What is this evil virus?

[AStepAtaTime]

It started about 3 weeks ago with a really painful sore throat on the right-hand side. Lost my appetite, general feeling of malaise, and very very tired. It developed after about 4 days into a tickly cough, and an intermittent runny nose, but OMG the coughing! Relentless. This went on for about four days. Kept me up at night, triggered my asthma and my throat and chest were so so sore. Then followed a mucus cough, and with it a head cold so sneezing, more running nose, headache, more tiredness. Eased after about another 4/5 days. Had about 3 days of feeling like a human again. THEN the whole cycle starts again but on the left hand side of my throat. I am at the tickly/incessant coughing stage AGAIN. What is this illness? I've never known a virus go on so long. The more I cough the more my throat hurts and the more I trigger new bouts of coughing. I'm so over it.

Is it just me or do viruses seem to be sticking around longer than they used to? What would normally be a common cold with a predictable cycle of about 4/5 days seems to have all but gone, replaced by whatever the hell this is, which just doesn't want to go away. And I'm quite healthy, I have a good level of fitness (not great but not bad either) and I eat well, don't smoke etc. Whatever this is it's just attacked my immune system and floored me, it's gone straight to my throat/chest and it's tenacious. Has anyone else had this or similar?

I've had a cold for 3 weeks with no sign of it abating

It's so debilitating. And it hurts my ears. Obviously a really nasty virus but they seem to just go on and on and one nowadays. Something's definitely changed in virus-world

It swept around my family, knocked us all for 6!

My OH went to the UK 4 weeks ago and came back with this. We had 3 days and then went down with it. We've both been feeling like shite with a horrendous cough ever since. I could happily sleep all day every day at the moment.

My DH is on week 10, my sister has had it since December...

Omg, I have this too. Started last Wednesday and it has floored me. The coughing is really high up, not going down into my chest as with a normal cough. I've also got a really bad headache today. My MiL has it and she's been so unwell DH had to go round to help her shower.

I've been ill for 3 weeks now- my sleep monitor showed I coughed 49 times last night 😔

My DD is on week 8 with no end in sight

Flu

I had something similar, coughing awful, took 5 weeks to totally recover. Have never ever coughed that much in my life. Drink lots of honey mixed with crushed ginger. DH and DS also had it, they escaped ear ache but I had awful ear ache. I ended up using a neti pot as so blocked up, need to be used properly if you ever consider it, read up about it.

I have this and tes right side of throat. I've only been to the corner shop! Not sure where I got it from

We have this - 4 weeks and counting. I think I’ve drunk more lemsip and sucked more strepsils in the last few weeks than there are ants in the world.

My daughters on week 7, she does have whooping cough though and it’s really bad at night!

Whooping cough? Covid? I had covid over Christmas and had similar symptoms, with the cough lasting ages.

Had it for a few weeks, at its worst I was stuck to the bed. Felt absolutely awful. I just tried to sleep most of the time, had no appetite or energy (which obvs wasn't helped by lack of food!) But it was really unpleasant. The sore throat too, awful 😞

I have this or a similar virus. 3 weeks now. Started with a constant runny nose, then a cough and blocked nose, sinus infection, had one or two days where I felt better, now the cough has come back with a vengeance..think it's turning into a chest infection. So fed up! I can't sleep, throat so sore from coughing.
Don't think it's covid as I had that earlier this year and it feels different and this is much worse!

It'll pass! It's really rotten though. I feel your pain.

Me and my son have something similar. He was a bit iffy before the 2 week Easter break (wales, so he’s due back tomorrow) and the first week he was awful with a cough, temp up and down, runny nose, bad ear, white as a sheet. Took him to the doctor who said viral infection and calpol and nurofen. He seemed to be getting better now and now he’s white again, looks like he could do with a week in bed.
I’ve caught it or something like it. No cough but feel so so weak, achy joints and pains in legs and hands, fuzzy head, feel sick and I want to sleep for ages. I just want a break, it’s been constant for months!!

I started exactly a month ago (it was my birthday, so I remember the date). Sore throat for a day, then felt like death warmed up for a week with a lot of snot. Now feel ok in the main, but I'm still producing a river's worth of snot a day, both running from my nose and being coughed up. Am hoping it'll stop soon but fear I'm in for the long haul.

I'm two or three months on and the snot is my constant companion. I do smoke though, so obviously that doesn't help. But whatever the dose was, it was a bad one!

So many viruses going around and most are airborne - I've signed this as have had several negative experiences in hospitals/GP recently. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/654572 - feels like we need to break the cycle of reinfection that is keeping everyone feeling
unwell.