I think I do… my partner got ill first and she is still not totally better yet but is on the mend, while i am coming down with it. I have not been feeling good since i was sick that night (was it 3 weeks ago?) and have had the occasional night of feeling sick again but luckily not actually being sick. This past week it seemed to be getting worse not better and i was off my food, had a runny nose and was more achy. I did not feel well and knew something was up. Now i am proper ill with sweating (temperature), very sore throat, cough, aches, generally feeling weak and dizzy etc.
I had the flu jab for normal flu a few weeks ago so i reckon it must be swine flu, unless it is just another random virus. It is not a cold though and my partner has been really ill with it and she usually just works on through a cold. This time she has had several days off work. Not even working at home – literally lying in bed unable to do much at all. I worry how i will be tomorrow as today was not fun but i don’t think the worst has really hit yet – I managed a bath this afternoon with that in mind (do it while i am able) and don’t feel too bad right now after a sleep this afternoon. We shall see.
I am a little concerned about how long i have been feeling ill for. I feel that i have been under viral attack for quite some time now without a break. My lymph nodes in my groin area are very lumpy. I noticed them about 3 months ago as they were quite sore. I have never noticed them being lumpy “down there” before, only in my neck, so i went to the doctors. After the first try (we have no time to look at them now, said the doctor) i went back 3 weeks later and someone had a feel of them. They said i need blood tests done (full blood count and ESR) but that won’t happen until 18th December as there were no appointments due to swine flu – this was a couple of weeks ago, so another 3 week wait for that. I wonder how having this virus will affect the blood test results and if it is worth getting it done when i am ill in another way. They will probably just show i have a virus and tell me to come back to repeat the tests in x amount of time. Maybe i will have recovered by end of next week. Maybe pigs will fly!
I considered getting Tamiflu, but i decided not to bother. It seems that is doesn’t make a huge difference (cuts length of illness by one day?!) and I don’t like taking stuff for no reason. I wish that the doctors would actually look at my blood and see what viruses i am actually fighting, i really feel i have been dragged down this year and that something is going on with my immune system that is very different from the last few years. I was watching a video on YouTube of a talk by Dr Martin Lerner about viral issues in ME/CFS and antiviral treatments that can help people with certain viruses (herpes related) in their systems. (There are 3 linked videos). I hope his research is pursued and we can get tested and to try this kind of thing soon, as the XMRV discovery only adds to this theory of viral factors keeping us ill. It just feels like more could be being done and progress on these ideas and research discoveries is so slow. Life is ticking away here!
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December 12, 2009 at 11:25 am
rachelcreative
Ugh. Sounds like a really rotten few months all in all. Maybe you had a viral thing all this time and now you have swine flu on top?
I know the people who have so far shared their experience with MEA about swine flu said it lasted the normal week or so like with healthy people.
You’re really going through the mill at the moment aren’t you? 😦
December 13, 2009 at 1:16 pm
ashysheela
Thanks rachel, yes, maybe i have more than one thing going on… I hope it is just a week, it is evolving but i still feel rubbish! I think sometimes the wiped out feeling after it is “over” is just as frustrating – i find it drags on and seems more unfair! I am trying not to expect it and see what happens… i MAY bounce back! (back to what, i am not sure!)
December 12, 2009 at 1:39 pm
adam
The toughest thing is when you have pile of stuff wrong with you and there are no answers. That is very hard to take. We know that as we have been getting that this year.
I went for a short time to a so-called specialist in chronic fatigue a few years ago and the best he could come up with was “Lots of questions, lots of questions …” He never answered any of them.
I feel for you and often think of you. Best wishes,
Adam
December 13, 2009 at 1:12 pm
ashysheela
thank you adam for having me in your thoughts, it means a lot.
i think medicine is certainly a science (like all others) with more questions than answers – just maybe they pretend more than the other scientists to know more than they do!
December 13, 2009 at 1:51 am
Rachel M
Tamiflu wouldn’t help if you don’t get it within 48 hours of infection. 😦 Usually, that precious 48 hours is gone by the time you get the test result.
I feel your Primary Care system is not chronic ill friendly and very frustrating… If you are not fit and healthy, you don’t have enough energy and strength to see a doctor properly… (And it reminds me how fortunate I am.)
I’ve talked about trying antiviral treatment with my doctor. But it is just too expensive for me to try as the medicine is not registered with PBS for treating ME/CFS. I agree with you that we need fast research on treatments. So that it will become affordable. The medicines that would help us are already here. It is frustrating that we cannot access them…
To look at the positive side, I’m grateful that you are not in ICU at hospital. Yet, you are suffering badly and I hope you will start feeling better sooner than later.
It would be nice if there is a magic medicine and kill all mysterious virus at once…
December 13, 2009 at 1:10 pm
ashysheela
yes, i considered getting Tamiflu at the start. As far as i am aware you we no longer get tested, you just ring a call centre where they ask about your symtoms, and say yes or no you probably have swine flu – take tamiflu! So seeing as i would not be tested i don’t know if i have it or not. I pretty much had decided not to get the swine flu vaccination, but now i don’t know if i have had it (so no point in getting jab) or if i can cope with another nasty virus right now (so should i get it just in case?). It seems there are endless viruses i cuold catch though so maybe it is pointless to bother!
I am no-where near needing hospital – i feel fairly rough and my symptoms are driving me a little demented but i am not *that* ill – it’s just a bad virus. i am getting out of bed for some time each day so not that different from usual ha ha.
As for antiviral treatment in general, i hope the day comes soon where we can get access to those drugs – i would be willing to try them!