Anyone else knocked down by this Christmas bug?

[Canyoudigityesyoucan]

Went away for Christmas at luxury hotel. DH started to feel ropey Xmas eve. By Xmas day he had full blown temperature, aches, chills, cough. Had to find pharmacy on Xmas day to try and get something stronger for him.

it’s hit me full-pelt now. It feels like it’s in my throat and ears and I’m raging hot and cold. Taking Lemsip tabs and ibuprofen and codeine but anything else I could or should be doing? My throat is so painful I can’t even cough.

I have about 12 people turning up for a second Xmas at 2pm and tempted to just cancel it or leave it to my DH who appears better!

This flu/chest infection/bug thing is horrendous.

I am at the end of week two now and it’s getting worse.

Christmas break ruined - I had great plans and all I have done is lie on the sofa and blow my nose!

head aches, awful chesty cough, legs and arms ache, skin hurts.

when will it end

Day 10. Cough, malaise and body aches eased, replaced with NEW raging sore throat and ears/sinuses full of glue. Can't speak properly (much to DH's amusement).

My eye sockets hurt now too, that started yesterday - what's all that about?!

Luckily I don't feel especially ill anymore and my appetite is ok, so I can walk the dogs if I go slowly.

I'm sad that my lovely Christmas break from all the work stress of 2024 has been spoiled by this! Hope we are all on the mend soon.

I’ve found my people! I was very suddenly knocked sideways by the Hell Virus on 14th December and I’m still not right.

Started out of the blue with chills, shaking, sweating, streaming nose, barking painful cough, joints burning with pain, nausea, and fatigue like I’ve never felt before. Walking 10 steps to the loo was like taking on a marathon. I couldn’t even speak for two days, couldn’t get up the energy. No appetite, I did nothing but sleep (or wish I felt well enough to go back to sleep) for 48 hours. Ended up on antibiotics because my sinuses got infected from all the damn mucus.

The cough is no longer barking or painful but still lingering, still having to clear phlegm several times a day. Still feeling intermittently wiped out, desperate to get a bit of exercise in as I’m feeling so blobby but can’t face more than short gentle walks. Is that a post viral thing? It’s been nearly 3 weeks, I want to feel properly better! And yday I started getting a runny nose again…

I got the flu jab back in October too but hadn’t heard they might have picked the wrong strain this year. Never been so ill with a virus ever! Hope everyone is on the mend.

I thought I was over it. Had two days trying to cope with family visits for NY and ended up asleep half way through. Now totally floored again. Hoping I can take it easy until back in work next week. The kids have started coughing...

I have been ill since Boxing Day. I felt better on 1st, went to work on 2nd and now today, feel wiped out and just want to sleep all day.

It wasn't 'flu. It was this really weird, dizzy, spinny feeling, crushing headaches, total lethargy and nausea. I couldn't function. Awful.

It's only a matter of time before it hits here, then. There's at least one direct flight per day between LHR and YVR. Thanks for the heads up; I'm booking my shots tomorrow morning.

Sorry, what is due to hit here?

I suspect @merrymelodies intended to post on a different thread, as it didn't quite fit. Happy to stand corrected!

I haven't looked though, we've got enough home grown winter disease without worrying about more!

Day 10 or so here. Dreadful. Cant remember being this ill before. I was given antibiotics for my ears which has helped my chest alot. So that is good.

I live in Vancouver and I haven't heard of any cases here... yet. So I was thinking that the virus that you're experiencing in the UK would likely travel. As viruses do.

Me! I've had it for a week now and it's horrible

It’s most likely a strain of Flu, covid or rsv, which are common across the Northern hemisphere at this time of year including Vancouver ☺️

@yamafi Yes, I do realise that. I'm not unfamiliar with the nature of contagion; I simply haven't heard any reports of the symptoms described on this thread.

I only just started to feel normal
again yesterday. I was starting to panic I might be pregnant or something, the fatigue was something I’d never experienced before!

But weirdly now I’ve lost all sense of taste. Cannot taste ANYTHING. It’s still not Covid (have tested again!) did anyone else experience this?

I had the same thing - no taste or smell but a mega Covid test. I think my nose was just blocked up so badly.

I lost my sense of taste somewhere around day 6, weirdly just as the congestion was starting to ease a little. Sounds like you've had it worse than me, I'm on day 12 and still congested, tired, a little headachey and feel like I have constant eye strain but slowly improving day by day. My sense of taste and smell are improving but they're not 'right' yet. I'm back at work tomorrow and not looking forward to it (also very grumpy at having the only two week block of leave I had all year ruined by snot 😆 )

I've had the jab and still feel rough. I seem have has 2 different illnesses, the first I wasn't as bad as DH and the second I'm a, lot worse.

Interesting, almost exactly the same timeline and symptoms as me! I'm also on day 12. I soldiered through days 1 - 5, managed a modest Christmas dinner and haven't had any stomach symptoms despite lack of appetite...but it wiped me out on day 6 and I succumbed to my bed, right about the time my smell and taste disappeared I think (that may have been day 5). Started wondering if it was covid (my tests are in a box tucked up high in a storage cupboard, and my energy levels couldn't countenance trying to get them down).

I rallied on day 7 though, and since then my body has felt fine mostly. Left with eye socket pain (that's gone today), cough, and throat and sinus pain. Lying down or bending forward feels like I've been punched in the face and my back teeth hurt. Throat still like a lump of razor wire on day 12, sheesh.

Because of the absent gastric symptoms I doubted it was flu A, but maybe I just got lucky? It certainly seems like "more than a cold" - and smell/taste returned after only 3 days, so covid seems unlikely.

Anyway...keep going people, it will end eventually!

Oh I also feel so ragey that it ruined Xmas. It’s basically day ten for me now. Still really snotty and stuffy, no sense of taste or smell. No appetite (which is good as I can’t taste it anyway) just a ravenous thirst which I cannot seem to quench!

I actually think days 5-8 were the worst days, I’ve never ever felt so tired I could only sleep. I’m also back at work tomorrow after having to call in sick last week, I have the worst brain fog it’s going to be hard work I can tell