I have the flu .....really confused about NHS advice

[2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney]

So I started feeling unwell a couple of days ago. Head, achy limbs, mild sore throat. I was of course worried that it might be Coronavirus so checked the NHS website 111 online for advice. I answered no to all the questions about have I been to ....China , S. Korea , Italy etc plus no contact with anyone who has it and yes to the one about any symptoms. Answer from 111 online was not to call 111 based on where I had been and no known contact, not on symptoms.

However it has been reported about people carrying the virus without symptoms , that the contagious period starts before symptoms show so just basing criteria on where you have been or not been seems crazy.

I did have to travel in the UK last week, as did DH (to different places) so who knows where I have caught this bug.

Last night I hear that the government might ask people in 10 days time to self isolate for any sign of flu or cold for 7 days.

I am self isolating , tucked up in bed. Can't do anything else right now. DH has however gone to work. I would rather he didn't and worked from home however inconvenient that would be right now.

Dd also working but I have had limited distant contact with her.

Yes I have had discussed DH working from home and said people won't thank him if he does bring CV into large open plan office , but he is going on present official advice.

No I haven't rung 111 anyway , I suspect if I did the call centre answering would just go through the criteria I did on line anyway.

Perhaps the issue may be the cost of testing everyone with any symptoms being expensive but we are talking about an infection with quite serious consequences for some and forking out now might be less expensive in the long run.

AIBU to think current NHS advice is crap and waiting 10 days before Giving new advice that people do Self isolate for any respiratory infection in case people get bored and don't do it is just crap and will mean people are needlessly put at risk.

I have had the flu twice in my life. I could not even lift my head to drink and had to have someone do it for me. If you can write long messages and work it’s not the flu. It’s a cold.

If you’re able to compose such a lengthy post, you do not have flu!!

If you can write long messages and work it’s not the flu.

If you’re able to compose such a lengthy post, you do not have flu!!

Complete nonsense.

I've had proper flu about 3 times in my life (I'm in my 40s) each time has been slightly different.

This time for the first 48 hours I could not move and actually passed out on the way to the toilet and crawled back to bed. But by the 3rd day I could look at my phone and post the odd message, still had a high fever and struggled to get out of bed though!!

Viruses will affect different people differently 🤷‍♀️

I've had flu three times as far as I know, abrupt start to the illness, fever, aching all over, felt like I was dying. I was able to get out of bed, put together simple meals, take medication at the right time, and, yes, I could have posted on Mumsnet at the worst of it for two or if the three.

Flu doesn't automatically mean bedridden and unable to look after yourself.

Hi @2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney, we've moved this over to our Coronavirus topic.

If you can write long messages and work it’s not the flu.

If you’re able to compose such a lengthy post, you do not have flu!!

What a load of bollocks. I had blood-test confirmed swine flu when it was going round, which is an influenza virus, and I felt very ill, illest I've ever felt, but I still managed to write emails to call in sick and speak to people, make simple meals when not sleeping, have the odd shower etc.

You learn something every day. Ive also had flu twice and it was horrendous. I couldn’t even look at a picture of food advertised in the magazine by my bed. Dh was in the guest room with the same thing. We didn’t move for two weeks.

If you’re able to compose such a lengthy post, you do not have flu!!

This is NOT TRUE. Why do people endlessly trot out this same nonsense?

A bad cold is a bad cold, not flu, but it’s simply wrong to say that influenza viruses always causes incapacitation.

Some people have a relatively mild illness but that doesn’t mean it isn’t flu, and it doesn’t mean that the same virus cannot cause serious illness in another person. A bit like the Coronavirus really.

I have a cough, mild sore throat and temperature spikes (but regularly does anyway due to menopausal symptoms) I'm at work but have my own office and keeping a distance

Should say I travelled by plane 3 weeks ago and had this for 10 days so far

If you’re able to compose such a lengthy post, you do not have flu!!

Bollocks. I was able to compose fairly lengthy texts when I was in intensive care with sepsis. I have also had (confirmed) flu twice and was perfectly able to read and write both times.

I didn't wrote that long list of info - a friend sent it to me and I thought you could all pick over it and take anything of use.

No never said I currently have flu! 😂🦠

Didn't write

I think the severity of symptoms for flu varies as do those for Covid 19 I think. I had flu where I didn't eat at all for 3 days, except a mouthful of something with the tamiflu I was taking, which were supposed to be taken with food. I felt very dizzy just going to the loo which was in the room right next to my bedroom and I had to crawl there a couple of times.

My temperature fluctuated but I measured it 40deg+ several times. I definitely didn't know what was going on for a lot of the time but I also had more lucid periods where I could look at my phone and type messages/emails, speak on the phone etc. I certainly could not have come downstairs and done any cooking or looked after my toddler for about 36-48 hours of that time. After that I might have managed to lie downstairs and make a sandwich (possibly)

Flu or Covid 19 are diseases, the symptoms they cause can vary so someone can definitely have flu or Covid 19 and not have very severe symptoms and some people can die from either of them . I also know that people in icu and close to death can speak on the phone or type a message so comments that the OP does not have flu are ridiculous.

She may or may not have flu , she is in any case feeling very ill and anxious about covid19 (not unresonable) so needs sympathy not lots of people piling on, effectively telling her he is not ill

No-one can know for sure if the op has flu, covid 1, a bad cold or any of a number of other viral infections, without a test. As she is not being tested, going on about what she has or doesn't have is pointless. The key thing is how the symptoms progress

People say that comment about not being able to type with flu because people say they have flu when they have a cold!
It's much more acceptable to be off with flu than a cold.