To ask you to diagnose me?

[SalsaCado]

I know MN isn't a doctors and all that jazz . I'm more curious if I should be worried...

I was fine yesterday morning but then all of a sudden I started feeling unwell - shaky , lethargic and just out of sorts.

I then developed a dry cough in a few hours.

I have periods of feeling really cold to the bone but my skin is hot to touch .

I didn't sleep well last night .

I have a raw feeling in my chest and my throat feels very "airy" but not sore .

My whole body is aching but mainly my neck . My neck feels stiff to the point I want to cry - but I can move it , it's just the constant achy pain .

I have a dull but not horrific headache.

If I breathe in too much or too fast , I get a sharp pain under my boob .

My kidneys are giving me stabbing pains but I'm wondering if this is because I haven't been drinking enough water .

I have felt very sick but have been able to do some work today (I work from home).

The moment I stand I feel lightheaded and nauseous .

I've taken to my bed but I can still eat , move around etc . Albeit I'm not eating as much as I usually do that will do me some good

Anyone else had this virus ?

Thank you

Last winter.

I had chest pain.
No cough. No cold. No other symptoms

I had pneumonia and my kidneys failed

Chest pain shouldn't be left

These threads are a bit concerning, tbh.

1. "I wouldn't trust an armpit temperature" - We use armpit (axilla) temperatures in every patient in Intensive Care in our hospital, unless they have had an out of hospital cardiac arrest and require total body cooling, in which case we use a nasally inserted probe thermometer. As long as the same type of measurement is used consistently, it doesn't matter whether you use oral, axilla, tympanic or rectal measurement - the trend tells you more than a one-off measurement, and even the back of your hand will tell you whether you are subjectively 'hot' or 'cold'.

'It's not flu, you can type/read/walk/talk' - Many of our HDU patients can use IPads, mobile phones, etc., but still require lots of oxygen, lots of monitoring and are very ill. At the point that you need all that, before you get it, you don't know you need it, you just feel like crap.

'Unless you think you're going to die, it's not flu' - Not so. It varies, and people get really ill from complications of the flu, not the flu itself. So pneumonia, encephalitis, respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, etc.

SalsaCado I think you need to contact 111 and ask whether you need to be seen in the light of the burning sensation and chest pain, along with your other symptoms. I don't think that you should be put off from seeking professional advice because you have been told that you 'don't have flu' or 'your symptoms aren't bad enough'. We see plenty of people who present late, and we'd much rather they didn't.

Flu for sure sounds just what I had. Expect it to go on for weeks. Wrap up and go to bed. See dr if your chest hurts too much

cantucciniamaretto

Yes, I am aware of that. However, Aussie flu is the one causing issues at the moment

for the people who have it, yes. But there are other types of flu about, and other viruses and illnesses

Yes yes yes. Of course there are. And the sky is sometimes blue and sometimes grey and sometimes whitish and sometimes dark.

Next?

(Deeply weird responses....)

Are you a doctor? I do hope so because your ability to diagnose is uncanny. Lol

"RoseWhiteTips

cantucciniamaretto

Yes, I am aware of that. However, Aussie flu is the one causing issues at the moment

for the people who have it, yes. But there are other types of flu about, and other viruses and illnesses

Yes yes yes. Of course there are. And the sky is sometimes blue and sometimes grey and sometimes whitish and sometimes dark.hmm

Next?

(Deeply weird responses....)"

To be fair, and I'm slightly losing track of who is patronising who in this exchange, (despite looking at it several times ) whichever of you is pointing out that it's Aussie Flu that is causing the problem at the moment is mistaken, and whichever of you is pointing out that the symptoms are like a thousand other things is right.

We're seeing (across the whole region) Influenza A, H1N1 (swine flu, which is flu A), H3N2 (swine flu, which is being dubbed "Aussie Flu" which is also flu A) and flu B. Flu B is the big problem, because the flu jab we get here is only protective against 1 strain of flu B, and our flu B rates have soared this year, as a country.

Dissertation not required.

"We see plenty of people who present late, and we'd much rather they didn't."

That's the NHS's own fault for telling people not to consult with a cold (and you've admitted yourself that it's not always possible to distinguish between a bad cold and a flu).

lougle, flu B is one I am very worried about at the moment, as my DS only received the 3 strain vaccine. Can I ask what are the symptoms which can indicate it's progressed to complications ?? Cause it seems some people seem to be I'll but ok and then it goes bad quickly. Which is scaring me. If my DC were to get this is there anything I can do at home or any machine I could buy to monitor them?? I have a good thermometer and a crappy pulse oximeter.
OP sorry for the hijack and I hope you feel better soon

Gwenhwyfar I personally agree with you, and I posted on one hospital's Facebook page when they posted a friendly 'norovirus lasts x days, doesn't get better with medicine and all you can do is keep away from people until at least 48 hours after you stop being sick/having diarrhoea, take paracetamol and fluids, so don't bother your doctor until it's been at least a few days....'

That sounds great, very sensible. But people who are vulnerable will read that and take it as an instruction. What if they're being sick and having diarrhoea because they have acute appendicitis? Do you want them to stay at home until it stops? Because it won't! What about if they're actually septic? Have food poisoning? Peritonitis?

