What fucking fresh hell is this?

[Palmsun]

I came down with a headcold 4 weeks ago. By March the 29th it was much more than a headcold but not a flu either. It felt more like a sinus infection and I went to my GP. She said it was a chest infection. Gave me 5 days of antibiotics. I felt reasonably ok-ish with them but still sore and not well.

4 weeks from the onset of all of this and I am still not better. My cough has cleared but my throat is sore again and my ears are sore and I am still nearly deaf. And I am not getting any better.

This is not a normal headcold. Not any more.

It just won't go away.

4 weeks and counting. Does anyone else have the same thing?

Wow nice judgy post there. Have you read all the posts, how people are unwell for months, most unable to work for parts of it, unable to sleep due to coughing, injuring muscles due to coughing, exhausted, some had multiple antibiotics, chest X-rays etc?

I don’t think one of us has said we think it’s long covid, or mentioned Kate Garroways husband. We all have similar long lasting chest and ENT symptoms which are not a typical week long cold. None of us are “scared of the common cold”.

I personally am thinner, healthier ( other than this virus) and sleeping better than I was pre covid. None of that is anything to do with a virus/ infection that is affecting many many people.

I spoke to the pharmacist today who has advised me to be seen by my GP as he is concerned by my month of severe viral/ infection symptoms. Shall I let him know it’s fine, I don’t need to, a random non medical person on MN says it’s a common cold and I’ve to get fit?

I really hope you’re not answering your 8am phone calls in the tone of your post.

I've been sick for nearly six weeks. I have no energy to do anything. What do you expect me to do?

I've been the same awful cough/ heavy cold no sleep for at least a week due to coughing started 5 weeks ago, antibiotics, inhaler no help, just when I thought it was going away ear pain has re-started and I've developed a vile dry cough to the point where coughing is making me almost vomit.

Saw this online today!

“We believe it is time to stop using terms like ‘long Covid’. They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer-term symptoms associated with this virus. This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hypervigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/15/long-covid-symptoms-flu-cold

Yup, since mid-December, the whole family. Occasionally we get better for a few days then feel crap again

I was ill from early Sept 2023 to early Jan 2024 in peaks and troughs.

It's a hangover from Covid when we didn't mix.

I do but no chest infection, thankfully, so no antibiotics.

I've been given a pink inhaler to use twice a day (up to 4 times if needed). I've had this nearly 3 months. I have chest xrays next week. It's freaking me out.

And the coughing fits are so severe, I'm using Tena extra pads as I peed my pants 3 times in one week due to coughing!

Doc has assured me it really doesn't seem to be anything sinister and loads of people have got it but I've never had a cough like it. Ever.

Whole family have this. Throat sinus pain blockage. Unwell 4 wks.
menthol inhalations have helped but the sore throat comes and goes.
Agree not a cold but not flu.

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain

How can it be covid variant if most of us are testing negative for this?
Because the virus has mutated so much that the lft aren't great at detecting it. We had it. 4 in the household all came down with something within 1 day of each other. 2 of us tested positive, 2 negative. It's highly unlikely 2 people had a different virus at the same time as us with exactly the same symptoms. All of us too about 3 weeks to fully recover.

Oh my god, I thought I was getting better but reading this thread I knew not to get too excited just yet.

I woke this morning with a heavy head but it was bearable. I got a new delivery of over the counter meds and a solpadeline helpede this morning.

I continue to take my antibiotics and I use my nose sprays.

The cough is now back with an absolute vengeance. I think it's possibly due to a nasal drip.

I'm coughing to the point of pissing myself. I was choking on my coughs earlier and other people are completely blind and oblivious and that I AM SICK and they don't care. I'm coming very close to swinging some hammers into people's heads. Just fuck off and leave me alone.

Hope you feel better soon OP! It's a nasty one!!

I'm doing everything that I am supposed to be doing to get rid of this - vitamins, good food and diet, hot soups, foods to reduce inflammation, medicines, anti histamines,

Although a poster here yesterday recommended a different anti histamine so I hope to get that tomorrow.

