Anyone else have this awful virus?

[LEMtheoriginal]

Day 3 and I'm fucked! I have never experienced a sore throat like this. It's agony.

Dr prescribed naproxen and co-codimol. Can't take the naproxen yet as it's bid and I have already taken ibruprofen.

Not slept at all for 48 hours as my throat is too painful. Had to write a note for the Dr as I couldn't talk to explain symptoms.

He said there is a particular nasty virus that is poleaxing people for up to two weeks . I can't afford to take that time off work.

What I'm really after is self help for my throat - it is AGONY and I am besides myself. If I cough it feels like layers of skin being ripped from my throat. Strangely I don't think my tonsils are affected as it's more central roof of mouth.

The most impressive nasal drop you've ever seen.

He didn't say the f word though - just rest and fluids. Pain relief etc.

Anyone want to join my pity party?

I think the sheer exhaustion and relentlessness is enough to make anyone feel down - as well as being stuck at home. I usually hate taking time off work but have had to take 8 days off now so I find that frustrating and I worry that people will think badly of me. It's horrible being ill and unable to do things. I always find if I take too much time off work, even annual leave, I get a bit depressed. I like to have a routine.

I also have been a bit relieved by the snow. It has made me feel a bit less guilty about missing work and social events.

Treedragon - I understand the vulnerable feeling but for me it is the lurgy plus a couple of other reasons:

1. I split with partner so am living alone after four years living with him, and 7 years seeing him, so suddenly no-one to fall back on, and in a totally new area so I don't know anyone
2. I am 50 this year, suddenly feeling old
3. I cut my middle finger on my left hand really badly about 2 weeks into the illness, looking back I probably should not have been trying to chop onions as I was still a bit woozy, but didn't think I was. It was really bad, I was close to thinking it would need stitches (but it was Sunday about 8pm, I didn't want to have to drive there etc etc). It is still very tender 4 weeks later and had a plaster for over 2 weeks, which meant there were lots of things I couldn't do easily, even replacing the plaster one-handed was hard. Putting the first plaster on - well, I used four before I could slow the bleeding enough for it not to just keep falling off and even then I had to wrap two plasters round it, I had to lie on the floor halfway through because I felt dizzy - it was another two days before I could take the plaster off and look underneath. Once it had healed a bit I had to cut a piece of dried flesh off, which was sliced off down the side and had died/dried out. It's horrid. It's still really tender where that bit came off, scarred and my nailed is fooked as the nail and nail bed got sliced right into. It has left me with an annoying phobia of chopping onions and I've not picked that knife up again (I've recently chopped five onions in the food processor and frozen them, to avoid having to chop any). All that made me feel vulnerable.
4. the last two weeks the thumb and forefinger on my right hand have been tingly and my wrist has a slight soreness to it - I've been taking nurofen for it, plus the gel on my wrist and elbow, and wearing a wrist strap at night - but, again, feeling my age and vulnerability, if it is RSI and I become disabled, how will I cope? Yes, this is catastrophising and my logical brain says I'd cope, there is an op......etc. But, it all serves to make me feel anxious, alone, vulnerable.

Anyway, I still say take Vit D (not the tablets, get the Better You spray from Amazon) and B12 - the first is good for low mood (and bones) and the latter helps convert food to energy, which is important.

SeniorRita you have really been through the mill

I'm too ill to cry. My DP is two days ahead of me thank god he is superman or we'd be corpses

There are two DC of 20 in the house. You think they'd give a helping hand to unequivocally ill parents but it's like they see their inheritance looming into view- left their DF to get the coal in, coughing and groaning, left their DF to make it their tea ... I'm pretty upset that they are showing no signs of filial duty

I'm in bed, which is a bed of fucking pain.

Typing this is the most constructive thing I've done all day.

It's probably a week or so since I last posted. Still ill. Sorry to hear so many of you are also still really struggling with this fecked up virus from outer space.

I went back to GP yesterday. Shouted at the first one I saw - not like me at all, I hasten to add , but she sat with her arms folded looking at me like a police officer and giving me a very non-committal inquisition, as though a) I was lying to her about my symptoms, and b) even if they were real they weren't worth wasting her time. In the end I got out of my chair and ranted at her for diminishing the frustration and worry I was feeling after 7 buggering weeks of this shit! Then I flounced out and snitched on her to the receptionist, who, to be fair, was excellent and got me in to see my usual GP within 5 minutes. He was as lovely as ever (swoon) and even prodded my abdomen and pelvis to check there were no swellings there, as he said some people with flu this winter have had that. Then he sent me off for blood tests, saying he wants to see my infection markers and white cell count.

He listened to my chest and couldn't hear anything alarming, but the gunk coming out of me is horrendously thick and green at times and I'm typing this now because this is the second time I've woken up tonight with breathing trouble (when I was a kid, it was always called "a bad chest"). It's like there's something in my lungs that won't let them fill up properly, my upper back feels kind of numb and the pain in my middle back has been particularly horrendous since yesterday afternoon. I fractured my T8 vertebra almost 5 years ago and then was told I had osteoporosis, so I've had a fair bit of back trouble since then but nothing like this since the first year of the accident. I totally agree with the theory that this affects the nervous system.

So antibiotics have barely made a dent in it, and now doc clearly wants to try and find out more before prescribing anything else. I feel like life is playing mind games with me, and I am stuck

@avuncularis

I have pain in my upper back with this. Between the shoulder blades. I’ve been describing it as feeling like my spine is sore.

This virus seems almost like some kind of shingles or herpes the way it recurs.

It's like there's something in my lungs that won't let them fill up properly, my upper back feels kind of numb and the pain in my middle back has been particularly horrendous since yesterday afternoon.

