# My swine flu experience (by request)



## Emma (Oct 10, 2009)

Ive been asked to post my Swine flu experience here by SocialbFly to tell people about my experience. 

Day One - I woke up feeling a bit rubbish really. I rang the swine flu hotline as I had most of the symptoms. They told me that I did have swine flu and they prescribed Tamiflu. By the afternoon my partner had come down with the same symptoms (we must have caught it at the same time because it takes about 2 days for the symptoms to show) and I was feeling much much worse. I would be burning up and dripping in sweat one minute, then freezing and buried under two quilts the next. I was finding it very hard to breathe, had a terrible headache and couldnt sleep because of weird fever delusions. After taking the Tamiflu I also had the pleasant side effect of nausea and sickness. 

I managed to sleep a little that night I think, but it was mostly weird delusions and waking up every ten minutes. 

Day two - Had pretty much the same symptoms only less extreme. Spent most of this day in bed too. Still couldnt eat, smoke or sleep. Felt a bit better this day. Still hadnt managed to sleep properly. 

Day three - Much better. Still had tight chest, aching muscles, cough, lack of hunger and a bit of sickness. I managed to eat a little bit, not much. Started getting ear ache?! 

As for sleeping, well it was better, I was still having mega weird dreams and at one point I woke up very angry and threw some pillows at things but other than that I slept much better. 

Day four - Today - Ooooo I finally had a smoke without my lungs trying to escape. I also had a slice and a half of toast for breakfast. Im feeling quite a bit better. I still feel a bit run down, but I do feel like Im getting back a bit of normality. Im going to attempt some house work today. 

All in all it has been pretty shitty, something I dont want to go through again, but its probably not the illest Ive ever been, in fact I think last time I had seasonal flu it was worse. The Tamiflu really worked I think. 

Anyone else want to post their experiences?


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## Emma (Oct 10, 2009)

My biggest tip would be to get yourself a 'flu buddy'. We didn't have anyone here to go out and get us painkillers or anything we needed. Luckily someone from niks work went to get us the Tamiflu but other than that anything we ran out of we've had to make do without.


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## SocialbFly (Oct 11, 2009)

I got what i presume was swine flu (many others tested positive with it) from the Vegas Bash. You should know, any gathering like that is going to be a hotbed of passing a virus along (if you are sick, stay home...just saying) 

it started with a sore throat, then it quickly went into headache and BAD body aches...then the cough and diarrhea (yeah, that is a fun combo let me tell ya)...i had a fever for a couple of days then i was ok...i used cold eeze, which is a zinc lozenge and that stuff is the bomb...

total i was sick for a week...but the bad part is, i went back to work, and got exposed again...my doc said i didnt have time to develop antibodies, so i got it again...this time, just fever and sore throat and shortness of breath...i got so short of breath that i had to stop on the way to the bathroom to catch my breath, and it is only maybe 12 feet away...not good...

my advice is to drink so much water you think you may float away, but for some reason, with this flu dehydration is an issue, so drink water until you start peeing a lot, then you can slow down...

the best idea though is to get your flu shot and wash your hands alot...

thank you Em, for starting this thread....


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## CleverBomb (Oct 11, 2009)

SocialbFly said:


> my advice is to drink so much water you think you may float away, but for some reason, with this flu dehydration is an issue, so drink water until you start peeing a lot, then you can slow down...



Regarding hydration: dark-colored urine is an indicator of dehydration. Keep drinking water until it runs clear (and then keep doing so). Sports drinks (Gatorade or the like) are probably a good idea so as to replenish your electrolytes.

-Rusty


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## succubus_dxb (Oct 11, 2009)

I'm so glad for you guys that you were able to stay HOME when you were ill! When I came down with Le Swine, I was shoved into an indonesian government hospital while the 'doctors' swarmed around me looking like bloody astronauts!

Hope everyone is happy and healthy!


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## Jes (Oct 11, 2009)

CleverBomb said:


> Regarding hydration: dark-colored urine is an indicator of dehydration.
> 
> -Rusty



Or, possibly, Tidy Bowl.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Oct 11, 2009)

I think I've got it. 

I've most of what em describes. Today the earache has started. It isn't bad, but every now and then reminds me it is there. It all starts with a sore throat.

I'm very achy. Very coughy. My lungs feel like they have been through a cheese grater and I keep hacking up stuff. I get out of breath easily and when I do, it burns. I sneeze sometimes and my rib cage hurts. 

It's hard to tell though cos it just feels like the flu with a little more aching.

It is too late for me to get tamiflu so I shall be riding this one out. At the first sign of green or yellow phlem though, I am so going to the dr.


