And what did you do about it? (Besides going to the doctor, which is not a choice for me)
I feel better when I sweat a bit, as I sat outside on my porch for a bit. Those who don’t believe in “sweating it out” usually just mention dehydration, but if you’re drinking juice/water, you would replenish this, right?
I had the flu a few months ago that lasted for 3 weeks, but this time, I went 2 weeks without adequate sleep, until last night. My biggest problems has been the body aches and chills, even when its 80 F inside. Very weak, but I’m going to monitor the day to compare sleep vs. sleepless. I did go for a 5 minute walk in the morning just to get my blood moving. My temperature was actually 97.1 F, and when I took my blood pressure, instead of being high, it was pretty low, but those at-home kits might not be too accurate.
The funny thing is, at night, if its not freezing cold, I cannot sleep. And I noticed after a good night’s sleep, I have no breathing problems today - I felt like every time I’d inhale, I wouldn’t get enough, was dizzy, confused, but its still early morning here.
I had 2 weeks of being seriously ill with H1N1, and then recovered after. I remember lying in bed watching Jewelry TV and desperately wanting to buy anything they showed. Fortunately, I was too sick to figure out how to use my phone or computer to do it.
If I recall, make sure you’re getting enough fluids. Water, broth, more water. Especially if you’re sweating it out, have a lot more fluids than you think you need. Over the counter medications like Advil or Tylenol to help with aches so that you can sleep.
I’m glad to hear you are well. I have been taking acetaminophen, and did have chicken noodle soup 2 days ago. For the first week, I had to leave the house to buy groceries, etc., and today will be the first day I can sit at home. The days I drove out to get medicine, groceries, I felt a little better (maybe just temporarily) getting out of my tiny house.
Regarding fluids, I always get headaches when I drink a lot of water. Yesterday, I did drink a lot of juice (mostly orange, some pomegranate, some carrot), and have a headache today.
Back around 2005 or so I got a bad case of the flu. I was sick as a dog for about a week, and out of work for four days (a record for me). After I was well enough to return to work, I still felt poorly and sickly for another three weeks.
I do remember lying in bed and literally feeling like I was dying. That’s not an exaggeration - I felt like consciousness and life force was just ebbing slowly away and I was far too sick to get up and do anything about it, such as call an ambulance. Luckily, I survived the night and started feeling a bit better the next day.
Gah. I’ve gotten a flu shot religiously every year since then.
Forget the strain but it was about 1988/89. I was seriously ill for about 10 days; after that the “flu” was clearly over but my recovery to full health was months. I had less pain and aftereffects from my first cardiac incident than I did that bout of flu.
My sophomore year in high school, 1978. I was sick for three weeks. I was in bed, bundled in blankets, shivering with cold chills, only to throw off the blankets a few minutes later, prostrate with fever heat. A few minutes later, I’d be freezing again. And I had liquid filth spewing from both ends.
I lost twenty pounds, and that was the last time I would ever be underweight at ninety-five pounds. I was gaunt.
Two weeks. I had a fever consistently stuck at 102 or higher, I developed pneumonia, and I was barely able to drag myself to the doctor, who wanted to examine me every 48 hours. I had a huge project at work with a hard deadline a month away, and I didn’t even care.
That was the only year in the last 25 or so that I had forgotten to get a flu shot. Antivaxx my ass!
A couple of Januarys ago I had the flu for the first time in who knows how long. It lasted a bit more than two weeks. Lucky for me I was teleworking so I could split my days working and sleeping in bed.
When I decided I had to see a doctor, he chided me with this:
"Yes, you have the flu. You should have come to me sooner. You’re lucky you have a strong constitution. Most people with your strain are either in the hospital, or they’re already dead. "
The only time I’ve gotten really sick with a flu-like disease in my adult life was around 10 years ago and it was only for a week or so. I was feeling fine in the early afternoon, then the chills set in and by midnight I was at 103 something. Thankfully acetaminophen worked in my situation, so well, in fact, that I could feel my body cooling off until I stabilized under 102. In the morning I was coughing so bad that when I called in sick to work I couldn’t get a sentence in without coughing.
However, a couple years ago I did have a cough that made me cough literally one to three times a day for 3 months and then went away. What’s up with that?
Got the flu, turned into mild pneumonia, and was completely better three and a half weeks later. 90% of my colds last 2-3 weeks and almost always turn into bronchitis too. Yay. Thank God I only get sick once every 18 months or so, not 2-4 times a year like the average adult allegedly does.