Having had a number of bad colds before I actually got a bad flu, I always thought my colds were the flu. Not a huge deal. When it was confirmed to be the flu when I talked to her later, the mobile doctor said that many people think the same because they tupically don't go to the doctor for confirmation, if the doctor even chooses to test.
A real (non-covid) flu had me feeling like I was on death's door for a week, and much of that time was spent wishing it would take me.
I got H1N1. The only reason I didn’t end up in a hospital was because I forced myself to stay hydrated and somewhat lucid when I wasn’t able to sleep. It was really bad.
I got a type-A flu this year in early January, and holy shit was it painful, I hadn't been that sick in 25 years. Some co-workers and relatives also got it (in opposite sides of the Earth!) and reported the same, this year the flu was really strong.
In comparison, I had corona last week and it was a walk in the park (I am also quad-vaccinated, that might have helped).
> In comparison, I had corona last week and it was a walk in the park (I am also quad-vaccinated, that might have helped).
I can attest that somewhere between vaccines, potential acquired immunity and variants having reduced strength, my pair of confirmed Covid experiences (March 2020, July 2022) went from "the sickest I've ever felt, with symptoms recurring for months and persistent-to-present reduced smell capability" to "a mild cold".
Just for anecdata, I had the J&J vaccine early on, then the bivalent booster when it became available. In January, I got COVID, and I was "sickest I've ever felt" for about three days, "bad cold" for a week, "fatigue and brain fog" for another week, and "smoker's cough in the morning" for several months afterward.
I also had a very bad flu in early Jan2020.
I'm typically very strong but my body was sapped of energy for 5 days and was different than any other sickness I've experienced.
A real (non-covid) flu had me feeling like I was on death's door for a week, and much of that time was spent wishing it would take me.