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 ☹️

Agree. No warning then there it is.

It sounds as if you have flu. Unfortunately, from what I've read, the strain is particularly bad this year, especially amongst children. Flu sends you to bed, if's awful - a lot of people who say they have 'flu', but are still managing to go to work or do normal everyday things, don't have flu, they have a cold at best or a bad cold at worst! Plenty of fluids, soup if you fancy something to eat, pain killers and rest. Flu can last a couple of weeks, and even once on the mend, it can take time to fully recover. I'm not a medical person, just someone who's had flu twice in my lifetime. Sending hugs ❤️

Antibiotics will take about 48 hours to work. Gargle with warm salt water for now.
keep topped up on ibuprofen and paracetamol, so take the max amount each day whilst you’re feeling bad as it has a cumulative affect. Drink water and ice cream can help too. I usually take the flu medicines rather than just paracetamol as it has decongestants if you need that too.
good luck, but just stay in bed / on the sofa, don’t be going out of the house as you’ll spread it, but also you’ll feel terrible as you only have limited ‘spoons’ when you’re ill
good luck!

Crush garlic, grate ginger, juice a lemon - add it to a cup of boiling water with some real honey. Go heavy on the garlic... yes it stinks but it's anti inflammatory.

Also gargle with salt water to kill Bactria.

Real flu is awful... get your jabs people!

@AutisticAndMore
Thank you for trying to make this clear in your earlier post.
It irritates me no end the certainty with which people say that others have not got flu because they can stand up, talk etc

Flu infection can be asymptomatic. Flu can be severe and need hospital. And it can be anything else in between!

My daughter's had COVID in 2021, eldest was quite poorly, she was around 7 at the time.

I find it bizarre and annoying that the OP is saying kids never got Covid! I’ll put that down to the flu making her not think straight…

Hope you feel better soon, OP. I'd definitely try and get some food/fluids down you, to help with nutrition (which will add recovery), dehydration and energy. Doesn't need to be loads, but little and often - some soft fruit or fruit juice (nothing too acidic), soups or honey and lemon to drink would be an ideal place to start. If you fancy something savory, maybe something like cod in parsley sauce/well cooked veggies if anyone else in the family can make it for you.

I feel like we need a new word for a virus bad enough to make us take to our bed, as opposed to a cold! That's what we mostly use "flu" for, not just "infected with influenza". "If it was actual flu you wouldn't be able to pick up a £50 note" often seems to be code for either "it could be quite a mild virus, don't worry" or "stop making such a fuss and get up!".

I've read this year's flu jab does still reduce severity despite the mutations & that it's still worth having it.

As for covid and children - infants under six months are hospitalised by covid at higher rates than people over 80, although they obviously recover better and are much less likely to die. Kids of any age can get long covid. Diabetes can be triggered by some viruses and rates have gone up since covid. Other viruses are linked to things like MS and lupus in later life. So I'd say the jury is still out on whether it's been wise not to even try to make covid infections in kids milder or less frequent.

There's definitely a flu-y virus doing the rounds. My ds, boyfriend and I have all had it. Ds was the least ill, bf had 3 days off work feeling really poorly and he's not one for doing that. I'm asthmatic, so ended up on steroids and then with a chest infection which is still making it's presence felt 3 weeks later. And I've had my flu jab due to my asthma.

Look after yourself, the antibiotics will kick in soon and keep up the paracetamol and ibuprofen. Make sure you're drinking plenty. Try some Lucozade Sport, but remember that it's sugar free so add some sugar in. Try original Coke, for a caffeine hit too.

Wishing you well, but it's not going to be a 7 day thing....

Flu, when it hits you badly, can absolutely take you out for a couple of weeks. It can make you feel horrendous, and it does sound like that’s what has got your household. As a PP said - it’s the speed that is a good indicator of it, you can feel fine and then within a couple of hours be completely wiped out.

Rest up, keep your temperature under control using paracetamol, hydrate, try and treat the other symptoms as best you can. Be grateful you don’t need to do the school run as you’re all at home with it!

Flu takes a while to get over. You're still in the first week and you're probably going to feel ill for 1 - 2 weeks.

Try to keep up the fluids and have food like soup which is easier to swallow. Sudafed seemed to help my teenage DD the most when she had flu this time last year. They do day and night capsules.

