Be Excellent To Each Other

Go on then. Who has this fucking shit?

Motherfucker ruined my Christmas, made me cough up blood and has generally made me tired sweaty and miserable for two weeks.

I thought I was coming out of it after a week and then it gave me a second dose, worse than the first.

Fucker.

My sister in law is now on her third week, she can't get rid if the chest infection.

I was ill before Christmas, but not with flu. Unfortunately, something appears to be coming back again, as I'm sneezing, drowsy and feeling quite heavy again. It, again, doesn't feel like flu, but it's still an arse, and I've never been ill twice this close together before so there's definitely some horrible shit floating around.

Mine is easing now thankfully. Though last year it developed into bronchitus so I'm very wary. Any signs and I will be straight to the docs.

Remember the film unbreakable with Bruce Willis? When he asks his ex wife when he was last ill?

I cant remember the last time I was ill - probably 4 years ago.


I hope to be the 1% that survive, bit like the series "Survivors" I hope you get better soon, being ill is worse than an injury.

Most of her family have had... something. Older sister woke up on the bathroom floor with inoperable legs and no idea how she got there. Mrs Metal herself hasn't had anything like that despite both her parents being ill with it too.

Whatever. I can't be sick again until sometime in February or that means three instances in six months, and I have to go to BUPA. One was a cold, the other was being hit by a car! How the fuck can they class that as being off sick??

Had some kind of lurgy that started with a sore throat and became like a heavy cold that went away but now I am getting random sweaty periods even when outside in the cold,also feel a bit weak.

I have a cold and I just take tissues and get on with it. Apparently you can get a flu jab from boots for 12quid according to my brother

OK science types, what's the difference between a cold and influenza? I know there are many varieties of influenza, but can you have 'flu if you're only feeling shit for a week? This I don't understand. I had proper influenza when I was 20 and I was seriously ill for five weeks, three of which I spent in bed too weak to get up with every part of my body hurting like I'd been dropped down a lift shaft. It took me six months to fully recover from that, during which time I had regular bouts of other immune system related illnesses which would knock me on my arse for a few days at a time.

On the plus side, since recovering from that I haven't had a bad cold since, nothing that's lasted more than feeling ropey for 48hrs, and I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened in the last 20 years.

As I understand it, the difference between cold and flu is that a cold just makes you feel a bit shitty. A flu virus takes you out of action for a length of time, stuck in bed etc.

I've been somewhat chesty for the last couple of weeks. Had one day of feeling a bit grotty but not too bad. Overall I'm doing fine.

And yes a Flu virus will make you seriously ill for a while. It can be for only a week but you will not be able to move about if you got flu.

Just a cold if you're feeling a bit grotty and that's it.

I've given up telling people that they don't have the flu, they just have a nasty cold, as the irateness was really not good for my own health. However, if someone has made it in to the office, then they do not have flu, no matter how much they protest.

I've never had flu, and as I've had free jabs through work for the past 5 years and these show no signs of stopping, doubt I will for some time to come.

The wife has had it since the 18th, she was in bed most of Christmas although she managed an appearance for Christmas dinner. She went to the doctors yesterday as her chest and cough are still tight. She was basically told she had flu and to keep taking over the counter remedy’s.
The Dr said if he gave her an anti-biotic then she couldn’t drink on New Years Eve!

I’ve just felt like shit every morning for the last 2 weeks but a doss of lemsip etc, sorts me out, it’s like I’m waiting to get the flu.

We catch it every year after the works party, you get pissed and mix with loads of people in pubs who have the bug then you get it as you immune system gets run down due to the hangover.

I think at 36 years old I can tell the difference between flu and a cold.

But thanks for pointing it out any way.

I caught it on my birthday, 12 days ago, and I've been pretty bad since. The fever is the scariest bit, and mine has been coming back every few days.

