People saying they’ve never had flu?

[Cumbrianlassie]

I find this incredibly strange. I’ve had flu several times in my life and I’m 36, I mean the ‘proper’ flu - body aches, fever, skin pain, headache, cough, no appetite, fatigue for several weeks and weakness.

I had it in January, as did my DS and DP.
Havent had this new strain yet but feels inevitable!

Are some people just immune?

I’ve had it twice and was floored for 2 weeks both times. Hallucinations, fever for days on end, no food to speak of and there was no way I could have got up for anything other than going to the loo (and I had to be helped there on occasion).

I’ve had heavy colds similar to the OP but the flu was totally different in intensity to those.

63 and never had proper flu. No jabs. Have had COVID at least four times though and do get nasty colds which often go to my chest.

It’s very unlikely that anyone has completely avoided the flu. Some people have only a few symptoms or may even be asymptomatic. So they might not realise they had it. I was knocked out by flu a few years ago, but DP and DS1 only had very mild symptoms. We were convinced they must have had something different from me, but having read a bit about viruses, I realised they probably did have flu. They both had the vaccine though, but I wasn’t entitled to it and it never occurred to me to get it privately as I hadn’t been really ill with flu since I was a child. I always get the vaccine now. My mum used to say you would know if you had flu because you wouldn’t be able to move off the bed and I believed that for years. But it’s not the case at all.

You can pay privately at most pharmacies.

Late 30s, never had the flu, never had a flu jab. My DH had it once, pre covid, I decamped to a hotel for a week, dropping of daily supplies for him and making sure he was still alive!

I've had it once. I was so unwell for about two weeks. Couldn't get out of bed for a few days. Soaking the bedsheets with sweat. Everything hurt even my teeth and hair.

Mid 40s and never had it

I’ve never had flu, never even had a really bad cold. However if there is a sickness bug going around you can guarantee I will get it

I'm 39 and never had it. To be fair I don't really get any respiratory infections. The odd mild cold and I've had covid a few times but never been seriously ill with it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Never had flu or a jab, I think you're the outlier to have had it multiple times and be surprised that other people haven't

I'm not sure I can remember anyone I well ever saying theyve had flu

Same here. Very old by MN standards! Never experienced flu, and rare bad colds have only ever lasted a few days at most.
Although I’ve a condition now which is a right bugger, I’d say I’ve been freakily lucky all my life, where sickness is concerned.
[edit: just recalled measles and chickenpox as a youngster, and the former being by far the grimmer. Also a kid, effing ‘growing pains’ for years. In fact thinking back now, it’s like a lot of shitty stuff was just being got out of the way before I was 8]

But subsequent very good health have been what that godawful malt we were dosed with as kids was for.
(That, and being dragged up close to any tarmacking going on in the street, in order to inhale the prophylactic fumes! Not much would permeate our tar-sealed lungs after that! 🤣)

52 and never had it.
Sister 47 never had it.
Never had the jab either!

I had Covid in 2022 and it was awful. I don’t recall having any type of flu prior to this. I thought I was getting it this week but seems to have dissipated thankfully!! Horrible infection.

As far as I know you don't have to be eligible, I have a friend who and her whole family pay for jabs every year

How can u tell the difference

57...never had it. Don't want it either!

I’m 45 and I’ve never had confirmed flu. Definitely never been not get out of bed for days or weeks sick, except for when I had cancer. Because I have all sorts of health issues, I do get a flu jab though and have for probably 20 years.

I’ve never had it and I’ve never needed to go to the doctors since I was a child!

Nope never had it, or covid. I do get change of the season colds usually.....but weirdly not since covid times.

Mid 50s and never had it- my dad was hospitalised with it and I’d been looking after him and my brother had it at the same time -and it developed into pneumonia-and I still didn’t get it!

I’ve only had it a handful of times. Definitely have it currently. I’ve been asleep virtually all day, and when I’m awake I’m alternating between sweating and shivering, and my whole body (especially my hips) hurts.

And I had my bloody flu jab!!

I've never had flu as far as I know. I've had Covid three times but only know because I tested positive. I wouldn't have known otherwise. I'm 49.

I got flu a lot in my early '20s- the first symptom for me was always waking up and feeling like there were lead weights all over my body. I also remember hallucinating a bit at one time. I was really unwell. Looking back i think it was probably caused by a few things- a low immune system from not eating particularly well and partying too hard, a job that involved mixing with a lot of people who were sometimes visibly unwell themselves and, maybe most importantly, living in some really dodgy places with mould, damp and inadequate heating. Once I moved into a decent house and started looking after myself better, I never got flu again. The last time is over 30 years ago.

60 and never knowingly had it. No flu jabs either.

I’ve never knowingly had it and I’m on immunosuppressants so would have thought I’d have got it at some point. I’ve had bad colds, sure, and had a respiratory infection that floored me earlier this year but that wasn’t flu.