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Flu virus or Heavy head cold

(56 Posts)
Bea65 Thu 06-Nov-25 13:59:31

I had the Covid jab in late September and had inflamed red skin next day and was itchy for few days…
At same time I had the over65s flu in vaccine in other arm and no inflammation or redness-

Now I’m day 8 of flu… still fully congested and jelly legs … despite having dosed up on beechamps/sudafed/olbas oil drops on tissue/vicks vapour steam facial

Has anyone else had same symptoms with flu after being vaccinated - almost feel I’ve had placebos .. am weak like newborn kitten and very tired šŸ™

Babs03 Thu 06-Nov-25 14:03:24

There are several horrid viruses about at the moment. Are you still feverish? If you have a high temp after 8 days contact your GP.
But I just think we take so much longer to recover as we get older.
Sending hugs šŸ¤—

Bea65 Thu 06-Nov-25 14:29:57

Babs03 I’ve had a fever off and on but not severe enough to try and ring GP altho I did have to cancel blood test appt as didn’t feel well enough to ring for uber to surgery…

Just thought I would feel better by now but maybe the viruses are getting stronger and yes, you’re correct in saying when u get a bit older, it does seem to take longer to feel better/stronger
šŸ™for reply

TwiceAsNice Thu 06-Nov-25 14:38:18

I am in my second week of some kind of flu type virus . Slight temp at the beginning and upset tummy for several days. Now I feel as if I have a constant runny nose and a lingering cough. Am so tired I’m going to bed early every day. I’m 72 and do feel in the last few years it takes me much longer to recover. Hope you feel better soon

Flippin2 Thu 06-Nov-25 14:42:36

I had to cancel flu jab as came down with heavy cold,the cough is draining,awake most of the night even tho propped up ,did the triage thing this morning and have a prescription waiting for me ,if what I do not know !

Grammaretto Thu 06-Nov-25 16:51:08

I had a cold in September. My family were staying and I felt so rotten.

Then last week I started feeling feverish, sore throat, blocked nose, painful to swallow etc
It's much better now but I don't know why I am rundown.
I had a flu vaccine about 9 months ago.
Is there much point in having the vaccine?

Poor you Bea get better soon

Bea65 Thu 06-Nov-25 16:55:21

šŸ™TwiceAsNice yes I keep going up to bed earlier then only able to sleep a few hours.. and
Flippin2 I’ve got a bit of chesty cough but it’s the facial congestion and wanting to ā€˜rip’ the nose off my face as it stings/tingles so much .
What has GP/Pharmacist prescribed?

šŸ¤ž hope you both feel better soonšŸ¤ž

Just wish we knew what we’re dealing with

Maremia Thu 06-Nov-25 17:29:57

We both had a head cold, not flu or Covid, that lasted 4 weeks.
Went to the Docs at the 3 week stage to be told that this was the current virus and come back if not better in 4 weeks.
Hang on in there. Hope it passes soon.

Bea65 Thu 06-Nov-25 18:01:40

Grammaretto

I had a cold in September. My family were staying and I felt so rotten.

Then last week I started feeling feverish, sore throat, blocked nose, painful to swallow etc
It's much better now but I don't know why I am rundown.
I had a flu vaccine about 9 months ago.
Is there much point in having the vaccine?

Poor you Bea get better soon

That’s my query… why after taking up the vaccinations to protect/prevent more lasting effects of flu/viruses why I feel ā€˜rundown’ and what exactly is in the vaccines??

Maremia ok so it’s a waiting period of 3-4wks… hard to function when u live alone altho I wouldn’t want visitors to spread virus onto …

Babs03 Thu 06-Nov-25 18:23:30

If you get a very sore throat, productive cough and aching chest, or ear ache do try to see a GP, sometimes a virus can appear to hang on but in actual fact it can be a secondary infection that needs antibiotics.

Maremia Thu 06-Nov-25 18:27:32

The cough was quite severe and long lasting, so try to get plenty of honey, cough mixture and whatever suits you best.
Yes, best to avoid visitors, as you can't control the coughing.
But do ask your friends and family to keep you going with supplies, which they can leave at the door for you.
It does pass, but if it gets worse, temperature etc, get straight onto your Doctor.

