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Original poster

Anyone just never THAT ill?

126 replies

TheRookie · 09/11/2022 12:46

I may live to regret this thread, tempting fate and all that....

But is anyone else just never ill enough to be in bed all day?? I am always seeing on Instagram and Facebook people /influencers are ill in bed, so full of cold or whatever. I get colds but I just carry on with it, dose up with day nurse and be on my way!!

I remember once in the last 5 years since having kids I was in bed for a day with a sore throat but that was because I was heavily pregnant and absolutely terrified it was covid, and didn't want to pass anything on to my other kids and DH. I wasn't actually ill, more scared!!

I actually crave a day in a cosy bed with a book, hot drinks on tap 😅😅

OP posts:
MerculesHorse · 09/11/2022 14:50

I've been laid up with flu, norovirus, covid, mastitis, and blood loss. That's just this year 🤣 Every time I was up and about before fully recovered because we have young kids but was ill enough not to be safe looking after them.

Atethehalloweenchocs · 09/11/2022 14:53

I would really appreciate people who are ill keeping away from me. So whether you are in bed or not, it is not right to be out and about in public if you can avoid it - keep your germs at home.

Jalepenojello · 09/11/2022 14:54

I’ve been that ill 3 times this year. Tonsillitis x 2 and a sick bug a few weeks ago that made me pass out when I was vertical

its probably been years before this year however.

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Wexone · 09/11/2022 14:54

Twice i remember. Once was one xmas both himself and I got the flue (blame my brother as he had it xmas eve when met him), woke up Stephen's day barley able to move. Head was heavy to lift and every part of me ached, Himself was the next day. We were both in bed for three days and didn't leave the house for a week. Horrendous. The other time was food poising, actually fell asleep on the bathroom floor as couldn't move. Was about three days. Only remember himself bad one other time in the near 20 yeas together, he got swine flue, had to lift him out of bed to go to the loo and shower. Doctor had to come to the house. If he hadnt improved by day 5 he was going to hospital, thank god he did

WinterCarlisle · 09/11/2022 14:56

@luckylavender
Nobody can 'carry on' with flu. Anyone who says they can doesn't have flu.

I did! We had a Flu A outbreak where I work a year before covid. I felt a bit under the weather. Not ill just “off”. Because of the outbreak I was swabbed for flu and it came back positive. I could quite easily have taken a couple of paracetamol and worked a 13 hour shift. Instead all of us were made to take a week of and given Tamiflu.

Tummytroubles22 · 09/11/2022 14:56

I’ve only been confined to bed once and that was with swine flu about 13 years ago. I thought I was dying and was too ill to care.

I don’t know what I would do if I was ill like that again as I really don’t have anyone to help, no family within 3 hours, DH works away a lot. Wouldn’t ask friends as I have 4 DC and most of them are in the same boat re childcare. However my DC would probably only notice I was still in bed once the snacks and the milk ran out.

IntrovertedPenguin · 09/11/2022 14:57

I'm in bed quite a bit, but in my defence I have several chronic conditions and next to none immune system. Night nurse doesn't do jack. 😂

overwork · 09/11/2022 15:00

Covid left me feeling pretty bad for a few days. And I had appendicitis a few years ago. Actually I could carry on with the appendicitis (and did till work packed me off to ED), but the recovery from surgery took a few days.
But generally I count myself very lucky to be fit and well. I rarely take medicines, but that's easy for me to say as I rarely need them.

earsup · 09/11/2022 15:02

when I was teaching, we all off about 4 times a year with virus bugs....half the staffroom were often off at same time....now i am retired....take lots of vits and exercise but still get 2 colds a year which leave me in bed for 3 or 4 days...no energy...impossible to do anything....my polish and lithuanian student lodgers in my house are never ill...a cold might last a day...they are like machines...poor diet and no exercise but robust...!!

howaboutchocolate · 09/11/2022 15:03

Is it really that surprising that illness affects people differently?

Respiratory illnesses tend to hit me quite hard. Both times I've had covid I've needed to lie down in bed all day for at least one of the days because I could barely stand up. I've had flu once, was in bed for 3 days delirious. Tonsillitis knocks me out.

I had a cold a few weeks ago and it was so mild I was surprised! It's the first one I've had in years where I could just carry on as normal.

But I've never had food poisoning and rarely get sickness bugs or other infections. It's just my respiratory system that's shit.

Blueeyedgirl21 · 09/11/2022 15:03

Once I literally couldn’t get up off the sofa and had to go to a&E and be admitted for fluids due to a really bad sick bug. Was just dry heaving up bile after about 9 hours of vomiting every 10-20 mins. After the initial fluids I felt better then back to normal after a day or so. That’s probably the worst bug I’ve had and I’ve had covid twice including once when pregnant. Always get my flu jab religiously not sure if that helps but I do get colds just not ones that ‘floor’ me.

Dogtooth · 09/11/2022 15:04

TBH the main reason I have a sick day (once in a blue moon) is hangovers...

Shingles in the head also kept me in bed for a long time. I would gladly have stayed in bed with covid but DH was sicker than me and we have two kids so childcare was on me. I've had the odd bout of sickness/diarrhoea that keeps me up all night and I decide it's better to stay in bed to rest than try to soldier on.

