First time I have ever had the Flu

[ww2farmer]

It's miserable.

 

I have never had it, never gotten a Flu shot, but my luck has run out.

 

Started late last week. Was all I could do to get out of bed for work Friday, and then literally could not get out of bed Sat.-Monday, other than a trip to the urgent care on Monday just to be told...."yeah, you got the flu....rest/fluids, tylenol for the fevers, and ride it out"

 

Started feeling "better"...not good, just better Tuesday. Pushed my luck and went to work yesterday........I think that was a mistake, back to feeling like I did over the weekend, with the exception of at least being able to sit up and get out of bed.

 

So far wife and kids seem fine...but they get Flu shots.

 

How long am I looking at this thing kicking my butt? I am not one for sitting home sick unless it's bad, and this is about the worst I have ever felt.

[TOXIC]

I never got the flu shot either until after I got the "REAL" flu.  I now fully understand how people can die from this!!  I was working a fishing show and after a seminar, I came back to our booth and felt chilled.  It progressed into uncontrollable shivering and I told my partners I was out and heading home (75 miles).  I drove with a winter jacket on, the heated seats set to high and the heater set to 95 degrees.  I was shaking so bad I thought I wasn't going to make it home.  When I got there, I walked right past my wife and told her I was sick and to stay away from me.  I went to our lower level bedroom and climbed into bed fully clothed and with my jacket still on.  I didn't move for 3 days.  No food no drink no bathroom no nothing.  After a week I went to the doctor and he told me to take it easy for another week and I decided to go back to work and I got it AGAIN and was out for another 2 weeks.  So if I am any kind of reference, 3 weeks is a good guess!!  

 

BTW, I get the shot EVERY year now.  Even if they miss the strain, it will ease the symptoms if I do get it per my Doc.  I read where 18 children have died so far this year from the flu.  It's nothing to mess with.  

[J Francho]

Starve a fever, feed a cold.  Get well soon!

[Darren.]

Ugh, man. Flu absolutely, unequivocally sucks.

 

I got what I think was the second flu shot of my life 

this year. My wife is a nurse, so she's required to get

the shot. Another nurse told me the flu is awful this

year and they're seeing quite a few contract it who got

shots. I have 3 sons still in school, a petri dish of contagion,

so it's a matter of time. I keep a can of Lysol for when

they do get sick. Spray down the bathroom, etc. when

they finish. I hate being sick.

 

A crap shoot, the shot. What strain is it, and is that the

strain making the rounds, or a combo of the strain? 

May or may not keep it away, but will hopefully lessen the

duration.

 

Get well soon!

[tander]

The flu is everywhere. I have never heard of it being this bad, at least in the south. My wife has it now. I got the shot so hopefully I will not get it. I had it a couple times, one really bad. I had chills then the sweats. I had the sheets wet from sweating so much. This went on a few nights. I think it lasted 10 days. The flu is to taken serious, some have died from it.

[Dwight Hottle]

Get well buddy. Flu is no fun. 

[Redlinerobert]

Hope you feel better soon, but not getting a flu shot is silly. 

 

The one year that my wife and I simply put off getting the flu shot we were both sicker than we've ever been in our life.  I'll never do that again. 

 

The flu seems to get worse every year!

[TnRiver46]

It will knock you down and hold you there! Hang in there and you will make it! I think I have had it 3 times, once when I lived in a log cabin with nothing but a wood stove for heat. It was 0 degrees for a few nights in a row, I couldn't keep getting up and going outside for wood. I wimped out and Ended up driving across town to mom's and she pumped me full of meds for two days and I recovered. I don't think I was near death but it put a bit of a scare in me. The flu does seem stronger than it was 15 yrs ago 

[12poundbass]

I had the Flu on new years eve last year.

I had the norovirus about 5 years ago. I'd take the Flu any day. Both are still horrible though. Get well soon!

