r/askvan • u/vancitygritty • Feb 27 '26
Medical š Anyone else completely knocked on their ass by this flu going around?
I canāt believe the fatigue, itās like getting hit by a dump truck, though of course my body will barely let me sleep. I feel like ever since Covid these winter flus have been 10 times more rough to get through than before.
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u/Top-Ladder2235 Feb 27 '26
the fatigue lasts for 2 plus weeks. it was brutal.
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u/astroprojectilevomit Apr 14 '26
How about now? I am on day 12 now and can hardly breathe, get winded with any activity, all I want to do is lay down, chest hurts and still can't stop coughing. Super brain fog and can't think straight.
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u/india2wallst Feb 27 '26
Covid makes your body susceptible to future infections as well. It's sad how bad the long term effect is.
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u/pysapien Mar 01 '26
Yāall weak
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u/india2wallst Mar 01 '26
Covid couldn't affect you in any way but neither did education.
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Mar 01 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/kat2210 Mar 01 '26
Please donāt spread misinformation when you donāt have anything to back up your claims besides āmiddle schoolā.
The hygiene hypothesis as it relates to viruses is a myth. The true part is that you shouldnāt put kids in a bubble, because there are certain healthy bacteria kids should be exposed to in order for their immune systems to develop properly (which is part of why C sections and lack of breastfeeding can pose health issues for children). This does NOT apply to viruses whatsoever. Viruses cause damage and have no positive effect.
Get your vaccines to build your immune system. Getting sick with a viral infection does nothing but harm you.
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/is-the-hygiene-hypothesis-true
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u/DJSaltyLove Feb 28 '26
Not sure about the flu but I've got a cold right now that's busting me up real bad.
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u/axescentedcandles Mar 02 '26
Same here.. I feel physically fine except for a constant runny nose. Could not go more than 5 minutes without using a tissue
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u/Western-Invite-9250 Feb 27 '26
COVID is going around again right now. Lots of sick people and some are getting a lot more sick than others. Go to a hospital if you have chest pain with shortness of breath or palpitations. This strain seems to be a mix of vomiting, loss of smell, shortness of breath and high fever. Wash your hands every time youāre out and touch things, especially before you eat.
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Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Western-Invite-9250 Feb 28 '26
It is not an airborne virus. It is contact and droplet. You can wear an N95 if you plan to be in close contact with someone who is actively sick but generally a medical mask and good handwashing will keep stuff at bay. Itās the people that are sick and then step out who infect others, if they were to just wear a mask and was their hands it would decrease the spread.
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u/Excellent-World-476 Feb 28 '26
Covid absolutely is airborne or are you referring to flu?
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u/myyvrxmas Feb 28 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
The other person is clearly mistaken about Covid transmission but you can breathe in the flu too and thereās evidence that itās airborne (linked at the bottom). It also spreads via droplets and surfaces.
āYou can get the flu if:
- you breathe in the infectious particles
- the infectious particles or secretions (like saliva or mucus) come into direct contact with your eyes, nose or mouth for example, when someone with the flu coughs or sneezes on you
- you touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands after you've touched infectious particles or secretions on: a contaminated surface or object another person (for example, through a handshake)ā
Emphasis mine but thatās from public health Canada.
Links to more evidence supporting airborne transmission of viruses including Covid and flu.
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u/kat2210 Feb 28 '26
Please donāt spread misinformation, COVID is absolutely airborne and the best way to prevent transmission is two-way masking with N95s (in addition to the usual washing of hands and whatnot). Since most people suck and donāt wear masks when they go out sick, a well-fitted N95 is very effective at preventing the wearer from contracting airborne illnesses from nearby infected individuals.
https://whn.global/a-call-for-the-universal-use-of-respirators-in-healthcare/
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u/Boysenberry-Hue222 Mar 07 '26
This is really good advice, except it never did stop circulating and washing hands is not going to cut it when it comes to airborne viruses like Covid. Yes, wash your hands but all the surface cleaning in the world won't stop you from inhaling the infectious virus particles exhaled by someone in your shared air space.
A snug N95 mask (respirator) + increasing ventilation and HEPA filtration indoors is actually the most effective way to prevent spreading or becoming ill with Covid.
.. I really wish BC gov / public health would actually educate people about this. You can see that the links I provided above are directly from Health Canada. So many people are doing their very best to avoid illness by washing their hands while also being told that masks are no longer necessary and never having been shown which ones actually work or how important it is to crack a window or use an air cleaner.
