Flu jab

[Deleted]

For the first time ever, I paid to have a flu jab - £7 in Asda thirteen days ago. Unfortunately, it takes up to two weeks for the vaccination to become effective. About two to three days after the jab, I contacted influenza, either on a train to Corby or in Corby itself the next day. It wasn't at all clear at first that I had influenza, rather had just a cold. The disease took its time getting into its stride. By this Thursday, I felt like my head was full of cotton wool. Then the chestiness and coughing took over. Not to say that I didn't also have every flu symptom under the sun, including sore throat, earache (one side at a time), sneezing, runny nose, tickly throat, headache, fevers, aches and pains everywhere (but especially in my hip joints), laryngitis, and dizziness. Yesterday was the worst. Diesel only had three walks, when he is used to having four. It probably did me good to get out and about in the fresh air, as it was really lovely weather still. I started to overcome the flu last night. I remember waking up numerous times, and sometimes my face was burning up, so I assume that the fever had a good effect on the disease, because I was a lot better this morning. My head and throat still hurt from all of the coughing, but I was able to clear my lungs, which was a great relief.

The take-home message is to get a flu jab as soon as possible in the season.

[Joe K]

Sorry to hear that, Kay. For a week, perhaps two, Woman's Hour had a serial about flu, one of those things that combine drama with factual information, and sometimes real life accounts. As annoying as they can be, this was very informative, and it's scary to hear how the virus mutates and even combines with other virus', so that it can hit you again, perhaps worse. And with our ever-increasing population, we're like a petri dish for this stuff.

I got a cough myself, and a bit runny, about a week ago, and just as it seemed to clear up, bam, got a cough all over again. The Strepsils seem to have it licked now.

[Deleted]

Yes, I heard part of that serial. She died in the end. Well, we all do, of course.

I'm still suffering from an cough and amazingly sore throat.

[Joe K]

There's this stuff you can spray in your throat, it's like liquid anaesthetic, Chloraseptic, I think it's called.

My cough is lingering, damn.

[Deleted]

I'm already using anaesthetic lozenges. They help a bit. So do the co-codamol tablets. I saw a doctor at the Eastgate Street Health Access Centre yesterday and he confirmed that it was flu, but I'm not dying and I'll just have to put up with it a while longer.