4 ms·

"the flu", i.e. influenza, is definitely not "you have a sniffle, get over it" more like feeling like you've been hit by a truck for 2 weeks while you shiver i

by plg 7y ago

"the flu", i.e. influenza, is definitely not "you have a sniffle, get over it" more like feeling like you've been hit by a truck for 2 weeks while you shiver in bed with a fever, coughing your lungs out, unable to function

8bitsrule 7y ago
And you may not 'feel better again' for a month, or two, or more.
- ImaCake 7y ago
  My anecdata from a few influenza events is that it is truly awful. A week of slowly worsening fever. I got close to admitting myself to hospital before my fever broke and I recovered. Symptoms dissapear very quickly once it's over, but it took me months to recover my fitness.
dilyevsky 7y ago
Some people may have only mild fever and some are even asymptomatic.
in_cahoots 7y ago
That was always my impression of the flu, until this year. My husband, infant daughter, and myself all came down with the flu within 3 days of each other. The infant had been vaccinated, while my husband and I were not. The infant and husband were confirmed via a nose swab to have the flu, while we just inferred that I got it since we all had classic flu symptoms. Despite not being vaccinated, my husband was feeling 80% better within three days and fully recovered within four days. He was miserable for the first two days, but still not the level of ‘got hit by a truck’ that I remember from previous cases. I took five days to recover and also had relatively mild symptoms - it was undeniably different from a common cold (muscle soreness, chills and night sweats, fatigue) but I wouldn’t have thought it was the flu if the rest of my family wasn’t infected. My daughter seemed to be recovered within 48 hours, though she later contracted pneumonia. Even that was managed within 24 hours of starting amoxicillin and a nebulizer. This post has gotten pretty long, but my point is that, for whatever reason, we came down with a flu that wasn’t nearly as bad as the norm. Even the doctors were skeptical until the test results came back.

by plg 7y ago

8bitsrule 7y ago

And you may not 'feel better again' for a month, or two, or more.

ImaCake 7y ago
My anecdata from a few influenza events is that it is truly awful. A week of slowly worsening fever. I got close to admitting myself to hospital before my fever broke and I recovered. Symptoms dissapear very quickly once it's over, but it took me months to recover my fitness.

dilyevsky 7y ago

Some people may have only mild fever and some are even asymptomatic.

in_cahoots 7y ago

That was always my impression of the flu, until this year. My husband, infant daughter, and myself all came down with the flu within 3 days of each other. The infant had been vaccinated, while my husband and I were not. The infant and husband were confirmed via a nose swab to have the flu, while we just inferred that I got it since we all had classic flu symptoms. Despite not being vaccinated, my husband was feeling 80% better within three days and fully recovered within four days. He was miserable for the first two days, but still not the level of ‘got hit by a truck’ that I remember from previous cases. I took five days to recover and also had relatively mild symptoms - it was undeniably different from a common cold (muscle soreness, chills and night sweats, fatigue) but I wouldn’t have thought it was the flu if the rest of my family wasn’t infected. My daughter seemed to be recovered within 48 hours, though she later contracted pneumonia. Even that was managed within 24 hours of starting amoxicillin and a nebulizer. This post has gotten pretty long, but my point is that, for whatever reason, we came down with a flu that wasn’t nearly as bad as the norm. Even the doctors were skeptical until the test results came back.