What is this illness?? Anyone else had this?

[Lockdownbaby2021]

Has anyone else had this awful virus going around??
I’ve never had anything like it. I’ve had Covid twice and it was nothing like this.
started 9 days ago with a cough, sore throat and feeling wishy washy, then the next day I couldn’t even lift my head off the pillow.
since then it’s been.

• drenching night sweats
• tinnitus
• the most horrendous phlegm, lumpy and green!
• a cough that sounds like I’ve smoked cigs all my life, never have!
• Sinus pain
• foggy headed
• dizzyness
• swollen glands
• lack of taste and smell (not like Covid when it’s completely gone)

I sometimes feel like I’m getting better but then the next day feel like I’ve been hit by a bus again.
I’ve never known it phlegm like it.
this cough is relentless, it’s uncontrollable and I wet myself each time.

I’ve had all sorts of bugs in the past but this has been going on 9 days and I just don’t feel like I’m moving forward. Is their some sort of horrendous strain of flu going round??

I’ve been to the pharmacist today who has given me some over the counter decongestant and I will be going to docs if it’s not gone in the next week.

my family have all had it, kids have had raging temps and DP has had similar symptoms but is better now!

not looking for pity, just wondering if anyone’s had similar and found out what it was ?

I've just had it for the first time in my life, tested positive for Influenza A despite having had the flu vaccine, which I get every year. Mine was nasty but not nearly as bad as the OP's sounds, which I attribute to the vaccine.

Wow sounds like a lot of us in the same boat! No one close to me has had this other than my immediate family but they seem to be over it near enough so wondering why I’m the odd one out. Although I’m not bed bound anymore like the first few days I am struggling with this heavy feeling and the constant coughing and blowing my nose. I feel like I can’t be a good mum as I don’t want to go out anywhere on my own with my children when I feel like this as I’m so out of sorts

I've got it and despite rallying on week 2 am now back to coughing with a sore throat. DH had all last week off work and is still breathless when he tries to talk. DS started us all off. He had it first but was better after about 4 days. I completely feel for you, it's much worse than when I had Covid.

I don't know anyone that has had any flu or bad colds this year, none of my friends, no-one at work, no family, no neighbours.

Where in the country are these fluey nasty bugs occurring?

Perhaps our corner has escaped?

https://flusurvey.net/en/auth/signup

This is a gov. Website for reporting respiratory symptoms and it enables gov/nhs to have a good idea of how many infections are spreading and where.

I’m on day 11, sounds very similar and I have tested positive for covid. I’ve had covid before and never been affected as badly as this.

I’ve had Flu A confirmed by a test and it seems similar. Started with general cold symptoms then went on to hightemperatures, sweating in the night, horrible cough with green gloop, overwhelming fatgue, horrible taste in my mouth, headaches, chest pain, breathing problems. I was waking up with my eyes sealed shut with crusty yellow crap. Coughing was causing vomiting and I could bearly get to the bathroom due to the dizziness. Eventually 111 sent me to urgent care in the piss down rain, the drive there was fun, I was a wreck.
eventuwlly they sent me to the hospital as my oxygen saturations were so low and I was in hospital two nights with flu and pneumonia, needed fluids and antibiotics . I’ve had to take three days off work! And still ill with it! Feel like there is an elephant sitting on my chest, I could sleep for a month.

Sounds just like the flu. Hands down the worst illness I've had to date!

I had what sounds like this for three weeks.
the non stop coughing, green phlegm. Horrendous. Eventually the coughing stopped, the sinus pain persisted a bit longer still ….

Hope you feel better soon- get as much rest as you can !

I had this at xmas. Literally started getting mild symptoms on Xmas eve which progressed to feeling really rough on Xmas day. Then it just seemed to get worse and worse with every day, but tormentes with the odd half day of feeling alright and thinking i was getting better, only to feel twice as bad later on. I was unable to talk properly by New Years day. I wanted to cry when I had to go back to work still feeling like I'd been run over by a bus. It took quite some time to fully get over it. Definitely felt worse than covid.

Yep - had it in January and it was immensely unpleasant. GP said it was likely hMPV and ended up with antibiotics and steroids to clear my chest. The coughing was insane, especially at night. I lost my voice (that's a first!), my smell and my taste. I'm not convinced my taste has fully returned even now.

