# When was the last time you had the flu? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326 "2013-01-25T15:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/21 "2013-01-25T21:12:35Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Thank you. I’ve had malaria twice in my life, and really the only thing that told me what it was both times was that my temperature was 103. On a slightly hijack-y note, I also don’t remember the last time I had a fever. Or even a slightly elevated temperature. Don’t get me wrong: I get sick, just – apparently – not _that_ sick. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/22 "2013-01-25T21:40:43Z")
I’ve had a couple of flu bugs through the years, but nothing like what hit me in my sophomore year of high school. Oh my frickin’ god, I still remember it and it happened in 1978. My bones were wracked with shooting pains, and I was freezing cold bundled in blankets and then I would throw them off because I would be miserably prostrated with heat in ten minute shifts. I went back and forth this way all day and night. I vomited and crapped explosively, sometimes at the same time. My temperature was 104. My muscles twitched with spasms. I was sick for three weeks. In the end I lost twenty pounds, and I was already on the skinny side to begin with. I hope never to be that sick again. Even when I die, I hope it won’t be that bad. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/23 "2013-01-25T21:40:55Z")
Thanks to the flu shot, I haven’t had the flu in ten years. The time that I did, I ended up in the ER. It is not to be messed with. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/24 "2013-01-25T22:01:09Z")
I almost never get really sick, beyond allergy-related stuff and the occasional migraine. It’s been over 40 years since I’ve had an antibiotic. I was part of a national NIH vaccine study about 20 years ago. Of all the people in the stuff, both here in TN and the rest of the country, I had the strongest immune response. As far as I know, I’ve never had the flu. StG ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/25 "2013-01-25T22:02:07Z")
As a rule, I don’t get sick. I had the flu twice in college though, because I was surrounded by a bunch of disgusting, filthy children. The last time was 11 years ago. Before that, the last time was in elementary school. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had the flu in my life. I never get a flu shot either. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/26 "2013-01-25T22:09:26Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > If you’d have asked me last year, I would have said ten years or more. Same for me, except change “last year” to “last week”. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/27 "2013-01-25T22:13:32Z")
The winter that I did the data analysis on the free vaccine program we trialled at one site. The flu experience and the data were enough for me, so I get the shot every year. The one year I missed out at work (I was on leave) I bought my own from the chemist and gave it myself. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/28 "2013-01-25T22:32:01Z")
I am going by the definition I read here – you’re so sick that if a bag of money landed on the front lawn, you couldn’t be bothered to get up. I’ve never been that sick with the kinds of symptoms listed for the flu (coming on suddenly, respiratory symptoms), so I am assuming I never had it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/29 "2013-01-25T23:25:35Z")
I have no idea. Probably sometime in the 70s or 80s. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/30 "2013-01-25T23:37:12Z")
I had a bad case in, I think, 2005. It was the year that everyone was urged to get a flu shot because of the severity of that year’s variant, but there was a big shortage and few people could get one, including me. It was how people here have described: horrific body aches, bad chills and high fever. I was so very, very weak that I remember thinking: “this is what it’ll probably feel like when I die.” I was out of work for three and a half days, and if that final half day hadn’t been a Friday, I’d have been out even longer. My husband caught it, too. That was one miserable December with the both of us home coughing and retching and too sick to prepare food. We lived on canned soup and bread. I’ve gotten a flu shot every years since then. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/31 "2013-01-25T23:42:02Z")
Never. Unless a couple of cases of bad colds were really mild 'flu. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/32 "2013-01-25T23:45:10Z")
Stomach flu-like symptoms, this past Mon-Wed Jan 21-23. Stayed up till 5-6 am because I couldn’t sleep, puked in the kitchen sinks because it was closer than the bathroom. Felt quite better afterwards. I hate sleeping in clothes but I wore a sweater and sweats I was so cold. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/33 "2013-01-26T00:04:29Z")
Dec., 2012. It was the mother of all flus: fever, awful chills and body aches, excruciating cough, a severe sore throat that lasted ten days … just horrible. ETA: Ruined my holiday travel plans, too. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/34 "2013-01-26T00:05:49Z")
I voted never, but after further consideration, I think I might have had it when I was 13. Something viral laid me out but good; I couldn’t get out of bed and missed an entire week of school. I don’t actually remember the symptoms, though, just the laying in bed. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/35 "2013-01-26T03:09:17Z")
Never. I have had some very nasty colds but never the flu. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/36 "2013-01-26T03:16:00Z")
I have no idea for certain, but the last time I had anything that actually incapcitated me – meaning, I was unable to get out of bed except by crawling – I was 16, and I’m 36 now. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/37 "2013-01-26T03:52:30Z")
Twice in January of 2010. During the first week of that January, I got regular old achy-fever flu, not too bad but stayed home the last two days of the week. Three weeks later, I got every symptom of H1N1 listed on the CDC website, save cyanosis. Stayed home another three days plus the weekend, absolutely had to get to work following that due to a clinic relief work assignment that if I didn’t show up they would have had to cancel all appointments and close for the day, so I wore a surgical mask to work for an additional two days. (no one, including my pregnant boss, had gotten the vaccine) Not fun. At all. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/38 "2013-01-26T04:27:28Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever had the flu. If I did, I was a child at the time (I’m 46 now). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/39 "2013-01-26T04:31:22Z")
I’m not even sure what constitutes “flu” anymore. When I was a child, I’d be home from school all nauseous and puking, and that was what I always associated with “flu.” But in recent years, I’ve heard “flu” described as body aches and chills and such, with no puking involved. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2013, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326/40 "2013-01-26T05:02:52Z")
Four or five years ago I got the flu for probably the only time in my life. I’ve gotten flu shots since. But the cold I had in December was almost as bad: lost my voice, couldn’t sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a night for nearly a week because of coughing, went through two boxes of tissues and it took 2.5 weeks to get completely better/get my voice all the way back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-had-the-flu/648326.md?page=3)