Flu? I don’t know what to do 😭 medical people please

[Cathbach]

For background I am lucky that I am not often ill. I am very much a get on with it person.

But I’ve been ill since Saturday night and getting worried now because I’m not getting better.
The kids have had it too but they don’t seem as bad. They’ve had high temps, temperature, cough, sore throat, lethargy etc. 3-4 days off school each so quite bad. But followed the usual, ‘ill - very ill - get better each day - well’ process.

But I am just another level. All classic flu symptoms, I can’t do anything. It’s taking ages to write this. I got to the pharmacy yesterday as the pain in my throat was making me want to cry. Can’t cry though it would be agony. The pharmacist said my tonsils looked bad but not terrible, so gave me antibiotics. Started them yesterday and I thought mild improvement, but this morning if anything I’m worse. Temp is back and I just can’t move. Everything hurts.

Is this normal for flu? I haven’t had the jab this year, I usually do due to work but haven’t gotten around to it. I’m just not getting better.

Ive had about 6 hours sleep and 500 calories since Saturday night. If I ring NHS Direct they will tell me to go to the GP because that’s what they tell everyone. I’m too late for tamiflu though so I’m not sure what I’d gain. But I’m just so ill ☹️

I don’t know whether I should try and force myself to eat? I’ve had a few grapes and half a tin of chicken soup since Saturday afternoon. But I have zero appetite or energy to eat. I don’t know whether to listen to my body and not burden it with the work of digesting food, or try and force something down. I’ve been drinking tea and fresh orange along with all the water.

The trope that people can't stand up/walk with flu is nonsense. Normal people can get to the bathroom and don't lie in a soiled bed even if they do feel rubbish!

I agree. I am in a semi-medical profession (midwife) and I’ve cared for many women with confirmed flu, who range from mild cold symptoms to ICU input. I’m not great on general population health though because I’m not a doctor!
My temp, heart rate and resp rate have been raised for days but it’s more the getting-worse-not-better part that’s worrying me. If we take Saturday as day 0 I’m now day 4. Feels more like day 40.

I'm managing to type this out but no way could I say it all out loud.

Hope anyone else suffering is feeling better soon xx

Another vote for difflam or (chloraseptic, or a generic) throat spray ! Contains painkillers, REALLY eases the pain and allows you to sleep a bit and drink.

Have you tested for COVID?

I've had flu 2 times in my life before flu jabs were a thing. Both times I was completely ill and incapacitated for about 2 weeks. If you haven't had the jab this is how ill it can make you.

Hopefully it will just run its course after a couple of weeks and you will then start to feel better.

As a side note it does my head in when people say they have had the flu but they were still able to be up and about and doing things. If you truly had the flu you won't be able to physically do anything and even just getting out of bed to go to the toilet takes a huge amount of effort.

Yes I’ve still got loads of LFTs. Negative. The kids have got it though albeit a milder version, and kids don’t get Covid so I was fairly sure.

Neilmed sinus rinse is really good for clearing your head and nose. Gross what comes out but only thing that has helped dd. Shes on day 11 still coughing andcold, ds had sore throat for 5 days and now coughing, keep dosed up on ibuprofen, difflam for sore throat. Unlikely antibiotics will help

As I’ve already posted on here, that is a myth. Flu can be mild, asymptomatic, moderate or severe.

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

Antibiotics may help if the throat infection is. Secondary bacterial infection, which is what the pharmacist thought.

And no, not everyone is laid low by flu. It can vary by individual. Some people are hospitalised, some people feel rough for a few days.

What do you mean by “kids don’t get COVID”?

Flu can be really awful and that is the point people are trying to make on here.

I couldn’t get out of bed apart from to go to the loo for about a week (this was 10 years ago and it’s still the most ill I’ve been). Took weeks to get better and months to get back to myself.

If you’ve been hit badly then it’s not something you get over in a few days.

Fortunately, unlike Covid, most people get some immunity after having it and I think it’s an average of once every 10 years for most people.

Rest and do not try and push through. You don’t want post viral complications.

Of course kids get COVID!!

As pps have said, real flu is nasty. I’ve only had it once when I was much younger, but it knocked my stuffing right out for over 3 weeks. An endless cough that so weakened my muscles, that even after I was a lot better, every time I coughed or sneezed, I’d involuntarily fart and wet myself! (just a bit).

I well remember eventually walking the dog with a dd, who said, ‘Mum, can’t you walk a bit faster?’
’Sorry, I really can’t.’
Rest, rest, more rest, loads of fluids, paracetamol and ibuprofen.

