How often do you get debilitating flu?

[CharlotteRumpling]

I am hardly ever ill, but once a year or so I get a terrible bout of flu. Got it now and can barely get out of bed. ( have had my flu jab).

DH has flu several times a year but not severe attacks. Can usually keep going but just WFH.

He's always quite taken aback by how ill I get quite quickly.

No way are you getting flu once a year. A bad cold/virus of some description, fine, I'll accept that, but real influenza is actually quite unusual. So, assuming that what you're really talking about is a miserable cold - I probably get one once or twice a year - courtesy of one of my DC.

As for flu, I've had it a couple of times in my life (I'm 51). The last time was 30 years ago when I was a student. It was hell. I was bedridden for a week and felt like death. I've had a flu jab every winter ever since!

Once - I’m 52. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t pick up a drink of water due to agony in my hands. Someone had to take dd1 off me as I couldn’t look after her - and my own sister used to visit me every day to check was ok / still alive. Awful!

I’ve had it once, about 15 years ago.

Proper flu as in temp of 40deg and unable to get out of bed, having to crawl to the loo and with periods of being almost delirious - twice in my life.

Once in my 30s, where that stage lasted for a couple of days then I gradually recovered.

Then I got Swine flu 15 years ago in my 40s ,was very ill , unable to to get put of bed with periods of deliriousness lasted about 3-4 days then I was just feeling very ill but mostly in bed for a couple of days. Then just very very tired (as in having to sit down after coming downstaors tired) and having to convalesce at home despite most of my flu type symptoms having passed by then. Gradually got better but was off work for more than 2 weeks.

In neither case did I get many cold type symptoms - ie not congestion or runny nose etc. Both time I felt fine and then very suddenly, within a few hours I was unable to stand. Nearly fainted on the bus home when I had swine flu as it came on fro about 3pm in work during the afternoon

Other than that, I have the very occasional cold but really I almost never get colds any more - maybe once every 3-4 years (am 61 years old now). I did have Covid 3 times over about 2-3 years, the first time I fel very tired for a day then was fine except for a bit of a cough. The second time I felt a bit worse but nowhere near as ill as when I had the flu, then the third time I had no symptoms whatsoever, apart for a bit of tiredness one day.

DH on the other hand is ill almost every autumn. He teachs at a unoversity though so spends a lot of time with a lot of plague vectors students in Sept/Oct time. He has never had really bad flu where he really can't work at all though. If he is ill he does mostly manage to teach his classes though he might take a few days off in between if he is feeling particularly bad. He rarely hase very specific symptoms, just a lot of severe tiredness and sometimes cold symptoms

Age and underlying condition is relevant.

I don't know if I know if its flu. I had a horrific cold in 2016, lasted ages. Recently I've been bedridden, coughing, vomiting, think that was flu. I was literally fantasising about being well again (then I'd have a coughing fit).

Everything else has been snivells and colds, I'd say I get one bad cold a year on average (some years none, some years two).

I have a serious condition and I'm on immune suppressants.

You'd think I'd get more flu and colds but my immune system is very strong, I eat porridge, nut milk, blueberries and an apple and live natural yoghurt every single day without fail and have done for about 20 years. I know signs, as soon as there's a sore throat I will dial things back, eat more veggies.

This year I didn't get the flu jab in time, been getting it for about 9 years. Won't forget again!

