Flu

[extern76]

Is there a new strain of flu in South East England ? My partner who is seldom ever ill,started feeling unwell on Thurs evening and by Sat morning was out for the count. Dry cough,muscle pains (especially in the sinuses )and extreem fatigue. Anyone else struck down ?

[Scarlett]

I think there are some really foul flus around at the moment. I have just had a week in hospital with pleurisy!! It started off as a week of flu and then a week of really bad tonsillitis. Then I couldn't breathe!! Beware of unusual symptoms- I really should have taken antibiotics long before I did.

[chinadoll]

There seems to be a lot of influenza B around at the moment....the vaccinations were for A this year if I am not mistaken.... a lot of people in Japan are being knocked down for a week or so with it at this very moment.... hope your partner feels well again soon.

[Laura-sakura]

Scarlett, Flu is a virus. Antibiotics fight bacteria so will do no good at all and taking them may weaken your resistence to infection later.

[woofgang]

yes but what the flu does is open the door for bacterial infections, pnuemonia, pleurisy etc. Hope you are feeling better now Scarlett

[Scarlett]

The antibiotics certainly stopped the pleurisy from getting any worse, thank god. I never took them for the flu! I don't usually take them at all- they gave them to me at the hospital as there was nothing else they could give me other than painkillers.

[Eastender]

I have had the same symptons, and had to see a doctor, who gave me antibiotics, am starting to feel a lot better now. It really knocks you out. Its a strange kind of cough, and the muscle pains were mostly in my legs. So it sounds like the same thing. wish you well. Keep the answer bank posted if your partner sees a doctor, would like to know what your doctor diagnosed.

[AB Editor]

For all medical questions, we strongly advise you to seek professional advice from your doctor or a healthcare professional.  Please do not rely on, or wait for, advice from Answerbank users.

[natalie_1982]

I'm in the South East and my fella has also been knocked out with some sort of bug.  He very rarely is off work sick but as extern mentioned, he has had dry cough, cold symptoms, general achiness and sweating constantly but shaking from cold.  I just don't want to catch it - so much for me having an exciting and romantic Valentine's Day.

[Jeanie]

Have also succumbed to this virus.  Exactly as you describe, cough, muscle pains, headache and feel totally knackered.  Several people I know have gone down with it as well - my brother in law who is usually very fit - slept for 22 hours solid.  I just wanted to sleep all the time and felt like I'd been knocked down by a truck.  Think the only answer is that you have to give it time.  Seems to take at least 2-3 weeks to start leaving your system, and even then you still feel tired most of the time.  Doc told me that as it's a virus, there's very little you can do except ride it out, take pain killers if the aches get very bad and rest as much as possible. Sleep is the best healer.     

[bernardo]

I had a bad sore throat but not flu.

Thursday evening: sore throat gradually getting worse
Friday morning: woke up with asthma attack and bad coughing
Friday daytime: sore throat all day long, with a herd of rhinoceroses stuck in my throat rubbing their dry scaly bits against the inside of my throat.  I found it was painful even just to drink cold water, so I drank warm liquids all day.

During the whole of Friday and Saturday I was drinking lots of hot honey and marmite drinks, and was virtually OK by Sunday morning.

[scubadiver]

Chinadoll - the flu vaccine contains three strains as determined by the WHO approx 8 months ahead of the flu vaccination "season". The strains are those thought to potentially cause the most trouble in the forthcoming year. For the vaccination season just gone, this consisted of 2 A strains (one New Caledonian & one Fujian) and one B strain (Shangai). A and B strains are generally nore unstable and cause worse symptoms than the C strains.

The problem is that the flu viruses easily mutate into a slightly different strain causing the vaccines to be slightly less effective. There is also the potential for two strains to be "mixed" if someone is unfortunate enough to be infected with more than one strain at the same time - this can give rise to a totally new strain and that is where the potential for serious epidemics and even a pandemic may occur.

At the moment though, the incidence of flu, although it appears to be on the increase, is not unusual for what would be expected for this time of year

[tracymort]

Yeah i've got this! awful cough feels like i'm being stabbed in the throat and chest! i've been in bed for 3 days. i hope i feel better before the snow comes, my sons will want to play out seeing it's half term too.
mind you the flu i have before christmas was worse. i had a migraine for 4 days with that.

[holden]

jes, I,am in Australia with Flusymptons. lot of coughing Sinus , jellow phlem. had it for 2 weeks and i,am still very tired. had no antibiotics. my husband as the same.