Has the flu always been this bad? /u/boopthesnootnoot No such thing as stupid questions

I admit: I’ve never had the flu before. I always got the flu shot and was kind of isolated my whole childhood. Got the flu shot this year too, a few months ago, but BAM two weeks ago I caught the flu. Absolutely hit me like a truck. Tested negative first day, tested positive for flu A on the third, and by then I was miserable. No COVID, “just” the flu. I say this seriously when I claim I’ve NEVER been that sick before. I had a consistent 104 fever, 102 at the lowest, for like three straight days. I was drenched in sweat and shaking with chills 24/7. I could not properly get out of bed. My brother said he could hear my groaning in pain all night through the door. I called the doctor because a high fever like that was cause for concern, and they squeezed in a super early appointment for me because they were so concerned. Not so much when it turned out to be just the flu lol. My E key just broke on my keyboarrd wwtf its like jangling around everywhere life is so hard. Anywasys.

No stuffy nose, no sneezing, makes sense, it’s the flu. Just this horrible deep cough that was agony to experience every time it happened. I got tamiflu for it, but like slightly too late for it to do much, so the doctor just told me I had to power through it and to call the er if I couldn’t breathe anymore because there wasn’t anything else to be done. I went through so much liquid flu medicine I think I fucked up my liver. My EYES hurt. MY EYES!!! At the tail end of the illness I got a full body rash that kept me up for nights. Terrible gut issues too, also keeps me awake. I’m recovered mostly now, no fever, but I’m still out of breath going upstairs, which isn’t fun for someone in the trades.

I know statistically COVID is worse, but I’ve had COVID multiple times(tested positive, I had been an essential worker working as an operator for a company making covid test kits ironically) and it was NEVER this bad. At worst maybe some sneezing and coughing and weird taste and smell, but I recovered fast and I was never super bedbound. Yes, I did get the shots, so that probably made it easier, but I got the flu shot too! I’m guessing I got a different strain than the flu shot had anticipated, which sucks.

Anyways, has the flu always been this bad? I’ll never underestimate it again. Every time someone says “just the flu” from now on I shudder. I’d sooner go through another surgery and recover three weeks without pain meds(like I did three years ago) than deal with the flu like this again.

I admit: I’ve never had the flu before. I always got the flu shot and was kind of isolated my whole childhood. Got the flu shot this year too, a few months ago, but BAM two weeks ago I caught the flu. Absolutely hit me like a truck. Tested negative first day, tested positive for flu A on the third, and by then I was miserable. No COVID, “just” the flu. I say this seriously when I claim I’ve NEVER been that sick before. I had a consistent 104 fever, 102 at the lowest, for like three straight days. I was drenched in sweat and shaking with chills 24/7. I could not properly get out of bed. My brother said he could hear my groaning in pain all night through the door. I called the doctor because a high fever like that was cause for concern, and they squeezed in a super early appointment for me because they were so concerned. Not so much when it turned out to be just the flu lol. My E key just broke on my keyboarrd wwtf its like jangling around everywhere life is so hard. Anywasys.

No stuffy nose, no sneezing, makes sense, it’s the flu. Just this horrible deep cough that was agony to experience every time it happened. I got tamiflu for it, but like slightly too late for it to do much, so the doctor just told me I had to power through it and to call the er if I couldn’t breathe anymore because there wasn’t anything else to be done. I went through so much liquid flu medicine I think I fucked up my liver. My EYES hurt. MY EYES!!! At the tail end of the illness I got a full body rash that kept me up for nights. Terrible gut issues too, also keeps me awake. I’m recovered mostly now, no fever, but I’m still out of breath going upstairs, which isn’t fun for someone in the trades.

I know statistically COVID is worse, but I’ve had COVID multiple times(tested positive, I had been an essential worker working as an operator for a company making covid test kits ironically) and it was NEVER this bad. At worst maybe some sneezing and coughing and weird taste and smell, but I recovered fast and I was never super bedbound. Yes, I did get the shots, so that probably made it easier, but I got the flu shot too! I’m guessing I got a different strain than the flu shot had anticipated, which sucks.

Anyways, has the flu always been this bad? I’ll never underestimate it again. Every time someone says “just the flu” from now on I shudder. I’d sooner go through another surgery and recover three weeks without pain meds(like I did three years ago) than deal with the flu like this again.