Now I’ve Got Swine Flu – Really
First Person Swine Flu
I have written about swine flu recently from an epidemiological point of view but now, unfortunately, I’m in the position of being able to provide a first person account of the disease as it progresses in my own body.
I’ve been ill for two days, not had a thing to eat, and the symptoms showed no signs of easing up. Then the sore throat and cough started up, adding to the intestinal discomfort. Temperature still fluctuating, so it was time to call the GP. Linda phoned in for me, but could only speak to the nurse and they made an appointment, if you call it that, for a doctor to call back and talk to me which they did a few hours later. After a question and answer session which I was really not able to cope with very well, she decided I needed Tamiflu which is being sent out to chemists, not on prescription but as part of the emergency preparations for the swine flu pandemic, or any other flu pandemic for that matter such as avian flu ( H5N1) which is also on it’s way perhaps, but was suddenly overtaken by the swine flu A H1N1 virus, first reported in Mexico.
Swine Flu In London
So anyway, after some fussing over which was the nearest chenist and whether they had stocks yet, Linda went out to get the tamiflu. Apparently there was a queue of people there, all for the same purpose, so this gives an idea of how widely the swine flu has spread around London now. No hype, it’s here amongst us and multiplying fast despite it being high summer in England now.
Tom Reynolds, the London ambulance driver reports that ambulance call outs have increased dramatically:
Our call rate has gone from the normal 4,200-4,500 calls per day to around 5,200-5,700 in the last few days. This is an increase of around 26% Rather obviously this is having us run ragged.
The tamiflu arrived and I’ve taken one tablet so far as well as some rehydrating fluid. It’s too early to expect anything positive but adding nausea to the symptoms was most unwelcome. Unpleasant as this is, not to mention extremely inconvenient (we were due to go out to the theatre tonight) it’s generally less severe than ‘normal’ seasonal flu. Not the headcolds that some people call ‘flu but influenza.
Thanks to the people who sent well wishes via twitter and facebook etc, and for suggesting I might as well write about it – it’s a useful distraction in between times. For those concerned about Linda, she’s not 100% but doesn’t seem to have gone down with the swine flu, which the doctor said would usually be both at the same time, but there’s some evidence that people who had Spanish Flu in the 1967 epidemic have some residual immunity.
PS: The Symptoms of Swine Flu
People might need to know so here are the symptoms in order of appearance in my case – for others it may be different. Look away now if you don’t want read it.
- Diarrhea
- Stomach pain
- Fever – high temperature
- Total loss of appetite
- sore throat, mild head cold symptoms
- tickly cough with phlegm
- weakness
- nausia
The only one missing is muscular aches and pains I think.
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Andy Roberts is a writer who initiated DARnet. Catch me on 
Get well soon! And thanks for writing about it–much appreciated
Total loss of appetite? Last time I wished I had that we got c diff when Moz had to visit outpatients at the Morth Middlesex because of an asthma attack. He was only there an hour, nebuliser and pill, which he drank with water from a disposable cup, and he got the very bad tum bug and we all got it. It was so infectious two households got it, he wasn’t staying with me then, and one re-infected others when they’d had it. Took ages to go and was very nasty. I decided not to wish for illness to take my appetite after that.
I hope your symptoms are fading now with the tamiflu. And that Linda doesn’t get it. Presumably she wasn’t going to as it sounds as if the tamiflu was too late to prevent it if it was going for her too.
It sounds much more prevalent than is being reported.
Geez Andy
Wishing you a speedy back to good health.
Yes funny story and I have read a few others like it where people have written about it then contracted it.
Same happened to me, my story is here http://www.ivegotswineflue.com/
Andy that’s really helpful – I now understand why I spent all Sunday in bed, and have worked my way through all the symptoms (but not necessarily in the same order!) – I think I may have been “touched by the trotter”
Day 7 of Swine Flu and I’m starting to feel a bit better.
With only one more Tamiflu tablet left to take, I’m waiting for a doctor to ring again to discuss whether I need to take a further course of it. I started tentatively eating food again on Wednesday and my appetite has returned, so that’s one symptom gone. Cough sounds worse than it feels and I’m hoping it doesn’t spread down deeper into my lungs. Energy and vitality levels are on the up, temperature returning mostly to normal. Digestive system is slowly cranking into gear, I think.
Thanks again for all the best wishes here and everywhere
So my next post will be about broadband dongles.
Hi…….
