Latest type of flu??

Motivator

I’ve been battling this flu for a couple of weeks now and it’s safe to say that for 36 years I didn’t know what the flu actually was. Every time I had a runny nose or bad cough I’d call it the flu, never again. What this has done to me is nothing short of unbelievable.

My entire system and body has been shut down by it. I haven’t eaten anything substantial in almost a week and the only time I’ve been out of the house was to go to the in laws for New Years Eve for an hour. What I don’t appreciate is this carry on from people about “Man Flu”. I never appreciated the snide remarks from the wife’s friends about “Man Flu” and I certainly don’t appreciate them now. There’s a lot of sick people around the country with this strain of flu, is there a reason this is a particularly bad year for it this year? I didn’t get the flu jab by the way but I’m certainly getting it next year.

Martina1991

Motivator wrote:

Every time I had a runny nose or bad cough Id call it the flu , never again. What this has done to me is nothing short of unbelievable...What I dont appreciate is this carry on from people about Man Flu. I never appreciated the snide remarks from the wifes friends about Man Flu and I certainly dont appreciate them now.

But you previously calling a bad cold the flu has caused a "Boy who cried wolf" scenario where only now you understand what the flu is.

Hamsterchops

People say they have the flu, when they obviously haven't, specially if they're up & about...

Martina1991

In Ireland we look to Australia, who have their winter during our summer, to try and predict how bad our flu season will be.

This year was Australias worst year for flu cases and it hit early. Thats why the flu vaccine was out early this year. I got it in October. The warning signs were there and it has hit Ireland just as hard.

iamwhoiam

Hamsterchops wrote: »

People say they have the flu, when they obviously haven't, specially if they're up & about...

Some might not have flu , many actually do .

FBWT

Just got sent home from work. Don't think I have the flu but this head-cold/cough I have has been with me 3 weeks I just can't shake it. One day I'll have a cough, another a sore throat and the next I'm all stuffed up. I'll be making another pitstop in the chemist on the way home and maybe schedule a visit to the doc is the pharmacy reckons I need to.... I'm flipping bate from it now!

ollkiller

FBWT wrote: »

Just got sent home from work. Don't think I have the flu but this head-cold/cough I have has been with me 3 weeks I just can't shake it. One day I'll have a cough, another a sore throat and the next I'm all stuffed up. I'll be making another pitstop in the chemist on the way home and maybe schedule a visit to the doc is the pharmacy reckons I need to.... I'm flipping bate from it now!

I had it for three weeks as well before christmas and just bit the bullet and got antibiotics to kick it. It just wouldn't go away. Antibiotics did the job.

Last time i got the flu was 7 years ago. had to go on steroids to kick it. If you're not sure if you have the flu then you defo do not have the flu.

Quigs Snr

Quigs Snr wrote: »

9 out of 11 who were at my house xmas day have come down with this since (4 kids and 5 adults) . We had one wiped out sick kid on the day.. no interest in food, presents etc... just high temperature, no appetite, sleeping etc...

4 of the 9 affected have ended up with secondary chest infections.

1 (a 3 year old) was rushed to hospital today.

Only 2 unaffected were me and the wife. We were also the only 2 who had the flu vaccine.

Co-incidence ? Maybe. But looks like flu to me.

Confirmed today by the hospital in Waterford for the toddler that was admitted yesterday, some variant of AH3 Flu.

Martina1991

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Confirmed today by the hospital in Waterford for the toddler that was admitted yesterday, some variant of AH3 Flu.

That strain was covered by the vaccine this year.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

Martina1991 wrote: »

That strain was covered by the vaccine this year.

Yeah but the vaccine is usually recommended for 'at risk' groups - people who are elderly or have an underlying health condition or work in healthcare.

Should everyone be getting it? To be honest I've never thought of getting it for any of the family because we don't fall into the 'at risk' category.

Martina1991

Lydia Modern Hairstyle wrote: »

Yeah but the vaccine is usually recommended for 'at risk' groups - people who are elderly or have an underlying health condition or work in healthcare.

Should everyone be getting it? To be honest I've never thought of getting it for any of the family because we don't fall into the 'at risk' category.

Everyone who doesn't want to get the flu should get the vaccine, unless you are taking medication that may interact with it or have had an allergic reaction to it before.

The people in the "at risk" groups are strongly encouraged to get it as they are the most vulnerable.

The vaccine is free if you have a medical card or work in healthcare. Some workplaces offer it for free to their employees as well. Otherwise its around €20 in the pharmacy.

jiltloop

mojesius wrote: »

Got a dose yesterday morning, thought it was just a cold but then again hadn't been doing much activity at all. Agree with symptoms, Not much phlegm, infrequent cough, aching limbs, weak, cold sweats the odd time. Husband was off work so mostly looked after our toddler while I rested (thank god). Went for a short walk today to get a bit of fresh air and felt like I was going to keel over towards the end.