I'm not sure what the official definition between cold and 'flu are, but I always feel I have a cold if it is one or more of the following symptoms:

cough
sneezing
phlegm on chest
sore throat
loss of voice

But when I get those things as well as a high fever, inability to breathe, drifting in and out of complete consciousness and my joints ache so much that I can't stand up and it puts me completely out of action for a while, then that's when it tips into 'flu. Also, every day i had a fever this time my skin was boiling hot and if it was even lightly touched by someone's hand or fabric passing over it, it felt like I was being burned with hot hot sharp metal. That was really unpleasant.

I am sort of up now, but I can't walk further than down the hallway before I can't breathe. I think I am using about a quarter of my usual breathing capacity. I think it is a combination of being ill and the bug exacerbating my childhood asthma.

I'd have taken the antibiotics and have told New Years drinking to take a hike if i was feeling bad. If you are feeling up to drinking on new Year's Eve then you're not that ill.

Well for a week I needed a sponsorship in dry towels (to sleep on) and constantly woke up drenched. I had to get out of bed, towel dry my hair, change pillows (got one on the floor on standby) and then put down a dry towel to sleep on.

Then flip the bed covers over and put the wet part over my feet (outside up).

Once that was over I started to feel a bit better but then it went to my chest. Which was ok for a while because it was an hour's work in the morning to dislodge it but on two mornings I couldn't get it up and couldn't draw breath. Cue me seeing stars, panicking and on one of those days ending up hacking up blood from bursting a blood vessel.

I've had a daily regimen of vitamins, paracetemol/lemsip pills/drinks* and honey and lemon.

*either or obviously, didn't fancy ODing on paracetemol I hear it's a nasty way to go.

I'm now into my third week. Thankfully today and yesterday it only took me about 20 mins to become 'clear' but I still get feelings of dizziness and nausea.

I think I am feeling better, but it's kinda hard to tell when you've felt shit for so long.

Indeed, I had flu over xmas when I was younger, I would say the vast majority of people who say they have flu, actually have a cold. Mimi you do sound flu infested, so keep warm, keep taking whatever it is your taking, and rest up.

The main difference between flu and colds? People, who are otherwise completely healthy, die from flu. If you are up and about at all, you have a cold.
The quarantine ward at the hospital that Mrs T works at, is currently full up with swine flu patients, they are converting another word into a quarantine ward to cope with demand this year.

Cold and flu are both respiratory diseases and are both caused by viral infections, but they're completely different organisms mate. It's a little like comparing a cheetah with a lion - they're both mammals and inhabit the same environment, have vaguely similar prey etc., but they're totally different animals (and one is much more dangerous than the other).

I agree; most people confuse a nasty, heavy cold with secondary chest infection with the flu, but there is no comparison. I've had the flu once and it rendered me immobile in bed for two weeks with a high fever - no cold, however bad, could do that. Flu is a nasty business, but adult chickenpox when you never got it as a kid is even worse!

I can honestly say I've never had the flu. As an asthmatic I am prone to chest infections and as a softy, I seem to have a constantly runny nose, but I've never been laid low by a flu.

I haven't had a flu jab for 2 years. LIVING ON THE EDGE!

I had Swine Flu when it first arrived and got off quite lightly.

Day 1, felt like I was getting a cold in the afternoon.
Day 2, felt rough to start the day and headed downhill from there but I'd gone to work anyway as I had an appointment on a customer site. By lunchtime I was really struggling but I was in Cardiff and had to drive home to the Midlands - no fun at all. It was only the thought that I'd succeeded in a bit of biological warfare against the Welsh that cheered me up.
Day 3, in bed and totally wiped out.
Day 4, starting to recover.
Day 5, pretty much clear.

Some people I know who had it suffered far more.

I've been immune-compromised gor six years, and I regularly lick old people.

Feeling ALIVE hi5!

I got chickenpox when I was 17, a day after I had taken a driving test. Which I failed due to an idiotic driving instructor, I hope I gave the fucker chickenpox too
That was a 2 weeks I wouldn't want to revisit!

