Virus - feel awful and taking ages to recover.

[Whelk]

I started with a chesty cough on Boxing Day. The doctor told me it was an Upper Respiratory Infection and that my lungs were clear. Im guessing it was a virus,

The cough has cleared up mostly and up til 2 days a ago I was getting a little better each day but I am so exhausted, nauseaus and dizzy. I have been able to do small things but then have had to lie down to recover for several hours.

I actually felt better 2 days ago but then probably did too much (just looking after the dds) and then suddenly felt dramatically worse, shivering and started with diarrhoea (sorry if tmi) and dry retching, Since then the dizzyness has been terrible and I have no appetitie and terrible nausea (new symptoms)

i did the kids breakfast this morning and had to have a lie down (Crying and I never cry) and now my mum has come to take over. I don't know whether I have something new or whether its just the original infection.

Will i get better? I'm terrified of ME as my mum had it for 5 years and it was awful. I'm so fed up

Softkitty - Goodness me you poor thing having to be at work. Could you not have some time off to get better?

I'm signed off until MOnday. Feeling better in myself and finally able to eat in the afternoons at least although still horribly nauseous in the mornings. It's like having morning sickness.
But after 3 weeks of eating very little I look like a walking skeleton and its making me feel better and more myself.

I am finding that I need to have something every 2 hours or I am very shaky.

Still very weak and fatigued and the shakiness is horrible.

Fingers crossed for you all to get better.

Sorry to hear that there are so many awful viruses around just now.

My lovely friend came round with flowers and a card and I just burst into tears- feel so pathetic.

Bloody ears are hurting again though and headaches! Will ask GP to look when I go back on Monday. Right off to rest before dds are back from school with wonderful dh (who has been a total star looking after us all while I've been ill)

How are you all today?
I've been able to manage a short walk down the (short) garden although my leg muscles are burning now.

Whelk - sorry to hear this is still going on, but glad to hear you can eat a bit now. These things can take a long time to fully get over.

SimoneD - if you need CFS info, the London medical conferences on ME are really great, I have the DVD from last year's, and this years is in June - www.investinme.org

My goodness. Get well soon everyone. I looked on this topic because I was feeling tired and rough while recovering from flu. Started 28 Dec with high fever, leg and back pain, inability to sleep or eat, quickly developed a cough which took over my life - no sleep and coughing until I was sick. 2 weeks in bed (utterly unlike me) and now still being very careful and resting a lot. Oh yes and deaf in left ear for last 10 days. Now feeling tired and achy again but everyone (including me) is so bored with it, and I don't want to carry on making a fuss. There are some evil things out there this year. It seems I may not be the malingering tart I thought I was but please please can it go away soon. Although from everyone elses stories, it sounds like I've got a few weeks left.

Oh I am taking berocca (just vitamins apparently) and I think its helping me feel less yuk. Can't do any harm ... Makes your wee orange though just so you know

Sonotkylie - you sound very much like me in terms of symptoms and duration. I started on Boxing Day.

i thought I was doing much better since Wednesday, slowly able to do a little more, but today I feel terrible again. I had a terrible night last night, unable to sleep with palpitations and vibrating sensation in my chest. think I did too much yesterday.

So back to all day in bed today. I know exactly how you feel when you say PLease please let it end.

I'm on the Berocca (and luminous wees!) too!!

How are you sleeping now? I am really struggling to sleep more than 2 hours - waking up in a cold sweat and jittery.

Hi whelk. It seems wrong to feel inspired by others misery ... But as no one else I know has got this (no idea who i got it from and DH and DS not succumbed), it does help to hear how others are going.

I felt a bit better earlier in the week in that I wanted to do things (light cleaning and tidying, short walks with frustrated dog etc etc) to get back to normal. I got tired but then if I rested was OK again. But the last couple of days I've been so tired all the time. I think maybe I wasn't feeling better, just encouraged I was going the right way and now I'm feeling gloomy again because I'm not where I want to be. Sleeping better generally ( particularly from a low of an hour a night ...) but very interrrupted last night. No reason I could see. Its so so so boring. And I still want to have my New Year's Eve ...
Berocca does work - I forgot it one day and felt like death.
Hope you have a lovely quiet weekend (bored with those too, not that I do much usually, but I COULD) and feel heaps better next week.

