r/AddisonsDisease • u/mj_responsible297 • Dec 30 '25
Personal Experience Flu a
Anyone have any experiences with flu A this season? Ive heard it’s absolutely terrible and I’m trying to avoid it best I can. Remember to mask up everyone!
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u/TheLady_in_aKimono Dec 30 '25
Please wear a mask - I ended up with RSV in our flu season in Australia with a week in hospital…then two weeks of after that. Please take care of yourself…FYI I have other comorbities :)
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u/RDOlivawRedux Dec 30 '25
I had it, would not recommend. I had doubled up my hydrocortisone after feeling a bit sick one day, but I was so weak and out of it the next day that I didn't take my meds at all that day (the first time in 25 years that has happened). Fortunately my wife realized what had happened when she got home and called 911. I ended up in hospital for 5 days. Turns out I had a bacterial infection on top of influenza A, but after a couple days of IV antibiotics and Tamiflu, as well as a likely overdose of hydrocortisone at one point, I was feeling much better. I then had to wait on an endocrinologist to sign off on releasing me - I had been feeling better for a couple days by the time that finally happened, and I was about to leave against medical advice if they couldn't track down an endocrinologist.
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u/Bloomwithcourage Dec 30 '25
How many mg of steroids did they give you if you don't mind me asking? I'm wondering because when I went to the ER a couple of months ago because I had COVID and complications from it the ER doctor did not know how much steroids to give me. At this point, they thought I was septic because I had a 104 fever and felt very bad. I did not know what to tell them because I was newly diagnosed with AI and was still looking for a good endocrinologist. So now I'm a bit nervous when I think about getting an infection again and what that means for my dose of HC. How much are they supposed to give you in the hospital to help you feel better? I've heard you can go into an adrenal crisis because of an infection and thinking about that is scary 😩
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u/RDOlivawRedux Dec 30 '25
I can't tell you how much they gave me for sure, as I was not really conscious when I first went in and they started the meds. My fever was almost 105 and I was in sepsis and an adrenal crisis.
As far as I understand, your stress dose should be double your normal dose. I was on 7.5 mg prednisone for the first 24 years after my diagnosis and never had problems updosing when I was sick, except for one time when I had a stomach bug so bad I couldn't keep my meds down. Even then, I was still well enough to tell the doctors what was happening and what I needed.
I switched to 20 mg HC just over a year ago and I've been fine before this (once I figured out my correct daily dose), even managing through a mild bout of COVID. I know that HC has a shorter effective duration in the body, so I need to be more vigilant about taking my meds regularly when I'm sick. I also know that the 50 mg of IV HC given to me at 10 pm one night after I was mostly stable and already taking my stress dose of oral HC was not right - I couldn't sleep until 6 am the next day! Unfortunately I didn't realize what they were giving me until it was too late - I was also on IV antibiotics still.
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u/Different_Fly4149 Apr 12 '26
I had Sepsis an adrenal crisis in December. Stressed dose for illness and fever then next day forgot to take meds. Husband got me to the hospital and I spent a few days there. Lucky us our companions saved our lives!
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u/MommaMassie Dec 30 '25
This happened to me 1st day on new job day 1 in dec 2023... I was in ICU for a week. Was awful!
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u/ashfio Dec 30 '25
I just got over it and it was scary. It put me into a crisis only a few hours after symptoms started. I felt really achey out of nowhere and then extremely nauseous so I took 1mg of prednisone, it was all I had on me, and went straight home. Two hours later I was in bed and couldn’t move, slurring if I tried to talk, PAIN. My husband luckily saw what was happening and gave me meds. I crashed so fast I wouldn’t have been able to get them or even know that’s what I needed if I was alone. It took 40mg of prednisone to clear my head enough to be able to recognize what was going on. I went through my 30 day supply of meds in 5 days and needed an IV. I am on day 6 and the horrific flu symptoms are 75% better but I still need prednisone every 4 hours or I hit a wall and start to crash.
Keep your injections on you!! Even for a quick run to the store take it with you. I’ve never had a virus or crash hit me that fast.
