of exotic and exciting germs.

Hope your PCR is negative, wooders.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

I took a PCR when my housemate tested positive. It came back negative, but then I thought, "what if I caught the virus while I was waiting for the results?"

greencalx

Someone I know tested positive on four different LFTs but negative on each subsequent PCR. Lot of room for user error I think.

As mentioned elsewhere, we have a spit-in-a-pot PCR test at work, which keeps coming back negative but I have no idea what the false negative rate is for such tests. Very convenient to do though.

Did my first LFT yesterday as I got an email from someone I was out with on Thursday night saying one member of the group since tested positive, but all the others had tested negative so was starting to suspect it might be a false positive. Mine came back negative too, though I managed to convince myself I had symptoms for the 30 minutes it took the test to cook.

wooders1978

My pcr test arrived this afternoon so will do it tomorrow morning and post it

In my heart of hearts I knew it would be the wrong thing to do, so I'm still at home - my dog needs walking though so I don't really have a choice on that part

Lfts are very unpleasant to do aren't they