Viral infection and post viral fatigue

[Serenitie]

Hi All,

For the whole of this month I have been ill with a chest infection and a virus running alongside it. Symptoms ranging from a high temperature, chesty cough, runny nose, alternate chills and profuse sweating, nausea & stomach discomfort and pruritis (skin itching and irritation).

I have taken echinacea and high dose vitamin C for the last 2 weeks to boost my immune system.

These symptoms have now passed, except for the pruritis, but I continue to feel very lethargic and tired. I'm sleeping more than usual but don't feel rested and don't have the same level of motivation and concentration that I usually have.

The absence of symptoms makes me think that the virus and chest infection has passed, but this lingering tiredness is a cause of concern.

Has anyone suffered post viral fatigue? If so how did you recover from it and how long did it take? Did you push through the tiredness or rest until you felt better?

[Annie0904]

I think after a viral infection, feeling so tired is the bodies way of telling you that you need more rest. sometimes as soon as we start to feel a bit better we start back in our usual routine but we still haven't had time for our bodies to fully recover.

[Serenitie]

Thanks, Annie I think that because I've been stuck in a lot due to being ill all month and looking forward to getting out again it's a bit of an anticlimax to be free of symptoms but still feel rubbish! This period of illness has dragged on for so long, I'm keen to be back to full health as soon as possible. I actually had more energy during the period I was ill than I do now

[Kells81]

I've had a cold with a constant blocked up nose for 2 weeks now and it is driving me mad!!
I seem to get colds a lot worse since I stopped going out much, I guess it might be because my immune system has been affected.
I think it is quite normal to still feel quite tired after the bugs have left your system though and hopefully this will pass for you soon.

[Serenitie]

Hi Kells
I've been agoraphobic for almost two years now. I started going out again at the end of last year and making real progress, but seem to pick up every bug going! Maybe our immune system has been effected by not going out often and not being exposed to every day germs?

[Kells81]

I really think it might be that, I'm agoraphobic and haven't been around people apart from my family for about 6 months (as I don't go out).
I went out to some shops with my mum for the first time in ages a few weeks ago and then 3 days later my cold started!! I'm sure I picked it up from being out and suddenly exposed to more germs! Problem is being ill has meant I haven't left the house again for 2 weeks now and I'm worried when I go out again I will catch another cold!!
I'm pretty sure I also got a nasty long cold when I went out to the shops about 6 mths ago as well!
I guess we just need to expose ourselves to all these germs more frequently and hoe our bodies start handling it a bit better. I never use to get colds for this long when I use to go out lots.

[Serenitie]

That makes perfect sense! I never used to catch many colds or bugs, but I used to work and come into contact with hundreds of people each day.

I have had lots of colds and bugs since last year when I started going out again late Autumn. I put it down to the time of year.

Phew! I was really starting to worry about the length of time colds and viruses where staying with me for. But now that it makes more sense, I'm not so worried. Thanks Kells

[Kells81]

No problem at all, hopefully we will both get to the point soon where we go out so much that we just get little colds like everyone else!!

[Serenitie]

Definitely! I hope that your cold eases and you're back out and about soon

[Kells81]

Thank you-I can't remember what it feels like not to have a blocked nose!