Anyone else have a very weird severe flu like illness?

[Yellowishes]

DH and I have come down simultaneously with a strange flu-like illness. It's an URTI but we've both been running over 38c for 3 days now and just getting worse. Repeated negative LFTs. Flu vaccine +
I'm hearing of some weird non-covid flu like illness sending people to a&e (apparently swabbing neg for RSV and influenzas too). Has anyone seen much of this? This is extremely bad.

My H had this and was delirious with the fever initially. Covid negative twice.He has been swamped though by fatigue for about 10 days afterwards - no appetite.

Yep. Started with exhaustion about 16 days ago. Cold and off Ness started two days later. Bit hot and cold, very wet phlegmy cough. Worked at home first week - couldn't have gone in. Sneezed and sneezed. Appetite OK but didn't fancy a drink for a week.

Just through week two. Cough starts at dark fall. Very wearing and tiring.

Have had flu jab and 4th covid jab. LFTs negative.

My health is usually v v robust and I am quite tough.

My mother has had it. 85. No improvement after 5 days on doxy.

Think it's a nasty virus. X

Our family have all had this. First person got it the beginning of November and we are all still waking in the night with hacking coughs. Strangely I only had a temperature for 48 hours - felt better then the cough/snots started a week later. Youngest DC got it first, seemingly getting better but now started with a sore throat and headache again.
It's rife around the kid's school and loads of people at work been off with the same.
I'm NHS and been doing regular Lf's - it's definitely not covid.

Yes. Me. I had covid 5 or 6 weeks ago and then recovered from that after about ten days. I had a lingering cough for weeks and then a few days ago have come down with a full on cough, sore throat and what feels like a chest infection

And it's added misery when you don't have the strongest pelvic floor in the world - which I never give a second thought to until I get a bastard cough

Bored of it now tbh. I can't remember the last time I got a cold or cough - 5 years ago or so maybe - and now I've suddenly had covid and now this in the space of weeks

RSV? Know 2 families who've had it confirmed

I sympathise @ChocChipOwl. It would be so much more sufferable with a cast iron pelvic floor. I'm keeping Tna Lady afloat.

Week 6 and still coughing, all LFT negative, but improving now other than the fatigue which to be fair I struggle with anyway due to Long Covid. DH also finally recovering on week 7 after a course of antibiotics. Youngest had croup with it and now seems to have caught something else, he has been coughing so hard he vomits for the past 5 days, I think it is likely RSV for him this time.

There are multiple viruses circulating.

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2022-to-2023-season

What tests are you using to test for influenza and where can we get these from?

Horrible isn’t it? It took a good 2 weeks to get out of my system. A few of us at work came down with at the same time. The worst symptom for me was crushing fatigue but others have said chest and ears. It seems different for everyone.

@RosesAndHellebores same issue as you!

Tested negative for COVID all last week as had slight cough with cold symptoms, cough has really come on this weekend. Feel really wheezy even though not asthmatic and chest is really painful when coughing. Was in a meeting end of last week, half of them now down with COVID. Hoping it wasn’t me that caused it although tested negative before the meeting

@RosesAndHellebores yes me too so sympathies to you too. I even found myself deliberating the pants the other day - after all, that woman on the adverts manages to do yoga and running and all sorts in hers 😀

Woke up at 4am with a coughing fit so bad that made me think about beneficiaries tbh

Ugh

I had it just after halloween - knocked me out for basically a month (I tried going on a short walk when I was feeling better, and set myself back another 2 weeks)

Long-lasting, chesty cough still lingering too. Lost my sense of taste/small at one point, and things are still tasting a bit weird - I'm very sensitive to salty/sweet at the moment

Weirdly, and possibly un-related, but I'm also not feeling the cold (body temp normal) - no hot flushes or anything, just happily wandering around the house in a t-shirt and the thermometer says 15/16 - which I can't imagine is a good sign (thank god for the kids complaining so I turned the heating up!)

Flu has been bad this year so far (real flu always is though, people confuse flu and colds) if you haven't already get the flu vaccine, it isn't perfect but it helps reduce the chance of you getting it

These all sound like flu to me. The flu jab only protects against certain strains and even then it only completely stops symptoms on something like 30% another 50-60% have reduced severity of symptoms and then the remaining 10-20%get the full hit.

If it is a bad cold with a temperature and COVID tests are negative then it is safe to assume its flu.

Yes.
Started mid October, so I’m on about week 7 now.
I have been in bed, tired, muscle pain, pull rib muscles from coughing, then neck muscles. Then cold bogeys started about 10 days ago ontop.

Ds has hardly been at nursery for 2 months as he’s home ill a week, back 3-4 days, ill a week again.

I probably should go to doctors for antibiotics now. Just can’t stand the thought of the 45 min drive whilst exhausted and hacking cough, and then the wait.

Haven’t got anything productive done in months

I am going to order some of the combination tests someone mentioned.

Woke up at 4am with a coughing fit so bad that made me think about beneficiaries tbh
I hope you’ll feel a bit better in the course of the day, ChocChipOwl

Me definitely. I started with what I thought was a cold last Tuesday and kept going in to work until the end of thr work. Thought u might just about recover enough to enjoy thr weekend then woke up Saturday and bam. More ill than I've ever been in my life with a respiratory illness. Ive barely eaten anytjing all weekend but have absolutely no appetite which is super unusual. (Tmi) coughing up tonnes of phlegm, loss of taste but negative lateral flows, and random parts of my body are aching like my knees? Really aching as if I've done loads of exercise when I haven't. Just about getting over it now but I've taken the day off today as I'm still weak and dizzy and my appetite hasn't come back yet.

@Forfrigz my knees are aching and I definitely haven’t done any exercise!

Same as many above. Also had two days with no taste or smell. Now hearing is muffled. Feels worse than when I had covid. Have had a flu injection this year but it feels how I’d imagine flu to be.

There are a number of respiratory illnesses circulating including RSV and Strep A, please check symptoms of the latter as it can quickly become serious.

It's awful isn't it! It must be from inflammation as apparently the same chemicals that cause that are the ones that reduce your appetite too.
When I walk down the stairs my legs feel as if I spent all day yesterday running a half marathon!

I'm on day 7 of this. Started off as a cold and then on Friday I had the worst sore throat. It felt like my vocal chords had been damaged and I could barely speak. Has anyone had this with their throat?
Feeling a tad better now but lots of snot and phlegm.

Half my family have tested positive for covid recently, me and daughter have the same symptoms, same time, but multiple negative tests. We've all mixed fully, no isolating, everyone coughing. Horrendous coughs all round and shooting pains and fatigue, my smell and taste completely disappeared today on what would be day 5, exactly the same as positive covid husband was, 99% sure it's been covid, but flowflex tests only picking up half of the caes in our household.

Wow I have exactly your same symptoms and they also started last Tuesday. Been floored all weekend and it's getting worse. Fever is starting not to go down with meds either. I have a GP appointment at 3:30 today and I will report back to you all

OP here. Finally out of bed. Was out of it for 6 days, raging fevers, cough, nasal symptoms, sounded drunk when speaking. No energy. Fortunately seem to be over the worst of it. What a ride 😶