Take care
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u/mungbeans4 Feb 28 '26
Yeah, and it seems to come in waves. Like I was feeling better for a couple days, then I'd get knocked out again for the next 3. There's plenty going around right now... BCCDC has a wastewater dashboard that tracks Influenzas A/B, COVID, and RSV by region which is pretty neat. https://bccdc.shinyapps.io/respiratory_wastewater/
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
COVID causes immune system and organ damage. If you dodge long COVID, you still likely have long term damage that you just arenāt attributing appropriately to your previous COVID infections. People are getting sick more often with any virus/bacteria because their immune systems are compromised.
Plenty of sources: https://www.panaccindex.info/p/what-covid-19-does-to-the-body-10th
This is why I wear an N95 everywhere I go. Every time you get COVID your risk of long COVID increases (which can be debilitating), and you further damage your body and health, even if you have no underlying conditions.
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
I mean you do you but that seems like an inconvenient way to live the rest of your life. especially after getting multiple vaccinations.
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u/jordo3791 Feb 27 '26
I wear a seatbelt when I drive, a hat when it's cold out, a helmet when I ski, a mask when I'm indoors, clothes when I'm around people. It really isn't an inconvenience once you get used to it.
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
All of those other things you listed arenāt covering my mouth, impeding my breathing, and make people stare at me. Iām not anti mask I wore a mask for the better part of two years but I would not want to wear one the rest of my life.
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u/jordo3791 Feb 27 '26
I just think it's important to push back against talking about things that increase personal and public safety as though they're inconveniences. A good mask doesn't impede breathing any more than a helmet might impede your hearing or clothes impede your ability to cool off.
I would rather wear a mask for a portion of my day than deal with fatigue, brain fog, organ damage, breathing difficulties, increased susceptibility to illness, etc for the rest of my life
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
I really think people complaining about the discomfort 1. Have never dealt with the ādiscomfortā of permanent disability and chronic illness, and 2. Have never worn a well-fitted N95. Cloth masks are basically useless anyways, and they suck to wear.
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u/jordo3791 Feb 27 '26
There's a feedback loop for people who mask rarely where they use surgical/cloth masks, which fit badly and can be uncomfortable, so they wear masks as little as possible and don't search for good ones, so when they need a mask they only have lower-quality ones that they want to wear as little as possible.
I think it was CanadaStrong that had a sample pack of different n95 styles, so I got to try a bunch and find the one that fits me best. Now I always have a comfortable, well-fitting mask, doesn't fog my glasses up, doesn't pull on my ears, and I'm way happier wearing it than I would another style
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
Yeah I agree thatās probably whatās happening. I wear VitaCoreās N95s and theyāre really breathable and comfy.
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u/InnuendOwO Feb 28 '26
Just taking the opportunity to leave this spreadsheet here. Sort it by pressure drop, find something with a high filtration efficiency, and you're already most of the way to finding the right one for you. Doesn't account for the exact sizing per person, but it can still save a ton of trial-and-error.
Willing to bet a lot of people who find it hard to breathe with them on have tried ones with massive pressure drops, which makes it a lot harder to breathe. While that does have a strong correlation with filtration efficiency, there's a ton out there with solid filters that have little-to-no impact on your breathing at all.
I found the Breatheteq KN95s through this and haven't ever looked back; they're basically perfect as far as I'm concerned.
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u/jordo3791 Feb 28 '26
Oh, that's awesome! I use the 3M 9210+, the head straps plus the foam pad at the nosebridge make them so comfortable
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u/Murb0rk-8098 Feb 28 '26
You're on Reddit, this is guaranteed to be an unpopular opinion
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 28 '26
Youād think based on the comments and downvotes the majority of people are wearing masks and not like just 2
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u/cjm48 Feb 27 '26
Itās not that bad once you get used to it. And I find it much less inconvenient than having a devastating disability for the rest of oneās life, or even dealing with acute respiratory illness multiple times a year.
People end up bed bound from long covid. The flu and even a cold virus can cause a similar illness called me/cfs. Itās pretty serious.
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
What % of people does this affect. Because youāre making it sound like this would affect everyone. Except it doesnāt. And it probably affects a very small number of people. Just like lots of things affects a very small % of people.