I am now on day 7 with swine flu and although I have felt nauseous I havent been sick. My appetite throughout the week has been very poor but have managed to eat the odd thing. The worst thing I’ve endured is the agonising random stabbing pains throughout my whole body… so bad at times I wanted to die, or indeed, certainly thought I was!! I have had no sniffles or sore throat but do have a dry throaty cough which surprises me that it’s not chesty because when I lay down I can hear it cackling and do have a slight wheeze. My husband and children have been in the house with me the whole time as I have been too ill to care for my children and my husbands has had to do everything. Up to presesnt (fingers tightly crossed) no one else in my home has it although my husband has had a sore throat and chesty cough. He told me however, that this was no worse than a bad cold so just as a precaution he has been prescribed with Tamiflu and so have my children. For the last couple of days I have started to improve and today has been my first free ‘Tamiflu Day’. However, I feel as though it is returning and need another course.
I wish you a speedy recovery.
Amanda x
My boyfriend was diagnosed with swine flu this weekend. He was ill for the last week with cold and flu like symptoms but not very high temperature and we were laughing at him, saying that “he had a swine flu”. Imagine how bad I felt when it turned out that he really did have it…
Getting tamiflu was not easy, never mind what they tell you on TV. I really had to fight for it. NHS attitude was if you can survive it without- then do so. But my partner was ill for a week already and showed no signs of getting better, so I insisted. On Sunday I was in the shop and I just felt like I was going to pass out. My head hurt, my body felt strange, I felt sick and dizzy. I called my GP who told me I probably had a cold but not to come to the surgery for the next seven days and basically get a friend to look after me. I wonder what planet these doctors are living on? Does she really think that any friend I have will abandon their own kids and family and come to look after a person with a swine flu?
The illness itself is very strange as one hour I feel like I am getting better and then I feel that it is back to where it was or worse. It is scary when it happens but then i feel better again. Also neither if us had a high temperature, it just went up and down. I asked for something to be given to my son as a prevention but I was told to wait until he gets sick. What a lovely proposition! Also now with both of us ill, I wonder who will go and collect the next batch of tamiflu from a hospital five miles away and not near the underground station. The cat, perhaps?
Hi Andy – sorry to hear you’ve been ill. I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery. The positive side to this is that now you’ve had it, presumably you won’t catch it again, especially if the second strain is worse! Then again, do we know if one bout of Swine ‘Flu makes you immune to it?
i think iv got swine flu because iv got diarrhoea or upset stomach headache and aching joints and i dno if this is swine flu where do yooh need go if i have got it please help me
do you have fever? They say that youcan’t have swine flu if you don’t have fiever, although I am not sure if it is the case.If you do, you need to call you GP and get some advice.
HI guys was floored by the dreaded Swine Flu on Tues took my Tamiflu as soon as I got it and slept till wed still really sore and cough sou nds as if I’m going to die chest soung all blocked and wheezy my hubby and daughter are ok thankfully so just me affected. Got a call from my place of work’s occ health dept and they don”t expect me back before tues coming and GP said to call on mon I am in Scotland and was diagnosed over the phone . Hope all who have it get well soon
I know exactly how you feel, I have swine flu, got my results today, tested two days ago, I have never felt so bad in my life, my nose don’t stop leaking, it’s running constantly. And I can’t fall asleep, because I sweat too much, its hell. Protect yourselves avoid public places, and massive crowds of people. I’m in South Africa
I’m surprised the aches and pains didn’t accompany the high fever. Is that a normal occurrence with other swine flu victims? And are you glad you got the Tamiflu? Don’t really hear much from people who have gotten that medicine.
Hi Andy1 I hope that you feel better very soon! I really do appreciate your help at keeping us in the loop with this. Take a great care of yourself.
Wafae
day 7
I have been having the full monty of symptoms for the past week. Thought that it was just a heavy cold at first. Till the fever and aches hit hard. Husband been in scotland as he has elderly parent taken ill. had to leave the back door open 24hours a day for the three dogs, and barely have the energy to get up and feed them. just when you feel its waning, comes back to strike you again. haven’t bothered with tamiflu, coping with lemsip and such like. this is a pretty rough ride. wish everyone else who is down with it, get well soon.its really not nice, bit concerned as i am asthmatic hoping it doesnt develop into chest problems.
Get well soon!! We are out here to help and support you in any kind of help for curing swine flu.
Get well!
On a different tone:
I think that the real solution is to combat H1N1 by greatly expediting the public health agencies operations of the microbiology, virology, and immunology laboratories. Please have a look at STAR LIMS approach towards combating H1N1
Maybe there’s nothing you can do to fight your neighborhood’s version of Clark Griswold, but with a little luck, maybe your local health agency is mounting a serious informatics response to your own local H1N1 epidemic.
Great article – I always wonder what happened to Swine Flu – I can’t help but wonder if they made it seem extreme to help sell stocks of tamiflu that were left over.