They weren’t lying about how horrific this flu is!!

[ByronKoala]

I will be brutally honest and say that I thought the recent news reports about how this is destined to be a particularly severe flu season with a nastier than usual strain were just scare mongering but oh my goodness have I been humbled… Never been so ill in my life.

Felt oddly achy and tired on Thursday AM but took paracetamol and was able to get on with my work day as normal. 40 degree fever, awful cough, sore throat etc hit me like a brick later on that evening and I’ve been bed bound ever since.

I’ve coughed to the point I’ve thrown up - my chest feels heavy and I’m in agony from all of it. The fevers were unrelenting for 3 days straight, paracetamol didn’t even touch the sides and I’ve been stuck in bed curled up in a shivering ball. The brain fog and exhaustion are on another level, my mind simply cannot function and I’m so incredibly weak. Worst sore throat I’ve ever felt and a nose like a bloody tap.

I’m young and perfectly healthy. Even the thought of 90yo DM getting this doesn’t bare thinking about and cases seem to be popping up absolutely everywhere. Genuinely quite scary

I had Flu A from Christmas Eve 2024 - early January so I know exactly what you mean. It taught me that actual flu is a completely different animal in terms of bugs. I only didn't end up in hospital because the local wards were closed. I'm a slightly overweight, relatively healthy 40 year old and vaccinated (I pay for one every September). The medic on the phone said I could have died if I wasn't vaccinated. I banned everyone from coming near me!

It took me about two months to feel normal again. Take things as easy as you can, lots of fluids and get vaccinated as soon as you can!

I read about how fast it is spreading on friday and went round to Boots to see if I could get the jab which fortunately they gave me there and then although I felt crap for a day even after that. I work with older people and have a dh with chronic respiratory problems so was glad to get it. I hope it offers some protection. I hope you feel better soon.

This is why there is a vaccine.

Yes, however it isn’t a guarantee that you won’t get it due to how quickly the virus mutates.

I’m just coming out the other side of it. It is absolutely horrendous, I am very robust usually but this has floored me.
I think it’ll be a long time before I feel ‘normal’ but after 7 days I can now put a wash on and cook for the kids (with breaks).
Hope you feel better soon.

I’ve had proper flu twice in my life. The second time I coughed so much my throat closed over and I couldn’t breathe properly.

It’s awful and nothing like what people think is the flu but is actually a bad / heavy cold.

I had my vaccine a few weeks ago so hoping I’ll be protected.

I had it in September. I was on heavy antibiotics, 3 tablets, 4 times a day because I just couldn't shift it. My friend who is medically underweight is still unwell. We are both vaccinated. It's already killing vulnerable people and we aren't in full season, or had the Christmas mixing, yet.

As with any bug, vaccination doesn't always stop you getting it, but it can help with symptoms.
Better to have some protection than none.

No idea why why people think vaccination will stop you getting ill entirely.

No but it almost always reduces symptoms.

You may well have ended up in hospital had you not been vaccinated.

My GP told me that the flu variant that is circulating most widely is unfortunately not the one people have been vaccinated against, as the strain mutated. That's why they are expecting such a big flu issue this year.

How YOUNG can you be if DM is 90?

Agree OP. We all had it a month ago and I’ve never been so ill in my life. It doesn’t half drag on after the acute stage too, getting back to strength, sinus issues, fatigue. My teenager really lost his appetite and lost a lot of weight too.

No, but it's known to be bad enough that the vaccine is widely available and given free to vulnerable groups for a reason. It is not just a bad cold.

Have you got the parting shot of the runs yet? They went on for weeks for me. Still not 💯 mind and I’m 10 weeks post.

Yes, I’ve also heard from a reliable source that the vaccine isn’t as effective this year. Though still very much recommended if you are a vulnerable group. I got both flu and Covid vaccines this year owing to having chemotherapy and being immunocompromised. I hope I escape the worst.

Yep, both DH and I had the jabs - and went down with flu about 2 weeks later. So glad we'd had the jabs as it was pretty awful without it. Still not right after about 6 weeks now. I've been bedridden with flu twice and this time I was more sofa ridden. DH just buggered off to bed.

But they've got the strain wrong no?

Wow
Two of my aunties had their last babies in their 50s so you do the math

Anyway, not all of us are falling to bits in middle age! And if we think of ourselves as young, that might be partly due to the age of our boyfriends 😁

@ByronKoala I hope you feel 100% ASAP.

Yes. I am now day 10 still recovering. Had the flu jab and then 3 weeks later the full shebang. I am still a bit fragile, cough and incredibly dizzy when I am trying to do things. It was really nasty but am getting there.

The vaccine is never a guarantee you won't get it, however it does reduce the severity of the illness. Early figures suggest this year the vaccine is working about as well as in previous years in that regard, fortunately.

Genuine flu is always shit.
The vaccine doesn't stop it. Never has. The flu vaccine has singularly failed to prevent mortality from flu since its inception. There are just some bad flu years and some ok ones

Thanks for posting this OP you have prompted me to book in for the vaccine. I hope you feel better soon.

Welcome to my life. Day 6. Finally able to stop walking round with a blankets. Its been a rough week. Hopefully more improvement as the week goes on.

It's certainly doing the rounds. I'm a Nurse and we've been told to wear face masks again, the wards are full of people with flu. It's a really nasty strain this year - really debilitating and slow to recover from.

My husband had it a month ago and was really unwell, off work for 2 weeks. He's still exhausted and has a really nasty cough and feels wheezy.

Luckily I had had my flu vaccine a month before so I only got a mild dose from him, but I was still off my work for 2 days.

We're both fit and healthy in our early 50s. I've been telling everyone I know to get vaccinated if they can.