Want to know what the Swine flu is like? Here it is!

I live in the Pacific Northwest and work in a hospital ER. I have seen many, many cases of swine flu over the past few weeks and now a large percent of family and friends have had it too. For most, it is a hard-hitting short-lived bugger that you can easily overcome with over-the-counter meds. For others, it is a very deadly disease....but you have to put the numbers in perspective. I think if you were to compare the severity (or hospitalization) rate, we would find that the typical seasonal influenza A is more deadly. It is just that H1N1 is spreading like wildfire so we are seeing a much higher infection rate.

Here is a breakdown of the symptoms and course of the disease from the viewpoint of someone who has had it and seen it in dozens of others:

First you get a bad headache that lasts for one to two days, then (usually)goes away.

You feel better at first, but then in about a day or so, your lungs start to burn and you get tired.

Then a few hours later you start coughing and get other upper-respiratory symptoms. The headache starts coming back, but maybe not as bad.

In another hour or so the glands in your neck start to get tender and swell and your body starts getting achy.

Within 12 hours or so you begin alternating between chills and hot-flashes. That is when the fever starts.

The degree of the fever seems to indicate how severe the disease is going to be. This is by no means a proven medical theory or an educated medical opinion. It is just my theory based on what I have seen and heard. My fever got up to almost 102, whereas my daughers was barely over 100. Although my daughter has all of these symptoms they are not as severe as mine are. Mine has been easily controlled with a combo of tylenol and ibuproferin. The people that I have seen in the ER that are the sickest have fevers around 103 that are NOT easily controlled.

The second day into the illness is the worst. This is when the REAL body aches start. Without medication you feel as if a truck hit you and every part of your body aches. The cough gets worse.

By the third day the aches are backing off but the cough persists.

By the fourth day (where I am now) the cough starts improving, the fever is almost gone and the aches now feel more like you just haven't slept for awhile rather than being run over by a moving vehicle.

The fifth day usually marks the end of the fever and other nasty stuff for most people. I am not there yet, but I am certainly headed that way and I suspect that by tomorrow I will be ready for the world again.

So here it is in a nutshell. I'm hoping this might help some people to know what to expect. Also, my teenage son had the headache the same day as myself and my daughter last week. He then got the sniffles, but otherwise...nada. It would seem that his immune system kicked its butt rather then the other way around. Meanwhile, his best friend and his whole family was sick with it last week...so I think that's where it came from. So there is hope that (I think) for some it's possible to be exposed and not have it progress to a full-blown infection. My son has always had a VERY good immune system and even when the whole family is sick with something he either doesn't get it at all, or has only mild symptoms. My daughter on the other hand has asthma. I was the most concerned about her. We jumped on her asthma meds though and increased her doses right away and it seemed to do the trick.

Here is some additional advice on what to do if you come down with it:

Over-the-counter cold/flu meds PLUS ibuproferin

LARGE doses of Vitamin D (I'm taking 6,000 IU) and Vit C

Lots of clear fluids (Water!) and lots of sleep

WARNING SIGNS:
Remember, this can be deadly for some people, usually due to a secondary infection, namely pneumonia. If you have any shortness of breath, wheezing, or a high fever that isn't controlled get to the ER!

Good Luck!

It'd be a huge help to know who it affects the worse, and possible reasons why. I know. asking a lot... but this thing sounds like it's targeting specific people hardest. Is your son active? Not fat/ obese? He lay off the fast food/ soda route? Reason I ask about the soda... The past few years, I notice, if I drink a soda, I end up with flu/ cold like symptoms. The same (to a degree) with bread with bleached flour, some fast food, white, regular sugar (not brown, not honey), and just about anything with regular sugar in it. It usually passes after a few hours or so, depending on how much I had, and how long it takes for my body to get rid of it.

Methinks this is gonna be the winter of NO unhealthy food for me. I am not fat, but I am out of shape thanks to a bad back. The LAST think i need are body aches- I got those NOW! *cries a bit*

S & F....

Good post....nice practical information anyone can understand - much appreciated.

Looks like most people will walk away unscathed.

I suspect that I had a very mild case... I got the headache that went away but then got the swollen glands and a wee headache. But I didn't get much further. A bit of a cough, a short while of chills, no fever to speak of (99 degrees), a tired, run-down feeling for a day or two - and that was it.

I know that Cornell (up the hill here) has many cases, and I guess I got it too.

But thanks for the info. I might never have suspected that I might have already had it if I hadn't read your description.

I'll S&F!

[edit on 10/19/2009 by Amaterasu]

reply to post by westcoast


That is a spot-on description of what hit me early, last spring! I forgot that it started with the headache that subsided shortly before the fever. .

In my case the fever would drop and rise for several days peaking at about 102. And I had a secondary respiratory infection that lasted for about 3 weeks after the fever. .

It sucked.

Do I have anything? Yesterday I started out with a runny nose, and a small cough, and I fell asleep with a headache. Today I have had an off and on small headache, and coughs, and stuffed up nose. It feels like I'm getting better though. No fever that I am aware of.

reply to post by wylekat


You know, that is a really good question. My son is extremely athletic. He is 6'4" and about 190 lbs....all muscle without an ounce of fat on him. He plays football among many other sports and stopped drinking pop this past summer. He drinks lots of water, gatorade and protein shakes (plus vitamins). He's an avid runner without any underlying health conditions.

II truly believe that in general, with this virus, your over-all health and physical condition plays a lot into how ill you become. (Stressing here though that this is in general, there are always exceptions and I have heard stories of very healthy people dying from it)

I have read many articles indicating that that almost half of those that have died were obese, around 30% had cardiovascular disease, liver disease or diabetes. I think this is huge. Keep in mind though, that the other 50+ percent did NOT have these issues.

