FU to the FLU

[Dragynphyre]

Monday night I slipped on the ice and cracked my knee really good, so I figured that that is why I was so achy on Tuesday morning when I called in sick to work. I also had a bit of a cough. By that afternoon, I realized it was a GOOD thing that I'd called out, because I had chills that putting on more layers of clothes and curling up under five warm blankets wasn't able to help alleviate.

After that, I was pretty much stuck in bed for four days with a fever that did not go below 100 no matter how much Tylenol I choked down... and at those times when it did drop down from 103 to 100, I felt almost normal in comparison.

My temperature finally went back down to my normal 97.4 on Friday evening, and stayed there until this morning, so I figured that it would be safe to go back to work today, though I knew it would still be rough getting through the day considering that I went grocery shopping Saturday morning and wound up sleeping for 12 hours straight that night.

The doctor gave me some antibiotics when I went to visit her on the second day of my illness. Those and the OTC medications I need to feel human are still messing with my digestive system in rather nasty ways, I can't wait until I don't have to take medicine.

This year has been pretty bad for me and my family illness wise - I'd already spent all my sick days by the time April came around, and got really sick three more times - and this past illness went 2 days over my remaining 1 vacation and 1 personal day for the year, so I don't even know what they're going to do yet... (Back In Black)
Delissandra Splitshadow - Marauder of Clan X
Grandmaster Poisoner (250), Master Potter (191), Grandmaster Lush (200)

[EZ_Jassy of Povar]

/rant on

Antibiotics for the Flu? Boggle!! That'w how resistant strains of micro-organisms occur. Improper use of antibiotics. Influenza is a Virus, not affected at all by anti-biotics.

Caveat: Unless your MD prescribed them for some underlying infection. If not, that's POOR medicine.

/rant off

I'm certainly glad you are feeling better. Influenza is, well, in one word, YUCK.
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And yes, I am a healthcare professional. Public Health to be exact.

"I can imagine a no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" -- JFK

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

I was out for 9 days from the flu a few weeks ago. Personally, I'd trust a doctor for medical advice before I'd trust a SHer, but if it makes you feel any better, I was prescribed an antibiotic after a throat culture came back positive while I had the flu.

[Dragynphyre]

The antibiotic was prescribed for the secondary infection in my ears. This strain of flu seemed to go hand in hand with bacterial pneumonia as well, so I had to watch out for that as well. Otherwise, I just had to wait for my body to fight off the virus.

I'm very glad they didn't make me come in at all last week. I'm still coughing quite a bit, but it's not the dry raspy cough I had the other day.

A friend of mine had suggested an old home remedy of putting sliced onions in one's socks overnight, which his family insists halves the time that you're sick due to antivirals in the onions, but I didn't do that.

I did, however, use the home remedy my doctor suggested for bringing down the fever, which was a heaping teaspoon of raspberry jam in a cup of hot tea.

There's apparently something in the seeds of the raspberry that is a febrifuge. The Tylenol wasn't working, so I figured, 'what they hey?'. My fever was down within a few hours, and didn't come back.

I didn't get the flu shot this year, but it seems that this slightly mutated strain is even affecting those that did get the shot.

I heard this morning that the first casualty of this year's epidemic in this area was a 75 year old man that already had chronic lung problems, the flu just weakened him enough that he died from some secondary lung infection.

[EZ_Jassy of Povar]

See my Caveat Antibiotics for bacterial infections are a good thing.

It's interesting to note, in my experience as a parent with children, that Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) works quicker and better as an anti-pyretic than Acetominophen (Tylenol) ever did. YMMV though. "I can imagine a no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" -- JFKEdited by: Jassy of Povar at: 12/15/03 9:16 am

[Dragynphyre]

I unfortunately didn't have any Motrin or Advil available, I find that those tend to work better for me for aches and pains as well. Tylenol is only good in that there are very few drug interactions associated with it.

Can't wait to get home and take a nap tho...

[EZ_Jassy of Povar]

Oh, another thing about fever relief. If you can stomach the sickly-sweet taste, I recommend the LIQUID form of Ibuprofen. I've noticed it works much quicker than the tablet/caplet forms (have not tried the liqui-gels). Again, YMMV. "I can imagine a no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" -- JFK

[Nenjin]

I don't understand the desire to get a flu shot. People get sick, it happens. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN.

