Readers Respond: Your Flu Symptom Experiences

Responses: 17

Flu symptoms are not the same for everyone. The same virus can affect different people in different ways. If you have ever had the flu, I want to hear from you. Share your experiences with the flu and tell us what your flu symptoms were. Tell your story and let others know that the flu is definitely not just a bad cold.

When I was 17, I got the flu on a band trip. I had a fever of 103, I was exhausted and had a bad cough. But I was determined to march in the Fiesta Bowl parade. I did, but when I got home I discovered that my flu had turned into pneumonia! It can happen to anyone. Share your flu symptom stories. Tell Your Story

Leg pain flu and a cold after wards

Like guest Alice's son I had such severe leg pain in the back of both legs I could barely walk. Then the symptoms went to normal flu symptoms about a day and half later, fever, cold chills, and aching all over, I did have vomiting for a day but then the sleepiness just set in. I felt a lot better after about 5 days and went back to work but now I have the worst cold I have ever had. Sneezing running nose, sore throat ( no fever) not sure if it is the regular flu or the swine I just know it stinks

—Guest Janene

Flu

I am at home right now with the flu. It is very annoying coughing every minute or while your resting and you turn and you're woken up by harsh pains and aches. I just wish I can go back to my orignal life soon.

—Guest YYZRules

not too bad

I got a cough early one morning and woke up with swollen eyes. After a few hours I felt even worse, I was really pale and did not seem "myself" according to my co-workers. The next day I woke up and just knew that I was worse-for-wear, I could barely get out of bed. I knew I was getting a fever, I started sweating really badly but I was freezing. My head felt like it was in a vice and I was so nauseous that I couldn't take any tylenol or motrin. I went to the doctor and he said that my temp was low-grade (100.0) for the flu, but that my symptoms were pretty concurrent with the flu, so he perscribed tamiflu. I took one dose and threw it up, it made me so sick to my stomach it was worse than the rest of the symptoms. I called my doctor and he told me to stop taking it and just hydrate and watch out for pneumonia symptoms. The rest of that night I seriously felt like I was dying, but the next day I woke up and was 40% better. The next day I felt 80% better. I recovered pretty quickly.

—Guest reese

Horrible

The flu was one of the worst sicknesses I have ever had. I was hospitalized with pneumonia in my past, and I'd much rather have that than the flu! My body hurt so much I felt like I got hit by a semi truck. I was ready to ask to be taken to the hospital.

—Guest Mandee

Mostly a cough...

On Monday around noon, I started getting a little tickle cough and it got worse as the day went on, Tuesday I felt ok, but the cough was getting worse, I left at noon went home and slept for 4 hours. When I woke up, I had a low grade fever 99 but felt much better. Wednesday morning I woke up with a really bad cough and because of my history with pneumonia I wanted to make sure it didn't go that direction, so I went to the Dr. They tested me for the flu and it was positive. In the office I started getting achy and very anxious, I guess that was just the onset of the flu symptoms. The Dr gave me a script for Tamiflu, which i filled on the way home. I now have major body aches, headache and am overall uncomfortable. Nose is runny now as well, and i have a few sneezes every now and again. I'm hoping I got the Tamiflu early enough that I will be better soon, Dr said about 5 more days left probably of symptoms.

—Guest Shelby

Feels like I had rocks thrown at me

Usually of a good health, it is uncommon for me to get sick, but this time I had it coming. My sister came down with a fever, shackling cough and was rendered no more than a little helpless smurf wearing her blue hoodie. I went to see her to take care of her and spent too much time near her...two days later, I'm at the gym minding my own business, working out hard, eating little etc..when I crashed. I got home with my hubby and started feeling the infamous overall malaise. The next night, I start feeling realistic ghost-like needle pokes on my legs, coming out of nowhere, so painful and intense I was howling from the living room. Then as I climbed into bed, I started shivering abruptly and proceeded to sleep a mere 5 hours, waking up every 50 minutes like clockwork to pee, blow my snot and attempt to sleep again. I'm still in the process, and to make matters worse, as a result of my weightlifting workout, I'm very sore all over....

—Guest Kiwi

Not Exactly the Life of the Party

I think I had the flu once, I was on my own and in bed all day, never felt worse. I had paid for a ticket for a party and was determined to go (stupid I know) I spent the night sat in a corner speaking to no one, terrible. The strange thing is it had completely disappeared the next morning, is that possible?