BTW if it’s viral, antibiotics won’t help, unless you have a secondary bacterial infection.

I mean that since the start, kids never got Covid. They might get the milder variants now years later, but unless severely immunocompromised or results compromised by proximity to positive adult, ie exclusively BF baby of positive adult, proper Covid-19 pretty much totally bypassed children from the start.

Sorry didn’t mean that to come across abrupt….im ill 🙈

It did not! Have you any idea how many kids have long Covid?

My kids were fine with Covid and had it mildly but I’m not so ill informed that I assume that’s the case across the board.

They do have it less severely yes but many are developing long covid even after mild infections. It’s also hammering their immune systems. Hence possible why this year is horrific for viruses and flu….

I had something like this and it was glandular fever, My tonsils were so swollen they were almost touching and it was the most ill I've ever been. It was 4 weeks of sleeping 20 hours a day before I was better.

I hope you feel better soon, I was luckily young and child free then so it must be awful to have to try and do that too!

I’ve had the flu once in my life when I was at university and I could literally only stand to get to the toilet and brush my teeth when I felt well enough. I tried to walk to the pharmacy and I fainted outside the local Tesco lol. I don’t think I even picked up my phone other than to check the time for the entire two weeks I was bed bound. This sounds more like a really nasty throat infection with a bad head cold. I think unfortunately you’re just going to have to bed rest and fluids your way through!

This.

Very important not to take NSAIDS on an empty stomach.

We've got everything in our cupboards but we also swear by echinacea drops as well.

Hope you turn a corner soon OP..

I’m not a medic in any way shape or form but this sounds exactly how I used to get with tonsilitis. I’d be off for a week. I’d ache everywhere, I’d struggle to drink (couldn’t even swallow my saliva), I had no appetite, I went from hot to cold and back again. Going to the loo was a huge effort, bracing myself to getting up and virtually crawling to the bathroom.

I understood that flu is a virus and therefore antibiotics wouldn’t work for flu. However, antibiotics would work for a bacterial infection such as bacterial tonsillitis. So perhaps it’s tonsilitis you’ve got (maybe you had a cold prior to that and as you were “low” caught bacterial tonsilitis.)

If you’ve got any other adults in the house, do as little as possible, if within ways and means, have the kids go to before/afterschool club. Have some ice lollies to hand - I couldn’t suck them but I’d bite a small amount off and let it melt in my mouth. Helped a little with the throat. Sip water often.

I hope you feel better soon.

It is brutal DS is on day 14 had 5 days off school went back a week relapsed Friday and fingers crossed back tomorrow.

I am on day 7 and still feel rough DD and DH are day 2 and not doing well

you just have to ride it out

I think you need to give yourself longer. When I have flu I usually sink like a stone for the first 4 days, then hover at that level of miserableness for another couple of days before slowly improving. I've also had to have antibiotics for bacterial throat/chest/ear infections that developed because of it. Recovering from the post viral fatigue takes a while also. You can buy lateral flow tests if you really want to know if it's flu. If your children haven't been as ill, its possible their flu vaccine (assuming they had one) is helping them, or they've had a different virus to you.

Diluted apple juice is a good go to when you're ill. Start with that then build up a bit. It will give you a little energy and can be easier to keep hydrated on than plain water when you really can't be bothered in the first place.

DD had flu A a couple of years ago and was absolutely floored for 2 full weeks, it took her at least 2 months to be fully recovered.
12 year old niece is currently down with it, sleeping round the clock, hardly eating, sore throat. According to the BBC yesterday there's a surge in lab-confirmed cases so likely many more that haven't been tested.

Honestly with flu its very variable, however if you know you have been in contact with a confirmed case and feel even slighltly under the weather then you most likely do have it and should take precautions not to spread it further.
DD2 came down with a nasty virus last monday which has spread through the family. We didnt know it was flu until my mum was admitted to hospital last friday. Thankfully she was discharged quite quickly with tamiflu and abx and seems better and is up and about today. DH and DS2 were very ill, DD1 has a mild cold type illness, as do I and would never have thought we had flu but for it being in the household. DS3 has no symptoms at all. I have kept everybody off school and work this week. Flu is dangerous for certain people whilst others hardly know they have it and there's no way of knowing which camp you will fall in to.

Sorry you’re feeling unwell but kids do get Covid.. I perform heart & lung transplants on kids who have previously had Covid.. very bizarre thing to say