What on earth have I got???

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Besides a temp of 104, excrutiating pains running all through my shoulderblades, the usual freezing and shaking of the bed so bad you'd think I was starring in the "excorsist"... NO respiratory symptoms whatso ever... no cold, no sore throat, no cough, no wheezing... but extreme headache (possibly fever related) ?

I have never, and I do mean NEVER in my entire life been this sick, hurting this badly. :o

Started yesterday afternoon with the chilling.. took right to the bed. It was killing me to lay in the bed because when I'm cold, I'm instantly in the fetal position. Well, my hip bones (regardles of which side) hurt so bad, I wanted to scream. Every place on my body HURT SEVERELY... wierd places.. my deltoid, my ankle, between the scapulae... as if someone were tearing out the muscle in there. Could NOT get comfortable enough to ease the pain.. EVERYWHERE. :confused:

Ibuprofen, water, sleep.. when it finally came. So groggy this am and so weak I could barely drag these legs to the bathroom. Head killing me still like a wicked hangover. Took two more ibuprofen and slept til 0900. Broke the fever and thoroughly soaked the bed... I thought HURAAAAAAAAAAAAAY !!! Felt a whole lot better.. strength returned, no H/A... thought it was done for.

NOT. At 1220 the same symptoms returned... chilling, shaking, freezing.. H/A, PAIN EVERYWHERE. I wanted to scream out in pain. Temp back up to 104... slept the next three hours.. just got up.. still groggy, extremely weak, H/A.

If this were a "flu" would there not be the ususal respiratory s/s ?

And if it's not the flu, then what the heck IS it??? I dread later on tonight... know it's going to come back and torment me again. If it's not gone by tomorrow, off to my NP I go !

Hang in there jnette - this too shall pass. :)

Specializes in ER.

Go to bed jnette- much as I love to see you, you have to take care of yourself. Too bad we all didn't live closer, you'd have a mob at the door cleaning house, getting you cool drinks...we'd drive you mad!:kiss

I had it...I am finally getting over it. On Sat I could not even crawl out of bed. Now my 14 yr old has it and several of the other neighbor kids. When I called the HS today they told me that 25% of the kids are out with it..Hmm, Jnette think it is contagious through the computer??? I have not gotten a flu shot yet but had planned to this week now I am going to wait until I am better...I did Echinnachea and vit C (bolus doses) and it seemed to decrease the duration...hope you feel better. Erin

Jnette;

So sorry you are ill. Sounds like the flu. Rest, fluids, tylenol is the only avenue open to you. Take a big dose of Vit C everyday. Please take care of yourself and DO NOT work anymore extra time until you are well and truly well.

Jnette . . .I had a pt in the ER a few days ago with the same symptoms. Fell asleep in a stupor of fever and kept waking with yelps from the spasms of pain . . legs, back, arms. Doc said "Influenza" and sent him home with Tamiflu.

It's a nasty bug . . . sorry you caught it.

:kiss steph

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY jnette????

Seems as if my son has it bad too. He alternates between sleeping like a log and crying his eyes out from the pain. I feel HELPLESS......I hate the damn flu.

Hope you are better soon, jnette!!!!:kiss

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

My turn. Jnette,

I've had that kind of flu as well many times, especially when I was younger. But then again I too was around a lot of people, including kids from driving school bus. So when someone told me they had the flu, with s/s of vomiting, diarrhea, and a stomach ache, I thought they must not realize that it's not the flu. But anyway, I'm now unable to get a flu shot, because they make me sick, and I hear the flu is out in full force all over. So I think I'll stay put, and only go out when I have to. Can't affort to get the flu; It would probably go into pneumonia in my case. Linda Carr has it too. It kept her in bed for nearly a week, and she had to cancel several important medical appointments.

But anyway, I think we should all be thankful it's not SARS again.

Last year's outbreak gave lots of people too much of a scare.

Take care of yourself gal.

(((((((((((HUGS))))))))

Fran

Specializes in Clinical Risk Management.

(((((((jnette)))))))

Have you been to the NP yet? I hope that you feel much better very soon!

eltrip

Egads, Jnette, hope you're starting to feel better ! Hopefully, it's 'just' the flu. The flu can be very nasty!

