WHEN Pete Brown started feeling under the weather he put it down to a bout of 'man flu' - but it turned out to be the real thing, and it nearly killed him.

So ill did the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust manager become over the course of a week back in 2014, that he ended up in intensive care at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

At one point, doctors feared he might not survive the night, and the awful nightmares he suffered in the aftermath led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Now, with Wales having launched its biggest ever flu vaccination programme as a winter also stalked by coronavirus approaches, Mr Brown is urging people to get themselves protected against flu, warning that 'no-one is indestructible'.

Mr Brown, of Abergavenny, was 27 when he developed flu-like symptoms, but his rapid deterioration saw him admitted to intensive care and put in an induced coma.

His condition was so critical, his family held a bedside vigil after doctors warned he may not survive the night.

“Flu had a massive impact on my life in a way I can’t begin to explain, both in terms of my physical health and my mental health," he said.

“I was actually diagnosed with PTSD afterwards because of the flashbacks to the intensive care ward and the awful dreams.

“I’ll always remember being told by the consultant to get my family to come to the hospital really quickly because her confidence in me surviving that night wasn’t great.”

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A business manager based in Cwmbran, Mr Brown was working as a head of operations for NHS England when he became ill.

“I was a fit and healthy 27-year-old in my 12th year in the ambulance service and thought I didn’t need to have the flu jab," he said.

“That autumn I developed what I thought was ‘man flu’ and it got progressively worse over the course of a week.

“I remember being sat in a café in Sainsbury’s just feeling awful. I had a high temperature yet I felt freezing. I also had a cough and a runny nose. I just wanted to sleep.

“That evening, I felt so unwell that we called 999 and I ended up in the emergency department at Nevill Hall Hospital where they discovered that my oxygen saturation levels were at nine per cent, which is actually considered unsurvivable.

“I was admitted into intensive care at the Royal Gwent Hospital, where I spent four days in total, two of which were in an induced coma.”

Flu is a common viral illness which is spread by coughs and sneezes.

The most common symptoms include high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, headache, coughing, and feeling tired.

For most people, it is mainly unpleasant, but for some, it can be very serious and even fatal.

In an unfortunate twist, Mr Brown also passed the virus to his partner, and she was unwell for two weeks.

“The worst thing about it all was knowing I gave it to my partner," he said.

“The impact I saw that have on her and others was huge and can’t ever be underestimated.”

Originally from Berkshire, Mr Brown was eventually discharged from hospital to begin what was a gruelling recovery, which included physiotherapy and counselling.

“I had many months off work in order to recover, which was painful and slow. Even walking up a flight of stairs was really difficult," he said.

"More than anything, it was the fatigue and exhaustion. I couldn’t sleep at all and I’d have the most horrific nightmares about the intensive care ward, which I’d later get some professional help for, following my PTSD diagnosis.

“It actually took around two years in total for me to get my confidence back.”

Click here for more about this year’s Beat Flu campaign by Public Health Wales.

Now 34, Mr Brown is calling on his ambulance service colleagues and the public to have their flu vaccination.

“Whilst the decision of mine to not have the jab really cost me, it also cost others around me," he said.

“Even if you think you’re indestructible, watching that kind of illness falling on someone that you love and are really close to is heart-breaking and not something you’d ever wish to put our family and loved ones in that position of.

“It takes only a couple of minutes to be vaccinated. By getting the flu jab, we can all work together to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community.”