I know no one can say, but could thus be flu?

[BlueJellycat]

I have had flu before and been really unwell very suddenly. I'm feeling like poop and can't get out of bed except to use the loo. Don't want to eat.

I had some very localised back pain which I thought was weird. Heart level and nothing had happened to hurt my back there. Some neck pain, enough for heart attack to Cross my mi d twice. Then a sore throat that came on quickly and a dry scratchy cough. Felt hot and cold but like the start of a cold. Have a temp but no idea what it is.

Today I can't breath very well. Can't Potter about. Intermittent abdominal shooting pains and fuzzy head. But no aching limbs. Not feeling like I'm going to die ( with the flu I was so unwell and second time I was ambivalent to dieing after day one).

But it's not a cold. Not sure if need to force myself out of bed or rest up. Can you get flu with no joint pain? Surely this is just a cold. Should I try to eat? I'm not hungry at all but just no urge to eat. Sore throat has gone as fast as it came but lost my voice

Obvious question, but have you tested for Covid? Symptoms match perfectly.
But having said that there are many, many different flu and cold type bugs circulating all the time and it could be anything. I would say rest if you can but try to potter around a bit. Make sure you're drinking plenty and if you can face it nibble some toast, crisps, biscuits, fruit, dry cereal.

I've had a strange cold type thing for the past 2 or 3 weeks. Runny or blocked nose (not as badly snotty as a normal cold but nose randomly running or blocked for a few hours, fine for a few days then returns), hideously tickly cough (so tickly it makes me gag) that occasionally goes phlegmy for a few hours then back to tickly, awful indigestion, felt rough for a few days at the beginning but now just tired due to cough keeping me awake.

I did a couple of Covid tests (live with vulnerable people), but both negative. Guess it's just a weird and very long-lasting cold!

Sounds exactly like Covid to me, as per PP.

Tested for covid as soon as the sore throat tickle came on as I was doing a hobby with someone who has cancer the next day but it was negative and it wasn't anything much, not even cold level.or I would have stayed well away. I only thought covid because of the back pain with no I jury.

Last night dh said ds felt very ill so I tested again but my tests are very old ( had a few left over as dh works in a school). Still negative. Now ds feels very unwell and suddenly I feel floored.

Just had some toast and loaded the dishwasher. Back in bed now. I had covid pre vaccine and I wouldn't have know if it wasn't for loosing taste and smell. But more recently ( two years ago ) I only got a positive on day 5.

Hope it's not covid. I hear it gets worse each time so maybe it could be? It doesn't normally make me ill but knowingly had it twice

I have some absolutely shit bug. Lasting ages...similar. lost taste and smell and blocked ear. Aches at beginning also. Utterly shattered and head so full of snot it was unbelievable! Never had anything like this! Now cough like I smoke 100 a day and exhaustion. Wish it would pass and praying yours passes quickly.

Thanks..just remembered I had a week of tinnitus on and off before this too. I have eaten some veggies now but can't taste anything and I'm not hungry. If I still rough tomorrow I think I will skip food.

I have something something similar to this too. I did a COVID test and it was negative. The cough came on gradually and I now sound like I smoke 100 a day and so very, very tired. Exhausted actually. I went back to work this weekend and it has been really difficult and I cried on the way home today I was so tired. I hope it goes soon as I feel rubbish. Hope everyone feels better soon.

You have covid. Order some new tests from amazon. The old ones will be out of date.

Not necessarily. My whole family have had very similar symptoms to the OP for the past week. All tested for Covid with in date tests, all negative.

I'm awake and having more lemsip. I was reading up and the consensus is that 90% of covid tests are positive on day 4. I have ordered one from Tesco. My jaw aches now so getting more like flu but it's too slow onset I think for flu. Weird. But this the first time I've had a bad cold or whatever this since pre covid days.

It’s not flu season yet and there’s a lot of Covid about so much more likely to be that. Some people where I work have had it in the last couple of weeks and weren’t testing positive until they’d been ill for a while.

Flu, like covid, can be anything from asymptomatic to really serious. It's not true that something a bit milder can't be flu.

But it's probably less likely to be flu, given the time of year.

I re tested again with the well out of date covid tests as I now have jaw ache. The test line is so much darker than the control so its covid after all.

Seems testing early or even 48 hours after first symptoms are pointless then. I'm going to presume ds is also positive and we will try to avoid going out until we perk up. I can't imagine feeling any better this week the way I feel now. I have donned the joggers and hoodie ready to fall in and out of bed all day.

Seems every time I catch it, it gets worse which is annoying

I am on day 11 and still feel awful. Started with an achy neck and shoulders, then sore throat and tiredness and then the most horrible stomach upset which I still have. I can only stomach toast and bland food and still having cramps. Anyone else still having symptoms like this nearly 2 weeks in ? I have lost almost 5 pounds in weight as I just cant face eating anything

Oh gawd that sounds awful I hope you turn a corner soon. I have no desire to eat at all which is most unlike me. I guess your body doesn't yet want to divert energy to digestion. I once lost one stone in two weeks with noro. It goes back on within a few months

Neck pain is a symptom of the most recent form of Covid. I had it and thought I’d done something in the gym.

Plus, my test came negative apart from once when I get a very strong positive and then it faded pretty fast. Have you got diarrhoea as well?

Just scroll back, you have, yep, definitely Covid

Thanks for all the replies. I did have diarrhoea at the start but now it’s more the stomach pains and cramps . Covid test was negative last week and I was starting to feel better but now feeling awful again. Anyone know how long this goes on for? My daughter had the same last week and is fine now

I had the diarrhoea for about a week and a neck pain at the same time, looking back it all makes sense.