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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think I've had the flu hundreds of times

93 replies

Fanfeckintastic · 22/12/2014 08:06

Is this just a word people sling around for every little sniffle or have I been struck down hundreds of times with the flu and not even realize it?

I've never thought to diagnose myself with the flu but seemingly everyone around me is pottering around, blowing their nose, looking a bit stuffed up, and apparently this is the flu?

OP posts:

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 22/12/2014 08:40

I had swine flu. Fuck me, it was awful. I went to bed on a Friday night and didn't get up til the Wednesday evening.

PrimalLass · 22/12/2014 08:41

Good test: a cold develops, while flu hits you like a ton weight within an hour or so.

FunkyBoldRibena · 22/12/2014 08:41

i've had it twice. The quilt hurt me so much i was delirious about it all day. You cant move to even get a tissue, let alone be out and about.

Sirzy · 22/12/2014 08:41

I am full of a cold at the moment but I am managing to drag myself slowly to get things done. When I had flu no matter how important the events I wouldn't have been able to go, infact I only just made it to my grandfathers funeral if it had been 48 hours earlier I wouldn't have been able to go.

LostOnLand · 22/12/2014 08:42

I had flu a year or two ago and was in bed for a week and still poorly for another week, you cannot mistake a cold for flu! I now make sure I get my flu jab each year, I'm asthmatic so it's free but I think you can get them in tesco for £10 so well worth it.

The weird thing was that no one else in the family had it so I wonder if people can fight it off very quickly or just carry it and not get ill.

insanityscratching · 22/12/2014 08:42

I've had flu twice in my life and it was horrendous. In bed and in pain and really couldn't move. I've had plenty of heavy colds but they are nothing like flu. I always laugh when people say they've got flu but have no choice but to keep going because IME with flu you have no choice but to take to your bed.

Deux · 22/12/2014 08:42

I so agree. I've only had flu once and was convinced it must have been something deadly as I had never felt so I'll. I couldn't move and it was terrifying.

Ditto to migraines. I've only had one and I truly thought there must be something wrong with my brain as the pain was so intense.

In both cases I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd died as I couldn't imagine ever returning to normal whilst in the midst of it.

Original poster

Fanfeckintastic · 22/12/2014 08:44

ninja yes! Chest infections were hugely popular in my last job!

I'm by no means a martyr, I feel very sorry for myself when I'm not well but janiemac I'll have to come up with a mantra the calm myself when people are talking about their "flu"

OP posts:

LostOnLand · 22/12/2014 08:45

I think I had swine flu - was in August which was odd but it was in full swing at that point. I also felt terrible but seem to remember it passed much quicker than my normal flu experience.

RobotLover68 · 22/12/2014 08:47

Sam Smith was on Radio 2 on Friday claiming to have struggled in with the "flu" but then managed to sing perfectly

I thought, if you had the flu proper, you wouldn't be here

ExcuseMeButtingIn · 22/12/2014 08:47

There's lots of quite serious medical conditions now that people claim to have when they don't, it pisses me off and I don't understand why people so it! For example; flu = cold and my personal favourites 'I'm so OCD' - no you're not, you just like things in a certain way, you're not crippled with fear if they aren't! And 'I'm depressed' - you may be, but it's more likely that you're just feeling a bit down today and you'll feel different tomorrow

Woozlebear · 22/12/2014 08:51

This has driven me mad in the last year- ever since I had flu last Christmas.

I spent two weeks on my back and felt weak and awful for another month. I cried at times the pain in my joints was so bad. I had NO idea it was so awful until I had it.

Lost count of the number of people this winter who've happily told me they have 'this awful cold-flu thing' when they just have a sniffle and a cough.

ALittleFaith · 22/12/2014 08:53

I'm currently suffering with sinusitis and possibly the worst cold I've ever had. I've been ill for 3 weeks, have no voice, feel rotten...if I didn't know better, I might label it as 'flu'. But I've had flu, twice! And that's a case of using all of your energy simply to get to and from the loo every few hours. I remember wishing I could die rather than feel that ill. It's a common misconception but it irritates me. Ooh I've got flu! Really? I doubt it because you're out of bed.

ThreeFrazzledFandangos · 22/12/2014 08:54

I have never had flu. I hate the people who claim to have caught "flu" from their flu jab, when in fact they either have a slight reaction to the vaccine or a bit of a runny nose.