Spent new year's in bed, just went down to living room to count it down with husband and back to bed. Had the flu jab so thought I was fairly safe.

2020 will be healthier! Strange dose going around.

If you had the flu you wouldn't have been able to go out for even a short walk, in fact going downstairs for the countdown would have been an enormous struggle.

odyssey06

jiltloop wrote: »

If you had the flu you wouldn't have been able to go out for even a short walk, in fact going downstairs for the countdown would have been an enormous struggle.

People keep posting that and most of the time isnt broadly correct but it is not accurate.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/03/17/290878964/even-if-you-dont-have-symptoms-you-may-still-have-the-flu

rob316

Got a horrible dose of it, didnt move from the bed 25th,26th,27th and 28th. Wife got it too and kid, ruined Xmas it did. Worst sickness I ever get is a head cold.

Quigs Snr

... for those saying that it is not the flu :

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/not-too-late-to-get-vaccinated-as-hse-warns-flue-season-to-last-five-more-weeks-38830258.html

Arghus

Don't know if it's the flu, but I've had some type of cold thingy for about a month. Started off with pains in the bones and complete lethargy, morphed into snot, sneezing, sore throat and a cough that sounded like metal being torn apart and it's still kind of lingering after about four weeks. Still fairly chesty, which is very unusual for me. Other people in work have been complaining of similar.

Hamsterchops

How much time off work?

iamwhoiam

odyssey06 wrote: »

People keep posting that and most of the time isnt broadly correct but it is not accurate.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/03/17/290878964/even-if-you-dont-have-symptoms-you-may-still-have-the-flu

Not only is it not correct but also dangerous . People should be aware of flu symptoms and not think because they can walk they are not spreading the flu .

blue note

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Not only is it not correct but also dangerous . People should be aware of flu symptoms and not think because they can walk they are not spreading the flu .

Yep, people can think it's just a cold, I'll be grand going to visit my elderly aunt.

I even heard a doctor pedalling it on (I think it was) Matt cooper. I'd like to say he's the professional, I'm sure he's right, but when you read of the study someone quoted earlier in the thread, or even when I think of people I know who were sick but didnt stop working and found out they had the flu from blood tests, it's clearly nonsense that you need to be floored for it to be flu.

Turkish1

Got a dose of it about 6 weeks back. Started with the sweats/shaking early Tuesday afternoon in work, shaking became so bad I had to get taxi home as couldn't drive safely.

Home to bed and literally stayed there until the Saturday morning, (excluding the bathroom - literally crawling there at one point) I didn't leave the bed until Saturday morning.

Sweating was so severe that I fell asleep with phone on my chest and when my wife woke me it had water damage 😣. Also had to lay towels under me in bed.

No food between the Tuesday morning until Friday evening when I managed to force down about half a slice of toast.

Even after making it downstairs briefly on the Saturday it took me another 3/4, days to feel in anyway normal again but took a couple weeks before the energy and appetite came fully back.

The worst dose I can recall having and will be getting the vaccine next year.

On the bright side, great for a pre Christmas bit if weight loss.

Arghus

Hamsterchops wrote: »

How much time off work?

Nothing. I never felt entirely debilitated by it, but just kinda felt like crap all the time.

I'd nearly have to be deathly ill or have a shattered leg before I'd ring in sick. I know it's stupid, but that's just how I am.

Raconteuse

iamwhoiam wrote: »

Not only is it not correct but also dangerous . People should be aware of flu symptoms and not think because they can walk they are not spreading the flu .

Yeah when I was 10 i got the flu also but it was a slow burner. It was coming up to the school Christmas play and I wouldn't let anything stop me from being in it so I didn't tell my parents. I felt terrible, and was falling asleep in class, shivering, roasting hot, and went through phases of feeling so sick, could barely eat (I never feel nauseated with any other type of respiratory infection - the opposite, my appetite increases). Got to be in the play, nearly fainted on stage, and ran a temperature of 102. Ultimately I had to take to bed of course, but before it peaked I did manage to get up and go to school for a few days despite having the flu. The pace at which the symptoms manifest themselves varies I guess.

kona

Arghus wrote: »

Nothing. I never felt entirely debilitated by it, but just kinda felt like crap all the time.

I'd nearly have to be deathly ill or have a shattered leg before I'd ring in sick. I know it's stupid, but that's just how I am.

Well thats just pure selfish. Its not about how great a worker ant you are, its to stop you spreading it to everybody else.

