Unlucky enough to catch flu!

I had to go to see a specialist at Burnley, shortly after I had flu, that was over three weeks ago, it really has knocked me for a six, my legs are like jelly and I have a constant really bad headache. I was on 50mg Amitriptyline but had to halve the dose as I was having horrendous nightmares. Has anyone else bounced back from flu? If so how.tia.

[Theresa60]

Sending my sympathy life is hard without any extra burdens like the flu I would not try bouncing back but trying to recover going at your own speed.

[Hidden in reply to Theresa60]

Thank you Theresa60 I was only diagnosed last year so just getting used to the idea of the illness was hard. I had been miss diagnosed 10 yrs ago as having pernicious anaemia, but I just never felt the benefit of the injections, then to find out it wasn't, I really struggled to accept I would never get better at this age (68 in February)that was bad enough but to then get flu, I have never felt so helpless and scared. This is a dreadful illness, I'm as weak as a kitten, today I managed a bath, the first in three weeks, thank goodness for my husband or I would have starved to death. At the moment my speed is extra slow. Thanks again and here's hope for better health for our futures x

[Cloudedout]

Lesson learned here, pacing isn't uncommon advice but the problem is that it needs to get to the newly diagnosed quickly and no one tells us do a little rest a little (pottering about as mum called it)is what we need.

[Ian123 in reply to Cloudedout]

Laying down doing nothing is not laziness it's recovering and takes a lot of practice so your not tempted into doing stuff while the recovering should be happening.

[Hidden in reply to Ian123]

At the moment all I can do is get out of bed get into my pjs and lay on the sofa. I'm exhausted yet when I go to bed I can't sleep!! This illness is baffling, and I have a constant headache that ranges from annoying to agony as the day wears on. I have suffered with migraines for over 30 yrs so I know how bad they can get but these ones are wearing me down, does anyone else have similar problems with insomnia and the dreadful headaches? I am so grateful for all your replies as no-one has given me a clue how to handle it. I see the neurologist on the 30th at Preston Royal.

[CheshireKatz in reply to Hidden]

I call the more awake in the night than the day painsomnia a wired but tired state that forms a vicious circle of more exhaustion leading into more pain. Take it as a body signal that energy envelope is exceeded when heading for a crash that can have me sleep twenty hours and feeling much worse because I have not taken meds or had restful sleep.