I also got german measles for the second time when I was about 25, I'd had it when I was a kid and thought I was immune from it because of that, but obviously not. Mildly amusing calling up work and saying I had german measles

LoL, yeah, chickenpox was the absolute pits mate!

I'd just moved in with Mrs C, about 16 years ago now, and little pre-Teen Angel #2 came bouncing down the stairs with about three spots on her little face, complaining that she 'felt a little ill'. (She was about 7 at the time). Mrs C immediately diagnosed chickenpox and she spent a few days off school until they'd scabbed over. It hardly affected her at all; she was still her happy little self and still sat on my knee, played and ran round the house, full of energy. I thought nothing more of it.

About 3 weeks later, Christmas had passed, and as the new boy in the engineering firm, I got the dubious pleasure of doing a survey on 28th Dec. It involved sound testing music rooms; there was a problem sound insulation-wise; part of the tests involved lugging round some pretty serious loudspeaker cabs and amps etc.

Normally I'd have no problem, but I felt weak as a kitten and was sweating continuously. I managed to get through it, but booked myself into the doctors the next day, by which time I had a high fever and could not stop dripping sweat, even when completely idle. I'd also noticed a solitary large spot had appeared on my scalp - shit, I'd got the chickenpox!

I mentioned this to the GP, who was very shirty about it all. Of course it wasn't chickenpox, you stupid man, adults don't get chickenpox, it's a children's disease and all the rest of it. It was flu.

I went home, and got straight into bed. Next morning I awoke, Mrs C was utterly aghast - stumbling to the mirror, to my absolute horror I saw why - the kids counted 300 spots to my face and shoulders alone! Feck me, I looked like something out of a horror flick! I've never felt so ill in all my life, what an absolutely hideous 2 weeks that was.

There's a reason for that. I assume you use an asthma pump? Well, IIRC that is loaded with steroids and, if my bronchitus gets really super bad that's what they give me to get rid of it.

I had a bad dose of bronchitus once in the US and living over a lake didn't help (allergies) so they gave me Cingulair for asthmatics. Within three days I've never breathed so well.

In terms of susceptibility to infection, the opposite is true. Steroids suppress your immune response. As a symptomatic treatment for something you already have, steroids are useful. As a preventative measure they're the opposite.

Speaking of chickenpox, I vaguely remember having that as a kid - fever for a couple of days, then felt okay except for all the damn sore, itchy spots. Unfortunately my father developed shingles after that - that was nasty.

I've also had ordinary and german measles. Don't remember much about them except being in bed and eating ice cream for some reason.

Glandular Fever was the worst - really knocked me out and I felt weak as hell for many weaks after the main symptoms had subsided.

Apparently my mother had german measles whilst she was pregnant with me, and that's got a pretty good chance of really badly affecting the child. I turned out OK though ( I think ). I had mumps as a kid, and I think all that happened then was that I stayed in bed and ate ice cream and jelly as well. That must be a standard treatment for all childhood diseases.

Glandular fever is a bitch as it stays in your system for several years and likely reoccurs annually. I had it for three years running in my teens, pretty much around the same time every year. Bizarrely, IIRC it stays in a woman's system for up to 8 years doing the same thing.

Same here. Generally OK health now, yet the Green Stuff continues to flow at inconvenient times.

adds up with why I was told not to tan a load of Vit C tablets when I got the cold. Seemingly the major effects of a cold is your body fighting it off.

Caught the fever-lurgy two weeks ago. The nightmarishly ill part was over in a weekend, then the chesty sbotty irritating as fuck cold part lasted for a week. Now there's just a lingering chesty cough that gets quite bad if I'm very tired, but is otherwise okay.

Apparently the cough lingers for a couple of weeks. Woo.

This was the worst thing that's ever happened to me, I had one side of my neck/throat swell up for a week and then the other side for another week, couldn't talk, could barely swallow without involuntarily yelping in pain, was just horrible.

