My bout with H1N1

[CarolAnn]

Hi, all -
I've been out for the past 9 days from a bout with the flu. Scary sick. I also have asthma, so it was a bit more serious than it might have been. Tried to take care of it myself and ended up in the ICU at my local hospital!

This is a very fast acting lung infection with almost no nasal congestion, but a high fever, aching, ripping bad cough and a tendency to go to pneumonia quickly. I gargled with salt water, which helped, and took DayQuill, which didn't - at least, not enough. Between Saturday morning and night, I went from fine to so ill I could hardly stand up.

So, folks - if you think using hand sanitizier is going to make a difference, forget it. Wash your hands and gargle - those do help. (Antibacterials are not the same thing as antiVIRALs. This is a virus.) If you get it, don't mess around with it. Make sure you have someone who can react quickly & get you to an urgent care center if you need it. Over 100 little kids have died from this, and although they say that's common from flu each year, please don't play the odds with a child's life if you can do otherwise!

For two days I saw no faces - only blue-paper wrapped folks wearing masks and gloves, and I lived in a room (a very nice, expensive room, I'm sure I'll discover) - with a big vent fan to carry the virus up and out rather than letting it escape into the other hospital rooms.

Finally, I went into the urgent care center without my bug out bag. WHAT WAS I THINKING! Once they get you, they don't let you go until they're darn good and ready - and they're positive that you're no longer shedding this awful virus.

[Teg]

Glad to hear you made it through, we just had a 24 year old troop die from possible H1N1 last week (awaiting autopsy to be certain), definitely a rough flu.

[EarthMama]

I had the swine flu back in January of 2008. I was sick in bed for 3 days, flat on my back. Lost 16 lbs. in 7 days. Hadn't been that sick for as long as I can remember. Fever of 103.4 that would go down with Motrin for about 90 mins. & then spike up again.

But I'm still here. I recovered. Over 99.99% of us do.

My point is... I wish people would stop being so up-in-arms about this thing. It's bad enough that the government is scaring people half to death about it... and equally as bad that people who have seldom believed or trusted the government, in the past, are now believing & trusting them hook, line, & sinker over this!

We human beings are always living in the future, as if our imaginings have already taken place. Relax... and if you get the swine flu, deal with it the best you know how. Some of us might be burying someone we know & love, who died from it, but the chances of that happening can be from any cause... car accident, murder, stroke, or swine flu.

Enjoy each day as it comes and don't project negative things into your day that simply aren't there. Handle the bad stuff, if & when it does come, the same as you always have... with the American spirit of "I can handle anything that comes my way... even death"... but don't start handling it before you have to.

Just my .02 for whatever it's worth~ which probably isn't much. :-)

[sissy]

Glad your better, Build up your strength & take care.
Sissy

[Anon001]

CarolAnn,

Sorry to hear you were sick. I'm glad you are back on the mend.

Paul

[gunsmoke]

I am very sorry that you had to go through all that. But I'm glad to know that you came through it okay.

I have a number of chronic conditions and for a number of reasons I decided not to take the vaccine although prioritized and could have it for free. Several of the health care workers that I come into contact with weekly and they of course were prioritized had adverse reactions to the IM vaccine. I don't know anything about the live nasal spray vaccine. My wife is an MD and has decided not to take it either.

We have laid in a small supply of TAMIFLU. If you don't mind me asking did they treat you with TAMIFLU and if so how did it work?

There have been a couple hundred confirmed cases at my wife's hospital and they have all responded very well to TAMIFLU.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I was wondering how you lay in a supply of tamiflu. Don't you need to have a virus already to get an RX?

I heard earlier today that there is concern about something being marketed as Tamiflu on the web--that it isn't the real stuff.

Did you get yours online?

I'm hoping I'm immune to H1n1 since I did have the vaccine back in the 70s--but I do have asthma so its a concern--also my oldest son--I wish he'd get the vaccine cuz he gets pneumonia quite easily.

Tough call I know, I don't believe in just going for vaccines all the time--but I think sometimes it is a reasonably good idea.

[jen_in_southtexas]

CarolAnn,

Im sorry to hear about your illness. I'm glad that it is taken care of and I hope that you are feeling lots better.

