At my wit's end with never-ending virus! Has anyone else gone through this?

[TealStar]

So, around new year I came down with common cold symptoms, the most prominent being an utter feeling of exhaustion and need to lie in bed for a couple of days. The symptoms cleared up, I got on with life as usual, but two weeks after the first symptoms appeared, I got ill again. Feelings of breathlessness, muscle aches, dry cough, low grade fever etc.

Twice more it has happened, this latest bout being the fourth and by far the worst. I am bed-ridden, exhausted, and this time with a rattley, croaky cough which is producing phlegm. Temperature of around 99.5, exhausted.

I went to the doctors' last week to be told there was nothing they could do and that it was just a virus. I became a bit emotional as I feel so broken by this thing, struggling to get things done, and feeling like the worst mum in the world because I can't actually do anything!

It just doesn't seem to be following any accepted curve in terms of getting better, and I'm wondering if it's going to go on forever!

Has anyone any advice? Anyone been through similar symptoms??

Thanks in advance

I can't believe you spent 7 weeks away from home because of this awful thing.

Mine started during October half term, I missed a big event/bonfire in early November and have not been at full strength since.

My lungs are knackered after this winter - hoping for nothing on my results tomorrow.

I live on my own so my daughter wanted me to be well. I started to be ill whilst visiting them,really didn't think I'd be there that long!!good to be home.

I actually started with it just before Christmas and was not good for couple of weeks,then it came back with a vengeance at the beginning of Feb.

We all had it for three/four/five weeks over Christmas, then went to doctor, and were given antibiotics to suppress the secondary infections. That has stopped it but there is still a lot of it about, and it does not get better without antibiotics. Our diet and immune systems are decent, we live in a region without heavy air pollution, and were not recovering naturally. It was two days improvement, then the infection fought back, even more strongly. This was/is a serious health problem in the making. Spanish flu for next year? 1919? It killed more than WW1.

Sorry if I missed it but does anyone know what virus this is?

(Week 3 victim)

Poundland uk. No one seems to know,Drs say it's a virus and they can't do anything for it. There has been some talk of Whooping cough and flu?? I had a bad cough,dr said chest o.k?as did my brothers Dr when he eventually went after seven weeks of it. I think you are right,it's an epidemic that the medics are not admitting,that's the way it seems anyway.

I don't agree that it is an epidemic silver, I don't know anyone else, family, friends, work or life in general who has suffered.

I have ended up being quite ill with pneumonia, but I think that is not the norm/extreme (and I am asthmatic).

My GP advised that thinking is the nasty virus is adenovirus - just another form of winter virus doing the rounds - antibiotics are not required for most healthy people.

I have been to the doctors at least monthly since November because my asthma has been out of control, despite that my chest has been clear and I wasn't prescribed antibiotics until a couple of weeks ago when I deteriorated.

The fewer antibiotics prescribed the better.

I know lots of people that have had a 'viral infection/cough' that has lasted for weeks. Probably not an epidemic, but if you are one of the unlucky ones to have had it, you certainly know about it.

Yes, a nasty winter virus silver, no doubting that.

I've had this too, if nothing else it makes me feel a bit better knowing I'm not the only one, not that I'm wishing this upon anyone else obviously!

I caught this nasty bug in Jan, had a fever for 2 days, a really bad chest cold. I got better but then it came back not too long ago. I lost my voice for a few days and was hacking up green mucus.ugh. I couldn't breathe properly so I was put on a short course of antibiotics. Just a few days ago I couldn't stop sneezing and I'm so nauseaous now.ugh. i also have a lot of sinus pain like someone has smashed me in the face. I've been sleeping on/off since sunday. Keep feeling li,e I'm going to throw up

I had the flu in early February and then had a cough after which has lasted until now. It tends to come and go though so will be severe on some days M and not so bad on others. I have had to take three long-haul flights of about 15 hours with in the past month and I don't think this has helped to get rid of whatever I have

Hello. Have had a couple of good weeks........THEN - few days ago started sneezing, aahhh,hay fever? Noooooo,now got an horrendous 'cold' nose running,headache sneezing for England.........feck!!!!!!

Are we getting better?

Ha! Mine is back....mother in law has awful awful gagging choking cough...nope. got better (homeopathic remedy) now it is back...

I started aching and then I had a cough. Very hot in the night. It came back again started aching and feeling shivery and achey at night which I am now. The doc says if I still have the cough on Monday I must go back and see them. It is a really strange virus. I am taking paracetamol to keep me sane. Can you get addicted Ahhhhhhh.

Oh, so this is what I've been suffering from for the last several weeks. I don't often get colds/coughs, and if I do they don't last very long. But this time, it's just been going on and on, with a variety of symptoms, and I couldn't figure out what it was.

Fortunately, I'm retired and don't have childcare responsibilities other than playtime with my toddler grandson a couple of times a week. So at least when I feel tired I can have a nap at any time.

Goodness knows how the rest of you with jobs and children are coping. Here, have some (germ-free) .

Those of you who have recovered from that awful virus - has anyone been suffering from painful joints and achy muscles? Wonder if it has kindly left me with post viral arthritis!

Good question, Silver. This virus seems to be a nasty little bugger - not quite bad enough for the immune system to go guns a-blazing and zap it; it just seems to be loitering about, replicating itself to its heart's content. That's a very clever strategy for a virus.

I haven't yet recovered from the virus, but I now seem to be going down with shingles. That's another clever strategy: to wait until the immune system has been knocked down and then go gleefully replicating its nasty little self.

Jees it is horrid. Where are you suffering silver and wittgen what rotten luck. I am making tea and juicing every wild green herbal thing i can get my hands on to try and stop the gagging cough. Don't have any other symptoms at the mo ... exhaustion still kicks in sometimes. Why didn't we all get raging fever and zap this shit? How come some sneak under immune radar?

Has anyone been suffering wheezing chest,dry throat - in fact hay fever symptoms, after having THE virus last winter?