12-376490179.gif

Have to throw in my two cents worth, too, while I'm here.

I had something some years back which I still call my 'mystery illness'. Even my doc couldn't figure it out. It was August, not flu season, and all the blood tests and urinalysis revealed nothing. (Some of the Filipinas that I worked with thought it could be malaria, but it wasn't.)

I had no respiritory symptoms, but had severe headache, mostly on my left temple and jaw, radiating into the TMJ. The headache was constant --the only thing that seemed to help was to press the heel of my hand into my temple. Had fevers of 104F, complete with rigors, then the fever would break and sweat would literally run down my arms and leave a puddle under the lowest point! I tried to work like this a few days, but kept leaving puddles wherever my hands were. I probably looked like a teapot with one hand against my head and sweat running down the other arm!

Plus I couldn't concentrate--- can't imagine why! And I couldn't even sit up for more than 10 minutes after the first couple of days! It totally sapped my energy.

I wan't nauseated, but I had no appetite--lost 20 lbs in less than a week!

Now the good side of it-- it eventually went away on its own! The fevers and pain only lasted about two weeks, but it took months to get the energy level back up. The appetite returned in spurts. Eventually I felt like a human being again!

Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

I'm an NP- do I count as seeing an NP??

its flu...........honest! go to bed and be ill!! lasts about 2wks before you start to feel human/alive again then expect another 2 weeks before you feel 100%. at least thats the pattern it follows here!!

get well soon:kiss

Karen

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
Originally posted by eltrip

(((((((jnette)))))))

Have you been to the NP yet? I hope that you feel much better very soon!

eltrip

Hello all, and yes... I just got back from my NP. (of COURSE, KarenG, I'd come see you ANY day ! I'd far prefer to see an NP over a doc 10 to 1... in my book, they're the BEST ! :) )

OK... she was puzzled that there were no resp. symptoms whatsoever, no diarrhea, vomiting, none of that. Yes, there are some shooting intestinal pains, but I haven't eaten anything, really, to speak of since Sunday, so I guess there would be no vomit/diarrhea. She did do some blood studies and a blood culture, some liver studies as well, and a cxr. She was concerned I might be septic due to where I work and the amount of blood I'm exposed to on a dailey basis.. kept asking about needlsticks, etc. But no. None of that. Cxr was fine, white count was somewhat low, platelets were low... and of course we'll have to wait a few days on the cultures. Other than that, everything looked pretty normal. She sent me back to bed, where she wants me to stay the rest of the week with NO exceptions ! Said if it was indeed the flu, she could have given me sth. to ease it a bit if I had come in before this, as in the first 24 hours, but for right now it's going to have to be fluids, fluids, and more fluids, and lots and lots of rest. Said if anything different at all showed up ie., stiff neck, dark urine, jaundice, etc. to call her right away. By the time I left there I was back at the shaking, temp was spiking again. This really sux. I'm one of those "never sick" people. Guess I needed humbling, eh? :imbar

Appreciate so much all of your input... Deb, I hate it for your family, it hurts twice as much to watch your little ones suffer.. (whether they're big lil' ones or little lil' ones)...poor lil' guy. Give him a hug from this ol' sickie and tell him I'd take his pain if I could.

Jemb.. your "mystery illness" was intriguing... and I can sure relate to the literal pools of sweat ! Did you ever find out what it was?

Yes, Steph.. you described it perfectly.."stupor of fever interrupted by yelps of spasms of pain"... any and everywhere !!!

Erin, glad you're over yours and hope your 14 yr. old won't have to suffer too much longer !

Well, gonna crawl back off to bed for now... I'm "wore out" from my big trip to the doc this afternoon...:rolleyes: Sheeesh.

Thanx for caring, and for those of you who have not had this I hope you NEVER do... heck, I wouldn't even wish THIS on ol' "Dubya" !!! :D

(sorry, Mkue.. just couldn't resist ! ;) )

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Hi Jnette... I came on this late! Sorry you are feeling so down and out! That sounds like one NASTY bug!!! We will miss you posting but give yourself time to rest and recover! We love you lots. :kiss

+ Add a Comment