Mum who thought she was hungover had 'Aussie flu' that left her bedridden for three weeks

A British mother has been left bedridden for three weeks after what she initially thought was a hangover turned out to be 'Aussie flu'.

Natalie Shand, 39, from Oldbury, West Midlands, has revealed the horrific symptoms that ruined her Christmas holidays.

At first, the mother-of-three thought her vomiting was down to the three glasses of Prosecco she had consumed the evening before, but her condition continued to rapidly deteriorate.

"When it first started I thought it was a hangover, I was being sick and had diarrhoea," she told The Mirror.

After developing severe chest pains she said she felt "like I had smoked 30 a day."

She then began to question whether she was pregnant, after being struck down with fatigue while her whole body continuously ached.

It was only until five days after her symptoms began she discovered from her GP she had contracted 'Aussie flu'.

The virus left her bedridden on and off for a period of three weeks.

Ms Shand said during the worst of her ordeal she "physically couldn't move" and was unable to take her children to school.

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"I was bedbound through Christmas too," she said.

"I had a meal with my family on Christmas Day but then the fatigue just took over."

She has since returned to work after her five-week ordeal that began at the start of December but says she is still not back to full health.

With around 170,000 cases of flu reported in Australia this season, more than twice the amount last year, the UK is bracing itself for a spike in cases.