[EZ_Talius]

You get sick, you take it like a man, you spread it to the elderly or the young children and they die.

S'not so good, ya?

[Greldek]

I am anti flu shot..
I've never had one, and rarely get the flu..

people I know that get the flu shot, usually get it at least every other year!

my personal experiance shows flu shot doesn't really help.
.::Phoenix Server Board::.

[Dragynphyre]

I've never gotten a flu shot, and this is the first time in over ten years that I've gotten the flu. I still won't get one next year.

[EZ_Dain Bornhald]

Considering the shortage of vaccine to begin with, the elderly and children should be first in line for the shot. I'm healthy and reasonably fit, I'd rather lock myself up for a couple weeks than use up some precious juice that could help somebody who needs it more than I. Besides, if you've got the flu you shouldn't be leaving the house unless absolutely necessary.

[Meddik]

Quote:I don't understand the desire to get a flu shot. People get sick, it happens. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN.

My wife's been sick in bed with the flu for about 3 days now. When she gets better, can i have your address, so she can come and beat the @#%$ out of you until you feel half as bad as she does right now? Edited by: Meddik at: 12/15/03 12:32 pm

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

Nah, just send your wife over there while she's still contagious and watch him take it like a man when he's flat on his ass sick as a dog.

[Dragynphyre]

But wait, Nyssa, Meddik's wife, and I are WOMEN - we CAN'T "take it like a man"...

Of course, I would define "taking it like a man" as whining and lamenting how terrible you feel, generally acting like an invalid with wanting me to get up and get you orange juice even though I'm just as sick as you are, but still refusing to take any medicine or see the doctor until you feel that you're just about dead...

Now, if only I could get through the next hour and a half without zonking out at my desk....

[Dorla]

Neither my husband nor I got a flu shot this year... he has been in bed practically dead with flu for a week, and he never gets sick. I haven't gotten sick so far, despite my fairly constant record of getting a good cold/flu every year around this time. Maybe my body kicked into high gear following my surgery, I dunno.... flu is so random.

By the way, if you can't/won't get a flu shot due to the low supply, there is always the flu mist. You inhale it through your nose. It's great for those that are healthy, but it is a live culture. I've heard insurance won't always cover it either, and it's definitely more expensive. So there's pros and cons.

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

Insurance won't pay for it, but you could probably use FLEX spending dollars on it. If nothing else, your money's tax free.

[EZ_Kinare]

Quote:I heard this morning that the first casualty of this year's epidemic in this area was a 75 year old man that already had chronic lung problems, the flu just weakened him enough that he died from some secondary lung infection.

Actually several children in Colorado have died from it. At last count I believe it was around 7, but I am not sure.

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

The count of flu related deaths in children in CO is now at least 11. I heard this morning on the radio that one of the deaths linked to the flu was an 18 year old. So yeah, invincible people who "takes it like a man" can die from it too. Edited by: Nyssa Rainwhisper at: 12/15/03 3:05 pm

[EZ_Pedric Cuf]

I've had 3 cases of the Flu so far this year. I heard something like 11 major strains are going around. So that only leaves me with 8 more times to get sick. Time to get crackin!

And I hear that it's not a good idea to get a flu shot till you're 21. 18 seems to be an okay age, but 21 is the sweet spot. At least that's what I heard and not from a doctor.

[DarthEnderX]

What do you have against the Florida Liberation Union?

[Aidden]

Actually Flu vacinations do work if you get them, but only for the strain they were built for.

The problem is they have to make the vaccine based on the prevelent strain that appears at the end of the previous years Flu season..

Sometimes thats nto the only strain that shows up in the next year.

As for taking it like a man, I can deal with being sick, I cant afford the time off of work..

busy busy busy....

I stand by the Flu shot.. I also think the nation is over prescribed anti biotics...

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

I've also heard that the flu shot takes 2 weeks for the body to develop immunity. Lucky me, I got the damn flu 12 hours after getting my shot.

