Flu virus or Heavy head cold

Update.. still slightly congested and nasally…
Have never had such long symptoms of flu and yes I did have Covid …

Hope others feel brighter as am still weary

Just this morning on TV, a MIDLANDS hospital reported that patients have been admitted with flu virus and RSV strain and they’re saying that the ‘flu bug’ is 6 weeks early this year and mentioned Australia had experienced this also…

So yesterday felt bit better but woke up again in a night sweat which I’ve experienced during the last 2 weeks- still no taste buds and prepare a meal and just can’t stomach it …

Hope I’m not boring people…
normally have small banana with meds for breakfast and hard boiled egg as a snack mid morning but I gag at the thought of these foods… - day 15 and soo 😴

Really don’t understand the mind set of people flying around with no masks on and infecting others., such a simple device to wear a mask or, are people forgetting all the global lockdowns 😢

My sis in law has to fly today and have told her I may have contracted Covid - was not bothered … am I being unreasonable to feel that u should now get retest for Covid? What R the rules ?

Am day 13 and no taste buds for either food or drink and still weak..

The flu vaccine we receive is tailored to the type of flu present in Australia during their last winter. That strain was very infectious and caused a lot of illness. Problem is the virus has probably mutated since then and the vaccine may not offer as much protection; it’s never 100% anyway. The NHS are expecting flu to be severe in UK this winter.

Ive had friends who had the vaccine and felt very ill afterwards and said they would never have it again. I have never had a covid or flu vaccine so cannot personally comment on after effects. However, what Ive seen and heard has confirmed my decision to never have them.

There are at least four respiratory viruses around at present, COVID, RSV, influenza and the common cold. Flu started about five weeks early this year and the latest COVID wave is on the way down. Best advice from the experts is get the vaccines where available, if you're over 80 the RSV isn't so I'm hoping to find a private supplier. Yes the influenza virus is particularly unpleasant this year. My gardener in his 30s was hospitalised, confirmed Type A flu and prescribed an anti viral.
Keep away from crowded spaces, wear a mask where necessary and improve the ventilation indoors.
Eat well, keep fit and mentally occupied and get as much sleep as possible. If you catch anything use paracetamol, honey, nasal washes and steam and anything that keeps your spirits up.

Always worthwhile testing for Covid. We had to buy a new pack as the old one was out of date.
Yes, found that cough mixture helped.
Just the usual one Benylin, excuse
the spelling.
A mild winter doesn't help to kill the germs.

I and dh had the flu in the 2000 New Year. I have had flu a few times in my life and as Whitewavemark has said you never mistake it for anything else. So I expected the 2000 episode to follow previous experiences and last for weeks but no the flu jab really helped as it lasted exactly a fortnight and didn’t leave me drained of strength. I would never miss an opportunity to have the vaccine.

sazzl not an allergy as it's now a full blown cold, and on top.of the dry cough earlier, I feel really fed up! DH still has his cough, especially at night. Will be glad when both better it's been going on so long between us.

I recently had this horrible chesty cough for over 3 weeks, felt really rough, some days just had to stay in bed. No energy, no appetite, coughing up green phlegm. Worse at night , uncontrollably coughing, despite being propped up on 4 pillows. Went to GP (well, of course, not an actual doc, just a nurse), she said virus, so no antibiotics. It has taken 5 weeks to feel better. I tried loads of cough medicine, spent a fortune. Then I met an old man on the train who heard me coughing and told me to try the cherry cough mixture from Aldi, costs under £3. Felt better next day ! 😊
(Yes, maybe the virus had run its course and I would have got better then anyway, but still worth knowing!)

Yes same has happened to me after flu vaccine.This is the third time I have been ill directly after flu vaccine.This time for 10days and needed antibiotics.I doubt I will have the vaccine again

Bea65

Flippin2

Bea65
I was prescribed antibiotics,do seem to helping,the coughs nowhere as bad which means I can sleep. Hope you feel better soon

🙏 so this was week 3? Am loathe to request antibiotics but having no taste buds for food or drink, is a new phenomenon for me.. and so tired

Loss of sense of taste sounds like covid. Maybe do a test.

