Sixth week of 'flu/pneumonia....how much longer?

[Worried345]

Six weeks ago, DS1 was off sick from school for a week and I had a similar virus - but coped with him plus f/t self-employed business. Then I collapsed at the end of that week with much more severe symptoms and, was diagnosed with full blown flu and pneumonia at OOH service.

Duly took antibiotics for a week, felt extremely ill, began to feel slightly better after 2 weeks and across the next 3 weeks, was still not fully recovered but definitely making progress. I felt nauseous for weeks and also had stomach pains and the cough went on and on.

Last two days, DCs have both got another virus - same as before and DS2 is really sick this time with chesty cough, fever/shivers and vomiting and off school.

My symptoms have now come back - pain in chest, wheezing/chesty/painful cough, shivers and fevers at night, which wake me at 3am, extremely cold all the time, to the extent I have a hot water bottle under my top when I do the school run in the car and still feel cold with chest pains. Circulation is bad and I have icy cold fingers and toes.

So it's not quite as bad as it was when it was at its worst 6 weeks ago - at least I'm not lying on the toilet floor, vomiting and delirious for hours! However, I'm NEVER this ill for this long. I absolutely cannot cope with anymore disruption to my busy life (single mum, running f/t business alone with no back-up). I NEED to be 100% well.

Haven't slept all night as up with very sick DS2 - but have still had to work all day (from home) and care for DS2 anyway and am also working this evening, after the school run for DS1.

I really can't do this anymore but have no option but to cope. Could this be swine flu or one of those recent strains that knock you for six for ages and actually kill some people?

I normally ignore illnesses and just get on with it but this one has gone on and on and on. No time to arrange a GP appointment at present and it'd be days before i could see anyone anyway. However, unless they think I need more antibiotics, there's not much they can do except, I presume, tell me to rest (which I can't do as a single mum fully reliant on my business income for all of us).

Has anyone else had such a long lasting and recurrent virus like this, recently? Could it just be that i did indeed recover from one virus but at the very last part of it, have now caught a completely different virus that the DCs have both got now?

Any hope that I'll finally be fully well in the near future?

Our house is freezing too, as the boiler broke down about a month ago, so fully reliant on electric conductor heaters only and v little and only lukewarm water from immersion heater. Don't think this has helped either and I'm at my wit's end!

[mercibucket]

glad you are 'ok', keep resting. try an iron tonic like floradix too, that helped me a lot. the skin lesion is no big deal, but gp sounds thorough

[YellowAndGreenAndRedAndBlue]

Meditation very good for blood pressure. Easy to fit in in small bursts plus not tiring.

Glad all ok, but do rest, you sound awfully run down.

[FrameyMcFrame]

hI Worried, I totally sympathise.

I've had a serious throat infection with 2 courses of antibiotics over the last month, am also self employed with 3 jobs and 2 kids. I've got to go to work tomorrow and Sunday. In fact I've had only one day off in the last 10. Not a surprise that we are not getting better yet :(

i would advise going to out of hours doc IN THE MORNING.... not now.

i did that last saturday morning and it was all quite civilised, got an appointment, didn't have to wait long then straight to Asda chemists for the script.
Don't wait til monday, you need to see someone before.