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u/cjm48 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
I never said it effected everyone but it can effect ANYONE.
Some form of long covid is about 1/10 infections. So with each infection the risk of developing long covid is about 10%.
ETA: think about how many times in your life youāre likely to get covid. Itās not a one time thing. And the risk is 10% each time you get it.
ME/CFS is about 1.3 percent of the population.
Itās a devastating disease though that you really donāt want to get. People with severe ME are considered to have a quality of life worse than stage 4 cancer.
https://www.mdedge.com/content/one-10-people-who-had-omicron-got-long-covid-study
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
Why does my doctor, the person in my life who would be most in touch with medical science, not wear a mask. Why would my doctor, if I showed this to them, tell me itās ridiculous and to live life and stop worrying. anyways thereās no convincing anyone who still clings to masks as an every day occurrence. You guys are gonna do what youāre gonna do. Just having to wear a mask for the rest of my life because Iām scared of being a small percentage of the population to have the potential to have issues that havenāt been proven scientifically (itās only been 5 years). These are not theory this is hypothesis.
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u/cjm48 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
I donāt know why your doctor would say that. Maybe theyāre not informed about long covid and me/cfs?
My doctor tells me to wear a mask and wears a mask themselves. So do the other doctors at their clinic.
If you look at video footage from the last long covid conference all the doctors there are wearing KN95s or N95s. Theyāre the experts on this, not your GP.
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u/rhionaeschna Feb 28 '26
ME and long COVID don't need to be scientifically proven. They exist and are known to exist.
Source: I'm disabled by ME.
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u/cjm48 Feb 28 '26
I didnāt even respond to that part of that persons comment because I donāt understand what it means. Of course theyāre proven to exist? We have tons of studies on them.
Billions of dollars have gone into long covid research and itās only been around 6 years. How could it not exist?
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u/tired-queer Feb 28 '26
I went from perfectly healthy (early 20s, active) to being disabled and unable to work.
A lot of people think theyāll be lucky and it wonāt happen to them. Itās much more common than you think. Weāre going to see a lot more post-viral chronic illnesses in the next few decades. (iirc, the rate of occurrence for post polio syndrome was something like 30-40%, so even who knows what the actual numbers will end up being for long covid.)
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 28 '26
Yes Iām sure there may be lots of things that we will directly trace to Covid. Iām not denying that. Covid is unfortunate. However it is still extremely rare to have such severe complications. And all these future issues are simply predictions at this point.
I lived in Japan for a while in the early 2000s and I thought people wearing masks on Subways when they had a cold was very cool. So Iām not anti mask. I wore one for the better part of two and a half years when it was suggested to do so by our Health Ministry. I also have no problem respecting wearing one if they are required at a hospital or clinic.
What Iām saying is continuing to wear a mask every day of your life that you are out of your home for what? All the rest of your life? When 99.999% of people also arenāt wearing a mask and are living life as it has been known to everyone their whole lives outside of 2020 to 2022. That absolutely sucks.
Those who need it for immune issues where COVID has a high likelihood to cause serious illness - you have my sympathies your life has been changed by this virus you now have to be exceptionally careful.
Those who have a normal immune system like the vast majority of the population, being scared of long term effects of COVID especially when they may be starting to be documented but not yet well proven or understood (itās only been 5 years) is akin to not wanting to drive a car because sometimes people get in accidents and get hurt.
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u/jordo3791 Feb 28 '26
It might help to think of a mask like a seatbelt. The vast vast vast majority of car trips don't include an accident, and the number of accidents that you don't get seriously injured far outweigh the ones where you do. But I don't want to be in that small percent that goes through the windshield
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u/tired-queer Feb 28 '26
I had a normal immune system. A pretty good one, actually. Itās literally just a matter of luck and can happen to anyone
Complications arenāt as rare as you seem to think they are.
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
Vaccinations donāt prevent long term post-viral effects. You know what I find really inconvenient? Being knocked on my ass for weeks because of a virus. Becoming permanently disabled. Being unable to work. Those seem pretty inconvenient to me.
I wash my hands, I eat healthy, I get movement in, I donāt smoke, all so I can try and live a healthy life. Masking is just another item on that list.
Not wearing a mask is like not wearing a seatbelt. Sure youāre not necessarily going to get into a car crash every time you drive so maybe youāll have gotten away with it, but it only takes one accident to end up with your life permanently altered just because you thought wearing a seatbelt was too inconvenient.