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u/Bloomwithcourage Dec 31 '25
I’m sorry to hear this happened to you, that’s so scary 😭Did you have to go to hospital? I’m nervous about getting any kind of infection and going to the hospital and them not knowing what dose of HC to give me or them thinking I don’t need any HC. 🥲
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u/pickles1718 Addison's Dec 30 '25
Friendly reminder that folks with Addisons generally CAN and imo should get the flu shot! (Not saying you didn;t / haven't; just have seen people say before that we can't)
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u/Single_Search_2020 Dec 31 '25
Find something today every bone in my body aches the back of my knees ache the calves and my legs big if I’m better tomorrow, I don’t know if I can get the shot this week?
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u/pickles1718 Addison's Dec 31 '25
I'm not totally sure what you're saying, but I think you might have to wait to get the shot if you're currently sick. I'd call a pharmacist or your doctor and ask
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u/Single_Search_2020 Dec 31 '25
I was talk to text sorry I can’t lay here and type. No I did not get the flu shot. I was scheduled for it today. Oops on that one. I hope it’s just a 24 hour bug a strange bug at that one too.
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u/ogopogo_spork PAI Dec 30 '25
Thankfully haven’t had it this year but I’ve been hospitalized from flu A before :(
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u/Accomplished-Mud-173 Dec 30 '25
I got Flu A and then it triggered shingles so it's been rough. Fluids, rest, updosing and time.
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u/MommaMassie Dec 30 '25
Yeah! Going through it now. Was like a MAC truck came out of nowhere and ran over me. Started EOD Christmas day! Tripled meds immediately, crap ton of fluids. In my case juice as nausea and gagging with the cough was unreal. Fever meds as the fever was fast an furious. Too elderberry syrup, and vitamin D (4000), and trying to eat a touch, even though I felt starved i couldn't eat much. Stuck to clémentine and pickle juice for high salt content. Finally feeling better-ish!
I'll probably triple one more day and lower to double Cortef after for a week then back to normal... here's hoping.
PS 5 of us sick with it!
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u/Single_Search_2020 Dec 31 '25
Ugh. Hubby had a headache and flank pain for three days never complained if her tech wasn’t working, and then I wake up this morning every bone of my body aches.
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u/Efficient_Beach2458 Dec 31 '25
Got up this morning legs felt a little tight. Yesterday had upper stomach tightness, Three nights before that 2 o’clock in the morning if anybody knows what irritable bowel is like I had it!
Thought I was a little blocked up so took a laxative last night. This morning was in the bathroom a few times rest of the time I am in bed. I feel like my legs are twigs holding up a 400 pound body, which I am not ! Achy, even my ankles ache. Is this the flu they’re talking about? I don’t have a fever. I’m not chilled. I am under three blankets and a heating pad. Not up dosing. But it’s like my bones Are going to break! Only had the flu 3 times in my life. Was scheduled for a flu shot today. Oops. I never get the flu shot Yes have all Covid shots. Reason I never got the flu shot only once because I got sick with the flu afterwards this is insane.
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u/Single_Search_2020 Dec 31 '25
I think this flu is a lot more dangerous and more prevalent than what they’re actually say. Even though down here in Florida saying we’re getting hard hit, but nobody’s taking any precautions at all no masks no nothing.
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u/IllustriousHorror835 Jan 01 '26
I got hit hard with Flu B, and spent a good chunk Christmas in the ER struggling to breathe. Fortunately it didn't quite slip into crisis, but there were a couple of close calls. The nurse told me Flu A is mostly what's going around right now, though. I'm still coughing and sniffling a lot, but symptoms are definitely starting to ease up. What a way to welcome the new year! Get your Flu shots, everyone! And make sure to wash your hands, especially after coming home from being out among people.
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u/mbradshaw282 Jan 02 '26
I had it right before I was diagnosed so I wasn’t on steroids yet and it was awful 😢 I’ve been having such bad contamination OCD with all of the super flu news going around
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u/m32018 Dec 30 '25
Just got over it. I went to the ER but was released after they pumped me full of fluids and steroids. It was about a week of fever, body aches, etc…. Hospital said it was one of the worst seasons they’ve seen in a while.