[EZ_Pedric Cuf]

That could easily be from the shot, Nyssa. I know my mom always gets sick after getting her shot. You are after all injecting yourself with a part of the flu.

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

Medically, it's not likely from the shot since they no longer use live viruses to make the shots. My theory is, it probably weakened my body by faking it out having it thinking it was sick and needed to allocate the "troops" if you will to fight off the flu shot, leaving my body defenseless. Of course, I could be totally wrong.

[EZ_AsturiasAurora]

I'm the only one out of my workplace of 14 people, that has NOT gotten the flu yet, or even a cold for that matter, while everyone else has called in sick/gone to the hospital, or even tried coming in to work turning various shades of white/green to which I promptly kicked their wheazy asses out.

Know something amusing? Of the 14 people in my work environment, 12 of them have had Flu Shots....and I'm not one of them.

Funny how folks seem to believe the flu shots are the answer to everything....

Sickness is mental and conditional. If you regularly expose yourself to contagions (i.e.- work around kids, heavily publicized places like malls, stores, etc. or have a history of getting sick regularly) then just suck it up and face the facts -- you WILL get sick this year.

I went 14 years without even a single cold or flu, while my entire family came down with pneumonia at one time or another. Maybe its a bit presumptious, but sickness is mental. Notice how the majority of folks getting sick are the same majority of folks that always seem to get sick? Call it what you will....crappy immune systems or just plain Hypochondriacs (sp?)...

Influenza is a Virus. It can NOT be treated, nor blocked with a bacteria-laced virus that is in those influenza shots. Viruses can only be avoided with immunities. Thats the basis behind the influenza shots. They give you a dead influenza strain with a bacteria counter-culture to "jumpstart" your immune systems. Those that think that will always work might as well just get the tissues and sick-day papers out now. Your body's immune system naturally resists viruses so what makes you think it won't also resist the flu shot?

Just stick with the easy fixes. Lysol your work areas, wash your hands often and cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Simple and effective.

As for those cases of the Flu killing people (11 or whatever). In ALL those cases, there was another strain or situation for each of those patients that had them weakened to begin with. The 85 year old lady that died was diagnosed with emphesema (sp?) prior to getting the flu. The children that died were diagnosed with pre-illnesses/conditions that had them in a weakened state as well. No typical strong, healthy individual has died to the Flu yet. As always, the media is playing it up to make it sound worse than it is.

[Dragynphyre]

Get this - not even a month later, I've got myself a lovely little head and upper chest cold as well. Musta snuck in there while my resistances were low with the antibodies taking care of the influenza virii.

There's only one little bit of a silver lining to this, in that the dry, nagging cough I had for weeks after getting over the worst of the flu is now nice and productive...

[EZ_Fallen One]

i don't understand why people think they're immortal or somthing if they don't get the flu after not getting a flu shot. Big Deal...you didn't contract the virus this time, you will another.

I had the flu last week and i still have a cough thats keeping me from doing the winter track workouts i was hoping to get done over break. I hadn't recieved a flu shot before, and i hadn't gotten the flu before either. Dosen't mean people who get the shot are weak and you're a hero, its just preference. Get over yourself. "Pain inside is rising. I am the Fallen One. A figure in an old game. No jokers on my side. I've plunged into missery, i've turned out the light and murderd the dawn"

[Dragynphyre]

I absolutely love irony. The people who'd gotten a flu shot earlier in the year and said "You didn't get a flu shot? Tsk tsk! That's why you got the flu!" when I got sick are now succumbing to the flu themselves.

Now, for some people, like the elderly and those with chronic lung problems such as asthma, a flu shot is a good idea... if only to help prevent them from getting that specific strain, which could very well kill them.

But me, nah. It took 12 years for the influenza virus to find a form that I was actually susceptible to, I'm willing to take the chance again next year.

[EZ_Dazzler Twodirks]

Foolish Mortals.
I don't get sick except once every few years or so.
Dazzler Twodirks High Speed Quisinart for Hire
Guildleader of the Blades of Honor.
Monsters Slain, Pockets Picked, Corpses Dragged, and more.
No job too small, no fee too large
Card Carrying Member of The Safehouse.
Classes are not that out of balance -AbsorEQ