This just happened in my family. It started with a friend's daughter, then my friend, then my son, then me, and now my mother, step-father and both grandparents. I had to go in for a breathing treatment, I've been sick about three weeks and am a smoker prone to pnuemonia. When I went to get my medication filled to treat it the Pharmacist said "This is the most popular combination of perscriptions this month" apparently everyone has it. It's terrifying

They actually ran out of the medications in my area.

i got sick a few days ago,(still stick) i haven't been sick in years. I have a strict diet and work out routine so i'm pissed.

Wow, this is getting a little concerning.

I live in central Texas, and my husband has been fighting crud in his chest for almost a month now. Several other people he works with have had the same thing. No one has died or been hospitalized, but it's hard to shake. So far, my daughter and I are fine. Let's hope it stays that way, and husband gets better.

I just wanted to comment on my recent upper respiratory illness.

Day 1: Severe body aches. No other symptoms.
Day 2: More body aches.
Day 3: Scratchy throat, fever to 102.
Day 4: Runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever steady near 102. I started antibiotics this day.
Day 5: Increasing cough, congestion, I sensed something serious so I quaranteened myself in an empty spare room away from others. Nose and sinuses completely filled without HUGE amounts of mucus. Throat soreness now working its way down lower into my chest.
Day 6: Cough coming from deeper in my chest (pneumonia?). Persistent fever 101 to 102.
Day 7: Headache, lightheadedness, racing heart, intermittent chest pains, shortness of breath, periods of feeling faint. Fever went down to 99 but jumped back to 102. I told my significant other that I thought I might die. I started taking increased antibiotic dose.
Day 8: I lived through a rough night. Headache continued. Fever now down to 99. Huge amounts of mucus from my lungs. Still feeling woozy when I stand up.
Day 9: No fever. Coughing lots of mucus about every 10 minutes. Lots of nasal drainage.

My opinion: This was no "normal" flu. I feel glad to just be alive. For your information, I'm a healthy 50-ish male (maybe not so healthy any more).
Location: I have been staying in texas for several weeks prior to my illness.

Honestly this scares the crap out of me.

Really, it does. That said, there are a LOT of deaths that occur that are flu-related or reported as 'flu like symptoms' involved. I mean, I read a story about how this child got sick on a friday and was dead by sunday. Turns out it wasn't the flu, though there was 'flu like symptoms', it was some form of meningitis. (Of which, I can't remember)

There will always be some sort of novel flu or what have you developing...the key is to staying aware...

Crazy # going around. My 10 month old son has been fighting a respiratory illness damn near all winter long. He had to be hospitalized back in Oct of last year. Got better then sick again bout a month later. Took him to pulmonary specialist and got him on some meds for a good month. He got better but just in the last week he's been hit again. I had walking pneumonia the last 2 weeks and finally had to go to the Dr. and he put me on an antibiotic for 2 weeks.

My Theory is with such a mild winter all the germs that normally get killed with our cold winters was able to stick around this whole damn winter.

Oh no... just in time for spring break. This is scary news thanks. I have a son who had RSV as a bay and is so vulnerable to upper junk. This is really rotten news.

I hate reading these threads when I'm sick, it's like reading 'The Stand' with the sniffles.

Here in Indiana we have the same symptoms as other posters have reported. I've been fighting this thing for weeks. Starts as the worst sore throat ever then a dry cough like an itch you can't scratch that goes on and on.

A few weeks ago I took my daughter to the doctor and she was diagnosed with an ear & sinus infection and put on antibiotics. She just finished those up and appears to have the same cough and me and my husband. I seem to have the worst of it. I've taken to disinfecting every single surface we have.

At this time I have several family members in the neighboring state of Illinois with the same bug. Almost every other on post on Facebook seems to have people complaining of being sick.

I really thought perhaps it was due to this crazy weather but perhaps not.