[Bankbeater]

The flu stinks. I had it about 14 years ago. I didn’t think I had it too bad, but I lost my appetite for about 3 days. When I got it back the only thing I felt like eating was fruit. 

[Gundog]

I've gotten the flu shot every year since I was 21 and haven't gotten the flu since. But about 3 years ago I got a tetanus shot and the side effects put me down for 2 days. It was like having a really bad cold. 102 temp, chills, fever, nausea but its better than tetanus. 

[Oregon Native]

Hope you get feeling better real soon.  I too haven't had a flu shot in over 30 years...I remember they made me feel awful.  Well....I've had em the last two years due to a weakened immune system from a bump in the road a couple years ago.  So far so good...they still made me feel funny for a couple days but not the down and out funny.

[68camaro]

Flu s*ucks....had it once and now religiously get flu shot....not a guarantee though.

 

Hope you get through it quick.

[ww2farmer]

Thanks for the well wishes guys.

 

I am going to have to reconsider my stance on not getting a flu shot going forward.

 

My biggest aversion to it (at least the last few years) was that my mother actually died from complications of a flu shot.

[J Francho]

I've been getting a flu shot for over a dozen years.  The very first time I got the shot, I had a minor 3 hour with the flu like symptoms.  Never again with subsequent shots.  Haven't had the flu, either.

[HeavyTwenty]

On 1/18/2018 at 8:18 AM, ww2farmer said:

Started feeling "better"...not good, just better Tuesday. Pushed my luck and went to work yesterday........I think that was a mistake, back to feeling like I did over the weekend, with the exception of at least being able to sit up and get out of bed.

Flu almost always seem to go high, low, then back to high.

[RPreeb]

I get a flu shot every year.  Even on a year like this one where it doesn't guarantee that you won't get sick, it still gives your body a jump start on fighting it.  Usually that will shorten the duration and lessen the severity.

[Tracker22]

I’m in the same boat. Started the same day and today is the first day that I’ve felt human. Still weakened but up and moving.

 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

That's really bad news.

 

I get the shot every year; wife refuses to get it.  I always joke that I will be able to take care of her when she gets it;  however, I hope this never happens as I know it will be no joke if it does.

 

To anyone that does not get a shot; make sure to wash your hands often, especially after touching things in public such as doorknobs, handrails, shopping carts, etc. Additionally, never touch your hands to your mouth or eyes.

 

This has been a tough winter, spring can't get here fast enough.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

 

[LOZSteve]

Flu this year is rough, never had the shot but next year will do so.  I just got over it and was sick for two weeks, though I didn’t miss any work I just dropped when I got home and slept all weekend both weekends.  Everyone in my house got sick in the last two weeks and approximately 50% of my office has come down with it.  Certainly no fun, hope you get better quickly. 

[scaleface]

When people say   " I have a touch of the flu "   they dont have the flu .

[TOXIC]

Yep.  Despite my best efforts and getting the shot, I came down with the flu this year.  I work a lot of fishing shows and come in contact with thousands of people so I am high risk anyway.  So they say getting the shot lessens the severity if you do get it and I have to agree.  Not being my first rodeo, I knew as soon as I started feeling the symptoms what was coming.  I could have gone to the Doctor and got Tamiflu to ease the symptoms but I felt like I knew what I had to do.  Rest, take in a lot of fluids and treat the symptoms....cough, fever, etc.  I was down a week and it was nowhere near as severe as my account earlier in this thread.  Hopefully, this will be my only case this year.  I have a few more shows to work.  

[.ghoti.]

I've had one flu shot in my life; 20+ years ago. Got a really bad case of the flu shortly thereafter. Haven't had a flu shot since. And, have only had the flu once since.

[deaknh03]

Never had the shot, had the flu once like 20 years ago. My kids and wife have never had the shot, or the flu.

[gim]

I have heard that this flu season is the worst in almost a decade.  Its approaching pandemic status.  Oddly enough, I don't know or know of anyone that has gotten in here though.