After-effects of Flu, or Permanent Lung Problem?

[Guest guest]

Hi, all. I'm kinda spooked. For the past week, my husband and I both

have been sick with what appears to be one of the forms of flu that is

*not* covered by the flu shot. (I never took the flu shot, but my

husband did.) This hasn't been fun. I've been very weak and achy, and

I've coughed a lot. The one positive is that I was able to cough up

enough sputum (finally!) to provide a sample to culture. (My hubby was

well enough yesterday to bring the sample to the lab.)

I don't seem to have a fever anymore, and my blood sugar seems to be

responding more the way it did before I got sick. But I find that I

get exhausted from doing the smallest things. I just made myself a

wrap this morning for the first time in a week, and I needed to take

frequent stops to catch my breath and to lean and/or sit on a stool

while doing this. Before I got sick, I used to make myself a wrap

every day with no problems.

I keep thinking I'm over the flu, but I keep running out of breath,

especially when I'm standing up. (I even feel short of breath now, as

I'm typing this message. And my arm muscles hurt from the typing, too.)

All this is making me very short-tempered. I've snapped at my hubby

several times when all he was doing was trying to help. He would ask

me a question, or respond to something I had said, and I couldn't

answer because it was too hard for me to speak. That would make me

frustrated and angry.

What concerns me is that the breathing problems and exhaustion might

be permanent. If so, I really need some help re how to cope. Does this

sound like bronchiectasis? Any advice/encouragement would be greatly

appeciated.

Thanks.

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