Post flu fatigue

[molly5678]

So I had flu nearly a month ago and I just cant seem to get back to full health. I seem to have good days and bad days but overall have no energy to do anything, for example i have to gear myself up for tasks like sorting a wash, walking the dog and then need to sit down for a long time afterwards to ‘recover’.
feel very weak a lot of the time and need a good couple of hours sleep during the day.
I’d be grateful for any advice x

I'm exactly the same. It takes time to recover fully unfortunately. Think it took me about 3 months to feel normal again last time I had flu.

What helps is taking a good vit/min sup daily, eating well, and getting some fresh air daily as well as resting when I need to.

We’re all struggling post flu too - good days and bad days with no real rhyme or reason. And nausea that comes and goes and the same for a dicky tummy. I really wasn’t expecting to feel unwell this long.

I’m in the same boat, over 5 weeks since I was down with flu but still struggling with everything. Can’t go through the full day without sleeping, feeling sick and heart racing if I do anything physical. Never had anything like this before.

This is common with flu. Covid didn't invent "post viral syndrome" it just shone a light on it. I had flu in 2016 and it was almost six months before I was back to normal. Although I will admit to part of that being self-inflicted because I didn't listen to my body and tone things down or rest when I should have, so I ended up with that "post-flu cough that never quite went away" turning into a bad case of bronchial pneumonia! So don't do like I did - rest because you need it when you need it and just accept that your body knows best! It's only really a serious problem if it gets a lot worse over time.

Post viral fatigue is very really and can progress to ME / CFS if you're not careful. Baby yourself, get as much rest as possible and don't push yourself to do too much

Same!
I am a normally healthy person, no pre existing conditions, I take no medications and exercise very regularly....but....I had this strange flu 5 weeks ago, and I am still not fully recovered. It's been horrendous, def the worse flu of my life (I am 50!), and I still struggle with performing basic tasks.

Trust me you don’t want 4 years of this - just REST. I know it’s very impractical. But it’s much more practical and cheaper to rest now, rather than have to quit work as you can no longer hold down a job.

thanks for the replies
just feels like I’ve been ill for so long and starting to worry! Reassuring to know that this can happen after flu x

Rest. Do as your body asks. I didn't many moons ago, I pushed through like a trooper and was left with ME/CFS. Life ruining.
Rest!

How are you feeling now @molly5678. I'm in exactly the same boat. Got flu over four weeks ago and suffering from fatigue and muscle weakness. I'm better than I was last week but progress is incredibly slow.

Hi love, I would say I’m pretty much back to normal now but it’s taken nearly a month!

@torreli plesse can I ask for some advice? I’m struggling nearly 10 weeks on from a spell of illness (UTI and chest virus), and some point between then and now I’ve also had sinusitis (had an MRI which showed sinus thickening but docs previously said sinusitis unlikely as I wasn’t congested). Anyway, I’m still not right and have symptoms of muscle aches, twitches, tension which refers pain and pressure in my head, I also have odd skin sensations. All tests clear bar low ferritin. I’m really worried I have post viral syndrome and I’m getting no advice about pacing myself. That being said I was able to go on holiday for ten days with my v young kids, and I managed fine - still a few symptoms but I enjoyed myself. Then back home and symptoms have flared. Is this possible with a fatigue syndrome? How do I know whether I’m doing too much when I have days of being nearly fine?! Mental health is suffering from the worry of long term illness and the impact on my kids. Thank you for any responses