4 ms·

A few years back I got the flu, I think I was 16 or 17 at the time, I was healthy and in good shape before I got it. I was literally bed bound for 3 or 4 days,

A few years back I got the flu, I think I was 16 or 17 at the time, I was healthy and in good shape before I got it. I was literally bed bound for 3 or 4 days, it was a struggle to make it to the toilet and back to bed. I was sweating so much that my pillow and sheets were soaked. I think the worst part was actually the muscle aches, it wasn't painful but it was constant and unrelenting. I was quite amazed at how violently it struck me down. There aren't many common diseases these days that will actually strike someone down in a developed country. In retrospect it may have been a good idea to go to the doctor, especially after reading this article. Instead my parents left me at home to sleep it out and drink lots of lemon and honey, which is actually a completely ineffective cure.

jcadam 9y ago
I had a similar experience when I was 15 or so (mid 90s, it would have been). I couldn't even stand up, and had to crawl on all fours when I needed to go to the bathroom or to the kitchen for more water/juice. Normally, if I were home sick from school, I'd be playing video games, or sitting in front of my computer (Amiga!) hacking on something. Alas, with my head pounding and my vision blurry, all I could do was lie on the couch and stare blankly at the tv, and there was nothing but soap operas on during the day (not that it mattered). P.S. - got my flu shot this year
baddox 9y ago
Same thing happened to me in college when I was 21. Two days nearly completely bedridden and coughing so hard I thought I was bursting blood vessels. I did manage to make it down the block to the college clinic, where they verified that I was their first influenza case of the season, prescribed me some cough syrup, and told me to take way more ibuprofen than it says on the bottle. I was disappointed at the prescription, but after my first dose I was as happy and energetic as if ever been. Turns out the “cough syrup” was hydrocodone in corn syrup. Powerful stuff.
- caf 9y ago
  Opiates are cough suppressants.. which is also why in large enough doses, they're breathing suppressants.
  - epmaybe 9y ago
    That's not why they're breathing suppressants...opioids work at a part in our brainstem that modulates our breathing rate, slowing it down. You still breath, just less times per minute. That can be really bad for obvious reasons.
vadimberman 9y ago
That sounds like mono aka infectious mononucleosis aka "the kissing disease" (https://www.healthline.com/health/mononucleosis https://www.healthline.com/health/mononucleosis). Got it myself once. You were lucky to have it for 4 days only. Those in more mature age keep sweating for weeks. It feels like a violent flu, but it's not a flu.
- endemic 9y ago
  Thankfully, mono is the worst sickness I've had to suffer through (in high school). I remember smelling _really_ bad after sweating in bed for five days.
interfixus 9y ago
It would be helpful if people could stop using the flu - or, outside the anglosphere, influenza - as a blanket descriptor for the common cold and all sorts of minor malaise. Influenza is serious and relatively rare. Not something you get several times a year, one or two days at a time.
- Retric 9y ago
  Their are several types of Influenza, but most cases last less than a week and 1/3 of the time people have no symptoms. So, being really sick for 2-3 days is not uncommon, though your right that many other things can cause similar symptoms.

jcadam 9y ago

I had a similar experience when I was 15 or so (mid 90s, it would have been). I couldn't even stand up, and had to crawl on all fours when I needed to go to the bathroom or to the kitchen for more water/juice. Normally, if I were home sick from school, I'd be playing video games, or sitting in front of my computer (Amiga!) hacking on something. Alas, with my head pounding and my vision blurry, all I could do was lie on the couch and stare blankly at the tv, and there was nothing but soap operas on during the day (not that it mattered). P.S. - got my flu shot this year

baddox 9y ago

Same thing happened to me in college when I was 21. Two days nearly completely bedridden and coughing so hard I thought I was bursting blood vessels. I did manage to make it down the block to the college clinic, where they verified that I was their first influenza case of the season, prescribed me some cough syrup, and told me to take way more ibuprofen than it says on the bottle. I was disappointed at the prescription, but after my first dose I was as happy and energetic as if ever been. Turns out the “cough syrup” was hydrocodone in corn syrup. Powerful stuff.

caf 9y ago
Opiates are cough suppressants.. which is also why in large enough doses, they're breathing suppressants.
- epmaybe 9y ago
  That's not why they're breathing suppressants...opioids work at a part in our brainstem that modulates our breathing rate, slowing it down. You still breath, just less times per minute. That can be really bad for obvious reasons.

vadimberman 9y ago

That sounds like mono aka infectious mononucleosis aka "the kissing disease" (https://www.healthline.com/health/mononucleosis https://www.healthline.com/health/mononucleosis). Got it myself once. You were lucky to have it for 4 days only. Those in more mature age keep sweating for weeks. It feels like a violent flu, but it's not a flu.

endemic 9y ago
Thankfully, mono is the worst sickness I've had to suffer through (in high school). I remember smelling _really_ bad after sweating in bed for five days.

interfixus 9y ago

It would be helpful if people could stop using the flu - or, outside the anglosphere, influenza - as a blanket descriptor for the common cold and all sorts of minor malaise. Influenza is serious and relatively rare. Not something you get several times a year, one or two days at a time.

Retric 9y ago
Their are several types of Influenza, but most cases last less than a week and 1/3 of the time people have no symptoms. So, being really sick for 2-3 days is not uncommon, though your right that many other things can cause similar symptoms.