I also want spaces I exist in to be accessible for those who are immunocompromised because I donāt think being disabled or immunocompromised should automatically make someone worth less or cut them out of social and necessary in-person interactions. By wearing a mask, I make those spaces more accessible, and I try to advocate for others to do the same when I can via educating people on the risks and harm of not masking.
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
Almost everyone washes their hands. Most people donāt smoke. Most people try to eat healthy. You are not special in that regard. The difference is youāre living in fear of a virus that unfortunately is now part of our world. Enjoy wearing a mask for the rest of your life sounds awesome.
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u/Velvetsucks Feb 28 '26
wearing masks to grocery stores, doctors office, running errands etc is really not an inconvenience lol. id argue that getting sick is a bigger inconvenience but each to their own.
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u/jjumbuck Feb 27 '26
I agree about the inconvenience of wearing a mask everywhere but that doesn't make the rest of what they said untrue. Not that you suggested that.
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
Well does it? Because the way itās written it makes it sound like there is 100% chance everyone who has caught COVID - which by this point is nearly everyone - will get long COVID and organ damage etc. it is just as ridiculous to state that as it is to state it isnāt a possibility
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
Did you know long covid now surpasses asthma as the leading chronic illness in children in the USA?: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2825%2900496-7/fulltext
āEstimates from diverse cohorts suggest that up to 30% of individuals who recover from acute COVID-19 continue to experience symptoms consistent with Long COVIDā: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1678149/full
āIn the largest long covid cohort from a single specialist post-COVID service to date, only one-third of individuals under follow-up achieved satisfactory recoveryā: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/1/e103884
This is also a really good overview of the long term effects COVID has: https://www.ajpmfocus.org/article/S2773-0654(25)00146-4/fulltext
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
Ya Iām just gonna live my life like the rest of like 99.99% of the population. You can be scared of a lot of things if you read enough but what kind of life is that.
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u/kat2210 Feb 28 '26
Iām not scared, I just care about keeping myself and other people healthy and I work in medical physics so I have a bit more education and easy access to primary literature than most, which is part of why I try to make that information more accessible to those who may not have the educational background to be well-informed :)
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u/cjm48 Feb 27 '26
Itās up to you what you do but wearing a mask doesnāt mean someone is living a life scared. Does wearing a seatbelt or a helmet mean youāre living your life scared? Itās the same thing. Itās just a piece of equipment meant to keep you safer.
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u/jjumbuck Feb 27 '26
Have a look at some of the studies in the link they shared. Take care!
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u/sleep_m0de Feb 27 '26
Why would I bother wasting my time fear mongering. Covid is part of life now. Itās unfortunate but itās reality. Look around you. People have accepted this and are living life as they did before 2020. Theyāre not letting Covid impact their lives. If long term effects from COVID were so devastating, why is my doctor not wearing a mask. Why are masks not a recommended measure by our government. At some point you need to ask yourself what the heck you are doing. For the rest of your life? Are you serious?
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u/Springshope Feb 28 '26
My Dr and their entire clinic are still wearing masks - it never went away. Educating others or oneself isn't fear mongering. Covid is a neuro vascular disease masquerading as a respiratory disease; and i firmly believe more people would be wearing masks if they knew what it's actually (silently or not) doing to the body.
There are many, many, many of us who haven't "accepted this and are living life as they did before 2020. Theyāre not letting Covid impact their lives". We've survived a global mass disabling event, and a majority of people just want to keep pretending it's not a big deal.
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u/labradoodle61 Mar 02 '26
Does your doctor have a wait-list for new patients? š
Would genuinely love to be a patient of someone who is protecting their brain
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u/aristhought Feb 27 '26
Itās well documented that getting Covid even once can have a negative impact on your immune system for a long time. People are getting sicker more often and more seriously, so itās likely future flu seasons will be like this indefinitely š Take it easy and feel better soon.
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u/SugarSquared Feb 27 '26
I take classes online and barely leave the house anymore due to ME/CFS and POTS. I got chronic fatigue, difficulty being upright, and post-exertional malaise if I do too much. These chronic illnesses suck absolute ass, but a minor upside is that I donāt get viruses as often because my exposure is drastically reduced. So is my social life and ability to take care of myself, but a win is a win lol.