-jen

[gunsmoke]

No no internet scams for me! My primary physician who is an internist and specialist in the most serious of my chronic conditions wrote me a prescription for it. I asked my dearest about that Rx thing and she informed me that a prescription is written solely on the basis of the discretion of the MD and their judgement of the medical necessity. Because TAMIFLU is not on one of the restricted schedules no specific diagnosis is needed to write, merely a determination of medical necessity.

FWIW when my primary wrote it he told me not to take it unless and until there were relevant symptoms because it would be worthless unless and until there was an active viral infection, specifically he told me if I got a repiratory condition along with traditional flu-like symptoms that I should monitor temperature and as soon as I noted a rise to begin taking the TAMIFLU at that time.

After talking with my dearest I went and checked the bottle and there were none of the special warning stickers that they put onscheduled stuff.

The thing that prompted me to ask him for the RX was the fact that about 6 weeks ago H1N1 hit our county hard near 200 diagnoses within a week with a pop of <50k. His Sr. RN?PRAC has two small daughters the younger of whom was diagnosed and they were having trouble finding TAMIFLU in stock. I called my regular pharmacy and they told me that they were waiting for a supply and that there could be a 4 to 10 day wait. The second pharmacy a little tiny neighborhood single location old style DRUG STORE (NOT a 7-11 with a pharmacy)

They told me "Sure we have plenty we can fill that today."

You should know the stuff is expensive I have one of those much-maligned of late solid gold ins. and usually once annual deductible is met which is a matter of hours for me with my chronic conditions Rxs usually cost me nothing out of pocket, 7 TAMIFLU cost me $72.

As of tonight there are now four (4) HC workers in the County have had very bad reactions to the IM killed vaccine. Symptoms are uniform bad bruising, swelling, rash at the injection site with short-term achiness and irritability. Again FWIW most of the MDs and Nurses here abouts are refusing the vaccine.

One of dearest's colleagues has a PhD in Pharmacology before becoming an MD and she told me in a casual conversation several months ago that she had concerns about the IM vaccine and would not take it but she might consider the LIVE nasal spray.

Ask your Dr. and get advice and follow it. Now of course that is NOT what I did because my primary wanted all his patients to get the vaccine because of the chronic condition he treats, but I have no idea of how many did and how many refused, all I can tell is that from the ones I have spoken to it seems that most people are taking the regular flu vaccine and passing the H1N1 up just like I did.

I was exposed to two teenagers who had confirmed H1N1 diagnoses about 6 weeks ago as was my 93 yr old Mom who I had to take to the ER that weekend due to a fall. Nothing yet....

....best wishes to all.

[CarolAnn]

I did get Tamiflu. I can't tell if it worked or not - I was already feeling much better when I went to the urgent care center, albeit with a temp of 101.7 and blood pressure of 200/140! ("Much better" vs. "almost dead" - is still much better!)

Any flu is serious, but it's true - does no good to panic. It DOES good to be as well educated about it, and what to do for it if you do get it. It's sobering to read that in a NORMAL year, 30,000 people die of the flu. I don't intend to be one of those!!

One thing that really burns me is the absolute tripe that goes around in email about how to avoid the flu. Somehow the folk remedies appeal to normally intelligent folks- "She cut onions and it attracted all the flu virus right to the onion so no one got sick in her house." Pfft! Silly! :man_in_love:

I'll save my onions for sandwiches and soup, thank you very much!

[gunsmoke]

+++101 for you CarolAnn!

I'm glad you are better don't get me started about SCAMMERS they can kill you and QUICK! Dearest tells me that in almost every documented case of deaths from H1N1 in otherwise healthy people they either waited too long to seek treatment or did not seek treatment at all.

This particular virus has a tipping point that is very low. In about 90% of infections it becomes virulent with 48 hours and by then some respiratory distress mis experienced. It is essential to treat prior to experiencing the respiratory distress.

If you do not want to take the vaccine for ANY REASON I strongly suggest that you ask your physician for advice.

If you want more information on TAMIFLU this is a very good website:

http://www.tamiflu.com/hcp/default.aspx

The choice, at least for the time being remains with you and your physician. Arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can about the subject and be prepared to act quickly when confronted.