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## deepreflection (Oct 11, 2009)

I thought this CDC Flier would be helpful to people who think they may have the H1N1 Virus and aren't sure when to "go to the doctor". Check out the symptoms and the symptoms when urgent action is needed.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/2009-10/pdf/what_to_do_if_you_get_sick.pdf

For those of us who are obese/SS/have chronic conditions other than flu, a bad case of h1n1 will put some serious stress on your system. Do take care.


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## Miss Vickie (Oct 11, 2009)

Great link, deepreflection. 

Sorry to hear you were so sick, Em and Di. It sounds awful. I really hope I don't get it and that the rather draconian visitor guidelines will protect my patients.


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## mpls_girl26 (Oct 20, 2009)

This is also a great chart - http://www.covenanthealth.org/News/CovenantNews/H1N1_VS_Cold

Compares a cold to the flu..give it a look.


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## thatgirl08 (Oct 20, 2009)

I've been feeling very headachey and dizzy the last few days and today I felt a little dull aching in my chest. I didn't really feel like eating much at all today and my leg muscles were sore (no extra excercising or injury or anything) .. anyone know if this could possibly be swine? I tried to contact my doctor to no avail.

Lots of people at school and work have had it. It's really upsetting to me that many people have been coming to class when they are still contagious, with fevers, or when they are pretty sure they are coming down with it. Like seriously, least considerate thing. My soc teacher is sisters with and lives with my philosophy teacher who has been out of school for two weeks with swine.. today I walk into soc and isn't my teacher hacking, has barely any voice and is covered in layers of clothes.. like LET'S USE YOUR BRAIN.. YOU'RE CURRENTLY LIVING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS SWINE FLU.. YOU ARE NOW SICK.. DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL. Jesus.


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## deepreflection (Oct 21, 2009)

thatgirl08 said:


> I've been feeling very headachey and dizzy the last few days and today I felt a little dull aching in my chest. I didn't really feel like eating much at all today and my leg muscles were sore (no extra excercising or injury or anything) .. anyone know if this could possibly be swine?



Watch for fever. It's one of the very best (viral)infection indicators, period. H1N1 is a virus so, you can expect a fever. You can click the PDF I posted a couple down in the thread. It has the symptoms and when you should get worried / on top of it.

Best wishes though. This flu season is stacking up to be miserable in part because everyone is running around scared and talking about how scared they are of the flu. It just sets a tone that everyone picks up on. :-/


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Oct 21, 2009)

I think it is funny that even the flu charts can't agree what the symptoms are, lol.


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## thatgirl08 (Oct 21, 2009)

deepreflection said:


> Watch for fever. It's one of the very best (viral)infection indicators, period. H1N1 is a virus so, you can expect a fever. You can click the PDF I posted a couple down in the thread. It has the symptoms and when you should get worried / on top of it.
> 
> Best wishes though. This flu season is stacking up to be miserable in part because everyone is running around scared and talking about how scared they are of the flu. It just sets a tone that everyone picks up on. :-/



No fever yet but I've had a terrible stomachache and diarrhea (sorry!) all night. Maybe it's just a stomach bug? Thanks for the help though.


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## BubbleButtBabe (Oct 22, 2009)

This I copied from the CDC website.."The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever."

From reading it you can have swine flu without fever..So a fever is no indicator and from what I understand getting the nose swab can not detect which strain of flu it is..


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## thatgirl08 (Oct 22, 2009)

I realized I hadn't taken my medicine in a few days which was likely the cause of the dizziness & headache (withdrawl)

I hope you're feeling better Em!


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## deepreflection (Oct 22, 2009)

I'll add to my list of things to consider-- "Are you on your regular meds?"

It's a dims thread, I should have known to ask in the first place . I'm glad you're "much better now" thatgirl08. :doh:


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## thatgirl08 (Oct 23, 2009)

Haha, it sucks trying to remember something everyday. I get up and go to sleep and eat and do everything at different times everyday so it makes it even more difficult to take on a routine basis.


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## TraciJo67 (Oct 23, 2009)

I don't have the flu, just a very, very nasty case of bronchitis. I feel that my lungs are on fire, and it's difficult to draw a breath (that lovely sensation of haivng daggers in my chest). Question for those who smoke and had swine flu: Was the experience worse in terms of congestion/breathing? I stopped smoking years ago and I still have a very difficult time with colds turning my lungs into soup. When I smoked, I always got bronchitis if I had so much as a sniffle. Nowadays, it's about 50/50. I remember all the hype about how quitting restores health to 100%. And then I remember my father, who quit smoking more than 30 years ago, being diagnosed with COPD anyway and his doctor telling him that the damage he did to his lungs while smoking never actually went away, and never truly heals itself. I have to admit, I fear the same thing for myself. At my worst, I was a 2+ pack a day smoker for more than 15 years.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Oct 23, 2009)

TraciJo67 said:


> I At my worst, I was a 2+ pack a day smoker for more than 15 years.




