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AIBU?

Surely I can't be the only person in the UK with flu?

61 replies

theFailingsofDaphneTrigg · 09/05/2021 19:59

Chills, sweating, hacking cough, banging headache for over a week now. Got through to GP on Friday as I thought I was dying and they said "flu - take Paracetamol."

Rang my mum for some sympathy and she said "but the Daily Mail says there have been no cases of flu because we're all wearing masks and sanitising our hands. You have been washing your hands, haven't you?"

Anyone else got the flu?

OP posts:
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Ollinica · 11/05/2021 02:18

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Jannetra17 · 10/05/2021 11:27

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Thatisnotwhatisaid · 10/05/2021 09:16

My 11 year old DS has a cold atm but it’s honestly the worst cold he’s ever had. All I can put it down to is the fact he hasn’t had as many colds over the past 14 months because he’s obviously been off school and away from others so much so his immune system is finding it tough to beat. He has a terrible chesty cough, he barely slept for 3 days running because his chest was so bad. Dr prescribed an inhaler which has helped. Covid test negative, I knew it wasn’t covid anyway.

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Mypathtriedtokillme · 10/05/2021 09:15

I’ve had the Flu which has totally floored me for a week or 2 and I’ve had a positive Flu swab when I’ve been to the GP for something totally different.
My GP has asked to swab up my nose as part of the Flu random swab community sentinel programme as I have small children and kids at school when I’ve felt fine.

It depends on the strain, your immune response and last exposures to the Flu etc.

Hope you feel better OP.

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Spectrumofhumanlife · 10/05/2021 08:42

I don't know if you were trying to be funny here (you weren't by the way) but if you get flu like symptoms then of course you should test for covid. Then if it comes back negative you know its not covid. Its one of those other illnesses

Which the OP has already done. So we can assume it’s not Covid, and is one of the myriad other illnesses doing the rounds.

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INeedNewShoes · 10/05/2021 08:19

Must get around to making a Mumsnet flu thread bingo card.

This one is ticking the boxes wonderfully.

If the OP says she has flu then who is anyone to decide she hasn’t? Amazing diagnostic skills some if you have.

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CaptainAwkward · 10/05/2021 08:08

Has anyone come on with the ‘if you couldn’t pick up a £20 note in front of you...’ shite?
I see there’s the usual ‘if you can type on MN you CAN’T have flu’ Hmm

I’ve had influenza (tested and verified by colleagues) and managed to complete a shift albeit feeling shite.

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NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 10/05/2021 08:03

A cold is a blanket term for nasopharyngeal symptoms caused by any of over 200 viruses, including influenza, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, RSV, and most commonly rhinoviruses.

All can be mild or severe. When mild tends to be referred to as a cold, when severe, flu, chest infection etc

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Northernsoullover · 10/05/2021 07:59

@SnackSizeRaisin

Flu doesn't last over a week though so it probably isn't that. (Assuming no complications obviously). Feeling like death for 3 or 4 days max followed by a fairly swift recovery is standard - unlike 2 weeks for a cold (maybe 2 or 3 in total for covid)

Tosh. I've been floored with flu for over 10 days. I've probably had it twice in my fairly long life.
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JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil · 10/05/2021 07:58

There’s a really nasty cold going around. DH and I had it a few weeks ago. Borderline flu like symptoms but I knew it wasn’t the flu as the one time I had that I thought I was dying whereas this time I was bedridden and ill but not scarily so.

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DoYouRememberTheInnMiranda · 10/05/2021 07:56

Now we are all aware COVID symptoms range from "absolutely no idea I had it, totally asymptomatic" to "worse than death's door", why in earth would people still argue that unless you're completely incapacitated, it isn't flu? How much asymptomatic flu testing have you done lately? How often do 'regular coughs and colds' get tested for the influenza virus?

Just like someone hospitalised with COVID shouldn't go telling their friends to ignore Track and Trace because "they'd know if they had COVID, trust me, it's horrendous", you don't know that someone doesn't have flu just because the symptoms aren't identical to yours.

