Swine flu: 'It all started with a headache'
Audra Atkinson is 35 and from South Yorkshire. She told us her experience of getting swine flu.
The swine flu all started with a headache and sore throat but, I went to bed and didn't think any more about it.
The following day I woke up with a neck ache and backache and I started to get diarrhoea.
Two days later, on Saturday, my whole body was aching. I had a terrible headache, and took paracetamol, but no painkiller would get rid of it.
I also started getting a fever and took over-the-counter cold and flu capsules to try and keep it down.
By the same evening I couldn't physically stand up - all my joints were hurting and even my eyelids were now painful and I had also developed a dry cough.
I called my GP who wouldn't see me, so I called NHS Direct, and then went online to the flu pandemic service. I was diagnosed with having swine flu and was issued with the Tamiflu.
Unfortunately, I didn't realise that you need to take the Tamiflu within 48 hours of getting symptoms for it to be effective.
By the time I got in touch, I was on my 4th day of symptoms, so I didn't bother to get anyone to collect it.
I spent the next 4 days in bed, sleeping and drinking a lot and never thought the pain was going to end, but eventually it started to subside.
I've never had any major problems before and consider myself to be a pretty healthy person, so I was surprised I felt so bad.
I'm hoping I've got over the worst of it now although I will probably need a week to recover.
- Have you had swine flu as well? Tell us all about it and your story could appear on goodtoknow
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- Worried about your holiday? Check the swine flu travel advice
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Average rating:
Maciej from Cambridge, 4 months
My experience shows that if you do not see yourself improving or want to get improved faster the antibiotic treatment (Tamiflu) may help even as late as a week from the time first flue symptoms had developed. I have got my Tamiflue on 7th day from the symptomps started. I must say that in next two days I much improved with all symtomps gone apart from moderate couth. I do not think I would get cured that fast just with paracetamol as my 7th day was actually the worst with sore and swollen throat coming back to join previously developed heavy couth, chest pain and headache.
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