Perhaps a hot bath to ease the aches. You can get an Olbas Oil to go in the bath which I find very good when I feel rough.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

When will people stop talking about ‘proper’ flu? Seriously, it’s as if knowledge about viruses wasn’t improved in any way during the pandemic. You can have the flu virus with no symptoms, terrible on-yer-deathbed symptoms or anything in between. If you have severe symptoms you have a severe bout of flu. All this shit about whether or not you can pick up a £20 note as an indicator of flu is complete bollocks. It might tell you how bad your flu is though.

Diflam comes in a throat spray so no need to gargle if you can't
https://www.boots.com/difflam-throat-and-mouth-spray-30ml-p-10206819

Hello, I am just coming out of the end of flu. Started last Tuesday. Days 4 5 and six were absolutely terrible. I was waking in the night every 4 hours to cry, take painkillers and go back to sleep. I’d give it until the end of the week. The improvement is slow but today I feel human after eight days of feeling horrendous and crying in the shower. Hope this helps. X

You can get spray difflam rather than gargling it. Kept me going last time I had tonsillitis. Rest up and don’t do too much too early when you do feel a bit better.

completely normal. It can be multiple weeks of barely being able to sit up. That you got yourself to the pharmacy means you are doing pretty well.

people often label a bad cold the flu, but they have no idea what the flu can really feel like.

I've just come through this. I'm also on immune suppressants and have a respiratory condition. I didn't know what to do as I haven't had flu for years.

For the first four days I was having about 800 calories a day. Carbohydrates contain a lot of water, you need some I think.

I got a Tesco Whoosh delivery and had things like

Ready made mashed potato - only like 5 - 6 forkfuls.

Tiny baby carrots microwaved - this was the only thing I really felt I enjoyed.

Tenderstem brocoli - forced some down

I did buy a punnet of grapes but the sweetness made me feel quite ill, not pleasant throwing up on grapes!

Green based juices

Berry based juices would probably be nice too

Leek and potato soup
Chicken soup
Butternut squash and chilli soup

Toast and peanut butter
Toast and marmite
Bananas

Didn't enjoy very sweet juices as much

Basically normal eating went totally out the window!

I think after about 4 days I was able to have one proper meal (chicken pie with new potatoes and lots of green veg). Then managed salmon and sweet potato and greens a couple of days after.

I bought some anaesthetic throat spray for the throat which helped. I'm now just on strepsils as not meant to use the spray for more than three days.

I think I managed to drag myself into a hot epsom salt bath which vaguely helped / distracted me.

Sterimar or neilmed nasal spray helped.

https://www.boots.com/ultra-chloraseptic-anaesthetic-throat-spray-15ml-10095640?srsltid=AfmBOoqw2N9S3deLTV9P5T0wgvQgrVOUABHwe5aLJHKXGCEvFP7uBQib

@Cathbach we have this at the moment, confirmed by hospital as flu as one child was in hospital for 4 days, but home now. They are immune suppressed but truthfully the rest of the family are just as ill. All vaccinated but doesn't seem to have done much this year. Absolutely knackered, razor blade throat, can't face eating, temperature hitting 42, barely able to move off the sofa.

What is helping is unlimited cool grapes and clear apple juice for calories (kids hospital routinely does it, more important to get calories in than worry about sugar load unless you are diabetic), water with fruit squash, soft foods once you feel able (managed to get some plain noodles down the kids today).

In the meantime , keeping topped up on paracetamol and ibuprofen, eating something with ibuprofen even if just grapes, using the difflam throat spray regularly, sudacrem round sore nose, lip balm for cracked lips, Christmas films and sofa with blankets and lots of naps. Hopefully all be feeling a bit better in 2-3 days, this is day 6 for kids and day 4 for adults.

Good luck, it truly is awful.

My DD has had Covid twice - first time was quite mild, recent one was 2 weeks very sick.

With the recent one she tested negative at the start but tested positive a few days later. We are in the USA and there are lots of home tests that test for Covid and both Flu A and B, so was testing to see if it was flu A so she could get antivirals.

Every sympathy, OP. I’ve only had flu once, about 25 years ago. I remember wondering after 3 or 4 days if I was going to survive it.

Gargle dome apple cider vinegar, drink lots of fluids & rest.x

I had flu a few years back. 2 weeks of true exhaustion, sweating, chills, cold symptoms etc. I would feel ok in the morning, get up, shower and immediately be so tired and feel so sick that i'd end up sleeping the whole day. I think all I could taste was hot apple juice. Rest up and get a speedy recovery.

Sorry but this is rubbish. Kids got covid from the start, it's just that they rarely get (got) it severely.
I can think of at least 5 children (ages 14 to 18 months) who got covid before the end of April 2020, including my 2 who got it from me.