Marg75 Thu 06-Nov-25 21:28:01

I had an awful dry cough for over a week, I hacked away all day and night. Had antibiotics that got rid of it. Then DH and I had our flu vaccinations a week or so later and he's had a chesty cough for almost two weeks. I now have strange symptoms, I'm alright during the day but in the evenings it feels as though I have a cold, sneezing and blowing my nose continually. When I wake up in the mornings it's gone!

IOMGran Fri 07-Nov-25 08:03:17

Babs03

If you get a very sore throat, productive cough and aching chest, or ear ache do try to see a GP, sometimes a virus can appear to hang on but in actual fact it can be a secondary infection that needs antibiotics.

This is exactly right. You can sometimes tell by the taste change of the phlegm.

In the last 6 weeks I have had a flu jab and a covid jab and part 2 of the shingles jab course. The effects have only been tiredness and a sore arm, the shingles is the worst for the soreness. Needle the size of a knitting needle!

I will get every vaccination I can because I want to improve my odds. I augment this with actively avoiding places and people who could infect me. Life is too short to spend it being ill.

rowyn Sun 09-Nov-25 13:45:19

I had both Covid and flu jabs about a month ago and have had no symptoms until about a week ago. It's nothing much - just a very persistent cough. Doesn't really fit in with the most common symptoms.
And ironically, I rarely socialise, have shopping delivered, and mostly live on my own in seclusion. So goodness knows where this came from!

Sheba Sun 09-Nov-25 13:54:01

Had a really bad flu type virus for 6 weeks and only just starting to feel better now.
Runny nose, earache, cough and extreme tiredness, don’t know if it was connected but it started a week after having my flu jab.
I wondered if I’d got long covid.

Gogo84 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:00:45

The reason for my coughing, which is mostly at night is post nasal drip. It's the most annoying thing, mostly fine during the day but as soon as I lie down, especially on my back the "drip" irritates my throat. Absolute pain.

Ktsmum Sun 09-Nov-25 14:01:36

Going into my 3rd week with a stinking cold. It was almost hone before I had my flu jab then it came back with a vengeance. I blame myself for not waiting until I was fully recovered before have flu vaccšŸ™„

pably15 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:01:40

I was reading about this years flu jag...it seems that the vacines are made around the beginning of the year, and they've now found that this flu is a worse strain that what was expcted and so the vacine wont give as much protection as first thought, it will give some protection but not 100%.

sazz1 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:06:50

All flu vaccines are only 40% - 60% effective as they take a guess on which strains of flu virus will be prevalent each year. Told to me by a nurse who was vaccinating me a few years ago. Apparently there are many, many strains of flu virus and the same with the pneumonia virus. My GP also confirmed this when I asked why my sister and father died of pneumonia when both were vaccinated. TBH I haven't bothered with the flu vaccine since.

sazz1 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:17:56

Marg75 this sounds like allergy symptoms. Do you have a dog, cat, bird in the living room but not in the bedroom? Or plug in, scented candles air freshener etc?
I'm worse with coughing in room with my dogs so I take antihistamines each day. Wake up with clear chest no cough until I go downstairs
Just a thought HTH

Whitewavemark2 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:20:29

Does sound like a nasty cold/virus and not flu.

When you get a bad dose of the flu, you will never mistake it for a heavy cold.

Hope you are beginning to recover.

We all need our flu jabs as this year, flu seems to be virulent.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:22:01

You will never develop flu from the flu jab, and neither does it ever give 100% protection.

Bea65 Sun 09-Nov-25 14:40:17

Day 11… still no energy.., taste buds have vanished… can’t be bothered eating… throat pain gone but phlegmy and chesty cough - worse when trying to have a conversation …

Hope everyone on here is recovering šŸ¤ž - definitely one of the strongest flu viruses I’ve had ..

undines Sun 09-Nov-25 14:51:34

I'm just puzzled as to why people continue to believe that bombarding the human immune system with all these 'vaccinations' is going to make for good health! Even the purveyors of the flu vaccine admit that it's hit-and-miss as to whether they get it right about which virus is going to be a threat in the coming winter. My personal choice is to look after my basic immune system with loads of Vitamin C and vitamin D. I believe you can go above the RDA, especially with C, with impunity. If I feel a cold coming on I take masses of Vit C, a bit of extra D and have a very early night. Worked so far...

4allweknow Sun 09-Nov-25 15:16:29

Have so many friends, acquaintances with the cough, cold/flu like symptoms. Most have had the flu and covid vaccinations recently. Goodness know what they would be like if hadn't had the vaccinations. The cough seems to be the most complained of.