Scott Tenorman

My wife and I both started showing symptoms of this on the 29th.

I was worse than her initially, didn’t leave the house until this morning, I went to work and had to come home after an hour & went to bed.

Got up after a couple of hours and my wife could barely breath, took her straight to the doctor and she is diagnosed as having mild pneumonia and bronchitis! On steroids and an inhaler now.

Im not too bad this evening, my temperature has finally stabilised and the phlegm in my chest is breaking up. I’ve called in sick for tomorrow (have to look after the mrs anyway) but hopefully the end is in sight.

You can call this virus what you like- cold or flu but it is f*cking nasty!

Arghus

kona wrote: »

Well thats just pure selfish. Its not about how great a worker ant you are, its to stop you spreading it to everybody else.

Give me a break. It was a cold my friend, not the ebola virus. Get off your moral high horse.

I felt just about well enough to work, so I went to work.

I can guarantee you if I used the excuse of "I don't want to spread it" I would be laughed out of the building.

iamwhoiam

Arghus wrote: »

Give me a break. It was a cold my friend, not the ebola virus. Get off your moral high horse.

I felt just about well enough to work, so I went to work.

I can guarantee you if I used the excuse of "I don't want to spread it" I would be laughed out of the building.

If you are so sure it was a cold then why were you even mentioning it ? The thread is about the flu which many of us had . 6 of us had it and not one of us could have even contemplated going to work

iamwhoiam

Scott Tenorman wrote: »

My wife and I both started showing symptoms of this on the 29th.

I was worse than her initially, didn’t leave the house until this morning, I went to work and had to come home after an hour & went to bed.

Got up after a couple of hours and my wife could barely breath, took her straight to the doctor and she is diagnosed as having mild pneumonia and bronchitis! On steroids and an inhaler now.

Im not too bad this evening, my temperature has finally stabilised and the phlegm in my chest is breaking up. I’ve called in sick for tomorrow (have to look after the mrs anyway) but hopefully the end is in sight.

You can call this virus what you like- cold or flu but it is f*cking nasty!

I hope your wife feels better soon . I too am on steroids and antibiotics after the flu last week . It was a nasty debilitating dose

Arghus

iamwhoiam wrote: »

If you are so sure it was a cold then why were you even mentioning it ? The thread is about the flu which many of us had . 6 of us had it and not one of us could have even contemplated going to work

I said in my original post that I thought it was just a cold, rather than the flu - which I have had before and does leave you bedridden for a while - I mentioned it because it's been the most long lasting and persistent cold I've ever had and it seems slightly coincidental that it's coincided with this already notoriously bad flu season.

People seemed to be contributing their own personal anecdotes of feeling under the weather, I didn't feel I was wildly off topic. Cold, flu, you know...general malaise.

I didn't realise that this thread was solely just for 100% confirmed cases of influenza. I apologise wholeheartedly if I have hurt anyone's feelings or somehow lessened their suffering with my contribution. I hope that you can forgive me.

Wompa1

andekwarhola wrote: »

Needs more 'Big Pharma'.

Speaking of which! I got the flu shot in October.

Everyone in the house except me got the flu. My wife was the only one who could describe it properly and it matches what the OP described.

For anyone who has not got that flu yet. Get the Flu Shot. This year's batch must work.

Snow Garden

It does seem like the recent new virus attacked the lungs in particular. So many people turning up with bronchitis.

Wompa1

iamwhoiam wrote: »

I was stupid . My husband got the vaccine the same day and seems to be the last man standing , maybe he got lucky

I got the shot and was last man standing in our house

Martina1991

Snow Garden wrote:

It does seem like the recent new virus attacked the lungs in particular. So many people turning up with bronchitis.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is also going around at the moment.

Symptoms of it mimic a cold and may be causing what some people here are describing with their sore throats and coughs.

It's not as severe as the influenza strains that are more debilitating.

Airyfairy12

I had it and had to go work, could only get one day off, it was horrible. I rang my manager to tell him I was sick, he bit the nose off me so felt I had to go in the following day, I was nearly in tears getting out of bed.
Ive only ever been that sick once before in my life, I was in bed with two big blankets, a dressing gown, a jumper, pajamas and a scarf, I had two radiators on, one beside my bed, one at the bottom of my bed and was still freezing so much I was shaking.
I ended up with bronchitis and laryngitis for 2 weeks after the flu passed and still have a cough 3 weeks later.

Hamsterchops

Arghus wrote: »

Nothing. I never felt entirely debilitated by it, but just kinda felt like crap all the time.

I'd nearly have to be deathly ill or have a shattered leg before I'd ring in sick. I know it's stupid, but that's just how I am.

