Swine flu - please help

[scorpionwhispers]

I know swine flu is meant to be on the sticky post but this is slightly different I think.

I am terrified about catching swine flu since it emerged into the media. I am reading anything and everything about the seemingly healthy victims dying. Instead of thinking it is only one in so many who die, I convince myself that I will be or am that one.

At the moment I had a sore throat yesterday and felt dizzy, I coughed all night it felt like. I have aches and pains. Today I have a bunged up nose and feel like my IBS is flaring. I have a reason to have aches and pains in terms of exercising and walking. I convince myself I am breathless when at the moment I am not. I am so so scared. I want to be positive but I'm really struggling :(

[nomorepanic]

Why not ring the swine flu helpline who should be able to advise.

[suzy-sue]

Take some painkillers and drink plenty of fluid .Get plenty of rest and vit c .Im sure you will be feeling better in a few days You prob just have a cold . It does sound like you are very anxious This will be the reason for the feeling of breathlessness .If you dont feel any better tommorow ring your GP .(If you have flu you will feel worse than you do at the moment ..) Take care ..sue x:hugs:

[jue67]

YOu have rationalised it yourself in the post, you really dont sound like you have it, ive just been thru flu, they no longer tell you what sort of flu you have, just flu, and i was in bed for 4 days and 2 weeks later still feel out of sorts. I am exactly the same as you and i am also concentrating on my breathing still as i have asthma and feel that one of these days its gonna stop me living.
I have now stopped watching the news and avoid swine flu things in the papers as i was getting terribly scared, but my other half has actually said it has not been mentioned onthe news for days.

I hope you feel better soon. xxx

oh and there is no longer a swine flu hotline, you just phone your gp or nhs direct.

many hugs to you.

julie.

[Clairalou]

Try not too worry too much about swine flu it actually isn't as bad as the media make out I've had confirmed swine flu twice once last winter an again in december! It wasn't very nice I was poorly for a few days but I just stayed in bed an took regualr paracetomal an drank loads of water I recovered really well quite quickly I refused the anti virals as i knew I could fight it myself!

Xxx

[macc noodle]

Hi Scorpion Whispers

Sorry :weep: to hear you not feeling well. The other posts echo my thoughts but I just also wanted you to know that you are not alone in being terrified of it - I was manic over Christmas about it and seriously considered not sending my kids back to school. It was a really stressful time.

But, you know what, my father got taken into hospital and I had to visit (nightmare cos really terrified of hospitals ...........) and I did not see swathes of people suffering swine flu and plenty of people were being admitted for their routine ops. So I guess that media hype has got to us all again (although it is quite scary that this virus is targetting different age groups I admit).

So chin up - take the paracetomols, plenty of fluids and try to rest.

:)

[blueangel]

I work for the NHS and last year I was attached to the project that was doing all the preparations for dealing with swine flu, so I picked up lots of information about it. My partner also managed to catch it in November 2009, so I also had first hand experience of seeing someone with the virus.

First of all, DON'T PANIC. Swine flu is still "only" a flu virus (it's not the plague!!), and these are in circulation round the world all the time. It has been rather hyped up in the media as H1N1 is the same strain of flu as caused the "great pandemic" of 1918 which killed hundreds of thousands of people. Also, it behaves in a diffent way to other flu viruses as it affects a different age profile - most of the people affected badly by it are under 50 (but very often they have other health problems which have damaged their immune systems - or they're pregnant).

However, where the media have been very naughty is by highlighting the deaths from swine flu, as actually the number of people who have died of flu-related complications this winter is LESS than in an average winter. It's more newsworthy as it affects younger people - usually the people who die of flu are over 65.

Flu is not a nice illness - it makes you feel very weak and grotty, causes headaches and fever and can in some cases cause complications. The people that die don't actually die of flu, they die of the complications, which is usually pneumonia. The huge majority of people who get swine flu will feel unwell for a while, and then recover.

And the good news is that you can only get H1N1 once, and the scientists are now saying that it seems to give people a super-immunity to other flu viruses!

[countrygirl]

Don't know if this will help by my GP has always said that if you can step out of your front door then you don't have flu - you may have a very bad virus with flu like symptoms but true flu means that you are not capable of doing anything like moving around!! I realise that this might not apply to swine flu as I have heard that it can be mild illness????

There are loads of nasty viruses going around at the moment that give you a terrible cough and bit achy but not the agony of flu ache together with a stomach bug, all designed to completely freak out everyone one this board:mad:

[scorpionwhispers]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I am still feeling yukky in terms of dizziness but I *think* it's a head cold. I am bunged up with a cough and headache.

I really need to stop reading the media reports about Swine Flu but it is almost like an addiction, I have to know what is being said about it in order to figure out how worried I should be!

I hate being ill in this way, anything which makes me feel off balance or 'slower' than normal. I really hope I get over this soon, it may only have been a few days but it feels like so much longer!