Sensible advice please - unwell and not sure what to do

[QuestionableMouse]

I've woken up feeling awful - sore throat, sore mouth, blocked nose, horrible productive chesty cough, sore chest (from coughing) and bad fatigue. Normally I'd just treat it as a viral bug but I've had a couple of moments with palpitations (where I'm really aware of my heartbeat.) I am feeling pretty dry at the moment so sipping water.

Pulse and o2 is fine per my monitor but it's freaking me out. On hold to 111 currently but I'm not sure if I should just head through to the local walk in.

I do have some health anxiety and I'm not sure how much that's playing into this!

Thank you!

I'm sorry you have health anxiety. As others have said, 2 x paracetamol and get to bed. It does sound like the virus doing the rounds, but I get with the anxiety that palpation will be scary. Have you anyone with you?

I have exactly the same thing including coughing up the mucus and the drugs aren’t helping either. I did text positive for Covid though, so possibly you have that or one of the many nasty bugs about.

Eat, stay hydrated and warm and sleep as much as you can and take cough medicine if you have any. Vicks can also be helpful on the chest too.

Lots of hot drinks helped my throat very temporarily.

I've already had the bad cold - spent most of November with it!

My main concern with this is the brown gunk I'm coughing up as it was a sign of pneumonia for me last year! And the palpitations freaked me out!

Nope. I'm on my own in a new flat unfortunately!

Already taken paracetamol and ibuprofen (since 4am or so) and they've done nothing unfortunately.

Was meant to be going to my parents but honestly I barely have the energy to get out of bed!

You're being ridiculous and over dramatic, there's loads of this around. My son and I have had this since weds, last Christmas we had covid so is doubly shit. Both feel awful, painful throat and chest and high temp etc but certainly doesn't warrant 111 or a and e! No wonder the NHS is in such a state

@QuestionableMouse so sorry to hear you are ill and on your own. When can you take your next paracetamol dose? The palpitations are probably just caused by being ill and stressed out. How far away are your parents?

I had Covid early this month and got palpitations for a while plus bad sore throat and chills. Have you tested for that?

I got better within 2 days of staying home and taking paracetamol and throat/cough syrup.

Maybe make sure you have a good rest to give your body a chance to fight the infection and if you are still worried take further action.

Of course if you have bad chest pain, you should not ignore that.

Lots of this going round, ds 1 still moderately ill for almost three weeks and ds2 spent ten days very ill. Viral illness also can cause phlegm.

Try inhaling stream to chat done if the gunk of your chest and get some rest. I can't see anything that suggests you need more than self care at present

Some people have occasional palpitations and they are usually harmless. Anything new should be mentioned to Doctor but you have already and they are not concerned?
It sounds like a common respiratory virus but if you need reassurance try 111 again.

I've got this cold/flu, high temperature and cough, followed my lots of coughing with gunk, general aches and tiredness and for the last 5 days no voice.

You need warm drinks like hot water with lemon juice, herbal tea or hot squash and painkillers.

A productive cough doesn't necessarily mean an infection, they sell mucus cough syrup in shops because it's a common symptom of a cold. The more fluids you drink the easier it is to shift because it thins out, cough medicine or Sudafed with Guaifenesin in it helps too.

Brown gunk can be from viral illnesses. I usually get it from viral chest infections that get better on their own.

I think your health anxiety may be feeding it a little. It's not unusual to get palpitations when unwell, and if you're aware that you're getting palpitations and have health anxiety, it could well be making the palpitations worse.

I would never tell someone not to seek medical advice because you just never know. You know yourself best. It is normal to feel worried when you feel rotten, your health anxiety will feed into that. Do you want to seek medical help because you genuinely feel that you currently need medical care, or is it because you are worried about what it may be?

Did I mention A&E? I said the local walk in, which is for ooh care.

Don't be so unkind.

Rest, fluids, honey and lemon, paracetamol. As you say you have health anxiety, having monitors won't help that. I wouldn't rush to call 111, see how you feel tomorrow.

Parents are 15 min drive away, as is my sister.

Just taken some more paracetamol and have hot squash.

