No energy or voice a week after flu is this normal?

[Mum8929]

I had a really bad flu a week ago today. The fever lasted 4 days and my temp went up to 40 degrees. Went to the doctor on Friday to rule out an infection of the throat or lungs and she said it seemed just viral. It’s been a week today and I feel so run down. Barely have energy to get out of bed and I’ve lost my voice. Should I go to the go again or is this normal?

I'm exactly the same as you. Started with a runny nose and feeling rough last week. Every day I'm just getting sicker. Bad throat, bad ears, cough, chesty phlegm and just feel so unwell. I gave it a week to run it's course but it's just getting worse and now getting pain in chest and breathlessness. I'm off to GP this afternoon. Maybe go back and see what they say?

What was it @AlwaysAnxiousAnnie , @Mum8929 ?

It sounds like when I had covid but I've got exactly the same symptoms now and it's that this time, apparently.

It can take weeks to get over a viral infection although proper flu last longer than 4 days (usually wipes you out I.e bedridden) for a good 2 weeks

it’s normal to feel exhausted etc for a week or so after you have recovered from the main symptoms of a bad virus. Specifically with flu it can take weeks to feel ok again

I started with flu like symptoms on Saturday (I'm 55 & never had flu).

I would honestly rather give birth than go through that again, although I'm still suffering. Temp of 41, aches like I've never known, shivering then sweating. I literally couldn't move for 3 days. Insomnia. No appetite at all, only thing I can tolerate even now is weetabix and mashed potatoes.

I woke up yesterday with a productive cough so I went to the GP, I'm a severe asthmatic so terrified this is going to turn into a chest infection.

Thankfully my chest is clear but I did a sputum test just to check which has been sent off today.

I'm so exhausted and hoping it runs its course soon.

Yes it's very normal. I was exhausted for 2 weeks after a 3 week Covid bout. No symptoms but still stayed in bed.

very normal, unfortunately.

rest up, make sure you drink enough.

all the best.

As I lie in bed this thread is reassuring to me. Felt terrible last week -feel exhausted this week.

Somehow being ill has got relegated to the must never happen/should be got past quick but I don’t think that’s how people really get over general winter illness. It takes time and rest.

https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-services/bristol-me-service/post-viral-fatigue-a-guide-management#

When I had Swine flu many years ago, the acute flu symptoms were pretty bad (similar to yours with a very high temperature of 40deg or more, chills body aches, congestion etc) but fairly short. The main symptoms of being so ill I barely knew where I was a lot of the time subsided within 3-4 days but I was unable to go back to work for 3 weeks in total. Just getting out of bed and coming downstairs would exhaust me for the first week afterwards. Gradually I improved but the exhaustion was very difficult describe if you haven't experienced it

The GP can't do anything for a viral infection, so please don't waste their time. As with the vast majority of ailments, you just have to wait to feel better - and you will.

I hadn't realised that you can get flu LFTs

Did you test to ascertain whether you had flu or covid?

Covid is rather more serious in terms of both the likelihood of getting post-acute symptoms, their severity and duration. For both you need to keep taking as much rest as you can and get in to as good nutritional status as possible. If it could be covid, do not try to exercise to push through fatigue - that seems to make it worse - still to what you're comfortable doing.

If it lasts over 12 weeks, and it could have been covid, then you can seek a referral to a long covid clinic

when I kast had a fever, for about a week after I had to decide between getting dressed or having a shower.
fortunately it got better after a that.

I’m just getting over this. It was honestly the worst illness I’ve had in years and just DRAGGED. It started as a heavy cold, then it was like a ‘oh this might be more than a cold’ and then BAM - flu. I was hospitalised because I collapsed and couldn’t move. Ambulance and all. Wasn’t COVID they did an LFT and PCR on me and said it was the flu. I’m super run down and have LC anyways so it hit me bad but my mum has been in bed for over a week and she’s usually pretty iron clad. If I try and do anything my muscles go weak again so I’m just confined to bed and getting up every couple hours to potter to the bathroom or toilet to shower, etc. Friend of a friend has it and says took 2 weeks to get out of bed. It’s a nasty bastard.

Cold and flu viruses can have life long effects and can take a good month or so to fully recover from. Make sure you're upping supplements, probiotics and replacing electrolytes, resting a lot

People seem to have forgotten that colds and flu are nasty viruses, that a cold virus often feels like flu in some respects and that an illness doesnt need to be covid to be a long term issue.

Some people may need steroids though so it depends what is going on for the patient.

I ended up with antibiotics. The gp has said my chest was clear but I did a sputum test. A week later the surgery ring me and say the culture had come back for infection and that antibiotics were waiting for me at the chemist.

Maybe if I'd taken them from the start I would have felt better sooner.