Yes, I had that, felt like a tennis ball in my sternum. I got out of breath just filling the dishwasher. I told a friend I had consumption!
The pain for me was in the middle back and my hips.

I agree it is a bit like shingles. I've had that, apparently you don't get it twice. I had it very mildly and it was still horrible.

@SeniorRita

I’m sure you’ve said but how long have you been ill with it? I could track back but haven’t the energy!

Think I'm on about week 8 or 9, I've lost track. Have reached this stage - excuse the c&p but it's the best description I've read!

I can’t take more than half a breath in without coughing. An awful, hacking, bark ... My whole chest is aching and the inside of my windpipe feels like it’s been sandpapered.

I’m sure you’ve said but how long have you been ill with it?

I'm fine now. Still got a bit of a cough and get phlegm I can't clear without a good old hack, but really, been fine for weeks.

It lasted about three weeks of proper ill, only a week of 'can't get out of bed ill'. Though I did go to work a few days within that but as I only work part time, and I swapped a few for working from home, it wasn't that onerous, though the second day at work I was exhausted. But this was ages ago now.

Last weekend I went on a walking weekend and did ten miles Sat and six Sun, and lived.

But, my GP said it was pneumonia and gave me anti-biotics, and maybe it was and maybe the anti-biotics made it better. I had two lots.

I am 'lucky' that I am a prepared person and I have a freezer full of home made soup and single portion meals etc so was easy enough to look after myself. Been the same in the snow, I don't need anything, I've not had to 'panic buy', I've skipped my weekly shop and have plenty of food in (I get a fortnightly veg box anyway, which I keep having to make soup with!). I've given up chocolate for the month but made a fruit cake last night to keep me going.

Hi. Joining the fray. I had this sore throat / exhausted / phlegm / cough before Christmas and thought it had died but it as a PP said, like Herpes! The last three days I have got steadily more tired, coughing more and more, I feel weak when I do anything but I can’t say it’s definitly a cold / cough etc. I feel worse everyday rather than better. What is this thing?

I had this over Christmas, took two weeks till i was vaguely coping again and another two till i was well. And now I've got a vicious sore throat I've had for 3 days and I can't bear to think it's coming back. I had to take time off last time, my boss won't be very sympathetic if I'm off sick again 2 months later.

SeniorRita I really wish I'd been given antibiotics, am struggling to get rid of the last bits of phlegm and it's over two months since I was originally ill!!

Pleased to hear there is an end to it though but like FrostiesMum I thought it had gone once already, then it returned with a vengeance I am feeling about 80% better now, which might be because I'm taking vast quantities of vitamins etc...

I was only given anti biotics due to my very specific issue though. I've had a cough since June last year, went to doc Jan as it was driving me crazy. She thought then it might be pneumonia and gave me the first course, said to go back if no change. There was no change, I booked to go back, then came down with what I thought was flu. Tried to cancel the appt but doc said no, to go in. She could still hear rattling on my chest so sent me for an xray and gave different anti b.
I think she was worried I already had a mild pneumonia and then had flu which was at risk of worsening the suspected pneumonia.

This thread starts with the title "awful virus". It is awful. But anti biotics won't help. They are only effective for bacterial infections. For whatever reason the GP thought I had a bacterial infection not a virus, or not just a virus.

Just reading all these posts... Really helping. I had the actual 'flu'(?) during the 3rd week of January. It was bad enough for me to be in bed for three days, by day 7 I felt I was getting better but, since then, I have only felt 'right' for about 3 consecutive days. I have pain across my chest, in my neck and into my shoulders. I have glands the size of golf balls and gunk on my tonsils. I cannot breathe at all easily. Sometimes my lower arms ache and my hands shake. What the blazes is this??! I'm rarely ill. I have not felt this ill in my adult life - and I'm 38! Going to the doctor tomorrow as I'm drained and draining. Time off work, miserable with the kids. Miserable. Sorry others are feeling similarly, but sort of pleased to know I'm not alone. Who knows whether the doctor can help, but sometimes you just worry that you're either going mad or missing something g terribly wrong. At least I'll feel like I'm doing something. Thanks all x

nancpants look forward to hearing how you get on.

I'm same as you but started first week of January with a respiratory tract infection, lost my voice. Took antibiotics and limped along to week 3 of january where I'd to stop completely for 2 weeks with flu, sent for a chest xray was sure it'd show up something and it didn't. I've some symptoms every day and am exhausted, going to bed at same time as dc every night.

Started taking revive active supplement two weeks ago, it's helping move me to almost exhausted from completely exhausted.
treedragon's feeling vulnerable is a good description of it.

Started 23 December. I suppose I am better but still feel fatigued, have ear fullness and often feel dizzy/false sense of motion if doing anything slightly strenuous or complex. Just don't feel right - no get up and go, feel flat. Still have aches and pains

I think this is my third chime in on this thread. I’ve had this flu virus since Jan 29 and felt like I was slowly getting somewhere by the 13 Feb and went back to work. Big Mistake. I’m now floored with another dose of original feelings of pressure and discomfort in my ear, neck, glands and now dizziness, nausea. Been signed off for another week now. If you’re on your first batch of this flu then please don’t rush back into normality before feeling 110%. It’ll only set you back further...

How is everyone today?

Fed up and weepy @treedragon - you over this?

Oh my lord I wish I found this thread 4 weeks ago when I started this god awful virus!
I thought mine was going over the last few days as I didn't need anything for my throat, I'd had drops for my eyes and they seemed better and I thought great happy days. No. Woke up yesterday with the biggest eyeball you've ever seen, went to the doctors and it's cellulitis. I feel like it's never ending... can't wait to get back to normal.
The poor dog hasn't had a proper walk this whole time because I've been too poorly to manage it.

Hope everyone who has this virus is starting on the mend!