The Stand
A really, really, really vicious nasty brink-of-death cold of flu or similar illness that you truly and sincerely wish would just 'finish the job' and kill you already... 

Unfortunately you live through every last stinking moment of it.

From Stephen King's "The Stand" a tale about an 'end of the world' plaque.
Winter of 2003 I must've come down with that "The Stand" virus. Ribcage felt like it was wrapped in a bandclamp from all the coughing. 

I swear I saw a family of Ebola viruses packing for Florida it was so bad.