Sympathies op, if it's anything similar, I know how you feel. Rest and lots to drink to flush it through.

Your symptoms sound exactly like the suspected Covid I had in December 2019 - the original strain.
Never really recovered - lungs were wrecked. The cough was something else - I couldn't even speak. Lasted a couple of months.

Because my son came down with it first and was in hospital with it and they did both Covid and flu tests and it came back positive for Flu A, so I know what we had was flu, and not Covid.

I've had it since just before new year. The cough has only just started to ease off a bit in the last week. GP just said it was viral and there's a lot going around.

So much mucus.

Well no rest going on here, been woken up again at 5am from my 1 year old who’s teething poor thing 😪
just so done with bugs recently!
it’s so strange, as soon as I open my eyes I think, ‘oh I feel good today’ then I stand up and it hits me like a tonne of bricks and the coughing and mucus starts. Hope everyone feels better soon!x

Hello all my fellow ill-os.

I've been ill now for over ten days; positive Covid test about nine days ago and just finishing antibiotics for a chest infection.

I'm keeping pretty hydrated with lucozade but all food making me feel rough (including non food food, like Complan and cereal bars).

I don't think I can really start to recover unless I eat someone proper. Has anyone got any suggestions? I quite fancy a few things (mash and gravy, maybe some plain pasta?) but every time I'm presented with food I am literally forcing it down and ending up feeling very nauseous and dizzy for several hours after.

Has anyone got any suggestions of what I could do to overcome the eating problem? I haven't had a proper meal (chicken burger and chips) since last Tuesday (as in not the day before yesterday- I mean 4th March).

All suggestions gratefully welcomed.

I've just got over this, I'm still not great I'm really tired still, it is horrendous I was ill for 16 days, I learned from another thread it's called influenza A , god knows what my flu jab was for !

Oh I also have a chest infection and on antibiotics.

I’m down with this for the last two weeks. Some days I feel ok-ish and on the mend, next day feel like shit again.
Dreadful headache and sinus pain and a persistent sore throat and dry cough.

Well and truly fed up with it now.

My appetite is completely gone also, I realised yesterday I hadn’t eaten in nearly 22 hours and I didn’t feel at all hungry.
I feel nauseous after eating.
I’m sticking with crackers, toast, granola and biscuits for now. Can’t seem to stomach rich food at all.

Sorry to say same here - now on day 11 and it doesn't seem to be improving. The headache is horrendous and nasal congestion is beyond a joke. Feel like I've been hit by a bus 75% of the time. Cycling paracetamol and ibuprofen for days now to try to manage symptoms. Been trying to carry on wfh but have now sacked it off in favour of full rest. Haven't done any tests but pharmacist listened to breathing yesterday and no need for antibiotics just wait for it to take its course 😞

As you’re still feeling so poorly after 9 days I’d be worrying that a virus might have led to something bacterial like a chest infection/ pneumonia which needs antibiotics.
Pneumonia is awful (I’ve had it twice) but the difference after a day or two on antibiotics is amazing. I think a visit to the gp would be wise.

I’m over three weeks since I came down with flu which then became a chest infection. I’m still very fatigued, sometimes I get a little burst of energy then I’ll slump pretty quickly if I try to do too much. I know when I’m pushing it as I get lightheaded and trembly.

The cough is still relentless, very itchy in my throat and chest, it’s a little productive but it’s just white phlegm (sorry).

I'm still quite achy and most days I don’t feel 100% but it is improving, just by tiny amounts at a time.

I've had similar and discounted Covid because of the swollen glands, which I've never heard reported as a Covid symptom. For me I haven't been as ill as OP, but the distinguishing feature of this particular virus is the way it keeps coming back- a couple of days every couple of weeks- and the way I've been feeling fatigued for weeks, sleeping loads etc. I would put it down to being old (51), but 15 year old DS is suffering similarly.

Sorry @JulietSierra I wasn't clear- I'm on antibiotics as GP felt it was becoming a chest infection at the start of the week. And I've had pneumonia so didn't want to take any chances.

I am definitely making small progress but I'm increasingly concerned at how sick (both vomiting and nauseous) all food is making me. At what point is it too long to have not eaten anything substantial? I've barely ingested solid food in over a week. I don't think I'm going to die of starvation or anything, but I feel like it can't be helping me get better that I'm taking in no nutrients or calories to speak of.