ever meet someone that has night hallucinations? where they open their eyes but are still in REM- so everything object in the room looks like a person or monster.
As for flu, I think I had it last back in 2012. I was down for close to a week. I have gotten flu shots every year since then.
I may have had flu once in college too. I recall being down for a week, but that is a little blurry in my memories from 20 years ago. That may have been mono.