Sounds like it's still hanging in just a tad though. The very kind of flu I hate.

We lose our hormones, testosterone for men, estrogen for women ................. you know what I'm referring to ............. which means that the endorphin's associated with them are no longer produced. That denies us a form of dopamine which we were accustomed to having in abundance by default. That means, yes, a ton of energy is missing. It really isn't as hard on us as it seems though. We were just spoiled all those years. Once we no longer have it, we automatically assume something is wrong, but it's not. It's just hard to live without something like that when you were used to it.

The best comparison would be addiction, because it does almost the same thing. Another good example would be post natal depression.  All of you ladies are cut off from pain endorphin's the second you deliver, after having all you wanted/needed for the entire pregnancy. Most women can handle it, probably because they're so overjoyed with their child, but a surprising number of women cannot. I'm certain that there are more examples, but I can't think of one at the moment. Men encounter the age related version we're referring to at a much younger age than women for the most part, and their egos can't handle it. I was fortunate enough to have an abundance my entire life .............. but once I became sick, it totally cut me back. Despite being quite a bit older than the average man is when they encounter it, it was still a difficult thing for me. So this one is indeed a biggie.