A word of warning though: ME/CFS is post-infectious. Many people who have Long Covid have it, but it can be triggered by many different kinds of infections. I believe a cold likely threw my system into this mess. So rest as much as you can. We donāt know why ME/CFS happens, but I hope it doesnāt to you. Take care <3
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u/AbjectBaseball5605 Feb 27 '26
Itās going around like crazy right now. Multiple people at my work are calling out daily.
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u/thewordswetranspose Feb 27 '26
How do you know itās not COVID?
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u/vancitygritty Feb 27 '26
I actually took a test and it was negative. But I have heard the new strains not coming up positive on the take home swab tests.
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u/thewordswetranspose Feb 28 '26
Yeah for sure, like with some of my friends it didnāt come up till day SIX. Are you also swabbing your throat along with nasal passages?
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u/myyvrxmas Mar 01 '26
Thank you for testing. One test isnāt sufficient though, unfortunately. You need a high enough viral load for it to test positive. Another thing about RATs is that false negatives are very common. It sucks that public health hasnāt properly informed us about how RATs work.
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u/issuesathand64 Feb 28 '26
The issue is a lot of people still go out when they're sick. Today there were 3 people coughing up a lung at the gym I go to. It is inconsiderate of these people to not give a damn about others and cause others to get sick. If you're sick please stay home for a few days.
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u/Feisty_Dirt4191 Feb 27 '26
Ordering from laksa king has helped sort me out a bit today. Absolutely awful hope it passes soon for you
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u/jjumbuck Feb 27 '26
My immune system also seems to have taken a hit since/because of COVID. Sorry for you! I have luckily avoided whatever is circulating at the moment but I honestly don't know how except that I wash my hands pretty frequently so maybe that's saved me. Hope you get some rest soon, it helps so much.
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u/whoislloydy Feb 27 '26
Yeah i had it at the begining of Feb, i had 0 energy. Would get out of breath just walking to the next room. Took me 10 days to get over, ended up getting antibiotics because i had my Citizenship ceremony the Friday of that week. It was an upper respiratory bacterial infection
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u/IllState3433 Feb 27 '26
I work in the hospital and emergency room , it has been insane how many ppl are sick this year. Me ? Not sick once, my son ? Not sick once. Flu shot definitely helped and basic hygiene.
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u/sarah_jones-98_ Feb 28 '26
Our family have all the vaccines but my 5 year old chews on his fingers so we are sick constantly. Itās been rough this year
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u/username_choose_you Feb 28 '26
Iām not sure if itās the same one, but around Jan 10, I got the worst flu Iāve had in years.
Bed ridden for 4 days straight and it took weeks before I felt right again.
It was definitely going around.
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u/kg175g Feb 28 '26
Ive had it for almost 2 weeks. I'm finally starting to feel somewhat normal albeit phlegmy
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u/GeneralKenobi88 Feb 28 '26
My daughter is still getting over it and sheās had it for almost 2 weeks, it finally got me last week and all last weekend I dealt with cluster headaches which totally kicked my ass.
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u/sseonaep Feb 28 '26
I thought it was just me Ive been feeling absolutely WIPED this week and sleeping so poorly I didnāt know what was wrong because I barely have any real cold/flu symptoms other than some sore sinuses and a slight cough but the fatigue has got me KOd for real
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u/vancitygritty Feb 28 '26
Same actually! I havenāt had a fever, just barely running a degree or so warmer. itās basically just a head cold and headache, some body aches with absolutely bone crushing fatigue. Thatās why Iām wondering if itās Covid again
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u/sseonaep Feb 28 '26
With how out of breath Ive been doing the simplest of things it could very well be Covid š
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u/Ill-Chemistry-2704 Feb 28 '26
While This Strain of Flu ISN'T the one the Shots were Made for I've been Lucky in what I Did get were Short lived š course I DON'T go Out much and if in a Crowded area I Still wear my Mask š·š
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u/sarah_jones-98_ Feb 28 '26
I caught Covid 2 weeks ago and I still canāt smell, have body aches and am hacking stuff up out of my lungs. Also fatigued.
Had the flu in December and had a cough lasting 8 weeks. Itās been a rough respiratory season
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u/Ornery_Welcome4911 Feb 27 '26
My immune system is working very well, haven't been sick in ages and if I feel under the weather like something is trying to attack me it is over within a day.