That FB post is only helpful if you already know you have norovirus. But most people aren't doctors, and by sending a message that says 'diarrhoea and vomiting is contagious and a waste of a doctor's time unless it's been going on for several days', there are some very life-threatening conditions that could treated much later than they should be because patients think they shouldn't bother those Very Busy People.

ScaredMum, don't buy anything. You are the only machine he needs . Most people won't get flu, and of the people who get flu, most people will feel quite unwell for several days and gradually feel better as time goes on. Most people will manage their flu with over the counter medicines.

'Normal' flu signs are headaches, cough, snivels, sneezes, fevers (in children they can go up to 40c easily) that respond to paracetamol or ibuprofen, aches and joint pains, tiredness, loss of appetite, etc.

You don't need any equipment to tell you if your DS needs to see a doctor. Just some common sense.
If his breathing is maybe a wee bit faster than usual, but he's comfortable, and can talk in full sentences, or as he would normally with you, his lips are pink, good. If he's struggling to breathe, working hard to breathe, or his breathing is very noisy, you would be worried about his breathing.

If he's off-colour, pale, tired/drowsy, but perks up a little bit when he's had some medicine, is drinking, is having wees as normal (very important), perhaps has a sleep, but wakes up when you rouse him, good. If he didn't, you'd be worried.

If his temperature is under control -it's not causing him trouble, and normal medicines are working to keep him comfortable, good. If not, you'd be worried.

Overall, if you just couldn't put your finger on it, but deep down you thought there was something definitely not right, you should still go with your instinct. You'll never regret being wrong, but you could regret being right and doing nothing.

Lots of viral infections doing the rounds this time of year, and the spectrum of ailments caused by any virus, can vary quite a lot. The pain you mention when you breathe in, sounds very much like pleurisy, which can often be caused by viral infections. So it might fit with that. But hey..what do I know?! Hope you feel better soon :)

Thank you lougle that is helpful xx I think I am so worried about it because I know I got him the wrong vaccine, and feel terrible about that.

We use armpit (axilla) temperatures in every patient in Intensive Care in our hospital, unless they have had an out of hospital cardiac arrest and require total body cooling, in which case we use a nasally inserted probe thermometer. As long as the same type of measurement is used consistently, it doesn't matter whether you use oral, axilla, tympanic or rectal measurement - the trend tells you more than a one-off measurement, and even the back of your hand will tell you whether you are subjectively 'hot' or 'cold'.

Presumably the thermometers you use are calibrated for armpit measurements, or your system adjusts them automatically on entry? Otherwise how would you get useful information from EWS point totals? Or do you not do those?

My point was that you need to know where your thermometer is intended to be used before you can write off a temperature as uninteresting.

I agree. I have challenged temperature readings in the past, and been proven right. Once when my then 4yo was being triaged at A&E, they marked her as having an axillary temp of 36, even though she was clearly very hot, and was persistently showing 39 by ear. I whipped it out of my bag to prove it to them, and she ended up being admitted for pneumonia anyway, (recurring for her) but it was frustrating knowing it was incorrect. On another ocassion she was in hospital for a severe pneumonia, and the nurses were checking her temp frequently through the night to check for spikes, which at the time was crucial as they had to switch her IV antibiotics that day due to worsening condition. The night nurse that arrived on shift was useless, and it was clear she was doing it incorrectly. I knew my daughter was spiking, and had my own thermometer on hand to prove it! In the end we called the senior nurse, and yes she did conclude her temp was indeed much higher than had been recorded. Even my daughter knows most GPs don't stick it in her ear properly, and I've even had to challenge them before too! It's bizarre that the most basic tool can be so often misused and misinterpreted.

How strange. Ear thermometers have always been the norm at a&e at our local children's hospital.

Indeed - all the hospitals and various wards I work in use either tympanic or temporal measurements.

I suppose in intensive care, a change in temp is more relevant if the pt. is already known to be on shaky ground? Dunno. Certainly not something I expected. Whenever I’ve been in hospital it’s been tympanic.

Op the stiff neck is what I am concerned about as this can indicate meningitis. Not wanting to scare anyone but a colleague went home sick with a stiff neck and what he thought was flu and the next thing he was found dead in his flat. Please please call 111 or take yourself to a&e.

Sorry if someone has already suggested this!

"Presumably the thermometers you use are calibrated for armpit measurements, or your system adjusts them automatically on entry? Otherwise how would you get useful information from EWS point totals? Or do you not do those?"

They are simple medical thermometers, like you'd have at home. Press a button, pop it under the arm, it beeps when it's ready. No adjustments are made, it's known that temps are axillary. We don't use EWS - that's a system to alert the need for escalation. We are the escalation.

I wasn't saying a high temp isn't interesting in and of itself, but that 'how high exactly' the temperature is doesn't necessarily make a difference to a treatment plan.

Incidentally, this research study found that ear thermometers were the least accurate of all. A bit of wax, the wrong angle, the wrong shape ear canal, and you've got inaccurate temperatures.