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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

It can’t be flu, can it?

110 replies

ifeelsounwell · 19/12/2025 22:50

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?

OP posts:
MyBrasTooTight · 20/12/2025 23:55

Both my kids have had the exact symptoms - down to the ear pain. They’ve both been vaccinated but we thought either mild flu or Covid. Who knows! So much going round - hope you feel better soon and can get some rest.

Ijwwm · 21/12/2025 02:25

Usually, flu comes on really fast. One minute you feel fine, then it’s like a switch has been flipped - full on body aches, total cotton wool head, etc. the fact that you’ve had a “lead up” of symptoms makes me think it isn’t flu.

Whatever it is, hope you feel better soon.

EvieBB · 21/12/2025 09:29

TidyCyan · 19/12/2025 22:55

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!

I lost my taste and sense of smell while suffering with COVID for about a fortnight (it was the longest and most frustrating 2 weeks of my life as I love food!)....and I whilst it's returned to the extent that I can gain pleasure from tasting again it's not fully back to normal as my spatone liquid iron supplements (which used to taste horrendous) now taste of nothing 😧

Mcoco · 21/12/2025 14:46

Go to g.p and get antibiotics before everything closes

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 21/12/2025 14:52

I've had those symptoms for 15 days now, I'm only just starting to feel I'm on the mend.

As its lasted so long I'm starting to think it's Covid. I thought it was a very bad cold at first but colds don't tend to last that long.

You are absolutely right about flu. My GP told me that flu can be mild. This was when I had pneumonia but had no idea I'd had flu!

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 21/12/2025 14:54

Mcoco · 21/12/2025 14:46

Go to g.p and get antibiotics before everything closes

Antibiotics don't work for colds or flu or Covid which are viruses. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections.

PinkElephants356 · 21/12/2025 15:54

Standatt · 20/12/2025 12:34

It’s referred to in certain ways by the public because we used to have no way of testing at home which virus we have. It’s only recently people have started home testing.

There is no such virus as a “cold”. A “cold” is just a collection of symptoms. It could be any number of viruses causing them. But because in the past we had no way of knowing which virus, and they often all cause similar symptoms, humans just started referring to it as a “cold”. But it could be a coronavirus, RSV, adenovirus etc causing them. And yes sometimes even an influenza virus if it hits the person mildly.

Influenza is a virus. There are many versions. Influenza viruses are more likely to make you severely ill than other cold causing viruses. So humans started referring to bad illnesses as flu. But unless you test, you have no way of knowing for definite if it actually is flu. Then the myth stated that all influenza infections leave you incapacitated and unable to move etc. Which is not true. As we learned during Covid, how a virus hits one person is not always the same as the next person. You can even be totally asymptomatic with flu, just like Covid and other viruses.
As someone else said, chicken pox isn’t any less of chicken pox if someone has 3 spots compared to someone who is covered in them and hospitalised.

Show quote history

Thanks that makes sense. It means different people can have different symptoms and severity of symptoms, which I guess means if one’s symptoms are mild then they should still try not to spread it as someone else’s could be really bad.

Mcoco · 21/12/2025 16:26

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 21/12/2025 14:54

Antibiotics don't work for colds or flu or Covid which are viruses. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections.

Show quote history

Yes i think you are right. Just wondered if they help with an ear infection though?

Standatt · 21/12/2025 17:01

PinkElephants356 · 21/12/2025 15:54

Thanks that makes sense. It means different people can have different symptoms and severity of symptoms, which I guess means if one’s symptoms are mild then they should still try not to spread it as someone else’s could be really bad.

Show quote history

I agree people should try and not spread viruses about. Any virus. But at the same time people can’t not leave the house if they just have cold symptoms. Many people have to still go to work. If you have concert tickets that cost £200 it would be ridiculous to lose so much money because you had a runny nose. You can’t cancel a holiday worth 5k because one person had a sore throat the morning you were due to fly etc. I do think that those with colds etc should ideally try and wear a mask. I’ve done it when a bit sniffly. Doesn’t bother me at all. I wear one at work most of the day and always have for 25 years.
But I’m definitely not cancelling all plans over mild illnesses. I will try and avoid passing viruses on by wearing a mask. Would be nice if others would do the same. But I wouldn’t demand it.

realsavagelike · 21/12/2025 17:06

Astra53 · 19/12/2025 23:45

General rule of thumb is if you are laid out flat with no appetite, its full on flu. If you are able to get up and have an appetite it's a bad cold or viral infection.

Flu is a viral infection.

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