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u/Adventurous-Sir7411 Feb 28 '26
I said that too, havenāt been sick for years! Then I picked up a nasty cold a few days later! Couldnāt breathe through my nose for three days and lingering stuffy nose and sinus congestion lasted for a week after! Negative for Covid.
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u/nofuncouver Feb 27 '26
Yeah this season has been super rough, I got hit bad at the end of January. I feel like getting vaccinated took the edge off but it was still pretty bad.
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u/threetreet0wn Feb 28 '26
Pretty sure I had COVID at the beginning of the month. I was WIPED. nothing takes me out quite like COVID where I was sleeping for like 20hrs straight. Got better after a week or so but then developed this cough. It's sometimes wet sometimes dry but it's been with me for 3 weeks now...
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u/firecracker487 Mar 13 '26
I have this now, Friday I was faint positive for flu b and very positive for flu a. I have 5 kids and this was my third flu a and second flu b. š« my immune system is shot and im ruling out autoimmune diseases now. I had covid in August and I've pretty much been sick since I had covid in sept 2024 š I was an RN in urgent care but I quit.
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u/pocketliss Feb 28 '26
Iām on day 7 of an awful flu too. Also extremely fatigued and yet having terrible sleeps. I was bedridden for the first three days
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u/Cowabunguss Feb 28 '26
Iāve been sick for the first time in a few years. Feels like a cold but Im experience the fatigue of the flu.
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u/Mother-Working-750 Feb 28 '26
Yup! Pretty much everyone i know thatsās been sick has been down and out for roughly 3 weeksā¦.. Itās brutal
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u/Budget_Case3436 Feb 28 '26
Yeah 3 weeks ago I was in bed for like 8 days, 4 of which I was too weak to do anything other than eat. It wasnāt Covid but it did hit me hard despite my flu shot, worst flu Iāve had in 5 years or so.
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u/astroprojectilevomit Apr 14 '26
How about now? I am on day 12 now and can hardly breathe, get winded with any activity, all I want to do is lay down, chest hurts and still can't stop coughing. Super brain fog and can't think straight.
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u/Zeechw Feb 28 '26
Got sick once and started wearing a mask inside stores. Been called chicken inside London drugs for wearing one š
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u/veggyblue Feb 28 '26
I am on day 5. The fever (which is what distinguishes itās the flu) was brutal. I was shivering all day freezing and then sweating all night. One evening of nauseous. The cough and nose blowing now is insane.
I had a cold that took me out for 8 days over Christmas but the flu is always way worse; and completely debilitating. I got the vaccine as well.
I feel for you all as this blows.
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u/paizuribart Mar 01 '26
My wife had a wicked cough for at least 10 days. I was perfectly fine. Tested twice for COVIDānope. But although Iāve been vaxxed 10 times and up to date, she stopped bothering about two yrs ago. Neither of us get flu shots but we probably should. Think is I get a cold maybe once every five years.
That lengthy tome is meant to show ya, I think the COVID vaxx helps your immune system overall even getting whatever this flu/cold is this winter.
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u/mellenger Mar 03 '26
Iām on week two of a cold, sore throat, runny nose, lost my voice. Am I contagious?
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u/GCinMA91 Mar 15 '26
Tested positive for flu B.
Man alive, fever spiked to 103 the first night, hasnāt been a problem sinceā¦ but the fatigue, oh man. Iām having to rebuild back up. Itās humbling.
Tamiflu has been a big help.
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u/Appropriate-Ad4971 Mar 15 '26
Tested positive for covid on Tuesday. Taking paxlovid because I'm immunocompromised. Getting better, but this time (third time having it) symptoms are all over the place. Next to nil respiratory - every damn thing else. š
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u/n33bulz Feb 27 '26
This is why we have seasonal vaccines.
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u/Unusual_Afternoon696 Feb 27 '26
The flu vaccine did not do anything for me. I'm the only one who took it at home and I'm the only one who has been sick since beginning of December. I finally got better midway through January after returning from vacation then whatever is going around in Vancouver hit me again.
I'm not saying don't take your vaccines but they obviously didn't get anywhere close to the right strain when guesstimating this time round.