How do people do that?!?!?!?! I smoke....a little...compared to most. Maybe 5-10 fags a day. If I smoke more than that it makes me feel sick and over smoked. 2 packs is what, 40 smokes? HOW?????? Do you just chain smoke? This is an honest question, I cannot get my head around it. I feel guilty, disgusting and unhealthy smoking the little that I do.

I cannot confirm that I have had swine flu, but I had most of the symptoms. Smoking seems to make me more phlemy. If that makes sense. I cough a bit during the day but when Mike comes home and we light up (yes it is all his fault, lol) I seem to get really hacky.


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## TraciJo67 (Oct 23, 2009)

BigBellySSBBW said:


> How do people do that?!?!?!?! I smoke....a little...compared to most. Maybe 5-10 fags a day. If I smoke more than that it makes me feel sick and over smoked. 2 packs is what, 40 smokes? HOW?????? Do you just chain smoke? This is an honest question, I cannot get my head around it. I feel guilty, disgusting and unhealthy smoking the little that I do.
> 
> I cannot confirm that I have had swine flu, but I had most of the symptoms. Smoking seems to make me more phlemy. If that makes sense. I cough a bit during the day but when Mike comes home and we light up (yes it is all his fault, lol) I seem to get really hacky.



You're right -- it's a LOT. I didn't think so at the time. And yes, it involves chain smoking. Back in the day, hubby and I smoked in our home. Now, I can't even imagine how awful it smelled, since I can detect the whiff of someone else's cigarette from 50 yards away, and outside. I'm very sensitive to it, as a "reformed" ex-smoker, and it makes me feel ill when I'm trapped with it for more than a few seconds. Not to mention, all of the other habits that went along with it: ashtrays overflowing at all times, clothes constantly burned, yellow fingers & teeth, etc. When I was smoking, none of these things bothered me. Now, they seem worse than the smoking itself. 

I quit more than 5 years ago and still struggle to breathe every time I get a cold, far less having it develop into bronchitis. I've been curious about how people who have/had the swine flu while smoking are faring.


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## BeautifulPoeticDisaster (Oct 23, 2009)

TraciJo67 said:


> You're right -- it's a LOT. I didn't think so at the time. And yes, it involves chain smoking. Back in the day, hubby and I smoked in our home. Now, I can't even imagine how awful it smelled, since I can detect the whiff of someone else's cigarette from 50 yards away, and outside. I'm very sensitive to it, as a "reformed" ex-smoker, and it makes me feel ill when I'm trapped with it for more than a few seconds. Not to mention, all of the other habits that went along with it: ashtrays overflowing at all times, clothes constantly burned, yellow fingers & teeth, etc. When I was smoking, none of these things bothered me. Now, they seem worse than the smoking itself.
> 
> I quit more than 5 years ago and still struggle to breathe every time I get a cold, far less having it develop into bronchitis. I've been curious about how people who have/had the swine flu while smoking are faring.



Well to be honest, Em is probably going to be answer this better as she has smoked for far longer than me and probably more than me. I have had to use my inhaler though because of my wind pipes feeling like they are closing due to this illness I still have 2 weeks on.


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## LillyBBBW (Oct 23, 2009)

I think I got a little something while I was in Jersey. I had dry irritated lungs, an earache, felt tired and achy. I spent two whole days just lying in bed trying to keep warm. I've had flu before and this was something like it but comparably mild. I was up and back on the street in two days. I never went to the doctor. I hate that. You force yourself out of bed, wrap yourself in every piece of clothing you own, get on the bus, then the subway, ride for over an hour, pay $20 so the doctor can feel me up and tell me I'm sick? No way. I figured if it got worse I would go in but I just stayed home in bed. If H1N1 is going to kill me I'd rather die at home in bed than on the platform at Park Street Station. Not even sure if that is what I had. Whatever it was it came and went and was easily subdued.


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## Emma (Oct 25, 2009)

BigBellySSBBW said:


> Well to be honest, Em is probably going to be answer this better as she has smoked for far longer than me and probably more than me. I have had to use my inhaler though because of my wind pipes feeling like they are closing due to this illness I still have 2 weeks on.



I was unable to smoke whilst I had swine flu and I've still got the cough going on now. I'm able to smoke though. 

I smoke about 10-15 a day and have smoked for 16 years (omfg!!!)


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## SocialbFly (Nov 28, 2009)

Thank you to those who have posted their experiences. I truly believe it will help others decide if they want to get the vaccine or not...

Thank you again!!!


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