Charles was offered the pandemic flu jab due to his heart defect (the one I'm supposed to be forgetting about for 5 years) putting him in a high-risk category. After some thought I decided to accept the offer: he's had a mild response to all other vaccines, flu can be very nasty and he is still small. His life is pretty social, what with his friends at J's and lots of children using the same playground, so I've been planning for 'when' not 'if' he catches flu. It would be much easier all round if he didn't though.

We picked him early from J's to take him to the surgery, and he didn't want to leave and he didn't want to ride in the buggy and he didn't want to sit nicely in the waiting area and he didn't want to take his jumper off and he didn't want to sit still for the nurse. Who said she was worried about hurting him if he couldn't be still, so I had to be a mean ol' mummy and grip his arm in place top and bottom to stop him wriggling it and then the jab itself was over before I knew it. Then we had to wait 15 minutes on the premises before leaving and he was even more manic and prone to running-off as we went back to find Louise and he didn't want to sit quietly on the bus but at least I got him to stop screaming before anyone threw us off.

So that was complete palaver and I wasn't very surprised when he fell asleep fairly soon after we got home. He then was a bit subdued for the next day or so but no other observable reaction. We have to do it all again for the booster in 3 weeks or so (not yet booked).

I'm over my own bout of flu apart from the post-viral exhaustion. My normal weekday routine involves walking a mile to work, another 1.7 miles to collect Charles and at least another 1.8 miles back home again (longer if we run any errands on the way). All this week I've just about managed the walk into work but it's been exhausting rather than the usual pick-me-up. A bus cuts about half the walking out of picking up Charles and a different one brings us most of the way home but my days have basically consisted of "go to work, get Charles, get home, flop" and Tony has continued having to do almost all my share of the housework. It is very boring and I have spent the weekend resting as much as possible in hopes of getting more back to normal. We shall see tomorrow.

It's like a big switch flipped and suddenly yum please lots of food now please. Also my head is clearer and I haven't ached since this morning; also I can do rather more before needing to sit down and rest. If this continues I may try leaving the house for a short walk tomorrow.

I have had flu several times before and I have never gone from as awful as I felt on Tuesday night to as not-bad-actually as I feel tonight in 3 days. So either it was really wimpy flu, or I am susceptible to the placebo effect, or there is something to taking antivirals after all.

I'll sleep on it.

Temperature has come down some more. Aches are still there but not as bad; ditto general cold/"flu-like" symptoms. Exhaustion remains, as does lack-of-appetite - I managed a small amount of porridge for breakfast to take my tamiflu with. So far none of the common side-effects are manifesting, hurrah. I managed to have a shower before completely running out of steam, which is a big improvement on yesterday (perhaps for everyone else too!).

No-one else has anything more than mild cold symptoms, which makes me happy. First family visitor arrives today - I shall be a somewhat distant and reserved hostess but I know she'll forgive me.

Charles and I both had mild coughs on Monday evening. Yesterday morning I was a bit borderline as the cough was worse but went to work as I had a presentation to give. Felt fine while doing presentation, felt much worse as soon as it was over, left work a little early as a result. Charles apparently fine all day with J.

Yesterday evening I developed high temperature, shivering and all-over muscle aches along with the rest of the cold. The online assessment says hello flu, here is an antiviral code for you. I will send Tony or Jonny for them today.

Charles coughed a bit last night and then spent most of the night feeding. Now he is full of beans with very mild cold symptoms. Meanwhile I still ache all over, plus the rest but the temp has dropped a little. Ironically Charles is due a flu jab next week because his heart murmur makes him "high risk" for catching flu. When I can cope with phone calls again I may ring up and check whether we should postpone/cancel.

Everyone else in the house is fine and we are following basic hygiene precautions to keep it that way. Half the family are visiting this weekend; as long as Tony and Charles don't succumb I think it's not worth cancelling, but I will have to be antisocial until I'm asymptomatic. It's not a completely disastrous time to be off work, but fairly inconvenient. Bah bah bah. I want my brain back; also to stop aching now please.