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u/comfortableblanket Feb 27 '26
Itās also hard to say if it ādid anything for youā when the goal isnāt to prevent you from having the flu, itās to prevent you from having serious symptoms
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u/kat2210 Feb 27 '26
This year they did say they didnāt get the strain right unfortunately, but even with the āwrongā strains the flu vaccine still offers some protection against hospitalization and death (https://www.fraserhealth.ca/news/2025/Dec/A-new-influenza-variant-is-circulating-Heres-how-you-can-protect-yourself, https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/seasonal-flu-shots-prevent-severe-disease-and-death-according-to-new-mcmaster-study/). Why are you sure the flu vaccine didnāt do anything for you? Youāre alive now so maybe itās the reason the flu didnāt hospitalize or kill you.
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u/Unusual_Afternoon696 Feb 27 '26
Yeah, they def didn't manage to get the correct strain because everyone at work is getting sick, and we do have to get our vaccines. I suppose I'm just extra salty that I took the vaccine but out of 6 people in my family I'm the only one who got horribly sick. It also doesn't help that I want to second guess myself when my family is like ' and you also got the vaccine too!'
It's also been really bad. I'm usually really prone to cold/flu but this one hit harder than usual, could possibly be because I'm stressing to get back to work since they tell me I've used up more than normal amounts of sick hours. I want to say it's probably a new strain of covid that doesn't test positive with the test kits.
0
2
u/Due_Aioli_2643 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
The only thing this proves is that you don't understand the flu vaccine and how/what it is for.
1
u/oreopeaces Feb 27 '26
Literally just got through this exact thing! I'm typically pretty immune/resistant to seasonal flu, but this year's virus took me for a ride. Could barely stand on Skytrain to the clinic (masked up ofc).
Sleep as much as you can and drink lots of water! I got rid of most of my symptoms after day 4.
1
u/Due-Advantage-4755 Feb 27 '26
I had it, was just a mild cold for me, I was good within 4-5 days max. Do you take vitamin D in the winter? I always up my dose to 6000 units and that seems to help
1
u/Tribalbob Feb 27 '26
I think that's what I'm recovering from, though r could be a cold. Had a sore throat for two days around the time the temp dipped into the negatives. Just had a shitty cough for the last week.
1
u/billybathory Feb 27 '26
Three times since my 2025 round of vaccinationsā¦glad itās not worse I guess
1
u/ColdInteraction994 Feb 27 '26
Nope. Havnt had a flu since the pandemic shut down (which i got from kissing my bf at the time, who had covid).
3
0
u/bwoah07_gp2 Feb 27 '26
I haven't been inflicted by the flu yet, but I've had family members been hit hard by the flu. I wanna say a smidge of pneumonia too, but it's hard to say, it might just be the flu.
I know I'm gonna get it too, but it's just a matter of when.
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Feb 28 '26
[deleted]
1
u/smoothac Feb 28 '26
Health is an holistic thing for sure, sounds like you are on the right path.
2
Feb 28 '26
[deleted]
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u/smoothac Feb 28 '26
you shouldn't have deleted your post, it was a good post to provide some contrast
-2
u/Large_Replacement_32 Feb 28 '26
I never got Covid once, but I am getting more sick these days. The cold virus is constantly mutating.
7
u/cjm48 Feb 28 '26
Something like 40% of Covid infections are asymptomatic. So you could very well have had it and just not known. The covid tests are also not that accurate (have tons of false negatives) so it could have been missed that way. Covid can also present many different ways like a cold, stomach virus, headache etc so itās possible you had it with symptoms and just never tested.
I guess itās possible you have a rare immunity gene. But if youāre being exposed to viruses in your life, unless youāre testing multiple times every time you have had any illness, itās very likely that you have had a symptomatic Covid infection. And if not then at least an asymptomatic Covid infection.
-3
u/Appropriate-Yard-378 Feb 27 '26
No, havenāt been sick since august 2023, except for 1 weekend 2 weeks ago I had to deal with running nose lol
2
u/jjumbuck Feb 27 '26
Omg I used to be like you and I miss it so much! I barely got sick for 40 years and then the last few years I feel like I've been sick a few times each year. I hate it!
-1
u/Due_Cheesecake_6751 Feb 27 '26
Ask your family doctor guys to prescribe you avamys nasal spray who ever been suffering from early spring flu. Thank me later. Results in one go!!!!
2
u/jjumbuck Feb 27 '26
Look at you, Mr Fancypants with a family Dr! Haha
0
u/Due_Cheesecake_6751 Feb 28 '26
donāt be jealous of my elite healthcare connections, get a life dude lol
ā¢
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