We’re all so ill

[Blueisthecolour1]

What is going on with the violent & never-ending illnesses this year. DS1 came home from school at the end of Nov with flu, sat under a blanket on the sofa for 10 days & then went back to school. Immediately upon his return DS2 (4) caught it & repeat with him for the full ghastly period. Then, last Sat, down I came with it - full-blown, face-exploding, sneezing, shivers, fever, nausea etc etc. Still feeling exhausted/congested. Wed this week just gone DS1 comes home from school coughing. Cue next two days coughing, shivering, vomiting & generally feeling wretched. Yesterday DH starts with the cough, shivers, aches. DS2 pale & lethargic this morning, not eating so awaiting the fresh hell of him about to get sick again.

I’m not sure how much more of this shit I can take. The house is in a terrible state, so untidy. I’m exhausted, we haven’t done tree/anything Christmas related because we’ve all been so so rough for the last month. We all had the flu jab this year, I know it’s not guaranteed to give complete protection but I was hoping it would take the edge off. Appreciate these illnesses may not have been flu but they sure felt like it in terms of symptoms/severity etc.

I’m so done. I’ve never known a winter like it for illness

Lockdown has caused an enormous health emergency according to all of the doctors and nurses, plus a couple of health researchers, I've spoken to over the past few months. Things like strep A/scarlet fever and other illnesses in schools that kids usually shake off in a day or two becoming illnesses that stick around for a week or more.
I've lost count of the number of times my daughter has been ill this year - absolutely relentless, and it's ended up with me or DP in bed for a week off work which pre-covid was extremely rare (I can think of one time in my life when I had to take to my bed, in the past 2 years I've spent about 8 weeks in bed unable to move I've been so ill)

I work in a primary school and normally have a cast iron constitution. This winter, so far, has been endless bugs after endless bugs. We are all so run down just now and clearly my immune system isn't as robust as it used to be.

I've had a cold, cough, aching muscles etc for two weeks now. It's the longest I've ever been poorly for, I usually shake things off really quickly. Every day I wake up hoping to feel better but I don't !

The immune system doesn’t work like that.

The reduced immune system
effect of covid was seen not long into the pandemic, and has been thoroughly researched since. Covid (and repeat infections of covid) not only affect the brain and other organs, it suppresses the immune system. I’m hoping this is something that the body will fix, because I’m 5 weeks into one illness or another and it’s bloody tedious at this point!

Why are so many young people having flu jabs? I let my immune system do the work. So many of my friends had the flu jab this year, and almost all of them have been really with flu! Seriously, what's the point?

I can't help but wonder what the common denominator is.

I just wanted to offer you some heartfelt camaraderie. We've only been ill a week (Dh 2 weeks) but we are a family of 4 adults, none of whom are prone to illness. Our house is a mess, no tree bought, hardly any presents, no decorations up. I struggle to stay upright for more than 30 minutes.

I can also remember when the children were young, every Christmas was a string of colds and coughs and sickness bugs it seemed. I just wanted to offer my sympathies to you and say it will get better. This year's illness for us is made worse by being so unusual for us nowadays. Just lower your expectations and try to take pleasure in the small thing even if that is yet another afternoon snuggled in front of kids cartoons.

We are the same. Ds has been asleep for 14 hours now and when he wakes up he's distressed and hallucinating. I think it might be flu. Every time he's been meant to have the flu vaccine he's been off ill with something. The GP saw him yesterday when it was just a cough and sore throat. Since then it's a cough, snot, sneezing, asking to be carried to the toilet, headache and high fever. I'm taking him to the out of hours soon. We've had covid, a stomach bug and now this. Covid took us 3 weeks to even start getting back to normal. 6 weeks until I was able to function normally.

Immunocompromised. I have it every year

I have anecdotal observations on that too, but I don't know if I'm allowed to say it.

Since the end of October I have had two colds, flu, a chest infection and conjunctivitis, I don’t have anything now but am still congested and run down. For me it’s a combination of being very pregnant which has trashed my immune system and having a two year old at nursery bringing home every germ in the world.

If I get one more illness before the end of this year I’m going to cry.

It's terrible. I teach in a small primary school and we had 50% of the children off (100 kids) at one pint and 10 staff off too. Public health did swabs on loads of the staff & kids and it was Influenza type A and just ripped through the school.

Headache, sore throat, high temperature, vomiting too with some kids.

With you here. Since September we’ve had two x bouts of stomach flu ( one was confirmed norovirus) and our 3dc are tag teaming chest infections, coughs and colds which in our house seems to result in vomiting as well. My toddler was awake most of the night with a 40 degree fever and I’ve just sat up and watched her like a hawk. She’s vomited all over the carpets ( again) just trying to get the courage/ energy up to get the carpet cleaner out. Was supposed to be taking them to the panto this afternoon

Echinacea is good for nipping stuff in the bud. I'm taking them daily now as don't want to be floored by anything over Christmas.

i've got covid ( i've not been anywhere) plus flu/chest infection.

How do you for certain that your friends had flu? Did you swab them?

Could have written your post OP.
It's utterly shit.
I'm hoovering this morn (house is a bloody tip) and holding my face with other hand (sinus pain at tail end of whatever the eff it was). It's never ending.

Thank God it's the hols now.

It’s horrible, isn’t it. I religiously take Vitamin D and a ginger & turmeric health shot daily, among other supplements, and thought my immunity was very good.

I have been floored for the last two weeks - throat infection, cold, and now a persistent violent cough (coughing fits give me a headache and make my vision blurry). I’ve never experienced anything like this.

Fingers crossed we’re all better by Christmas. 🙏

Some went to a&e and were told it was Flu

It’s like some kind of horror story here. I’ve been ill for 6 weeks. Ds2 has had Scarlet Fever, Covid and Influenza A. Ds1 has had some weird coughing headache dizzy bug. Dh keeps getting a bit better and then failing again. He’s got so much gunk coming out of his eyes. I had covid and now have sinusitis which just won’t shift. 4 weeks of antibiotics and steroid sprays. It makes me dizzy so I can’t drive and the pain!
Getting hard to keep a sense of humour tbh, and Christmas is just a non event atm.
Hope we all get better soon

Ds was sent to hospital when dh took him to the GP. He was tested there. I have never seen him so ill. He’s also asthmatic. Just so awful.

Did you all get the flu jab?

I haven't got flu. It's a proper, old fashioned cold. Apart from covid, think I've only ever had proper flu a few times. I'd have a flu job if I was offered one though. Kids get them free; dh is over 50 so he gets one.

i've not had my flu jab can't have my covid booster yet for 28 days i think

Yep just had 4th bout of covid. Already immuno suppressed with a blood disorder but despite having every covid jab u til now i have had it 4 times. Worse each time. Every bug going now hits me where as a couple of years ago i would have shaken it off no bother. My immune and blood issues only became an issue once I had covid the first time. I think it will be the death of me.