Poll: Flu 2017/18 Season - Flu and Shot

[harllee]

Dropout, what is the treatment for strep? Is there a test for strep?

 

[MRG]

Dropout, what is the treatment for strep? Is there a test for strep?

Well in 1969 they swabbed your throat and gave you antibiotics. I'm guessing it's still a swab but antibiotics?

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Still antibiotics as far as I know.Several friends with children who get it at least once per school year (kids and usually at least one parent get it) always are prescribed antibiotics.

 

[happy2bretired]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...ests-only-50-to-70-percent-accurate-cdc-says/

 

[happy2bretired]

Sorry naked...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the quick tests are only 50 to 70 percent accurate. They're the most common flu test performed at hospitals and clinics during flu season.

 

[harllee]

Sorry naked...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the quick tests are only 50 to 70 percent accurate. They're the most common flu test performed at hospitals and clinics during flu season.

Well, that's scary! So I could have the flu even though the quick test came back negative. Well, I feel a tiny bit better today and my temperature is not quite so high so maybe I do just have a cold. Even though I have a very bad sore throat I don't think I have strep because I do not have any of the other strep symptoms, like swollen glands or throat rash. i had a cold a few months ago and it turned into a sinus infection and it took 3 visits to the doctor over a month's time to get the antibiotic that finally cured me.

I am getting sick too often in my old age (age 66), maybe I need to do something to boost my immunity.

 

[W2R]

Well, that's scary! So I could have the flu even though the quick test came back negative. Well, I feel a tiny bit better today and my temperature is not quite so high so maybe I do just have a cold. Even though I have a very bad sore throat I don't think I have strep because I do not have any of the other strep symptoms, like swollen glands or throat rash. i had a cold a few months ago and it turned into a sinus infection and it took 3 visits to the doctor over a month's time to get the antibiotic that finally cured me.

I am getting sick too often in my old age (age 66), maybe I need to do something to boost my immunity.

I haven't had the flu for over 40 years, but IIRC the characteristic symptom (for me, anyway) was feeling like you had been literally run over by a truck. Absolutely zero energy, aching everywhere, and much more miserable than with a cold.

I am not getting sick nearly as often in my old age (age 69) as I did when younger, but that is probably because I enjoy my home so much - - I do not spend much time in other places, where I could be in contact with sick people. Mostly I just stay home.

There were a few years in my life when I was in university and my daughter was in elementary school, and we were all sick as dogs constantly because of the exposure to various illnesses.

 

[harllee]

Some of the reason I catch colds so often may be because I am out and about and get exposed to everything. I live in a college town, go to events on campus most days, volunteer, am around young children(I try to avoid children, but there they are). I guess I could stay home more, but that would not be fun to me and not how I want to spend my retirement.

 

[JoeWras]

I am getting sick too often in my old age (age 66), maybe I need to do something to boost my immunity.

Drink Kefir, preferably home made.

 

[happy2bretired]

This is the first year since I retired that I have been sick several times instead of maybe 1 or 2 ordinary colds once in awhile. My daughter and her husband have a new baby. My lovely granddaughter appears to be a bundle of microbes. She goes to daycare and is very good with sharing everything with us.

My daughter and granddaughter did test for type A flu...I didn’t. Mine was probably a sinus infection and I did get antibiotics.

 

[harllee]

This is the first year since I retired that I have been sick several times instead of maybe 1 or 2 ordinary colds once in awhile. My daughter and her husband have a new baby. My lovely granddaughter appears to be a bundle of microbes. She goes to daycare and is very good with sharing everything with us.

My daughter and granddaughter did test for type A flu...I didn’t. Mine was probably a sinus infection and I did get antibiotics.

happy2beretired, the last time I had a cold it developed into a sinus infection. My doctor would not give me antibiotics after I had been sick for about 2 weeks because I did not have a fever and "was not sick enough". I want back to the doctor after another week, getting sicker all the while and I finally got antibiotics after I told the doc I was not leaving his office without a prescription for antibiotics. After 2 days on antibiotics I was well (but I did finish the rest of the pills). After asking around among friends I have found that getting antibiotics for a sinus infection in my area is almost impossible. happy2beretired, how long were you sick before you could get antibiotics for a sinus infection and was your doctor hesitant to give you a prescription?

 

[happy2bretired]

I was sick for one day before I went to a urgent care clinic. I did have a fever and the chills. I really thought I had the flu so I expected to get Tamiflu.They gave me a 5 day antibiotic that I have never taken before called Z pac..I guess that’s a slang term for Azithromycin. It’s doing it’s job well.

 

[happy2bretired]

Oh also the side effects of that antibiotic can be c diff...so I’m loading up on probiotics right now.

