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?

I remember having flu when I was about 14. Apart from the severity (hallucinating, needing my mum to help me to the loo as my legs could barely hold me), it was the sudden onset which I remember. With a cold your nose starts running a bit for a few hours, doesn't it, or you sneeze a couple of times, or have a bit of a tickle in your throat, maybe you start feeling a bit hot. But you can usually carry on working, even if you have to take a paracetamol. If it's the weekend and I have a cold and feel a bit grotty I will always prioritise resting on the sofa with hot drinks rather than dosing myself up with paracetamol to try to get stuff done.

But with the flu, I was literally fine one minute, and then within 15 minutes, I felt bloody awful and just NEEDED to get to my bed. I remember not bothering getting ready for bed, I found just getting up the stairs difficult. Was shivering then sweaty, achy bones, sore hot eyes, headache. I knew it was different from a cold, that feeling happened so fast.

How come you tested?

I had Covid, albeit mildly, right at the start and my sense of taste has never come back properly. It's nowhere near as good as it used to be.

If someone catches flu who has had the flu jab (and so get it mildly) and are still mixing with other people, are they just as likely to pass it on as someone who is contagious with it who HASN'T had the jab?

I’m thinking I have flu but if there was a £50 note in my garden I would try and crawl out to it cos of col. not being able to get a £50 note was my original indication of flu but not anymore

negative for COVID

I lost my taste and smell back in 2020 with a bout of Covid, and still haven’t got it back. Social media was, and still is, full of people who had this symptom. I think it’s more common than what people think. Buttrue, not everyone with Covid loses taste/smell.

Do you find your ‘normal’ has changed? Ie, I can’t taste but now enjoy textures instead. It’s as if my brain has changed the way I enjoy my food to compensate for no longer enjoying taste.

I tested positive for covid with your symptoms

I've tested positive 2x - never lost my sense of smell or taste.

Low zinc levels (which can happen when fighting an infection) can cause this

i would look at testing your zinc - for about £10 on amazon

I’ve felt really unwell for past few days. Had a sore throat, waking up in night, no energy

also affected my stomach

fortunately not at work so have rested

I have just had flu- I know it was influenza a because I did a LFT off Amazon and it was positive for flu a. I have the vaccine annually and had this year’s in October.
I felt pretty rubbish - tired, cough and temperature. However I was well enough to play on MN, watch Netflix and potter about the house in short bursts doing things like unloading the dishwasher. It’s a myth that you will be too unwell to move.

I care for my Dad who has dementia and was due to see a friend who is about to start chemotherapy. The colleague I caught it from had already tested positive (and she tested because she has an underlying health condition) so I thought I had better check.

That’s interesting. Haven’t heard of that, and I’m still attending long covid clinic. I’ve taken part it lots of trials, and also alternative therapy’s, but nothing works. But I’ll definitely give your suggestion a try and report back. Thank you!

Have your trials suggested b12 and folic acid? I would say they were a game changer

Yes, I agree. I've had confirmed influenza A where I didn't feel well but could function and another time I had flu where I was utterly incapacitated for two weeks. I was 18 and healthy and could only struggle to the toilet and drink water.

I lost taste and smell when I was very poorly with covid in 2020. I did my own smell training using essential oils and lots and lots of reinforcement. It thankfully worked, in so sorry for those that never got it back.

People always think Flu is in bed and not able to function...
So if you are up and about it cant be flu.
This simply is not true
You can have flu and not have any symptoms at all

That's not true at all, flu can range from asymptomatic (about 18% of cases) to needing to be in hospital. Many people carry on with flu, by no means do all get the "can't get out of bed" level of symptoms, the symptoms are the result of the immune response put up to clear the infection rather than the virus itself, and we all differ in that regard.

However, what typifies flu is that whatever level of symptoms you have (assuming a symptomatic case) tend to come on quickly, in the space of an hour or two.

They did. But didn’t work for me I’m afraid. I’m currently back at stage 1 - doing the daily smell pots to try to retrain my brain to smell again. I feel it’s a waste of time and energy but I’m out of options.

I don't think losing smell or taste is essential to covid?

You can get a Covid 19 Influenza A/B & RSV 4 in 1 Self Test Kit if you really want to know if it's one of those

I'm not sure what the benefit is in knowing.

Yeah, I think if I knew I'd actually been in contact with someone with confirmed flu I'd test too.

@snackatack Zinc helps with Long Covid?

I agree. I had it once when I was about 13. DF had it at the same time, as did DGM who lived with us. My poor DM, who was physically disabled (mobility problems) ended up looking after all three of us. Fortunately, she didn't get it, but she was so worn out, bless her. No flu vaccine available in those days.

DD got it when she was 13. She was so ill that I knew straightaway what it was.

That’s not true. I had secondary bacterial pneumonia AND the flu and was able to sit in my hospital bed on oxygen with IV antibiotics typing away on SM.