To ask how badly flu should affect a healthy 14yo??

[Notnormalisitreally]

Apologies, posting for traffic mainly.
Dd14 has, what I was sure was, flu. Several negative covid tests. Since Sunday night, she has had a headache, aches, pains, cough, runny nose etc. From Monday morning to yesterday morning she was vomiting everything up. Last night, the cough became worse. Back pain, exhausted but can't sleep, starving but can't eat. Barely enough energy to walk to the bathroom.
At this point I called 111. Spoke to a nurse, then a doctor who both said 'it's viral, probably flu. Give paracetamol and plenty fluids.'
Tonight she is no better. Only difference is the vomiting has stopped. She wants to get up but her legs are too weak to go far. She wants to eat but was asleep after half a slice of toast.
I've had flu and could understand it if it was me (40 with autoimmune issues) but surely this isn't normal for her age??

Sounds like flu to me. It doesn't discriminate on age. Poor thing, night nurse helps you feel more comfortable.

It can be. DH, 30, very fit, was wiped out with five days in bed (me Googling ‘how high a temperature in an adult before hospital’ as his temperature peaked at 40.5 degrees) and then nearly two weeks before he was back to normal. It was awful.

Sounds like flu to me too. Lots of rest and fluids.

I had a rotter of a bug like this not long back. Im a fit healthy 37 year old and was knocked for 6.

Vomiting that much for 3 days leaves you absolutely drained. Let her sleep.

Certain things do make flu worse, but it’s always horrible and isn’t something you get over within a few days.

I was a healthy 22 year old when I caught flu for the first time - happened to be Swine Flu, I spent a week in ICU.

YABU. Flu is awful and not the “bad cold” people seem to think. I recall someone saying if there was a £100 note on the ground and you’ve got flu you wouldn’t be able to get it… and the one and only time I’ve had flu I can agree it felt awful. Good news at 14 she should bounce back after a few days. Fluids, rest, painkillers etc.

Agree I've had flu twice in my life, both times bedridden for almost two weeks, first time I honestly thought I was dying (I was 21)
All these folk who say "I had flu but still went to work," bollocks if you have flu it totally floors you.
Hope your DD improves soon OP, flu is shit.

I had a bad flu like this last year, felt weak as a kitten for about a week, had a fever, felt dizzy to lift my head of the pillow, every muscle ached and had a dry cough, also felt incredibly nauseous. Covid tests were negative. This year I made sure to have the flu jab early!

Just make sure she gets lots of fluids and let her rest, I’m sure she will start feeling better in a few days. Next year maybe consider getting the flu jab

I had flu at 16 and was very very poorly. No energy for 2 weeks, I could barely walk to the bathroom at the peak, fevers and chills.

I agree with what pp have said, it's not just a bad cold it's a horrible viral illness that can make you very poorly.

DD1 had the flu when she was in Yr12 and was quite ill with it too. Once she had recovered and was back to school, she had a few weeks of very early nights as she was so tired.

Me and my partner are both fit and healthy adults but have been completely floored by flu this week today is the first day I feel close to human. I had to call in my mum to help with ds because I couldn’t do it.

that is the third time I have had flu in my life. It’s horrible.

Sounds like flu. Normally when people say they have flu they actually have a really bad cold. True flu sounds like this. If you are concerned that she is really unwell then don't hesitate to call 111 again. Flu can be serious but normally just knocks people for six for a few weeks so don't be overly concerned. You know DD best, if you think that something is really wrong then call 111.

When I had flu it came on over the course of a few hours. I was fine when I started my nursing shift, but as the shift went on I found it harder and harder to change my patient's sheets. I thought I'd have a bottle of coke to perk me up before driving home but choked on it. A young doctor was passing and ended up driving me home because I refused A&E (didn't realise I was so ill) and wasn't fit to drive.

When I got home, my temperature was 38.5°c and I had no choice but to go to bed. I spent the next 10 days sleeping most of the day.

DS was ill and off school with a high temperature and all the usual symptoms for three weeks when he was in year 7.
DH and other DS were flat on their backs for 10 days when flu visited a few years earlier.

Yes, my DS1 had similar every year from 12 to 15. Wiped out for over a week. The first time I took him to the dr on day 6 as he had no sickness or temp - dr told me it was viral flu and he should be home in bed.
In year 12 I asked for the flu jab and dr agreed and he avoided it that year.

Yeah, all of that is normal for flu. The last time I had flu as a healthy young adult I genuinely couldn't get off the floor and thought I might die there. (I didn't, obvs. I levered myself up eventually.)

She'll bounce back and be fine.

I had flu as a healthy 19 Yr old and it was like that. I was ill for a good couple of weeks and several more to fully recover.

From experience with my DC though keep a close eye on her. My DC turned out to be type 1 diabetic which was triggered by a virus like that.

It does sound like flu, my DD had it at 15 and was in bed for a week. It is not true though that flu is always severe, it's like Covid, some people are carriers but don't get so sick and some get it really badly. Testing everyone for flu in studies has shown this. Flu is worse than most colds but not everyone is equally sick.

Flu can knock the stuffing out of anybody. My MIL was healthy 60year old woman, she caught Flu and a week later was in intensive care and nobody knew if she’d make it (luckily she did) Flu is awful much worse than a bad cold, you can’t get off the sofa and everything aches! I hope your daughter recovers soon, maybe try her with Children soup!

I was ill in a similar manner aged 12, turned out to be glandular fever and 40 years later I'm still suffering, developed Fibromyalgia by 16, retired in mid 30's and registered disabled, reliant on opiates for pain relief, all very similar to long covid, please listen to your daughter and take everything she says seriously, I'd hate anyone e to end up like I did.

Thank you everyone. Reassuring to know it's not too abnormal

I had flu when I was 10 and I could barely lift my head for a week.

I had it as a healthy 13YO and it was 2 weeks of that. Honestly the most ill I’ve ever been.

Can you have a look at tonsils if she has them? Could be glandular fever..my dc had this and was very ill, had to be admitted and they found an underlying blood infection so needed 2 different drips as could not eat or drink, it was EBV and they have had one flair up and been poorly this week and exhausted

The prevalent flu strain this year is probably the same one that we had in the UK in 2017/18, which was a bad year flu, the worse since the 1970s:1

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63045190

Hope your daughter feels better soon.