Flu - so ill, it's been a week. What do I do?

[endicott]

Been knocked out with flu for one week now (before anyone starts I tried twice to get a vaccination - one time chemist was on holiday, secnd time they'd run out, then had a spot reserved when fell ill).

In bed, sweating buckets, sore head, aching limbs and feeling like death.

I'm self employed and had to cancel a ton of work so this has cost me £££

I have two jobs tomorrow I fully expected to be ready for but am thinking now I won't make a miraculous recovery by 7am tomorrow and had better call off. Which will piss everyone off and affect work relations going forward.

Christmas is going to be a write off. I can't do a thing.

Dh has been looking after me but now he has it too and is in the spare room. DD 18 is grumpily doing the odd thing like walking the dog.

Do I need to see the doctor? Or will they just tell me I need more time? How much longer? Waaagh!

Feel your pain. Can you call the GP and get antibiotics?

I think it depends whether you have/get a secondary infection, like a chest infection or (hope not) pneumonia.

Unless you have a secondary infection like a chest infection there’s little point in seeing your GP. Unfortunately you’ll have to cancel your work with apologies and do as little as possible while you recover. Are you taking regular paracetamol for the fever and aching?

Get well soon.

Max out the pain relief, have a bath as hot as you can stand, get some berocca too and wait it out.

Flu can definitely knock you out for a couple of weeks. Though after a week I would hope you are feeling more wrung out, rather than still feverish etc., and on the mend. Keep Christmas a low key affair as it can take a good six weeks to recover fully from flu.

It took me 6 weeks to get back to being me and healthy again

Antibiotics no good for flu , unless it’s turned into a chest infection ( or pneumonia )
If you’re asthmatic you might need steroids or more inhalers , in which case try and see a doctor

Otherwise , it’s just rest and keep the fluids up

Thanks for kindness all, if I'd had a MN beating up for this I'd have wept. I guess if I had a secondary infection I'd know - I'm coughing a bit but that's the least of my issues. I'm chugging back Ibuprofen and Paracetamol alternatively.

Six weeks is just unthinkable!

Will cancel work and Christmas - just too bad, the kids can pull something together. ILS are coming, partly because Dfil is having tests on 23 at a nearby hospital for cancer. Don't know if that's a good idea in the circs. ILs are good though and will not demand me running around after them.

What for? She has a virus.

All you can do is wait it out I’m afraid. I’m so sorry. And ask your DH to think about not making Christmas a write-off. If he isn’t much of a cook, is there a Cook near you? We had their Christmas dinner one year, it was lovely.

DH is a good cook, it's just he's ill too, though nothing like as bad as me

The least of my worries is Christmas, the big one is the amount of work i've lost - effectively a month's salary.

sympathy - have been floored by the same for over a month. please learn from me and rest - the reason I've been destroyed by it is that every time I thought I was getting better I'd go out and do too much and then be on my back again 3 days later, and round it goes. rest, painkillers, minimal stress, sleep sleep sleep; stay warm, keep your calories up.

It might be a good idea to warn ILs that Christmas plans may have to be altered. Any reasonable person will understand

NHS advice is to see a GP after 7 days if things haven’t started to improve

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/flu/

I had the flu last year and was wiped out for 3 weeks. The patients I’m looking after are still ill after two. Flu knocks you for six and the cough can last weeks. Rest up.

Thanks again everyone, it's lovely to get helpful, kind advice on MN (bit of a surprise!)

Will cancel work for tomorrow and just have to suck up the fact it's more important I get better than do a couple of jobs

Have already accepted Christmas isn't happening - people can get gifts etc after the event. My dc are grown up so don't have that to worry about.

Will call GP as it's been a week.

Too late for this year, but to bear mind for next year - our family always books our flu jabs as soon as Boots opens up bookings in July, and we get the earliest slots on offer (late Sept/early October). Leaving it until Nov/Dec when everyone is panicking and trying to get one can leave you caught short as you have been this time around.

@Dolphinnoises I called GP as had chest infection with flu and prescribed antibiotics. Hope you feel better soon OP.

Six weeks is to be back to feeling yourself. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to start working again before then (though not yet!) but you will find yourself exhausted at the end of the day for a few weeks once over the worst,

Apparently this flu is lasting up to 5 weeks. The doctor told me last week. He said this is the worst he’s seen it, in years. Get well soon op. It’s money as long as the bills are paid. Your health is all that matters.

Waving sympathetically. Also self employed and it's a disaster.
Today's the first day in several that I've realized I have a computer and a phone. I've just been a feverish mess for days with little idea of what's been going on, and can't eat. To add to the fun I'm in a wheelchair and can't access it without help, and my B12 levels came back as 106.7 but as I'm feverish the life changing injections have stopped.Carer's decided they don't want this (can't blame them but...)

Small consolation but I'm imuno suppressed and did have my flu jab weeks ago. So either different strain, (have been in Europe researching new markets) or without it this would have been even worse. I've given it to my lot too. The jab might not have saved you.

Paracetamol and lots of fluids.
Put towels in the bed if you're soaking things with sweat or worse is going on.
If like me you're dripping sweat from your scalp, headscarf helps.
Choice of additional coats/ covers for when freezing,
Grabber by bed (amazon prime might help here if anyone can get to the door)

Without knowing what line of work you're in, best advice I can give you is go through all up coming work and see if any of it could be done later on and if so approach those companies, if necessary make them a financial offer to stay afloat.
It's the downside of self employment.

Honey, lemon & ginger tea. Make a big batch of soup (or get DD to) full of veg and goodness to help get some nutrients. Drink plenty of fluids, REST.. Do not push yourself to carry on.. Sometimes we're put on our arses for a reason!

IMO GP pointless unless you have ongoing temp and have reason to think you have an infection of some type. And as much as it's horrible, try to push through a slight fever without meds... Your body heats up to fight the virus, so reducing temp generally just means you prolong your illness and your immune system is fighting against itself.

Hope you feel better soon ☺

This

I had my flu jab last weds, felt fine but then started with a cough on Monday and by Tuesday morning was absolutely wiped out. Could barely even move, only left my bed to go to the bathroom! I’m on day 3 and still feel awful but have got out of bed for a while this morning as I was going stir crazy but soon had to come back to bed as felt so poorly.

just hoping I recover by Christmas & no one else in my family get it!

And meant to add - hope you feel better soon OP!

I do the same.

There’s no herd immunity for flu.

Thanks again all, your kind words mean a lot when it's looking really bleak. I sort of had in my head this might floor me for a week, now to realise it could go on for another fortnight or so is just horrible.

Wave back at you @EphemeraleEudemonia I hope you feel better sooner, it is the absolute pits being self employed in this situation. I'm going to have to do one zoom tomorrow (I won't speak will keep camera off) but have cancelled everything else and everyone has been very nice about it, so hopefully my long-won reputation for reliability is still intact, just have a vast hole in my finances. It does mean that when I finally start to feel a bit better I'm going to have a huge backlog to tackle PLUS my tax return. This in addition to the no-Christmas scenario had me in floods of tears earlier.

I hope all of you suffering feel a lot better soon x