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

It deleveloped into a chest infection/pneumonia. I went to my GP with symptoms and he sent me to a A&E ward. They wanted to admit me, but I had my DD's children and so they gave me the antibiotics.

I don’t know what I’ve got but I’ve had enough!
I was poorly in October, got over it, then poorly again early November, thought I recovered but for the last 12 days I’ve been fighting a chest infection and a bladder infection.
I have never felt so ill before in my life, my body has been in so much pain, the chills and fever lasted three days, antibiotics helped but I still have an awful cough, constantly bringing up phlegm, my ribs and stomach hurt so much from how hard I’m coughing, I just want to feel normal again!

My 18yo daughter who literally never gets ill was floored with it and still has a cough, she was in bed for days and couldn't eat for about a week.

I had flu a couple of years ago in the run up to Christmas and it made me want to die. I vaguely remember at one point puking on myself and lying back down on my bed, puke in my hair, because the room was spinning. Couldn’t even keep lemsip or water down. Remained like that for about 3 days before I could eat or take my daily meds again.

The last 2 years I’ve booked in me, my husband and eldest for flu jabs for October. My son has had the nasal spray every winter since he was 2 and hasn’t caught it since so far, so I do put a lot of faith in the vaccine. My eldest had the nasal spray every year she was entitled to it too btw, and I don’t think she ever got the flu since either.

Source for your info please?

I'm 4 weeks on, still coughing, exhausted, sore throat. I'm glad I was vaccinated as at least I had some protection. Just hoping I'm back to normal by Christmas.

I had it 2 weeks ago, had a week of feeling utterly dreadful and whilst I am mostly better now I still have a wheeze and a cough - and keep getting dreadfully out of breath just walking up stairs. 36, perfectly fit and healthy, unvaccinated.

18 yo fit son was floored Nose bleeds cough. Croup like breathing issues. Low grade fever. Sore throat and runny nose. Weak his heart rate is normally 60 but it was 95 resting.

He had jab but too late as was going around his friend group

I had jab 6 weeks before and was unwell but able to potter and do basic jobs with then needing a rest. Had two days film watching and resting. Cough eased pretty quick. Didn't get a fever or sore throat either.

I am on day 3 and know I am going to get worse and worse. Three years ago I had flu which turned into pneumonia, I coughed up blood out of my lung. When I went to the hospital I said I want to die, the Doctor said that's how they know it is proper flu and not just a cold. Unfortunately I didn't get vaxxed but I will next year.

I'm recovering from it now, day 9 and still exhausted. Its my first time having flu (at 45!) and it was grim. It came on so suddenly too, I had a bit of a sore back and didn't think anything of it. I was in bed that night then started to shake.Quite quickly then had Fever, chills, splitting head, whole body aches, stomach pains, chest and back pain, sore throat and vomiting. I honestly couldn't move. Awful!
I've been working from home yesterday and today and feel completely wiped out!

It was for me. I got a much milder dose than my husband. He was seriously unwell, off work for 2 weeks and very slow to recover (still not great 2 weeks later).
I was off for 2 days and much quicker recovery and not as unwell as him.

Because severe flu can lead to pneumonia and sepsis.

It's not the flu the antibiotics is treating - it's the other infections that the flu can cause.

Day 13 here. The flu turned into an infection. Now on antibiotics. Worst flu I've ever had in my entire life. Same for my DH.

When I had flu badly back in 2019 at age 49 (I was nearly hospitalised), it turned into pneumonia and then I obviously did need antibiotics, double strength.

Why would "they" lie?

We were meant to fly to the sun on holiday on Wednesday ... teenager who had the vaccine at school is down with this flu and it's bad ... think we will have to cancel - it's nasty ...

The flu cannot cause other infections; however, the weakened state of the body may make it more likely to develop secondary infections, including bacterial infections which are then managed through antibiotics. That is, something else swoops in on the back of the flu. If you consider that the immune system has taken a battering, and the damage to tissues e.g. inflammation, it may render someone more susceptible to catch and develop a secondary infection.

DD is a primary teacher. She is jabbed-always gets one.

So much racing round in her classroom and she came down with flu last weekend. She said she has never ever felt so ill in her life. Couldn't lift her head off of the pillow.

Two TA's at her school also said the "never felt this ill in their lives" last week when they had it.

Hers also turned into infected throat and she is also on antibiotics.
It's bad.

I wonder if this will stop the people insisting that Covid is SOOOO much worse than flu and that any illness that makes you feel terrible is certainly Covid. The amount of people on here after they had covid saying it was the worst virus ever and nothing else even remotely compares to it etc. Is Covid the flu? Obviously not. Can they both be debilitating? Absolutely. But it’s quite amazing how last year anyone who had these symptoms was told they DEFINITELY had Covid. Couldn’t possibly be anything else. Now anyone describing these symptoms are told it’s DEFINITELY flu.

If you’re perfectly healthy, you need something stronger than paracetamol for starters. Ibuprofen at the very least. Night nurse for the cough.

A message of hope
DAY 13 and 60% of my energy back, youhouuu 😅💃

I think that most people (myself included) have the common sense to alternate both paracetamol & ibuprofen. As for cough syrup, it’s largely pointless and you’re wasting your money. Honey + lemon does the same job.

Agree, usually robost 16 year old on day 3 ... looking hard work

When I had my flu vaccination this year, I was told they create it anew each year from the most recent winter flu in Australia. How effective it will be is always a bit of a lottery.

This time, it’s mutated into this nasty version since the vaccine was made.

It was 2 full weeks before I felt normal again.