What was the worst cold/flu you've ever had?

A bad case of the flu is much different than a cold. Probably my worst was 3-4 days of 104 followed by a break that took it down to 101 for several more days. The next week I was well enough to go back to work but I was still affected and was weak for several more weeks before getting strength back. Recovery running wise then started to take place from that reduced level. I cannot remember specifics of getting back into good running/riding form, although it was winter so riding was not too feasible up here.

Some of the more exotic flus, of course, can wreck more havoc than this, and even the 'ordinary' flu occasionally leads to complications like pneumonia, which then kills a non-trivial portion of people, although typically elderly people or those in poor health.

Bronchitis via Walking Pneumonia.

NASTY stuff, took about 4-6 weeks for my body to fully recover.

That first post could have been me. I do generally take care of my health though.

I remember the hallucination and raging fever that made the bed seem like it had been hosed down.

I stayed there for a week barely even getting up for a sip of water.

Oddly despite not eating I hardly lost an ounce.

I used to be chronically sick as a kid but that worst experience was when I was 26.

AIDS

When you say "several more weeks before getting strength back", would you say it was closer to a month or closer to two months? It's been almost two months (7.5 weeks) since I stopped having a fever (fever was similar in severity/duration to what you described) and I'm still so zonked.

26mi235 wrote:

Probably my worst was 3-4 days of 104 followed by a break that took it down to 101 for several more days. The next week I was well enough to go back to work but I was still affected and was weak for several more weeks before getting strength back. Recovery running wise then started to take place from that reduced level.

Sixth grade, sick for two weeks. Couldn't even keep the medicine down. Eventually had to get suppositories to get better, ugh.

Loofa Dog wrote:

Bronchitis via Walking Pneumonia.

NASTY stuff, took about 4-6 weeks for my body to fully recover.

Yep, that one was the worst. At one point I was literally pulling long strings of green flem out of my throat because I couldn't remove it all via coughing. Nasty is an understatement.

But in answer to the REAL question - Yes, I still ran every day while I had it even though I probably shouldn't have.

Twice I have had coworkers out for 2 WEEKS with the flu. And I don't mean in Tahiti with the "flu". They were on their backs. We had to go check on one guy who was single. We were worried he had died.

For me, all my truly bad bouts of flu, cold, whatever was as a child. I have a memory of trying to walk with a blanket wrapped around me to the bathroom and deciding to just lie down in the hallway because I was so lacking in energy. Burning fevers, with a croup-y cough and a hot humidifier running on the floor by my bed.

None of the sh!t that happens as an adult. Being sick as an adult is just awful and annoying, with loads of self-pity. As a child, it's almost like being weirdly drunk and on some mind-altering drug (probably copious amounts of Benadryl).

Same here. I had this in college - it set me back a bit. I went through the same thing after 40 - it set me on my ass and took a while to recover. Strangely enough, I came down with it during the summer. The docs couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. At one point a PA said "it would be easier if you said that you had been in South America or Africa and we would start treat you for malaria." The next day, I went back in to the doctor and it was obvious that I had pneumonia - then a chest X-ray to confirm. I was severely dehydrated which gave me an excruciating headache, they gave me something for the headache which caused nausea, IV fluids and oxygen. The pain meds made me barf, so there I sat with barf bucket between my legs, oxygen in my nose, pulse/ox meter on the finger of one hand and IV fluids in the other arm. It was at this point that I said to myself "This ain't good". I had basically overworked myself and went down hard. I was working too many hours and had worked for months with only a sporadic day off. While I was sitting in the doctor's office with IV fluids, barf bucket and oxygen, I had an epiphany and decided that business would continue at my company, with or without me.

Loofa Dog wrote:

Bronchitis via Walking Pneumonia.

NASTY stuff, took about 4-6 weeks for my body to fully recover.

same thing with me--- and I'm in the midst of leaving my current catastrophic job. I just wish that epiphany instantly made my immune system stronger and my fitness return...

Angry Willy wrote:

I had basically overworked myself and went down hard. I was working too many hours and had worked for months with only a sporadic day off. While I was sitting in the doctor's office with IV fluids, barf bucket and oxygen, I had an epiphany and decided that business would continue at my company, with or without me.

Hang in there - it just takes time and rest. Jobs, careers, projects, etc. don't mean squat if you are dead. The world keeps turning with or without you.As I was sitting in the doctor's office, I pretty much thought that I was going to die. (I was kinda delirious from the high fever and from being dehydrated, but it really scared me.) It served as a wake-up call, and that was exactly what I needed. While I was home resting and recovering, I set up a 3x per week reminder titled "Promise" where I promise not to do this again to myself and to not allow my wife to suffer because of my stupidity.

illin' wrote:

same thing with me--- and I'm in the midst of leaving my current catastrophic job. I just wish that epiphany instantly made my immune system stronger and my fitness return...

Angry Willy wrote:

I had basically overworked myself and went down hard. I was working too many hours and had worked for months with only a sporadic day off. While I was sitting in the doctor's office with IV fluids, barf bucket and oxygen, I had an epiphany and decided that business would continue at my company, with or without me.

46 straight days (Viral infection + stress)

major snowstorms on top of each other, my mother (for whom I was caretaker) was in the hospital for 26 days on death's door, I was up at 4:45AM taking care of the family dog, going to work, then going to the hospital (50 mile round trip), then crawling home and crashing around 9PM

I wouldn't wish that month and a half on ANYONE