I honestly feel like I've been ill constantly since June when I had Covid! (Which this isn't, testing neg)

You’ve posted about heart rate before haven’t you? It’s the health anxiety that needs treating.
For now I had a horrid productive cough and the benylin mucous max (grim name!) cleared it.

Someone is being honest with you
This is what you need
You're a drama queen

To me it’s a bit dramatic to freak out over being unwell/ go to a walk in on the day you started feeling unwell!
Sounds like you woke up with a cold or another respiratory virus. See how you go for a few days with over the counter treatments.

You’ve literally felt a bit unwell for 2 hours.

Sounds like one of the chest infections currently doing the rounds. Try and rest with it, and as soon as a pharmacy is open, see what they suggest.

Sounds like one of the things going round at the moment, some sort of heavy cold or mild flu possibly. Sounds exactly like me. Either way it's a virus and they can't do anything for you. And you don't need antibiotics for the mucus unless it's lingering after a good week or two- antibiotics are only for bacteria and you have all the symptoms of a virus. I ended up on antibiotics because they believed after 2 weeks it became bacterial (I was broadly drowning in thick dark mucus, which also had a foul taste - chest and sinus infections)

I had palpitations when I was very anxious and under stress so remember anxiety can cause these.

You've had palpitations for a while so it's not like they're a new symptom for you - which is what you let people to believe in your OP.

The other symptoms sound like a bad cold, certainly nothing to go to hospital or ring OOH for yet. You just need to sleep and take regular medication.

I'm not qualified to give medical advice, but you asked for sensible advice, and mine is 'if it quacks like a duck, treat it like a duck.' It sounds like you have the current winter lurgy (there have been a few really awful bugs circulating this year which aren't Covid or flu, but make you feel very grim). Unless you develop any other symptoms, I'd treat it like a generic bad virus. You're not in any state to go out anyway, so regularly testing for Covid is a bit pointless, but if you have a stash of tests, I'd be tempted to do one in a few days, just to rule it out.

It can be scary feeling this grim and not knowing why - and adding your health anxiety to that, I'm not surprised you're having a few moments of feeling your heart racing. Tell yourself that it's only a common virus, you will get better, and try to ground yourself. I'm sure you've come across the 5-4-3-2-1 trick before given you have anxiety, but it's worth giving it a go to feel nice and calm.

5 things you can hear
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

I'd recommend the taste be some cough lozenges or honey water! If you don't have anything at home to help with your sore throat, your sister might be able to rummage around at her place or your parents' place and drop something over without crossing the threshold. She's not far away.

People calling you dramatic don't understand how difficult it is for you living with anxiety - I'm proud of you for recognising it in your very first post. Stopping your anxiety from rearing its head is hugely difficult, but what you can do is recognise it and call it out, and you've done that. That's massive, so well done for that.

Make sure you can have plenty of water nearby, so you don't have to haul yourself out of your bed too often. You won't want to drink loads, but the more you can, the more hydrated you'll be, and the less your throat will hurt.

Eat when you're hungry - it won't be much or often - it may take at least a few days to get your appetite back. It's fine to eat very little for that short period of time. But do force yourself to keep up your water intake, as that will help you get better.

And as has been said, get lots of rest. Sleep is incredibly healing - it's why we just want to nap whenever we're ill. Listen to body, and nourish it with plenty of water and sleep. It may be Christmas, but don't force yourself to do anything Christmassy as you're not up to it. You can see your sister and parents when you're feeling better and are less contagious. The timing is a shame, but it can't be helped - and by staying away today, you're giving your family the gift of not knowingly infecting them. That's a lovely present!

I hope you feel better tomorrow. Take care, OP.

Spending the day in bed Vs spending the day in a waiting room..I know which I'd choose!

You've only been sick for a few hours. Try and go back to sleep if you can. I hope you feel better soon, the health anxiety is probably making you more anxious and you're thinking about the symptoms more. It's really hard but maybe you do need to look into some therapy with the health anxiety in the new year.

I understand when I am ill I get so anxious and panic that I am a total nightmare. I am sure the palpitations are probably anxiety I doubt that the walk-in etc can do much probably just one of these horrible bugs so I would take pain killers and snuggle up in bed