"A lot of people don't know what real flu is."
Flu - OFF THE HEART
In this testimony, Anja (54) recounts her profound experience with the flu, which paralyzed her unexpectedly. As a result, she had to temporarily close her barber store in Hasselt. This event made her realize the importance of getting vaccinated annually. Her story underscores the intense effects of the flu and highlights the distinction from a simple cold.
How did you feel when you got the flu? What were the first symptoms you noticed?
I felt bad as soon as I woke up. It was a Friday morning, I remember that well. Despite that, I went to work anyway, but it was very difficult. While I was at work, I got sicker and sicker; I had to sit down regularly because I felt so lousy. Eventually I really couldn't go on, and a customer even offered to drive me home because I was too weak to drive myself. That's how bad I felt. I had a high fever, chills and felt very weak.
At home I went straight to bed. I felt so weak that I couldn't even pull a blanket over myself, even though I was freezing cold. I had no appetite and was extremely tired. Everything hurt: my head, my muscles, everywhere.
What medications or treatments did you use? Did they work well?
I asked my husband to get me a Dafalgan because I was too weak to get up by myself. After a week, I thought I could go back to work, but that turned out to be way too soon. Things actually got worse; I had continuous coughing fits and every movement hurt.
Finally, I went to the doctor. Blood tests showed that not only did I have the flu, but I also suffered from pulmonary covid. The flu had weakened my defenses so much that I was more susceptible to other viruses. They took lung x-rays and they showed that my lung membranes were inflamed. I was given a puffer, but other than that I just had to sweat it out. At one point I didn't know which disease I was suffering from the most. Afterwards, the doctor said that I was probably sicker from the flu than from covid.
"At one point I felt so sick that I thought, 'If the dear Lord comes to get me now, that's okay.'"
How was this different from an ordinary cold?
Right now I have a cold, but I can work through that just fine. It really doesn't compare. The flu made me so sick that I couldn't do anything. Normally I rarely have a fever, but then it was so bad that I felt deathly ill. At one point I felt so miserable that I thought, "If the dear Lord comes to get me now, I wouldn't mind." Dying then no longer seemed such a terrible thought. When you feel that way, you are almost relieved at the idea of leaving.
People who have never had real flu often don't know what it means. When it hits you, you are completely disabled. When I was younger, I also had a severe flu once, and that memory is still fresh in my mind as well. I really hope I never experience it again.
How did the flu affect your work and environment?
I went back to work way too soon. Being self-employed, it's hard to stay home for long periods of time. My hair salon was closed for two weeks, and then I very carefully started again. But it took a long time before I was really back to my old self. I remained tired and felt weak, especially after a working day.
My husband worried a lot, although he didn't say so at the time. Later he told me that he was really afraid I was going to die because I looked so pale. There was little he could do except make sure I was warm and drank enough water.
"If you get vaccinated for a vacation, why wouldn't you do it to prevent flu?"
Has this experience changed your opinion about the flu shot?
During the pandemic, I heard for the first time how many people die every year from the flu. I had never realized that. Because flu seems so "normal," we don't stop to think about how dangerous it can be.
Before this experience, I had never gotten a flu shot, but the following year I was first in line. I never want to get that sick again. I haven't had the flu since. I do have the occasional cold, but that really doesn't compare. Many people think they have the flu, when often it's just a cold. But with real flu, you are completely exhausted, you literally can't do anything.
What do you think of the research on new vaccinations?
I fully support that. In my hair salon, I sometimes hear people blaming vaccinations for every ailment. I don't get that. People get vaccines for a vacation without a problem, but doubt a flu shot. Why not just get a vaccination to prevent getting sick?
We are getting older, and that is due in large part to health care and vaccinations. In the past, many more people died of diseases like the flu, often without knowing what caused it. Now at least we can do something to prevent it.