 

[harllee]

I was sick for one day before I went to a urgent care clinic. I did have a fever and the chills. I really thought I had the flu so I expected to get Tamiflu.They gave me a 5 day antibiotic that I have never taken before called Z pac..I guess that’s a slang term for Azithromycin. It’s doing it’s job well.

Wow, no way in my area could you get antibiotics after being sick only one day...after being sick a month, maybe.

 

[ivinsfan]

I was sick for one day before I went to a urgent care clinic. I did have a fever and the chills. I really thought I had the flu so I expected to get Tamiflu.They gave me a 5 day antibiotic that I have never taken before called Z pac..I guess that’s a slang term for Azithromycin. It’s doing it’s job well.

Z pac are for bacterial infections...were you diagnosed with pneumonia?

 

[happy2bretired]

No sinus infection.

 

[TrvlBug]

After 17 days of antibiotics and 5 days off, my sinus infection is getting worse with an accompanying sore throat. I have an appt with my allergist on Monday. I'm sick of being sick .

 

[DEC-1982]

I do not spend much time in other places, where I could be in contact with sick people.

I was thinking along the same lines about work life and after-work life.

One goes to the office and meets a lot of people, any of whom could be sick. Then one goes from work for lunch to the restaurant and meets a whole lot of other people. Maybe one goes frequently or periodically to the airport, a place with thousands of people, and sits in a plane in close proximity to other people in a closed cabin. The advantage of after-work life is not meeting all these people; at least apart from grocery shopping one can pick and choose who to come into contact with. And retired people can pick the time for grocery shopping when there are lesser people in the store.

 

[Tadpole]

Interesting that only one person who did NOT get the flu shot has gotten the flu. From what I have read, this year's flu strain (H3N2) is one that the flu shot provides little or no protection against.

At this point in the poll, our small sample seems to support that.

 

[redduck]

TrvlBug[/B];2010246]After 17 days of antibiotics and 5 days off, my sinus infection is getting worse with an accompanying sore throat. I have an appt with my allergist on Monday. I'm sick of being sick .

Maybe changing your screen name would help.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

After 17 days of antibiotics and 5 days off, my sinus infection is getting worse with an accompanying sore throat. I have an appt with my allergist on Monday. I'm sick of being sick .

What type of antibiotic did you get?

levaquin works best for me for sinus infections. 7 days usually does the trick. For the first time dr also prescribed prednisone, for the first 5 days, 20 mg twice a day tapering down to 5 mg once a day. Concern to prevent pneumonia was his reasoning

 

[TrvlBug]

What type of antibiotic did you get?

levaquin works best for me for sinus infections. 7 days usually does the trick. For the first time dr also prescribed prednisone, for the first 5 days, 20 mg twice a day tapering down to 5 mg once a day. Concern to prevent pneumonia was his reasoning

Amoxicillin. Went to urgent care this morning as I was concerned about the sore throat...it was really bad last night and this morning. They took strep culture but don't think that's it. The fast and furious test came back negative and they're growing culture. Dr. thinks it is another viral infection, arghhhh. Says they're seeing people get infection after infection with many sick for five to six weeks. Says he himself was sick more than a month in Oct.

 

[TrvlBug]

Maybe changing your screen name would help.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

my sinus infections, and I used to get a lot of them while working, laugh at Amoxicillin. The levaquin and similar ones from same "family" do have their side effects, mainly muscle and ligament tears if one exercises vigorously while on them. With my bad knees vigorous exercise is a thing of the past for me anyway, sick or not

I had a bad cold starting Christmas day which lasted for 10 ten days, then high 102 fever and exhaustion which was diagnosed as flu 7 days of that which settled into the sinus infection. levaquin plus steroid fixed that in 7 days. so it was three and a half weeks of continuous sickness for me

 

[Meadbh]

I was thinking along the same lines about work life and after-work life.

One goes to the office and meets a lot of people, any of whom could be sick. Then one goes from work for lunch to the restaurant and meets a whole lot of other people. Maybe one goes frequently or periodically to the airport, a place with thousands of people, and sits in a plane in close proximity to other people in a closed cabin. The advantage of after-work life is not meeting all these people; at least apart from grocery shopping one can pick and choose who to come into contact with. And retired people can pick the time for grocery shopping when there are lesser people in the store.

Have you tried online grocery shopping (from your local supermarket) with delivery? I have, and it’s great. I even let them pick out my Christmas turkey breast. I think the professional shoppers have access to the freshest, just delivered produce, because it’s usually better than what I would have chosen myself.

There will soon come a time when you won’t have to leave the house at all!