H1N1 - Think it will never really touch you?

[Trex]

Mondays and Tuesdays I look after my grandkids. Today my eldest son called to say that he himself had been exposed to Swine Flu. In the first couple of seconds of the call I felt he was over-reacting. I cont'd to listen. Last Thursday one of the guys working on his house was not feeling too well. Son said the guy didn't look too well either. They worked together for a couple of hours or so.
Today Son found out the fellow was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus. So if he was hospitalized, he's very sick - yes? Son went to the children's school and talked to the principal and said "what would you like me to do about my children since I have obviously been very close to them since last Thursday". Principal said - take the children home and if you yourself don't come down with any symptoms (I believe the timing is 10 days) then the kids can come back to school. Now the waiting game begins. Only 4 days have passed. My son is diabetic. His son has CP and weak lungs. I've heard so many people say "Oh it's just like having a bad cold". Maybe it's not quite like just having a cold. I'm feeling concerned.

I am sorry to hear that this flu has come into your families life.
Hopefully it will pass you by.
And perhaps your family now has immunity, if you were exposed, and that would get you and yours ahead of the game.

Flu, or influenza is a virus.
As such antibiotics will have no effect.
Antibiotics only work on bacterium.
There are three or four commercially used antiviral drugs.
They are expensive, difficult to use and of limited efficiency.

My advice in general is to follow your health local practitioners advice.
Get a second opinion from another health specialist if still in doubt.
Use the disinfectant wipes now found in a lot of stores.
If you cough or sneeze do it into your sleeve or a tissue out of common courtesy.
Wash your hands when returning from public places.
If you feel sick stay home and avoid contact with large groups of people.
If your doctor says you or yours need to get immunized, get immunized.
Follow a mothers advice:
Quoting karrie
Well, I'd be doing everything I could to prepare for it right now. I'd stock up on Gatorade and chicken stock, onion soup, nice teas, honey etc., any of the fluids that your house uses when sick. Stock up on BOTH Tylenol and Advil (during a really bad fever, they can be used together if either one isn't cutting it alone) in whatever strengths are needed for the whole family. Thermometers are a must if they don't have them already. And, if I was home essentially waiting to get sick, I'd prep a freezer full of ready to re-heat meals for when the kids are feeling okay and I'm not, or, when appetites are on the mend but energy levels aren't.
Unquote.
Vitamin D has shown to be useful in keeping the immune system on an even keel, but it is only useful if you are deficient.
Be careful as vitamin D can be toxic in large amounts, therefore only use as recommended.

If you or yours become infected with H1N1 press your doctor for prophylactic antiviral medications for other family members.

Last but not least ignore uninformed and uneducated conspiracy theorists and rely on family medical practitioners and close family for advice and help, if required.

Trex

 

[VanIsle]

Trex - thank you for taking an interest. I have not been exposed to the best of my knowledge. It was my son who was exposed and he in turn exposed his children. I am a Mother and a grandmother with some years of advice of my own. Gatorade does help to replace electrolytes alright but it is full of salt and really not all that healthy. If I had anyone under the age of 21 living in my house I guess I would be sure to have tylenol on hand (it always is anyway) but aspirin breaks a fever quicker and is usually quite safe for adults. There are three households of us living in this city so it's likely that someone in those houses can be around to be of some help to the sick people of the other house. There are actually 4 as my brother and his wife live here too. As for attempts at keeping myself on the "sterile" side, there is a little difficulty there. Apparently if you are within about 6 feet of an infected person, you are fair game. I am a cashier so I am always within about 2 feet or less of numerous people. I take their money so I am touching the groceries they touch and the money or credit/debit cards they have been handling all day. I have Purell at my disposal and I carry it in my purse as well. I have carried it in my purse for about 3 years now because sometimes we are places where there is nowhere to wash. Most stores are now providing people with Purell dispensers so people can wash their hands upon entering and leaving. In knowing beyond a doubt that my son was in the immediate area with a person who is now in the hospital, we are taking a few extra pre-cautions. Actually he is taking them, and we are helping. In regard to myself, I doubt that I can avoid being in contact if someone who doesn't know they have been infected comes through my till. That's simply a part of life I have no control over and cannot spend time worrying about daily. If the vaccine gets here before the major flu outbreak then we will all get the shot (if my son and his children do not get it in the next few days and they won't need the shot). We'll get our regular flu shot as well.
I'm sure I have enough food in my house to get us through a couple of weeks if I had to and rather than spend time making up a bunch of meals, I would just buy pre-made meals as there are only two of us and it's likely that if we do get sick, only one of us is going to feel like eating. My freezer is full already. I thank you for your advice and I think it's good for everyone to take this influenza a little more serious than they seem to be. So many seem to believe there is a lot of fear mongering going on and that may well be. I would still rather be prepared. People got their computers prepared for the year 2000. Why not prepare our bodies for a possible onslaught.

 

[talloola]

A large pot of 'home made' chicken broth, or commercial 'low salt' broth.

When you are suspect of oncoming flu or colds, add extra strength echinacea
to your 'orange juice', (or tea, or other juices),more than once a day, a good dose for adults, a little
less for children, it will assist your ammune system, do not take it all the time.

Go easy on the gatorade, a little is OK, it's contains too much salt.

Keep from getting too tired, or too cold, that makes the body work too hard
on those problems, when it should just be looking after your normal needs.

