[lujim]

I wouldn't be too cocky if you're healthy. I got hit with a nasty flu in the early 2000's and never recovered. It was like someone flicked a switch and I went from young perfectly healthy to a low grade off an on flu since then. This happened with SARs in 2003 and is well documented. For the first year you think you are just run down, but then it never improves for decades and you just sort of miss out on your whole life.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3071317/

[hckr_news]

Interesting. Sorry to hear that. What are you experiencing? Lack of energy? Decreased lung capacity? Vertigo?

[wnevets]

Doesn't lyme disease have similar long term issues? Do we know why certain disease cause these long term debilitating symptoms?

[abnry]

Another similar example is EBV, commonly known as mono, which is often associated with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Viral infection occurs, followed by a prolonged period (sometime years and years) of flu symptoms.

I would guess there is nothing special about the virus aside from it being "high intensity". My best hypothesis is that the symptoms are the result of a maladaptive "freeze response" which results in the symptoms. Viruses don't actually cause pain, it is your body's response to it.

If you want to avoid this scenario with COVID, probably the best thing you can do is to reduce your stress level as much as possible, as I think that is a key risk factor. Exercise is good, but overdoing it is a form of stress!

[PaulKeeble]

Just to point out ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromylgia are not flu like sysmptoms, at their worst they are more debitating than MS. They both carry a hallmark problem not seen in anything else called Post Exterion Malaise, where the body will crash if mentally or physically overexerted often leaving the patient unable to lift their own body to eat for months along with a raft of significant systemic problems. They have extremely limited total energy. Flu doesn't work like that at all, CFS and Fibro are really bad and its a disgrace of the medical community that they have failed to research it and gaslight the sufferers for 70 years.

[beebmam]

Viruses can absolutely damage and destroy human cells. That alone can trigger a pain response.

[rurban]

But not influenza viri. They are harmless. What is problematic is the immunosystem overreaction, the T-cells destroying everything around. Called cykotine storm.

Also the bacterial infections caused by such rampage. Like pneumonia.

[ravenstine]

Do you know whether it was actually influenza?

[orthecreedence]

Another anecdote, I got bronchitis in my early 20s due to black mold in a slummy apartment I lived in and never fully recovered either. I still have really bad sinus issues, and whenever I surf I get horrible week-long inflammation in my sinuses unless I'm consistently snorting flonase.

Probably not nearly as bad as everlasting flu symptoms, but it's interesting there's a pattern of infections that never quite go away.

[salawat]

Look up an ENT and see if you're a candidate for a balloon sinuplasty. You can thank me later.

I also suffered from near chronic sinus infections. Got one, and haven't had to get anti-biotic to handle one in years.

[orthecreedence]

Hey, so my ENT DID reccomend this, but ultimately said that if Flonase works, just keep doing it...

Can you tell me a bit about your post-ballon sinuplasty experience? I hear people complaining about lack of ability to smell and other things, but, like, my smell is already shot so how bad could it be? What was your recovery like, and did you have any new symptoms/conditions after?

[salawat]

Sure!

So I used to be damn near chronic to the point I was going through NeilMed saline like other people go through other white powders.

Went in, they did the procedure in office with whatever that anaesthetic is that makes you not remember. About the most eventful thing during the procedure was apparently I got a bit mushy, and when they were in my upper left sinus I might have kicked the doc. (They had to cauterize something up there, apprarently, and it was my most impacted area generally, as even on X-rays, you could hardly see a difference in density along the passage.)

After the recovery period was like... Well not night and day, but instead of measuring my saline rinsing in boxes per two weeks it'd be boxes per 3-6 months. I've not had to visit the doctor or regularly do Flonase since. When I do rinse, the crap I get out is never as bad as it used to be, and I don't end up with that horrible sinus breath or weird cheesy aftertaste anymore. On the rare occasions now I do feel like something is acting up, I can just do some Flonase and some hot tea and I'm set.

Can still smell just fine! Even better, really, and on a more regular basis.

My sinus headache frequency plummeted, (tension headaches went up though since I'm terrible at getting away from the computer regularly.) I can think more clearly, breathe better, and I'm not on antibiotics anymore every two months or laid out feeling like the front of my face wants off.

I still seem to have a little bit of nagging with left sinus on occasion, and the ear on that side tends to swell a bit more than the one on the other side, but that's really it. It is pretty safe (for you, can't speak for your doctor...).

I'm not big into pushing or trying to sell/evangelize things, but life is too short for sinus problems, and they're too debilitating in my opinion as a long time sufferer. I had great results, and I hope you will to!

[orthecreedence]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I'm very much considering this procedure (have been on the fence for a while) so it's good to hear about how it helped you. It's great it helped your headaches too.

Thanks!

[neilwilson]

The blase attitude towards influenza is more disturbing than SARS2. There is a reason we run a new vaccine every year and encourage people to take it.

Flu is dangerous

[guruz]

You might be interested in reading about the "virus as cause" theories of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

http://simmaronresearch.com/simmaron-rising/

Also note that you're not lost, there are herbs/supplements that can work as antiviral (Echinacea, Cistus, ...)

[colordrops]

Have you tested for STDs?

[dayofthedaleks]

This seems like kind of a left-field question. I'm sure if this person sought care any kind of active infection was ruled out. What are you angling for, neurosyphillis?

[colordrops]

There are several more common STDs that do not resolve by themselves and cause on and off symptoms.

[Havoc]

Almost sounds like chronic fatigue type deal

[machinehermit]

By "cocky" you basically mean not completely paranoid?

It is a strange word to use in this context.

[dang]

"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html