Anyone else dealt with this latest flu variant? I'm 5 days in and the symptoms will not let up. Nasal congestion, drainage, sore throat, wicked cough, headache, and fatigue. I berkeleying HATE being sick. Because of my nervous system issues I can't take any Benadryl type product, they totally whack me out.
Really hope I start feeling better tomorrow. Get your flu shot. I waited a BIT too long. I blame hurricanes.
Are you sure it's the flu? Kind of sounds like the other thing (at least how it hits me).
In reply to hobiercr :
Haven't had the flu for a over a decade but maybe you should see a doctor?
Tested for the C today. Negatory.
If it continues I'll call my PCP. Info online says this variant is 5-7 days symptomatic. It is le suck.
aircooled said:Are you sure it's the flu? Kind of sounds like the other thing (at least how it hits me).
Sounds like the flu to me...
You say you can't take Benadryl, but that is a gen-1 antihistamine. Surely there is a gen-2 or gen-3 antihistamine that would work? They don't knock you out anymore.
Interesting. Same thing here in our house. I noticed symptoms 10/18 while flying home from an Orlando tradeshow, fully Covid masked from entering Orlando airport to exiting my home airport. Still feeling totally crappy today 10/29, though felt better a few days ago. No fever, minimal stomach upset, and negative for Covid. I got a flu vaccine 10/8.
Girlfriend also sick - lots of coughing and sneezing. Neither of us recovering. Lots of sleeping. We both had Covid in early July.
Damn annoying! Haven't called the doctor since not sure what to say?
mtn said:aircooled said:Are you sure it's the flu? Kind of sounds like the other thing (at least how it hits me).
Sounds like the flu to me...
You say you can't take Benadryl, but that is a gen-1 antihistamine. Surely there is a gen-2 or gen-3 antihistamine that would work? They don't knock you out anymore.
I mis-spoke, what i meant is that I can't take a pseudoephedrine for flu symptoms because of the side effects. I can, and do, take Mucinex to help dry out my sinuses. It usually works pretty well but not as much this go round.
In reply to BoulderG :
Yes, that sounds like it. I had a good day on Sunday, but then struggled with symptoms at night. Same thing today. Pretty good day, but tonight the waterworks are starting up again along with the cough.
Thought I had the flu a few weeks ago. I put off going to the doctor for five or six days. It turned out to be pneumonia. The worst is behind me but I'm still dragging and coughing. Zero stars - would not recommend.
Not sure about flu, but my youngest had a yoyo fever for a few days that turned out to be pneumonia. Tested negative for flu. Talking to the pediatrician, it's been going around our community hardcore.
Youngest is the only one who's been sick, antibiotics had it hammered down within a day or two to sniffles and evidently feeling off, but no more fever.
I can't take the flue shot. I had it twice and the reaction was horrific. My doc said she would have admitted me to the hospital and reported the reaction to the CDC (this is standard practice any time someone has a severe reaction). I didn't go to see her, it came up in conversation months later. She said it sounded like an allergic reaction to something in the shot. She said that I should never get it again.
Now I just take precautions and hope I don't get it. After reading this thread, I'm going to buy my own island.
Count me in the "I don't take the flu shot" camp.
I took it one time in college and ended up in the ER over the weekend with pneumonia. Ended up failing a winter break class because the Z-pak knocked me on ass.
My wife gets the flu shot every year and then gets the flu fairly regularly. This year's version turned into bronchitis pretty quickly for her. It took a trip to the doc to get it cleared up.
The flu shot always gave me flu-like symptoms so I quit taking it. That was 10-12 years ago and I haven't had the flu since. I'm a slightly germaphobic so I do a pretty good job of avoiding the little diseases that go around.
Kind of like this.
And yes, that goes for the wife when she is not feeling well.
I always get the flu shot, and since the pandemic, a COVID booster every fall. I usually get a slightly sore arm / mild joint pain for 12-24 hours, but that's it.
For the last week I've been chilly when it is not reasonable to be chilly, and I've had that "maybe I'm getting sick" fuzzyheaded feeling. Like pre-flu, but it's not getting any worse.
Dunno what's up with that. But I sure feel ready for a nap right now.
Duke said:For the last week I've been chilly when it is not reasonable to be chilly, and I've had that "maybe I'm getting sick" fuzzyheaded feeling. Like pre-flu, but it's not getting any worse.
Dunno what's up with that. But I sure feel ready for a nap right now.
I had 2 days of these exact symptoms about a week ago; my wife is on day 4 of them.
Motojunky said:Thought I had the flu a few weeks ago. I put off going to the doctor for five or six days. It turned out to be pneumonia.
Ditto.
My wife probably has the flu now, going on 10 days.
Some kind of long lasting infection is going around. I know several people who were down for a week or more with similar symptoms to what is described above. They all tested negative for Covid. They had all recently taken a long plane ride.
I've heard of more people getting pneumonia lately than I've ever heard of.
Apexcarver said:Not sure about flu, but my youngest had a yoyo fever for a few days that turned out to be pneumonia. Tested negative for flu. Talking to the pediatrician, it's been going around our community hardcore.
Youngest is the only one who's been sick, antibiotics had it hammered down within a day or two to sniffles and evidently feeling off, but no more fever.
I just had this exact thing at the beginning of the month. Thought it was the flu, went do doc after 3 days of on off fever and they said "you have Bronchitis and Pneumonia". A coworker had the same thing a week prior. No idea what initial infection caused it.
I'll get the Flu and Covid shot after my follow up X-ray shows I'm in the clear
Called my PCP and went in. Seven days is enough for this to have run it's course, and it hasn't. Tested negative for covid and Flu. She thinks its a healthy sinus infection based on symptoms, etc. Called in an antibiotic treatment but suggested I do a heavy saline & nasal spray treatment to see if that would clear it. Today I WILL use all the tissues. If not better tomorrow I'll do the meds.
When this clears I'll also get my flu and Covid booster as it was on my to do list before all this.
Today's bonus PSA, get the shingles vaccine if you haven't yet. I did after I had a round about 10 years ago. You don't want them. A friend's Mom just got them at 86. This can be avoided!
Thanks for the reminder. Just got my flu shot. 
Hope the sinus infection clear up soon. Could be worse, I read that since the last hurricane the flesh eating bacteria count is higher than normal.
And no vaccine for that one!
got the flu shot and COVID booster a couple weeks ago ,
I hope this years shots work thru the Spring and whatever new variants are also killed off !
Whatever we had was not the flu nor Covid, tested negative for both. I went straight to pneumonia after 1-2 days. I know 4 other people, young and mid, that had the same thing happen.
I'm in west michigan, haven't flown anywhere, and am on the tail end of the same. After 5 days of fever and flu like suck (tested COVID negative), i caved and went in. They diagnosed as lower respiratory infection or pneumonia and hit me with antibiotics, inhaler, steroids. Seems to be working but i'm still coughing and wheezing. Early 40's, non-smoker, otherwise healthy. For whatever reason I've heard of a number of peers hit with similar as well with a few turning into fairly severe pneumonia (which prompted me to go in before it got that bad). I had gotten my flu shot this year as well. ugh
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