When you're ill, your body needs rest and it's a false economy to battle through as you'll just be ill for longer.

A very unpleasant time was when I went on a tour of India and was very ill (I never knew you could squirt both ends simultaneously!) but couldn't stay in bed as I had to move on with the tour or be left behind. Cue some unpleasant experiences on toilets on moving trains.

IntrovertedPenguin · 09/11/2022 15:04

Just seen your other comment I don't get people when unwell who post to social media either, it's all for sympathy. Just shut up and go to bed. It can't be that bad to be posting online.

Teadrinkingmumofone · 09/11/2022 15:05

Never been laid in bed with a cold but have been knocked out by a few other things, bacterial Infection, bad viral meningitis, sepsis, flu and even swine flu many years ago. Hospitalised for a few of those things.

America12 · 09/11/2022 15:07

JaneJeffer · 09/11/2022 12:52

Most people can carry on with colds/Covid/flu but have you ever had noroviris? It's the worst.

Proper flu (not just a bad cold) you absolutely can't just carry on. It knocked me out.

SierraSapphire · 09/11/2022 15:08

I was never that ill until I got cancer! I'm still not actually that ill with cancer and going through chemo, I only miss the day of treatment and half a day after off work. But I do wonder whether my tendency not to stop and rest and to just push through everything has contributed to stressing my system and lowering my immunity.

Newmum738 · 09/11/2022 15:09

Yes! This week. I will battle through most of the time but if I'm I'll and able to stay in bed then that's what I do.

howaboutchocolate · 09/11/2022 15:13

I may be just fortunate that I don't come down with things as badly as others

I think that's it. Look at covid, it kills some people and others are asymptomatic. Colds are obviously not quite on the same spectrum but the exact same bug can hit people harder than others.

Posts like this come across a bit like people saying they don't understand why some pregnant women need time off when they sailed through their pregnancy. Bodies react differently to things, who knew.

Arenanewbie · 09/11/2022 15:13

I suppose it depends on the circumstances but mostly on your genetics. My dad was heavy smoker and heavy drinker until into his mid60s and he never had any problems with colds and flus. He never had them. He never had bugs either. He was in bed only when his arm or leg was broken or sleeping off his hangover.
I was in bed with flu, colds and other viruses in my 20s, 30s 40s. I was regularly in bed with heavy periods, usually just one day or half day but still. Recently was in bed with Coronavirus. I don’t smoke and never did, I drink very little and eat healthy. Maybe I should give it all up…

SilverPen · 09/11/2022 15:14

I think how physically ill you are is very tied up in how life is going at the time and how your mental health is.

I have been the person who carried on through every illness and it really wasn't that bad, but in periods where every day is a struggle, a minor illness really can leave you bedbound. After a significant bereavement, just keeping going left me completely exhausted, a minor cold left me completely incapable.

LadyVic · 09/11/2022 15:14

Im seeing a lot of posts saying "colds/flu you just carry on"

You cant carry on with the flu. Thats how you know its the flu and not just a nasty cold.
With the flu you cant get put of bed, you are just too poorly. If you think you have the flu, and can take meds and carry on you dont have the flu.
Flu put me in bed for 6 days, 3 of which I dont remember, then could only be up for a few hours at a time for 10 days after.

Foolsandtheirmoney · 09/11/2022 15:20

LadyVic · 09/11/2022 15:14

Im seeing a lot of posts saying "colds/flu you just carry on"

You cant carry on with the flu. Thats how you know its the flu and not just a nasty cold.
With the flu you cant get put of bed, you are just too poorly. If you think you have the flu, and can take meds and carry on you dont have the flu.
Flu put me in bed for 6 days, 3 of which I dont remember, then could only be up for a few hours at a time for 10 days after.

That's not true at all. You can have flu and not even have any symptoms. I don't know why people keep perpetuating this myth.

I'm the same as you OP and was only thinking the same thing the other day when someone on mumsnet was talking about being laid up sick. I've been that sick once and that was when I had sepsis. For about a week after I left the hospital I struggled to do even basics like showering. I've never been laid up all day with a cold/bug.

bringincrazyback · 09/11/2022 15:23

I actually crave a day in a cosy bed with a book, hot drinks on tap 😅😅

Trouble is, if you were ill enough to spend all day in bed, you wouldn't be well enough to enjoy it. That's my experience anyway.

Beezknees · 09/11/2022 15:27

Yep! I'm never ill enough to need time off work thankfully. DS is the same, he's in Year 10 and has 100% attendance every year since he started school.

Phos · 09/11/2022 15:27

Some people are more prone to illness than others or, for numerous reasons, are harder hit than others by the same affliction. I suspect there's also a sense of if you've got to just soldier on then you do, whereas your social media "influencers" don't actually have a job to go to so they can spend all day in bed once they've done their make up and taken a million shots of them looking sorry for themselves.

The only things that have ever had me properly laid up have been norovirus and a chest infection that had me running a high temperature.Those have been isolated though, maybe 5 times in the last 10 years to be honest. Colds and stuff, I've just got on with.