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Northernsoullover · 10/05/2021 07:56

@IgiveupallthenamesIwantedareg0

OP: you do realise that ONLY illness all over the world at the moment is COVID? Not only the only illness but also the only cause of death, either directly or due to "related" symptons! The only solution is that we all run like mad to get vaccinated ASAP and boost the coffers of the pharma industry or we will all DIE immediatley!

I don't know if you were trying to be funny here (you weren't by the way) but if you get flu like symptoms then of course you should test for covid. Then if it comes back negative you know its not covid. Its one of those other illnesses.
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ineedaholidaynow · 10/05/2021 07:51

If COVID deaths are down to 1 or 2 a day then it stands to reason that there are more likely to be more deaths to flu at the moment. And don’t flu deaths sometimes get lumped in together with deaths from pneumonia in the media.

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maddening · 10/05/2021 07:51
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Jocasta2018 · 10/05/2021 07:41

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that we will all be getting bad flu later this year as lockdown measures mean that our immunity to flu & colds has plummeted?

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ShowOfHands · 10/05/2021 07:40

@Zancah

Well, you thought out and typed a coherent post and have replied semi-regularly to posters with more coherent text = I don't really think you have True Flu, sorry.
I'm not saying you're not ill with something nasty and you do have my sympathy but the one time I had TF I could barely lift my arms and I couldn't hold my phone in front of me for more than a quick notification check. Giving fucks out about sniping remarks from mother and/or posting on SM about it would have been the last thing I could be bothered doing.

@Zancah you've misunderstood flu. It can be a mild cold like virus and in 75% of cases, you have no symptoms. That's 3 out of 4 people who have flu and don't even know.

Flu is not diagnosed on severity of symptoms.
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Spectrumofhumanlife · 10/05/2021 07:35

That’s like someone who was hospitalised with Covid telling someone who had a cough and a temperature that it isn’t true Covid.

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Spectrumofhumanlife · 10/05/2021 07:34

@Zancah

Well, you thought out and typed a coherent post and have replied semi-regularly to posters with more coherent text = I don't really think you have True Flu, sorry.
I'm not saying you're not ill with something nasty and you do have my sympathy but the one time I had TF I could barely lift my arms and I couldn't hold my phone in front of me for more than a quick notification check. Giving fucks out about sniping remarks from mother and/or posting on SM about it would have been the last thing I could be bothered doing.

But like Covid, flu has degrees of severity. There isn’t one universal experience of flu.
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Ceedeells · 09/05/2021 23:08

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Zancah · 09/05/2021 23:02

I'm not 😂👌🏽
I've literally had it once in my life and it's not something I ever want to repeat, but at the same time it's made me appreciate what a "bad cold" is 🤷🏽‍♀️ see also, no fucks given for snipey remarks

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theFailingsofDaphneTrigg · 09/05/2021 22:59

Oh Zanach don't start getting all competitive about flu ...

OP posts:
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Zancah · 09/05/2021 22:50

Well, you thought out and typed a coherent post and have replied semi-regularly to posters with more coherent text = I don't really think you have True Flu, sorry.
I'm not saying you're not ill with something nasty and you do have my sympathy but the one time I had TF I could barely lift my arms and I couldn't hold my phone in front of me for more than a quick notification check. Giving fucks out about sniping remarks from mother and/or posting on SM about it would have been the last thing I could be bothered doing.

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Spectrumofhumanlife · 09/05/2021 22:33

@SnackSizeRaisin

Flu doesn't last over a week though so it probably isn't that. (Assuming no complications obviously). Feeling like death for 3 or 4 days max followed by a fairly swift recovery is standard - unlike 2 weeks for a cold (maybe 2 or 3 in total for covid)

I was ill for 2 weeks with my (confirmed) flu when I was 17.
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SnackSizeRaisin · 09/05/2021 22:16

Flu doesn't last over a week though so it probably isn't that. (Assuming no complications obviously). Feeling like death for 3 or 4 days max followed by a fairly swift recovery is standard - unlike 2 weeks for a cold (maybe 2 or 3 in total for covid)

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Barneybear11 · 09/05/2021 22:10

Of course no one else has flu. Other illnesses ceased to exist once covid made an appearance. Grin

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