A Flu Fever Dream

by Laura Wynn

In early 2023, my teenage son and I both had COVID. We were definitely sick, but we got over it. About two weeks after that, I still had a cough. I did not feel 100%. One day, about three weeks after having COVID, I started to feel much worse. I had a headache, sore throat, and cough, and I was pretty sure I had a fever.

I went to work anyway, assuming it was lingering COVID issues. At some point during my 10-hour shift, I began to get progressively worse.

I was miserable, My head was pounding. I had a cough. I asked a coworker, “Why do they keep playing this song?” She said, “There is no music playing! Are you alright?” I knew immediately I was seriously ill.

I left work right away and went to urgent care. I had a temp over 104 when they saw me. They did the swabs for strep, influenza, and COVID. I tested positive for Influenza A.  As I was leaving with the usual instructions for a viral illness, The Dr told me, “You are probably going to get worse before you get better.” 

I went home to quarantine myself. Over the next 48-ish hours, I became the sickest I have ever been in my entire life. At one point, on the evening of the third day, I thought I might not make it. My sister, who is a nurse, came to see me and said she would take me to the ER the next day if I did not improve. She made me take liquids, brought me something light to try and eat, and helped me get out of bed to walk a bit.

On the second day, I had the usual symptoms you hear about regarding Influenza. I had a cough, headache, sore throat, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. Then, on day 3, I  started getting more unusual symptoms as well. I had a low back ache and charley horse cramps in my legs. I would have episodes of nausea and dry heaving. Every few hours, I would start to shake uncontrollably, followed by profuse sweating. I had a horrible fever. 

On the third evening, I heard my grandmother shout my name. She died over 10 years ago. So I called my sister. By the time she came, I hadn’t been out of bed in close to 24 hours. All I could do was lie in bed shaking. I remember thinking, “I could die from this.” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get up, I just physically could not. I was only tolerating liquids. When I would sleep, I would have bizarre dreams of giant letters and numbers with flashing lights going around them. 

One of the scariest parts for me was how painful deep breathing was. I could feel how hard my body was fighting, and just breathing in and out was taking up all my energy. That night I told my sister I understood how many people have died from this disease. But there was nothing I could do about it. What was happening was so far out of my control.

I slowly improved, tolerating food. My fever broke, but I still had a lingering cough and fatigue. I went to see my family provider to deal with these lingering issues. The appointment was a week from my urgent care trip. When they weighed me, I had lost 8 pounds.

Whenever I hear anyone say that the flu is a mild illness, I feel compelled to tell my story. I was at work with mild symptoms and within half a day I had a fever over 104 and was hallucinating. Honestly, I know there was a point when I could have died. I feel very lucky to have survived, and I urge everyone to get their flu vaccines.

Laura Wynn is a 46 year old mom and full time college student. Her story, like all others on this blog, was a voluntary submission. If you want to help make a difference, submit your own post by emailing us through our contact form. We depend on real people like you sharing experience to protect others from misinformation.