Flu

imoldernu

imoldernu

Gone but not forgotten
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
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Peru
This crept up on us.
Google Flu Trends | United States

Currently 7 Chicago hospitals are on ambulance bypass. Others have set up remote triage.

It may be worthwhile to look at recommendations for dealing with this outbreak, especially since the approved vaccine was not developed specifically for this strain.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Check the fluzone high dose and the fluzone intradermal vaccine info for susceptible older people and high risk individuals.

Am reminded of the 1918-1919 epidemic which is said to have had had between 20 million and 50 million victims worldwide.
 
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I usually don't get an annual flu shot, but I did almost by chance about a month ago. Sure hope it's effective...fingers crossed.
 
Interesting, google flu trends.DH got the flu last week and now I have it. Been years since we suffered from it. We hardly ever get the shots.
 
I took more sick days in Q4 2012 than I did the past several years combined. And I was sick over three weekends and some holidays otherwise I would have had more sick time. I seemed to have managed to catch two different strains of flu (as I understand it, you can't re-catch the same strain). And then I had something else that didn't seem to be flu but kept me limited on what I could eat for a week.

Oh, and most of it wasn't the lie-on-the-couch-and-watch-tv sick. It could have been a lot worse, but a lot of the time I was either sleeping or sitting up staring aimlessly at the floor. Not fun.

I guess I should go get a flu shot to try to avoid the new wave of stuff coming around.

Edit: I hadn't realized they treat flu with antiviral drugs now. If I had known that I might have gone to the doctor. The CDC site says the antivirals could cause the sickness to be shorter by a day or two. Anybody here treated flu with antiviral medicine?
 
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I'm just recovering myself from this. I had skipped the flu shot so far since I mostly w*rk from home and have little opportunity for exposure, but flying home from the holidays let me share a large aluminum cylinder with 100 of my closest traveling companions.

I'll recommend that if you are currently healthy, you should go find a flu shot if you can. If not for you, for your SO. My spouse is much smarter than I and has the shot, so I'm hoping not to infect anyone else. Still, neither of us have been able to sleep more than an hour or so for the last five days due to my coughing.

It's been a long five days, and I'm just now turning the corner it seems. I wouldn't wish this on anyone!

(Looks like its the couch for me tonight! Good thing it's comfy! Not that I really notice right now...)
 
Midpack said:
I usually don't get an annual flu shot, but I did almost by chance about a month ago. Sure hope it's effective...fingers crossed.
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I got the same flu shot a few months ago.

I've been getting military flu shots since I was a teenager, and I've kept up the habit even after retiring. Yet I had the flu a couple months ago (after this flu shot) and it knocked me flat on my assets for a week.

I didn't mind the fever or the nausea or the chills or the fluids emanating from my orifi. But oh the joint pain...
 
DW just read the clinic she uses had 1500 calls for "flu like symthoms" ... YIKES!
 
imoldernu said:
....Am reminded of the 1918-1919 epidemic ....
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Wow, you really are "older than us"! :) (Just teasin'.)

Got a flu shot, got the flu. Everyone I know has been sick regardless of being innoculated. Tough year. I blame the Mayans.
 
DW and I both had the flu shots and now both are just getting over the flu. I can't remember the last time I was sick but body aches, fever, fatigue were remarkable. In a bad way. Get some Gatoraid.
 
Never had the flu, never had a flu shot (knocks on wood). Same with DW and the rest of my immediate family.

DD's (she's 1 yo) Dr decided to give her a flu shot even though we told them not to. I wasn't too happy about that....
 
DW got the flu last week. It knocked her off her feet for 5 days.
 
My mother's parents, both in their 30's, died within a few days of each other from the flu in the 1918 epidemic. Our state has had four children die from the flu so far this season. We get flu shots and recommend them for our whole family.
 
imoldernu said:
Am reminded of the 1918-1919 epidemic which is said to have had had between 20 million and 50 million victims worldwide.
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Sneeze at breakfast, dead by dinner. When people said "God bless you" they really meant it.

1918 Flu Pandemic — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts


"The Flu Takes Heavy Toll on Society
The flu took a heavy human toll, wiping out entire families and leaving countless widows and orphans in its wake. Funeral parlors were overwhelmed and bodies piled up. Some people even had to dig graves for their own family members.

The flu was also detrimental to the economy. In the U.S., businesses were forced to shut down because so many employees were sick. Basic services such as mail delivery and garbage collection were hindered due to flu-stricken workers. In some places there weren’t enough farm workers to harvest crops. Even state and local health departments closed for business, hampering efforts to chronicle the spread of the 1918 flu and provide the public with answers about it."
 
I got the flu shot because our insurance pays for it at 100% and since our insurance cost has increased so much I try to get all I can out of the benefits.

Also, I'm the one who is out and about in stores, touching door handles, shopping carts, etc. I wash my hands a lot and try not to touch my face but it's a losing battle.