OK, which means that you didn't have this flu.....

Acosta

I've often gone a couple of years without getting a cold but I got the cold/cough/no voice after a couple of weeks thing in October and it took 3 weeks to shift it. I got it again before Christmas and have it for over 2 weeks now. I think it's ****ed up my immune system. I should probably go to the doctor.

kona

Arghus wrote: »

Give me a break. It was a cold my friend, not the ebola virus. Get off your moral high horse.

I felt just about well enough to work, so I went to work.

I can guarantee you if I used the excuse of "I don't want to spread it" I would be laughed out of the building.

Or how about you just say sorry im sick i wont be in.

corcaigh07

Think I had/have this myself. Anyone have a desperate bout of Diarrhea during OP’s Stage 1?

Also, think my bug or whatever had been brewing for a while, had bouts of nausea for 2 weeks or so prior to things kicking off

Hamsterchops

Banging headache, high temp, bedridden, eyes painful, needing help to walk to the loo?

cherryghost

Acosta wrote: »

I've often gone a couple of years without getting a cold but I got the cold/cough/no voice after a couple of weeks thing in October and it took 3 weeks to shift it. I got it again before Christmas and have it for over 2 weeks now. I think it's ****ed up my immune system. I should probably go to the doctor.

Ha same here, 2nd time floored me. Thought my immune system was totally knackered from it all. Feeling grand now thank feck

Mech1

Mech1 wrote: »

I spent most of sunday until 12 today in the bed with this thing, but much better Tonight, I dosed with uniflu, Lemsip alternatley and a few lockets sweets. I must have gone through two rolls of kitchen towel between blowing nose and coughing up into it.

Update: Went to work yesterday, came home at 12 coughing and Fatigued.

Went to work this morning, came home at 12.30 feeling much better but cough is pulling my ribs / diaphragm out amd now flem coming up.

Hope to be fully fit for Monday.

Parkender

As many have said it isn’t a flu but one hell of a nasty virus. Started with shakes on 23rd and full on “where the hell am I” syndrome for the next two days. Cough and and sinus congestion thereafter. But this has also come with free diarrhoea!!! Still not over it.

ldy4mxonucwsq6

Worst hospital overcrowding since records began, visitors banned from hospitals across the Country.

It's worse than any other year, all of us here in my house have had it. It's seems to be rampant whatever it is.


https://www.thejournal.ie/inmo-trolley-overcrowding-4954763-Jan2020/

Letwin_Larry

Got the vacine some weeks back, and fingers-crossed i've not been affected yet.
i did get weird flu-like symptoms, but they only lasted a couple of days. maybe the vacine kicked-in and saved me?

impossible to say.

Quantum Erasure

Hamsterchops wrote: »

Banging headache, high temp, bedridden, eyes painful, needing help to walk to the loo?

serious hangover, just about over it myself

Archeron

It's all a marketing scam. They release the 'new' flu, which nobody likes, then after a little while they re-release flu classic and it will be more popular than ever.

pure.conya

lalababa wrote: »

A few people I know have had this, I had a similar one 2 years ago, do many have it? Is it a super flu? WTF is it?
Stage one :
Zero energy, headache, no appetite, chills, sweats,dryish cough,no real phlem or mucous.lasts about 5days.
Stage two:
slightly more energy, no chills/sweats, no headache, small appetite, a little phlem , lasts about 4 days .

ya that's a cold, an actual flu will bring you to your knees and makes you feel like death is an easier option

Blue Badger

Have something right now. Started with very quick onset of very bad leg / joint pains. Within hours I was struggling to walk to the bathroom or to the kitchen for water.

Then the chest, throat, and shivering kicked in.

The pain and cough havr since lessened but the throat is worse (hurts a lot to drink water), the headaches have kicked in, insomnia, and an inability to eat food.

Am only 3 days in and cannot wait for this to end.

blue note

Don't worry blue badger, you'll be back to yourself in 4-6 weeks.

Shanotheslayer

Blue Badger wrote: »

Have something right now. Started with very quick onset of very bad leg / joint pains. Within hours I was struggling to walk to the bathroom or to the kitchen for water.

Then the chest, throat, and shivering kicked in.

The pain and cough havr since lessened but the throat is worse (hurts a lot to drink water), the headaches have kicked in, insomnia, and an inability to eat food.

Am only 3 days in and cannot wait for this to end.

The light off your phone probably isn't helping your headache as you post it :pac:

Blue Badger

Stahp, tried taking a shower just now (was desperately needed). The hot water was a godsend for the aches and fatigue... up until I vomited bile for 2-3 minutes with my throat on fire hahaha