How does one tell what is flu or a virus or Covid

You can buy tests for flu just as you can for Covid, @CharlotteRumpling
They're cheap, too, so could be worth getting some in if you have the kind of husband prone to "man flu"

Twice in 69 years for me and I never want it again

Not at all since I started getting the jags after they finally diagnosed asthma

i gather this years jag is only partially effective however - scary

I've had a few viruses that have made me feel awful for a week or so (stayed in bed for the day/not budged from the sofa for a few more/only fluids etc) but when people talk about not being able to get out of bed with flu do you mean literally - like even if you really had to?
Because if that's what flu does I don't think I've ever had it (luckily) and I'm over 50.
Feel like I might have jinxed myself now...

i Have managed to get to the loo enough - never wet the bed although fluid levels were often very low unless someone was bringing me drinks which was quite rare - I would sleep from 8 till 5 when my parents came home when I was a child and not drink or use the loo in that time

Never to my knowledge. I might have had it in childhood but can’t remember. I don’t get many colds either- roughly one or two a year now but prior to COVID, I hadn’t had a cold in decades. But the ones I get now are minor sniffles- no pain or fever, just feel a bit tired and have a lot of snot for a few days. I am 48.

I’ve had the flu possibly twice ever. Once I was like hallucinating for several days and fever ish (literally in a shack in rural South Africa where I was working at the time). Could have been something else, but it’s the only time I’ve ever been that ill, except when I got fevers and suspected sepsis due to cancer treatment. The other time was when dd was a baby. Dh and I were both like trading off lying in bed ill for 2 weeks. It was awful.

Otherwise, I get the flu jab every year (and also COVID) so only 2 times ever in 45 years. I barely get a cold, even though I’m technically clinically vulnerable enough to get an NHS flu and COVID jab.

I’ve had real flu three times, plus one maybe-flu (lasted a week rather than 10 days). All of them were horrendous and totally incapacitating and it was another two weeks before I was back to normal.

Nothing for the past 20 years, because I’ve been having the flu jab for 20 years.

If your dh can keep going through ‘flu’ several times a year, then sorry, OP, but it’s not proper flu. It’s just a bad cold which to be fair, can be pretty horrible.

Anyone who’s had real flu - which can and usually does knock your stuffing right out for a few weeks - will know the difference.

Thank goodness I’ve only had it once.

That is a very tired myth.

Flu can be asymptomatic, mild, moderate or severe. And no you don’t know it is flu for definite unless you have been tested but flu doesn’t have to completely floor you every time.

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/yahoo-life-why-does-the-flu-make-some-people-sick-but-not-others

I am 59 and have had it twice, like other posters I really would have welcomed death. The pain was excruciating. I have had other bad colds but nothing like those 2 bouts.

I've had it twice - the infamous Millennium Bug (the real one!) and then again about five years later.

As far as I know I've had covid once and it was nowhere near as bad as those two flu episodes. I could function with covid, with flu I was in bed.

Twice in 60 years. It's truly awful.

I had it 3 times in my life. I’m now 51.

I’ve had the flu jab ever since my last bout of flu

have you considered that

NHS Scotland says

The difference between flu and a cold
It can sometimes be difficult to tell if you have flu or a cold.
Flu symptoms:

• come on quickly
• usually include fever and aching muscles
• are more severe

Cold symptoms:

• come on gradually
• mainly affect your nose and throat
• are fairly mild, so you can still get around and are usually well enough to go to work

I've had flu 3 times in 63 years ' at ages 6, 17 and 36.

Last time I had flu was 2007 …..I’ve had covid, cancer and chemo since….but no flu thankfully….im 60

I have the flu jab every year since 2009

I’m in my 50s and I’ve only had bad flu a couple of times. I get a nasty cold every year, sometimes twice. I had swine flu but it was just like a bad cold. I’ve been poleaxed with Covid twice, couldn’t get out of bed for a week. I genuinely thought I was dying.

I had it earlier this year, did not get out of bed for 5 days. I thought I was going to die. Im early 40s
Dh had it 20 years ago, he lost 3 stone in weight in a week and was hospitalised. He was 35ish at the time
My mum is currently in hospital with it, it turned to sepsis and she was very poorly, we didn't think she'd survive at one point. Early 70s
None of us ever had flu jab and the above are the only time we've had it.

This. I've had it once and I'm in my 40s. OP I highly doubt your husband has it several times a year. He has colds/bad colds.