The day after the flu shot I felt very tired and achy. I was fine the next day so I hope it was worth it.
 
Some basics:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/08/168814935/can-you-get-a-flu-shot-and-still-get-the-flu

This year's flu season started about a month early, prompting federal health officials to warn it could be one of the worst in years. They're urging everyone to get their flu shots.
But like every flu season, there are lots of reports of people complaining that they got their shot but still got the flu. What's up with that?
Well, as Michael Jhung of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, there are lots of possible reasons.
The first is that while the flu vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu, it's far from perfect. In fact, the vaccine is only about 60 percent effective. So some people can get the flu even though they were vaccinated because the shot just didn't work for them.
The vaccine, for example, tends to work less well in the elderly. That's a big problem, since the elderly are among those at greatest risk for serious complications from the flu.
Another reason is that it takes about two weeks for the vaccine's protection to kick in. So if someone gets exposed to the flu in that time between when he gets the vaccine and when his immune system has responded sufficiently, he could still get sick.
Also, it's always possible that someone could get exposed to a strain of the flu virus that's not covered by the vaccine. This year's vaccine, though, looks like it should work pretty well — the flu virus strains in the vaccine appear to be a very good match for the most common flu strains that are circulating this year.
The last reason is that someone might get exposed to another kind of virus that causes symptoms that are very similar to the flu. There are lots of other viruses out there that can cause respiratory illnesses, such as adenoviruses, parainfluenza viruses and respiratory syncytial virus.
Click to expand...
 
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Sue J said:
I wash my hands a lot and try not to touch my face but it's a losing battle.
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Washing your hands very often and not touching your face in between are key to not getting sick, even when it's not flu season. Using hand sanitizer between access to soap and water also helps. I keep small containers in my purse all the time and have already gone through two of them in the past week because I've needed to be out and about more than usual.

No flu shot this year, and so far I'm OK
 
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I'm not sure what I had (have). It has been 5 days and I'm just beginning to feel better. No cold symptoms (which I think define the seasonal flu); probably the stomach flu or food poisoning. Chills, raging headache, and muscle aches the first day; headache, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, overall weakness the rest of the days. Spent three days hugging the toilet scared to leave the house. Terrible, terrible stuff. I can't remember when I've been so sick.
 
Silver said:
Washing your hands very often and not touching your face in between are key to not getting sick, even when it's not flu season. Using hand sanitizer between access to soap and water also helps. I keep small containers in my purse all the time and have already gone through two of them in the past week because I've needed to be out and about more than usual.

No flu shot this year, and so far I'm OK
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Same here - I wash my hands frequently. No flu shot - never had one and haven't had the flu.
 
Since I've made a point of washing my hands while going through the alphabet I have not been sick. I'm hoping that continues. I haven't had I flu shot yet. Before I did this I would get a cold about once a year. So I think length of time spent washing matters also. It's been over 5 years. (fingers crossed)
 
Never had a flu shot. Scared of them, but may change my mind in a decade or so. Know several folks who came down with flu, even with the shot. They did not brag about lessened symptoms.

Have had the flu three times in 57 years. Last time was just last year. Lasted about 5 days---run over by a semi, i think. The first day i returned to work i wore makeup just to look more alive. My boss commented, Hey, she's wearing makeup! :LOL:

Yes, i may start with the flu shots, but not quite yet.
 
We had flu shots early on as we usually do. Apart from the arm being sore for a day or 2 the shot itself never affects us. I don't know the last time either of us have had the flu, so I can't know if it is effective for us or not. However, it costs us nothing and it means we go to the doc's office once a year so they know we are active customers.
 
I have not had the shot either. Have only taken it once in my life and it was not my choice. I had pnuemonia about 4 years ago. Since I had gone to the ER they would not let me leave and admitted me. I truthfully was not that sick for admittance. Our health care dollars at work!! They told me if I left my heath insurance would not cover the ER visit. All the doctors offices were closed, otherwise I would have gone there instead of the ER.

After I was well enough, they gave me both the pnuemonia shot and flu shot before I was discharged. For days and 2 weeks after if not longer, I was as sick as I have ever been.
Kept a low grade fever for more than a month.

I wash my hands and use wipes wherever I go. Even at the gym, I lift weights with those wipes in my hands! I'm trying to stay away from crowds of people too! At least for the next month or two.

My husband got the shot. He did not feel well for over a week.

That said, I am thinking about getting the shot as this flu started early.
 
Vitamin D and influenza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is a hotly disputed topic even among 'experts' -- let alone us peons who just try to take care of ourselves.

I'm not trying to (re)open the debate here; there are credible studies on both sides (as there are with many health issues). I'm just throwing it out there for folks to read & evaluate for themselves, as I hadn't seen it mentioned yet (apologies if I missed it.)

How to Use Vitamin D As Flu Medicine | eHow.com

epidemic influenza vitamin d - Google Search

Tyro -- I am not a
doctor.gif
, nor do I play one on TV or the internet. :rolleyes:
 
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