Gosh it's rubbish isn't it. Last night my chest was vibrating and I had palpitations. Wtf is that all about?

I tend to perk up as the day goes on. Mornings are awful with nausea and the low from having had a sweaty crappy night but if i rest i feel almost human by 2.00 ish.

Its funny the morning thing - exactly the same for me. Did I catch it from you????
But, I slept last night until 8. Yes that' s right 8!!! And this morning I just feel tired like I need a good nights sleep. Am going to be v lazy today and cross my fingers.
How are you?

No I caught it from you!!! lol
That sounds a great night's sleep. It must be what your body needs. Great to hear you just feel tired,
I took some Nytol last night and although I woke up in a sweat I got back off to sleep and slept til 7.30 which is about 2=3 hours later than normal at the moment.
Do/ did you have muscle shakiness - after doing anything or at night.
I suppose it is to be expected after being in bed for 2 weeks and not eating but it's horrible.

Hi there. Unlike you, I can either rest (bedroom or sitting room) or use the computer - long narrow house with thick walls does not aid reception! Hence long delay in reply.
Muscle shakiness was early stage for me. Now gone. Left with total exhaustion after doing anything. DH is doing a fine job persuading me I am actually getting better as now I DO do things but then have to rest rather than just resting all the time and still feeling rubbish... I was rather down heartened yesterday when I was exhausted again by 2pm ... Having done not much in the morning.

GP did say to me that if I hadn't eaten or slept for 2 weeks I should expect to feel pretty rubbish ... He also said it would be 4 weeks. So hoping for a miraculous recovery on Wednesday or I shall want to know why.

Im sorry to hear you are still rotten. I am too .

Had a better day yesterday but am paying for it today. My Mum came to stay and encouraged me to stay up when i otherwise would have gone to bed. Also had a rubbish night's sleep despite taking Nytol.

My worst symptoms are nausea and also this bloody internal tremor which never seems to stop. It feels awful.

I'm very down today as I feel like such a useless mum to my lovely dds. Dd1's 5th birthday on saturday and I honestly can't see myself there and dd2 is 2.9 so lots of fun. And Im just not able to look after them. Please let it stop for us both.

I'm going to the doctors tomorrow so will ask about this muscle tremors or whtever it is,

Right with you on the rubbish mum thing. I just have one DS age 5 and thankfully at school (small lovely supportive school who have been really sweet to me - headmistress asks me how I am in the mornings!) but I am so boring and not doing things with him. Oh and so ratty by tea and bath time. Poor little boy. Thank goodness for reading practice nad letters and sounds. Nice sedentary child focussed activity!
But I doubt we are as bad as we think and children are resilient(just as well) ...

Good luck with dr tomorrow. Hope there's some sensible advice. I feel a bit less dead today. So rest up and you'll be at the party Cinders!

Sorry i haven't been on earlier I have had a terrible morning with such bad palpitations and heart fluttering and generally feeling like i want to die that my mum rang the doctor to come out.
I have been writhing in my bed - utterly wretched.
I am very worried now that there is something more serious going on,

So the doctor thinks i have post viral fatigue.
Very sad.
Total rest she said and it will be at least 2 to 4 more weeks. At least.
So down but feel so dreadful i can't even cry.

Come on Whelk that's good news. You knew that was what you had, you are tired after having had flu. The GP doesn't think it is any more. So it gives you something to aim for. Stop trying to do things, get as much help as poss. Cn you run to an emergency mothers help for a couple of weeks? Can your mum help with the children? And you can give yourself up to resting properly and stop feeling guilty. Is there an after school club? Extra childcare sessions? Its not for ever and you need the time. Now you can tell people what the doc said, they may be able to help you more.
Its rotten you still feel so rough. And boring. Really sorry. I will keep checking in to talk to you. in the mean time, don't cry, it will only make the sheets damp

Whelk i'm so sorry to hear how ill you feel, i do think some really nasty virus's have been doing the round this winter.

