Can those of you who have had flu in the past answer some questions for me

[Lazycow]

I have never had flu before (until coming down with suspected swine flu on Thursday) but I am just surprised at how tired and unable to function I feel at the moment despite being pretty symptom free (except for cough) for the last 2 days.

Today ds was at nursery so I was at home on my own (I am not going to work until Monday) and I did a couple of loads of washing, answered a few emails to stave off work crisis and ironed for 1 hour. Other than that I lay on the sofa watching TV- dh made dinner and is now doing bedtime after picking up ds and and doing a day's work. I feel really guilty about it but had to come up to bed as I just feel so shattered.

Is this normal after flu? I just want to be better now

Took me weeks to get over having flu. At its worst (Christmas 1999-early Jan 2000 - tis very clear in my mind) I really struggled to get out of bed to walk to the bathroom. That little trip wiped me out for hours. I lived in a house with fantastic views over central London, and when all the Millenium fireworks were going off I didn't have the energy to sit up in bed and watch, let alone stand at the window.

Same as everyone here. I spent a week in bed feeling utterly wretched, no reading, no tv, just sleeping and feeling dreadful in between. I couldn't do anything.

Alongside the usual symptoms the weirdest thing was that my teeth hurt. Not like toothache though, it was just as if they had come out in sympathy with my joints. Most odd.

Took me a good few weeks before I felt anywhere near normal and to not feel tired all the time.

Awful!

I have had the real flu once in my life and absolutely not would it have been possible to think about calling Vanessa bleedin Feltz let alone doing it. Tbh, my flu experience was so horrible I can't even bare to think over and share details. [shudder]

Well Minty

I think think it is a pretty mild version. I did have periods where I could talk on the phone to people who called and I did also manage to get out of bed a couple of times to go to the loo. However I also was unable to speak to people at times and to watch TV.

I was way too unwell for work and the whole thing was pretty unpleasant. A non mild flu sounds absolutely horrendous actually as many have posted.

I am feeling much better today and not so tired but still kind of achey. I checked with the Docor, who said I am still infectious until my cough turns into a non-productive one (TMI perhaps!) so am housebound probably until the end of the week at this rate.

Actually one of the worst things is I have hardly touched ds since I got ill (trying to make sure he doesn't catch it) and spent 3 days in my room when dh wouldn't allow ds in (quite rightly). I am really missing the ccuddles actually

Anyway I'm off to sit in the same room as ds (but not touch)

I wish you all a happy and flu-free summer !!

Agree with others

Flu is terrible.

At the moment I have a bad cold. A very bad cold. I feel really ropey. But it is NOT flu because I can sit and type at the computer, and I've just had a boiled egg.

I've had flu twice in my life and both times I was totally incapacitated. Shivering, sweating, hallucinating, no appetite for weeks and a chest infection and sinusitis to follow. I can remember the pain of the sheets touching me and aching to my very core.

I think if swine flu does strike, some people are going to have a lot of explaining to do as to why they've already taken two weeks off work with a sniffle.

I had seasonal flu last November for the first time in 15 years (time before was when I'd just got to university). I have no recollection at all of three days when I got it in November. Have vague memories of thinking I needed the loo but had no idea how I'd get there. Was totally and utterly wiped out for 3 weeks .

Ever since catching it last year I have found I have caught every single flipping bug doing the rounds which is not like me at all. So in the last 5 weeks I had a high temperature and cough, then just as was recovering from that last Thursday woke up with a stinking headache and feeling sick which I thought was a migraine, my cough got worse, then by the evening temperature had appeared and stayed for 4 days, the reoccurred a day later but lower. Was just commenting to DH how knackered I feel but not as bad as last year.

it's been 10 years since i had flu and all i can remember is feeling like i had a red hot canonball in my head and having a throat that was so sore i had to eat crushed ice if i wanted to swallow.