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?

Anyone can have the jabs. They're only about £14.

Well seeing as though most people don't get tested, I suppose we don't really know.

I’m late 40s and had it for the first time 3 weeks ago, I was completely knocked out by it for 9 days. Only had the vaccine while pregnant. My mum had it once at 18 and never since, she’s in her 80s. She always described it as “even your eyelids hurt” and she wasn’t wrong.

55 years old. Had it once in my 20s, never since, not had covid either.

Never knowingly had it. I don’t often get viral illnesses tbh - maybe a bit of a sniffle once a year. I did get pneumonia with Covid in the first wave, but then never had it again.

I've had flu twice. I've had bad colds and viral infections that have included fever, aches and pains, tiredness etc. Flu was a lot worse though, I thought I was dying. First time round I fainted trying to get out of bed, my mum had to assist me changing after an accident which was awful. 2nd time round I wanted to tell my DH to call an ambulance but I couldn't get the words out. I do think flu is used by some people to describe anything that is more than sniffles and a sore throat but there is plenty of infections in between that and flu.

Yes, I think so. I’ve never had full on flu, even when there were three people sick in bed with it, in my family at that time.

Surely you mean you're not eligible for a free jab?

If you're getting flu that often it's probably worth the £15 Boots charge.

I’m 55 and have had some bad colds but I’ve never had Influenza.

My late Mum never had it either and both her parents didn’t catch the 1918 Spanish ‘flu even though they were very high risk, being in their 20’s with GD having just got back from the war with a lung condition and a limb lost, and GM being pregnant.

There might be something in your immunity theory.

I've had flu a few times, twice as a child and once as an adult. It has only lasted about a week which is pretty normal. I've heard it said that the difference between a cold and flu is that with flu you wouldn't get out of bed if you spotted a £50 note on the other side of the room. I think if you're not sure if it's flu then it's probably not flu.

DH had swine flu when that was around and was ill for 3 weeks, he lost a ton of weight and was even delirious at one point. He'd never had flu before. I thought he was going to have to go to hospital, our neighbour (40's) did end up in hospital with it.

I’m 65 and I still remember the one time o had flu as a child, it wiped me out and took a long time to fully recover.
I’m by no means minimising the current flu situation, but it’s important to remember that the majority of people won’t get it, the news and social media is obviously full of stories of people who have it, not those who don’t.
Plus people do tend to say they have flu when it’s in fact a particularly bad cold, still not pleasant but not flu.

Once, when I was 17. My partner who's getting on a bit now has never had it, hope he stays that way. Flipping horrible, didn't leave my bed for days and hurt to move, wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I've never had flu or a flu jab.

48 and never had proper flu. Worst I can remember is a nasty bout of tonsillitis (the worst I have ever felt) and Covid for the first time (second time was fine).

I've had flu twice - one was back in 2000 and once in 2005. Both times were hideous, especially the first time. With flu I spent days in bed.

To my knowledge I've had covid once. It hung around for about two weeks but I was able to function and work, as I WFH.

I’m 69 & am fairly sure I’ve never had ‘flu…. but i’ve had the vacc this yr as it sounded so nasty! I’ve 2 bros 4 & 6 yrs younger than me & they haven’t had it either!

I had it for the first time last year when I was 60, dh had it at the same time and had also never had it before. Neither of us have ever had flu jabs and we dont bother with the covid ones now either. None of our adult dc have ever had it so I dont think its that unusual.

I’m much older than you and I’ve never had it. Bad colds but nothing that gave me fatigue for several weeks. I haven’t had the flu jab for a few years now (used to get it through work) but will be eligible to get it free next year. I’ve never had Covid either that I’m aware of.

How do you know?
I have been extremely unwell with some kind of virus but as I wasn’t tested I don’t know if I had it. Likewise had bad colds which maybe were flu but again never tested. I keep reading on here that some people can have it and not be too unwell, so unless you are tested which certainly isn’t the norm as far as I know, how on earth would you know?

Thats my point, how do the non flu getters really know the difference

I'm 51 and caught flu for the 1st time on a flight home last month.
I have had nasty colds but have never experienced what i did last month.
I think some people get horrid colds and say flu but it's a different beast altogether.

You can pay for it. I would think with All your flu that you would??

I'm almost 50 and had the flu twice, I was mid-twenties the first time. DH thinks he's never had it. I'd say having had the flu several times by your age is quite unusual.

Aged 70, never vaccinated, never knowingly had flu.

Some years ago I had something that put me in bed for ten days and kept me off work for a month. I assumed that was flu, given the symptoms, which included delirium, but my GP said it was not. A work colleague who had exactly the same symptoms ended up in hospital, where she tested negative.

DH and my two DDs have never had it either.

I pay for the jab every year because I work with children and when my dd went to university I paid for her to have it to hopefully avoid the freshers flu.

I don’t think any of us have ever had the flu. I don’t think I had Covid either despite being in school with the key worker’s children.

My family of four lived in another country for a decade and three of us didn’t go to the doctor at all in that time.