My daughter came down with chicken-pox on the 19th December, and i had been feeling a bit tired and worn out (who doesn,t at that time of year?).

It turns out i was also harbouring the CP virus, got the first spot 4th Jan, felt like i was dying. I'm still off work, i went to my Dr on Friday and he ahs signed me off for another two weeks.
I also wake up with jelly legs, black spots in front of my eyes, and have the most awful 'ghostpains' in every joint, and 'creepy' skin, horrible.

I'm so fed up of feeling ill. I've had to just batter on with things cos everyone around me is selfish. Just realised the Christmas tree in the front room is still up , told the lazy dh if he doesn't get it down it can stay there.

So fed up. Hope you feel better soon.

Sorry Whelk just re-read my post, sound like i'm trying to out-sick you.

I'm not much, just wanted you to know your not alone.

Oh Whelk you must be so fed up by now. At least the doctor has given you an answer though, and hopefully you can see that the end is in sight, even if it may not feel like that at the moment. Is your mum still around to help you with childcare? I remember the pre-child-rearing days when you could just crawl under the duvet for days at a time with no worries - although to be fair that was mainly for hangovers rather than illness

I have finished a course of anti-b's for kidney infection, and have now, in an interesting development, pulled a muscle in my side/back so that the cough - which I still can't shake - is causing me agonising pain. I feel so old! I think that bits of me will soon just start falling off until my body finally gives up the ghost. It doesn't help that ds now has dreadful separation anxiety and expects to be carried everywhere - all 23lbs of him! Still at least I don't have bronchitis (my sister, signed off work for 3 weeks) or pneumonia (my mum, still), so I'm looking on the bright side!

Hope everyone on this thread starts to feel better soon. Sending 's all round.

Morning everyone. How are we doing today? It sounds like those who have been saying the mild winter hasn't killed off all the bugs are right. I don't understand it - surely the bugs are snug inside people whatever the weather so aren't bothered. But did I mention I am not a dr?
I am doing better (sorry) just tired now.
Get well soon

Thanks all for the kind wishes.
Really glad to hear you are feeling better Sonotkylie and so sorry ThePanthans to hear about your illness. That sounds hideous. Welcome to the thread- although to think I thought 3 weeks ago that i was taking ages to recover is grimly comical now.

It really is pants! I honestly didn't know it was possible to feel so ill.

I was so down yesterday as I felt so dreadful. The adrenaline rushes are the worst - made me writhe in my bed - that and the muscle fasciculations (what the doctor called my trembling). Still nauseous in the morning and burning muscle pain in legs and arms

Am thinking i maybe did too much the day before as i went in the garden with dd and walked around and generally stayed up longer than i have and even went to bed at 9.0pm!

I have had lots of help from my mum and my dh is fantastic in terms of looking after kids and house (terrible nurse though! ) so really can't ask for much more. today I spent the whole day in bed and today i have just been up for the odd 15 minutes.

I'm really worried about post viral stuff as my mum had ME for 5 years.
Just got to try to put that out of my mind and realise that this doens't happen to everyone.

Just got to rest

Oh and don't worry about sheets being damp from tears - night sweats are keeping them nice and wet (and stinky!!). Haven't the heart to keep asking dh to change the bed,

Hi I have had similar symptoms since new years eve. Cough, sore throat, cold, sinus problems, glands swollen & now I have a really dry mouth & throat which is very uncomfortable & making it very hard to swallow food. Has anyone else had this dry mouth? Mentioned it to doctor who said its all part of virus but its really getting me down now ! X

Me too! it started New Year's Eve for a couple of days, then two weeks later again, and now since yesterday feeling terrible, headache, and generally run down, with a slight chest and throat. Did you say it's a virus that keeps coming back?

I've had antibiotics from 1 doctor, which didn't do anything for me at all. When I went to see the doctor on Monday he said its a virus that is going around which is taking a long time to clear. But the symptoms are not constant, its just one thing after another. But its this dry mouth I can't stand.. it feels like sandpaper and is very sore and hard to swallow. My throat is also very dry and food gets stuck going down. It's awful. Think i might go back to doctors cause can't put up with it.