I really do detest a lingering cough, especially if it's the ticklish type that really kicks off when you're lying down and trying to sleep.

I don't recall having a sore throat (but I probably did). Worst sore throat that I've ever experienced was a bout of Strep Throat a few years ago - now that really was like swallowing the proverbial razor blades. So incredibly painful, and to cap it all my tongue ended up looking (and feeling like) a mould encrusted grindstone. Truly horrible.

First sign of a cold and I take a 1000mg vit C and Zinc tablet - seems to help lessen the severity, I rarely get a temperature that way either.

Speaking of temperatures - does anyone remember their 'fever dreams'? I've had some damn strange ones in my life, the most nightmarish (apparently quite common) involves slowly falling down a long, grey, rough-edged tunnel. Oh yes, and the distorted vision when you're awake and everything looking distinctly weird, with distant things appearing to be close up (and vice versa).

I tend to write them down if they're good. I find that simply doing that means that years later starting to read your account of them will allow you to remember them vividly.

I also find some mornings if I wake up ill (or hungover) that my mind starts working overtime to come up with strange, bizarre things for me to think about...

Yeah, I get really bizarre, depressing dreams after sustained binging, too. Oddly, they sometimes seem to carry on after I've opened my eyes (in fact, I can never sleep normally during these times). They usually involve lots of random images of people in various states of disfigurement and inhabiting very squalid environments. One image that has stayed with me for a few months now is that of a very large woman with what appeared to be huge cavities in her flesh, which were filled with a kind of moss-like plant. My brain seems to delight in bombarding me with disturbing imagery for entire nights.

I had proper flu two years ago, about a week before Christmas. It completely knocked me down for a couple of days (in bed, couldn't read, play video games or do anything other than lay there sleeping but not restfully and vaguely aware of what was happening on daytime TV). Seemed like I lost quite a bit of weight too, even though I'm generally pretty skinny anyway. I just didn't really want to eat and wasn't capable of preparing food for myself anyway.

Luckily the really bad part passed fairly quickly but I felt weak for quite a long time after. It certainly made me realise that while a heavy cold is pretty horrid, flu is quite devastating, like I couldn't do anything at all, barely even stand.

I was quite surprised at how bad it actually was.

speaking of fever-dreams, i remember once dreaming that i was a marble in a metroid prime-like world. Seems like awesome but i woke up puking.

And now that we're in kind of old-people conversation did anyone here had mononucleosis? I had once i was 17 and had to stay a whole week in hospital, and 3 months without going to school. Yes, it was really bad.

I think I may finally be almost over this. A bit of a lingering cough/feeling tiredd, but other than that

Good, if so!


At work I've been somewhat foolishly boasting that I haven't caught the flu or even a cold all winter, despite everyone around having had it.

I'm hoping to go past "tempting fate" and like openly call it out and see what it's got.

So anyway if you stop hearing from me, you'll know what happened

A touch of the Gaywoods?

(good lord, that sounds rude!)

My chest sounds like an outboard motor when I wake up coughing some nights, but this seems to be happening less - once or twice a night rather than 20+ times.

I have lost my sexy late-night radio voice, though.

I've been off work for the past week with this. Thought I was out the other side yesterday and ready for work today, but a night of non-sleep and hot sweats put paid to it.

The way it leaves you with no energy is an absolute bastard.

Try sitting on a radiator.

Uh-uh. I'm not falling for the same trick you pulled on Terry Waite. No-one saw him for five years after that.

Such is the love I have in my heart for my job that I feel genuinely aggrieved that I haven't also been struck down by this flu outbreak. I had the sniffles before Christmas and spent much of the 27th December in bed due to a general cold-related malaise, but nothing that's actually stopped me from going into work yet.

My immune system is clearly taking the piss.

I've still not shaken off the cough. it went from my throat to my chest, then back to my throat and it's now returned to my chest.