Reading the replies here, it's doubtful I will get better any time soon. I am 4 weeks into this. So do I go back to my GP next week when shit doesn't clear?

What else can a gp prescribe.

I think I will order a nebuliser from Amazon or somewhere and maybe some saline solution stuff and hope that will help.

I wonder why are people not put on anti virals.

I never once thought about 'long covid'.

I am sick and I need to get better.

That is all.

My god, I'm going to make the news with this yet.

I had something similar recently. There was a hideous night of fever in amongst it too.
them I remembered we had some Vicks. I
puT some on my feet that night and miraculously recovered almost overnight!!

I quoted another poster who said that people were more panicked since covid and worried about having it.

Thank you, yes I think I meant to quote the other post.

My local boots has a nebuliser in stock.

What solution do I put in one? Is there anything over the counter or does a doctor have to prescribe something? I will talk to a pharmacist.

I think I might get one tomorrow. I'm dying and I dot want to go into the city but I think I will.

I can order it for delivery likely Wednesday but I think I would like to have some sort down sessions over the weekend in the hope that I can clear this pronto.

Yes, since December. Really common ATM.
Doc says, post-viral syndrome, so Anti-biotics no good at all
Vit D helped (I tested low as do many). I also used Curasept mouthwash to gargle which helps with the sore throat and ears, and partly the headache - sinuses, inner ear and throat are all connected.
Ibuprofen to reduce coughing.

Yea I had it from the beginning of December until the middle of feb. It took 3 lots of antibiotics and 2 chest X-ray’s before it went away and then I was fine for around 2 weeks before my little boy brought a cold home from nursery and I was floored again. 😩🙈

I've had the same. We all had a cold mid Jan, and it was nasty enough that DD spent a day in bed at the weekend, and DS missed a day of school, so I did test for Covid because grandma is vulnerable. We were positive! If it wasn't for granny I wouldn't have given it another thought, but anyway....

The kids recovered normally but Dh and I have been relapsing ever since. I think we're just about OK now, but for ages, I thought I was better and then suddenly had an awful cough and bunged up throat and sinuses, which really knocked me about. I think I had a week or two clearish, then a week or two with the cough etc, then another week or two thinking I was better, then another relapse etc.

Whether it's all covid or there's just a very persistent virus out there, but there definitely seem to be a lot of never-ending bugs out there at the moment...... I'm hoping I am finally out the other side! Hope you get there soon too.

Week five, achy, fatigued, chest infection. So far two rounds of antibiotics (which I loathe to take unless I must as I know the impact on gut microbiome), inhaler and overall struggling still. Any exertion sets off coughing.

Have also had the ‘come and go’ nature of the symptoms, as previous posters have mentioned.

Interestingly it was the GP who mentioned post-viral syndrome, in relation to having seen a lot of similar cases of the malaise, fatigue type symptoms in people of late.

I have this. Started the beginning of February. A horrible cold for a week with a sore throat and cough, then week two felt fluey in bed all week with a bad cough and sore throat so bad I lost my voice. Antibiotics for a week and it seemed to clear up with a slight cough and sore throat still, then after week 3 it came back and knocked me out again, made my asthma flare up and have been given prednisolone steroids, but they don't seem to be working fully yet. Whole chest/ribs/lungs ache from coughing and so tired and tearful from a month of no sleep! Moving house too so it's very stressful. I thought at first it must be allergies from dust, renovation of new house, moving, clearing out bits etc. but seeing lots of people say this makes me think it's what I have.

I was discussing this with our local public health consultant and best guess is that the latest covid strain may have a greater impact on the effectiveness of the immune system. It's not as extreme as measles which can completely wipe your immune systems memory but there's evidence covid can suppress the immune system hence could be the cause of these never ending illnesses. Just speculation between colleagues, but plausible

Take Echinacea to boost your immune system