I had a sore throat and felt rough about 4 weeks ago. I did a covid test which was negative, so assumed just a cold. Felt better after about 5 days so resumed normal activities but sore throat returned and I lost my voice - not good as I sing in a choir and in church. It took 2 weeks more to recover. I was due to visit DS 's family for grandson's birthday party involving a 200 mile drive and was only just well enough in time. I'm back to normal now but lots of people seem to have had similar - some probably caught it from me when I went out too soon! I've had my flu jab in the last few days as I was about to book it when I first got ill. Frustrated I can't get the covid jab as I'm too young. I've always had it before and still caught covid a number of times - missed Christmas with the family last year because of it - so I may be immune compromised, but I don't seem to fit any of the categories who can have it. The pharmacist who gave me the flu jab suggested I spoke to my doctor to see if I could have it.

Flippin2

Bea65
I was prescribed antibiotics,do seem to helping,the coughs nowhere as bad which means I can sleep. Hope you feel better soon

🙏 so this was week 3? Am loathe to request antibiotics but having no taste buds for food or drink, is a new phenomenon for me.. and so tired

I have had Covid 7 times so thought I knew what to look out for. My husband had a heavy cold and a bit of a cough so I thought I’d test him for Covid as I didn’t want to catch it again. As I waited for the red line to appear I thought I’d test myself. I already had Covid but felt completely well! His test was negative.

I’m on my 10th day now and still testing positive. First 7 days I just had a slight head cold and very tired then I had a slight cough and a mouth full of ulcers and a sore throat.
As I am immunosuppressed it is likely I will test positive longer than a ‘ normal’ person. I don’t know anyone else with it. Despite being my husband’s carer he hasn’t caught it from me and he’s 85! Few people are testing nowadays but Covid cases are rising. Be careful out there!

On the news they reported that the flu season has started much earlier in the year this year, so we might have a longer flu season. It takes a while ( 2 weeks or so) for bodies to react to vaccination and develop the antibodies needed to give protection. Over 65s are given a stronger flu vaccine presumably to provoke our less proficient systems to make antibodies pronto and try and last us through the season I think.
There do seem to be some unpleasant viruses around at present- I hope you feel better soon Bea.

Sorry - seem to have duplicated!!!🤪

I have heard that the current flu virus has mutated so the jabs we have had will not provide as much cover as hitherto believed. However, it’s still better than not having the vaccination at all. I’m not medical so check with someone who is. We’ll probably be hearing about it in the news before long.

I have heard that the flu virus for which we’ve received our jabs this year has mutated so we’re more susceptible to succumbing to flu. The vaccine we’ve received will help but my understanding is that it will not cover us as much as last year. However, I’m not medical so check with GPs, etc.

I never contracted Covid but AD who stayed with me in the first few months who did get Covid .. was on a packed train and then told to isolate …
But I got Shingles and was ill for 6 wks+

Now am thinking as I was deficient in B12 and Folic maybe immune compromised I don’t know…
Cannot understand why I have no taste buds from eating or even drinking different fluids .. anyone else experiencing these symptoms ?

I had my flu and 2nd shingles jab. A couple of weeks later my throat felt like I had razor blades in it, with a streaming stinging nose and cough. I had zero energy for a good 3-4 weeks. It was awful. My energy is back, but the cough won't fully go and every so often my throat hurts.
No idea if it was a reaction to the inoculations or just bad timing.

I agree that the shingles jab was not nice, definitely the size of a knitting needle. Don't be put of though as having had shingles I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Too young to get Covid jab now but got Flu jab 3/10/25 been choked with cold and congested since then. Briefly lost sense of smell and sense of taste,got it back nowbut still a bit choked. Never thought about it till I seen your post!

Four out of five of us have had the current virus. Felt really rotten for two weeks but feel better now though cough still hanging on. Using Benylin original to ease it at night and had best sleep ever! I shall be careful not to get hooked!
Had to cancel flu and Covid vaccinations as we were too ill to go!