—Guest Stevie

My Flu Experience

One evening I noticed I had a little bit of a sore throat. I had a cough drop and thought nothing of it. The next morning, I woke up, before my alarm (which never happens) freezing cold and feeling quite simply, worse than I have ever felt in my entire life. I took my temp and I was at 103.9. I had to crawl just to get to the bathroom. I'm a single mom, and I had to try and care for my 4 year old. She ended up taking care of me. It took two days of Ibuprofen before I could walk far enough to my car, so I could drive the 4 blocks to the hospital. The doctor did a flu test by sticking a cotton swab on a very long stick up my nose. (NOT pleasant) When it came back positive, they sent me home with Tamiflu. Took a couple of days, but I got better quicker than I expected. The worst parts were the fever induced hallucinations, sever muscle pain, skin pain. I also took two 4 hour naps each day and slept 10 hours a night. I never want to have the flu again!

—Guest Stephanie

My WORST Flu Experience

One night, after moving to a new city with a new baby, said baby and I were going to a party at my husband's new office. His work was 45 minutes away at the time (!!), and this would be my first time meeting all of his co-workers. On the long drive over, my baby started throwing up in the back seat, having shown no signs of illness when we first entered the car. An hour later, at the party, I became ill so suddenly that I had to throw up in a trash can and leave immediately! That night, I ended up sleeping with my baby (so I could nurse without getting up), topless (shirt got dirty), both of us sick all night. In the morning, there was a knock at the door. I thought my husband had gotten locked out, and could see him looking through the window on the door. I walked across the room in only my panties, vomit still in my hair, to discover that it was not him, but a client of his stopping by! The only up-side to this whole story? I lost the rest of my baby weight that night!

—Guest Elizabeth

Fever & hallucinations

I rarely get fevers. I can be very sick but my temperature is normal. But for me, fever is the hallmark of the flu. When I get a fever, I have "out of body" experiences where I imagine that I'm talking to someone who isn't there or I can see myself floating above my body. When I'm getting sick, I usually feel intense anxiety, but once I get to that feverish state, it's kind of a zen experience (or would be, if I could stay awake! Intense fatigue is another symptom.)

—Guest Susan

Changed Sense of Taste and Smell

I had type A Victoria influenza in the mid-1970's when I was in high school. I had fever, body aches, and sore throat. But what was really scary was that it changed my sense of taste and smell for over a year. This is not uncommon. Chocolate was just chalky and tasteless, and meat smelled like burnt feathers. As I enjoy savoring my food, I would not like to go through that again. In some cases, people never recover their sense of taste and smell.

—Guest WB

My Flu Story

A few years ago I got the flu. I had fever of 102, and the fever came on suddenly. I developed a dry cough 24 hours before the fever. My headache was so bad I had to put cold ice packs on my neck, and my shoulder muscles, especially the right side hurt so badly I could hardly move. I was in bed for 5 days. In the middle of it all, I developed a middle ear infection and had to be treated for that as well. It was 5 days of misery, but it took a week or so to fully recover. Many people say that they have the "flu" when they really have a bad cold. After this experience I can say I truly know the difference between the flu and a cold. Oh, and the day my cough developed (and before I realized I had the flu), I shared a bottle of water with my daughter....she came down with the flu a day after I did.

—Guest Kadie

A Week "Vacation" from Work

The last horrible flu experience I had was 25 years ago, and it was really miserable. I could barely get out of bed, and my children were too young to fend for themselves. Luckily, my friend took them under her wing for the entire week I was ill. I missed a week of work, and when I returned I was so weak. The onset of that flu was so sudden--I was at a banquet, a work function; one minute I felt fine; the next minute I felt like I was dying.

—Guest Jean

Body Aches

Last time I had the flu, the worst symptom for me were the body aches. I had a fever, coughing, and so on, but I ached so badly I could hardly get out of bed. This symptom is really bad when you live alone! Thank goodness for a family member who brought me a care package of food and left it on the stoop!

—Guest Connie G.

Is It Weird?

Is it weird that I'm not sure if I've ever really had the flu? I always thought the "flu" was about vomiting. I recently read somewhere (maybe here?) that what is commonly referred to as the "stomach flu" isn't really the flu at all. My worst bouts of illness have always been with severe vomiting. I am not one to go to the doctor unless absolutely necessary, so without a proper diagnosis, I don't know if there's any way I can be sure whether or not I've had the flu.

—Guest Natalie

Leg pain

My son recently had the flu. He spent a week on the couch which was so uncharacteristic of him. The scariest symptom was that for two days his legs hurt so bad he couldn't walk. We were relieved when he was finally back to his old self.

—Guest alice

Flu

I had the flu shot, so yeah for me, I didn't get it! But, my 4 year old grandson wasn't so lucky. I felt his head and I knew he had a high temp. I gave him Motrin and told his mom she needed to take him to the Dr. His Dr. did the test and it was the flu. He didn't have insurance and Tamiflu is 100.00. The Dr. had some samples and gave us a full round. With Tamiflu you have to start them within a certain number of hours from getting sick, we just made it. The Dr. gave him one at the office and then we continued for 5 days. It was wonderful. He started feeling better, fever went away and he wanted to eat!

—Guest Terri