It can’t be flu, can it?

[ifeelsounwell]

All week I’ve felt so unwell - stuffed nose, exhausted, headaches, occasional sore throat. I’ve taken ibuprofen and pushed through.

Tonight ive developed an awful cough, my sore throat is back and ive got horrendous earache.

it feels different to a cold, and ive had my flu jab, so I’m wondering if its a mild flu? How would i even know?

It sounds like Covid.

i doubt it, i have my full sense of smell and taste still.

Best not to label it really.

If you're ill, you're ill and a label won't make a difference.

Hoping you feel better very soon and if the earache doesn't clear up, you may need a trip to the GP incase it's infected

I've had Covid 3 times and never lost my taste or smell at all.

My son did though and it never fully came back.

I've had COVID 3 times and never lost my sense of smell/taste. That was a symptom seized on by social/traditional media back in 2020.

But as the previous poster says, it doesn't matter what it is. Fluids and rest!

Covid hasn’t necessarily impacted taste and smell for a few years now. Given you have flu-like symptoms and we are in the midst of a bad flu season which the vaccine isn’t working well to protect people against, I don’t see why you wouldn’t think that’s what you’ve got.

Is the current covid manifesting with loss of smell and taste?

You dont have to lose your taste and smell with covid.

It could be a bad cold, or Covid or flu… either way lots of bed rest and fluids til you feel better

Sadly bed rest doesn’t really exist in my world 😭

If you had flu you would know. I am 52 and have had it once it my life -20 years ago. It is horrific. If someone had set my bed on fire I would have struggled to get out of bed. I certainly couldn’t have typed a coherent sentence. DH had it at the same time - he was hallucinating.

If it’s proper flu, your world won’t have much say in the matter.

You can’t have mild flu. Flu is when you can’t get out of bed or function

I’ve had the same symptoms for 3 weeks now, i too have had a flu jab. There are a number of viruses going around at the moment so all you can do is treat the symptoms. You can ask your GP, pharmacy or 111 for advice.

I don’t understand this though because everyone says this, but it must spread somehow! There’s no such thing as “proper flu”

There is. It's not helped by Beechams etc hawking "Cold and Flu" tablets for the headache/stuffy nose aspect, which makes people refer to a bad cold as "flu".

"Proper" flu is an infection, accompanied by acute fatigue and myalgia.

As for spreading - you are infectious for 24 hours before symptoms even begin.

I only lost my sense of smell the first two times I got covid.
With headaches and cough I’d put my bet on it being that.
No such thing as mild flu. If you get it, you know it !

I think it highly likely that you've got a mild version of the flu OP. My DH who has also had the vaccine, has had full blown flu this week, and been in bed barely able to move or even breath for the last 5 days. I thought I had got away without getting it, but now I appear to be suffering the exact same symptoms as you, right down to the ear pain.

It’s horrendous isn’t it? I work in a hospital and they’ve been overrun with it all month. I just hope it clears by Christmas

Because people are infectious before they are fully ill.
Cold are totally rubbish and csn make you feel lousy.
Flu equals unable to function other than the bare basics of walking/crawling to the toilet

Another lie!

I dont understand what the lie is?

If you work in a hospital (with medically vulnerable people?) surely you are allowed to stay at home when you are sick and highly infectious? Whether its covid, flu or just a generic viral infection, you deserve to rest when youre sick - both to recover and to protect others

If you are able to sit typing on a SM forum then it's not flu.
Might just be a bad cold.
If you had flu you'd know.

Flu can be asymptomatic or mild or horrendous.
You've got a viral illness OP. Really doesn't matter what you call it. Just keep away from other people

That the only type of flu has you laid up in bed for weeks. That’s just not true.