I don't have any predisposing factors for flu and have never had it so don't get the jab. My colleague can't understand why I don't as "she gets flu every year". She doesn't, she gets a cold, which she will get regardless of whether she has the jab or not.

The only person I have ever seen with real flu was my mum when I was a child. She went to bed one Christmas night and woke (or rather didn't wake) up with it on Boxing Day. She was completely out of it until new year and took ages to be completely better.

Original poster

Fanfeckintastic · 22/12/2014 08:56

excuseme my hairdresser is coming in an hour and I'm running around cleaning because she "has a bit of OCD" just mentioned casually mind, not about my house but I'm terrified of setting it off

OP posts:

PianoCat · 22/12/2014 08:58

How do you know for sure you've had flu unless someone has taken a blood sample from you and tested it?! I have had a couple of horrible viral infections which may or may not have been flu but nobody tested my blood so I will not make the claim of having had flu twice in my adult lifetime.

Mulderandskully · 22/12/2014 08:58

Yy to migraines. I had them for a short time and thought I'd had a stroke. I couldn't even walk straight

treaclesoda · 22/12/2014 09:01

It's not only annoying but its at the stage where anyone who genuinely has flu and has to ring into work and say they are sick and can't come in is now accused of being workshy and you get dozens of people saying things like 'I never take time of for flu' and 'I had it last week and I came to work anyway'.

DishwasherDogs · 22/12/2014 09:01

Primal yes! I had no idea about this. We were on a family walk, on the way home going up the steepest hill in the world (or so it felt) and all of a sudden I had a temperature and couldn't go on, felt dreadful.

I asked Dh to call an ambulance as I was obviously dying. He went to get the car instead.
So poorly I didn't even wash before putting myself to bed.

BrieAndChilli · 22/12/2014 09:03

I think I had flu last month. I got up and took dd to horseriding, felt absolutely fine, came back and within an hour I could barely speak or move I felt so bad, throat was like razors, burning up etc, it was really bizarre as normally bugs come on slowly, start with a sniffle etc. I could barely keep my eyes open for a week and it took me at least a month to feel right again.

DesperatelySeekingSedatives · 22/12/2014 09:03

YANBU I've had flu 3 times in my life (I'm nearly 30) that I can think of and each time I couldn't leave my bed coz I felt like I was dying! the last time about 2 years ago was the worst. couldn't even lift my head off the pillow and DP tried to make me drink something. which I finally managed to do. before I puked it back up and then lay back on my pillows with my hair covered in vomit. THAT'S flu!

My sister has flu at least twice every winter and still manages to eat normally use FB and go out and about. usually to the doctor to demand antibiotics for her flu

ChubbyKitty · 22/12/2014 09:07

Yanbu, I've never had flu(and just jinxed myself...) but amazingly my friend gets it every few months. Manages to keep smoking and working and even one time went out drinking!

A pp likened it to people with a cough saying they have a chest infection - couldn't agree more, I have had a chest infection and fuck me. I had to lay the phone on my head(in bed) to ring in sick because I couldn't actually hold my arm up for long enough to make a 2 minute phone call. Went without smoking for two days as well, surprisingly!

Finola1step · 22/12/2014 09:07

This is one of my pet hates. I know someone who says the she has "A touch of the flu" when she just has a cold. What the jeff is a touch of the flu?

This is the order:

A cold. You feel a bit rubbish but crack on.
A heavy cold. It's worse than normal, you might even need to stay in bed for a day. But all ok after a few early nights.
Flu. You don't know what's hit you. It's that quick, that bad.

I've had flu twice in my life. The only thing I've had that is worse was pneumonia.

FayKorgasm · 22/12/2014 09:10

Flu is awful and it annoys me when dh says he has it when he has a very mild cold. I have only had it twice and both times it took me weeks to fully feel better and not exhausted. And two people in work went out for a day with flu. One day and they came back right as rain.

Theas18 · 22/12/2014 09:12

Agreed!

I know I've had swine flu as it was swab proven at the start of the outbreak.I could map it 48hrs to the dot of when I was exposed.

Despite knowing that and how ill I was I drove to the flu centre ( why the jeff did they tell me to do that?) to get my swab and drugs. I have absolutely no memory of that journey at all. I think it was pure luck I didn't crash.

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