I believe that Vitamin D is essential in fighting off illness and we have an epidemic of Vit D deficientcey here in the Pacific Northwest. That's why I am taking mega doses now while I am ill, and doubling my daughters daily vitamins (which also have Vit D in them)

I am a firm believer in detox, and so I would speculate that perhaps that may be the correlation you have noticed with the soda pop. It's packed full of preservatives and other chemicals. Our body can only store so much of that crap before it starts making us sick, literally. We may not notice it because we are just so used to feeling that way all the time, until we STOP drinking/eating it and realize how GOOD we feel.

reply to post by Phlynx


It's impossible to really say WHAT you have. Could be just a seasonal head cold.

I think we are going to see a broad spectrum of illness with H1N1. Unless you have classic flu symptoms (like me) it's just a guessing game. Bottom line is to treat the symptoms and take care of yourself. If you develop any warning signs, see your doctor.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Lemons are a good immune booster / pathogen buster.

Lemon Tea any one?

I swear I had the swine flu about 2 week ago as I had those exact same symptoms. I have been sick many times in my relatively short life and whatever I had I certainly have not experienced it before.

I went to a walk in and they never bothered to test me or anything just said i had a cold and that was it. Well if it was a "cold" it was not like any cold I ever had. My fever was high for about 3 days and lasted for 5. I hit about 103 and lingered around 101-102 for the rest.

The body aches were also incredibly bad. Taking flu meds and advil my still knees felt as if they were made of concrete and were constantly grinding, not to mention the headache. Talking to other people I know seems like allot of them have had a "cold" since about late august.

This is just about the exact course it took with my family, only it seems to have hit my 8 yr old the hardest with the most severe coughing and fever, he is also taking longer to shake it.

I also had stomach issues with it, as did my dad but no one else in my immediate family has.

For me it was about 2 days of headache, then a day of chills and body aches with congestion and cough, and now i'm just congested with a little coughing and my stomach is still wonky and i'm incredibly tired.

My son on the other hand has been coughing since tuesday, and was knocked down until saturday feeling awful the whole time. He is finally feeling better but the cough is still there. We went outside today to get some fresh air and sunshine and if he ran around much at all he would cough like crazy. We ended up just sitting and reading and he colored on the back porch in the sunshine.

reply to post by nailwail


Well it sounds like you had the typical symptoms. Most clinics/ER's are not even testing for it anymore unless you are in one of the high-risk groups. The reason for this, is because you would then qualify for tamiflu.

CDC started recomending some time ago that we assume and treat all flu-like illness as if it were H1N1. It's so rampant right now that they just can't test them all. Ones that are tested are only for the rapid influenza A/B panel. If you come up positive for Influenza A, it is assumed to be H1N1..nothing further is done with the sample. If you qualify as a high-risk, or anyone in your family is high-risk, you and/or they are offered Tamiflu.

reply to post by gluetrap


Is your son still running a fever or wheezing? You just want to make sure he hasn't developed a lung-infection. Sounds like he is feeling better though, right? I'm not trying to give any medical advice, just letting you know what to be on the look-out for.

Sounds rite . I am sick .
Started with a bad headache for 4 days. Then chills just hit me. Fever , cold and chills, pain. That night woke up vomiting. The next day hot and cold, sore throat. Today , still have fever and now my left lung hurts, and I am coughing.
I feel like death . I am using my asthma inhaler, ibuprofen, and niquel. Can not eat. Just drinking water. I am sweating very bad today, I hope that means I am breaking the fever.

In all honesty I get this exact feeling a few times a years for the last coupe(maybe longer?) of years now. I just pinned it as being , well, sick lol.

If this in fact is the swine flu well that makes my decision on not getting the vaccine even ever so more reassuring.

I think my kids and I have it right now. I started off with a headache, so bad my teeth hurt. Then the next day it was gone but I had a cough and off and on fever. I have been dosing up big time on my vitamins, drinking lots of green tea, honey and staying away from the sugars. The kids are almost through with the cough but I still can't get rid of it. So tired of it. UGH...

reply to post by amatrine


If you have asthma then you are at a higher risk of complications. Be sure to take good care of yourself and stay on top of your asthma meds. I hope you have someone there to help you out and that you feel better soon!

reply to post by westcoast


No everybody gets the same symptoms many people also gets vomiting and diarrhea, causing dehydration and one of the reasons of hospitalization among others.

My family and I got it early in March, (or that is what we think we got) we thought it was the regular flu, but I had the regular flu vaccine last year so it wasn't until we found out that the swine flu was in the US that we figure out that the symptoms we got were not regular flu.

We are all healthy and in great shape, now my son 23, was the only one that didn't have almost any symptoms, my husband got the chest congestion and a horrible cough, I got the cough and my lungs felt they were no only on fire but full of water, my daughter 25 got the scary stuff, she experience some instances of waking up unable to breath, that was something she never experience with any flu or cold before.

We all recuperated, it took longer than any other cold or flu but we got over it.

reply to post by westcoast


My husband is home with me. As soon as I knew I was sick I started using my inhaler just so my asthma does not start acting up. Using it as a preventative rite now. I think that it is helping. I also have my humidifyer running.

My doctor said here in Arizona this is just running rampid. He had it himself.
He does not suggest tamiflu , says it does not work with this and is not prescribing it unless someone really wants it.

He did just phone me in some tordol for my body aches. Gonna have husband go grab it for me. He said with him it took 7 days to clear.

This feels like any other flu I have had except for the nausea and the proceeding headache. Feels like hell , but all flu feels like hell.

reply to post by marg6043


Very good point. While I outlined my experience and the most common for those around me, it is by no means exclusive.

Your family is a good example too of how perfectly healthy people can be hit very hard by it. I'm glad you all got over it okay....probably helps that you are in great shape!