Some of the herbal teas are beneficial, real the labels for particular needs.

 

[AnnaG]

Swine flu = bird flu = Y2K = AGW = bunk

lmao Walter= bunk

 

[AnnaG]

tea and honey is better for you, and for replenishing, in m opinion, BUT, gatorade is more accessible if no one's well enough to make tea.

wow
The stores in our little area here have various teas in bottles, too. Green tea, Ginsang tea, iced-tea, etc. Gatorade's too sweet for me. But I prefer a small ssquirt of lemon in plain ol water, or else lemonade anyway.

 

[AnnaG]

Not that I want to make light of a situation that can be catastrophic, but as they say, laughter is the best medicine.

So, in light of that: and OLD, old friend of mine told me once that the secret of his longevity was/is the fact that whenever he had a bug coming on, he took the "HAT TREATMENT".

Placed a hat on the table and drank his favourite adult beverage until he saw two hats. Then went, slept it off, sweat it out.

Les does that, too. A bottle of something tasty, no mixing, about 4 or 5 blankets (I sleep in one of the daughters' rooms), and a hot bath in the morning.

 

[AnnaG]

Thank you for reminding me to look that up. I was really hoping you were right. However, this is what I read:
Swine Flu Incubation Period

The White House said it was 24-48 hours. In general, the incubation period for the influenza virus (all types of flu) is 2 days, but can range from 1 to 5 days. In most US cases, the incubation period for swine flu seems to range from 2 to 7 days.
Obviously, the exact swine flu incubation period is still disputed. It would be wise to keep a close eye on symptoms for about a week, and up to 10 days to be safe.

You bet. I would think that the timing of the symptoms showing up also depends upon the health of the critter involved.

 

[carpenter dave]

Well, I'd be doing everything I could to prepare for it right now. I'd stock up on Gatorade and chicken stock, onion soup, nice teas, honey etc., any of the fluids that your house uses when sick. Stock up on BOTH Tylenol and Advil (during a really bad fever, they can be used together if either one isn't cutting it alone) in whatever strengths are needed for the whole family. Thermometers are a must if they don't have them already. And, if I was home essentially waiting to get sick, I'd prep a freezer full of ready to re-heat meals for when the kids are feeling okay and I'm not, or, when appetites are on the mend but energy levels aren't.

A lot of times ending up hospitalized is a result of not being able to get what you need... being unprepared, and too sick to go to the store for fluids and food, or tylenol, etc.

zinc vitamin c taken together are very good for the imune system ,1000mg of vit c 3.5 mg of zinc ,the zinc can be taken fou:smile:r times a day to give you that extra boost when fighting colds

 

[carpenter dave]

Mondays and Tuesdays I look after my grandkids. Today my eldest son called to say that he himself had been exposed to Swine Flu. In the first couple of seconds of the call I felt he was over-reacting. I cont'd to listen. Last Thursday one of the guys working on his house was not feeling too well. Son said the guy didn't look too well either. They worked together for a couple of hours or so.
Today Son found out the fellow was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus. So if he was hospitalized, he's very sick - yes? Son went to the children's school and talked to the principal and said "what would you like me to do about my children since I have obviously been very close to them since last Thursday". Principal said - take the children home and if you yourself don't come down with any symptoms (I believe the timing is 10 days) then the kids can come back to school. Now the waiting game begins. Only 4 days have passed. My son is diabetic. His son has CP and weak lungs. I've heard so many people say "Oh it's just like having a bad cold". Maybe it's not quite like just having a cold. I'm feeling concerned.

There was a big panic back in England when Swine Flue was anounced ,and the NHS(national health service ) set up an advice line for people with the following symptoms ,headaches ,fever ,vomiting ,sore throats ,and runny noses .As you can imagine the phone lines were inundated with calls .If you showed signs of the flue a drug called Tamiflue was prescribed ,somebody designated as a flue friend had to go and pick up the drug from a designated site and bring it back for the patient ,trouble is people with the symptoms were turning up for the medication thus infecting others ,and word is that people have been describing the symptoms and stock piling the drug in order to sell it on the black market ,you just cant believe some people.There is popular belief in England that the media has blown the whole swine flue issue out of proportion ,and that it is infact like any other flue which is bad enough in its own right ,but not a deadly strain as first reported ,hope alls well with your family . :smile:

 

[VanIsle]

Hi CD,
I believe that it has been reported here that the tamiflu vaccine does not help this virus. None of us will know if it's blown out of proportion or not until it hits. I know that over the years we have spent time worrying about things like the Hong Kong flu and others and never ever were they referred to as "pandemics". I guess we'll just have to wait and sTee. So far all is well with my family and the kids went back to school today. It is a week this Thursday since my son was exposed and he does not appear to be feeling any effects at this point. Thanks for your good wishes.

 

[GreenFish66]

I had gas pains and hang-overs worse than this flu has been

 

[VanIsle]

That may be so but I doubt that the plummer who was hospitilized felt like that.

 

[ironsides]

Hi CD,
I believe that it has been reported here that the tamiflu vaccine does not help this virus. None of us will know if it's blown out of proportion or not until it hits. I know that over the years we have spent time worrying about things like the Hong Kong flu and others and never ever were they referred to as "pandemics". I guess we'll just have to wait and sTee. So far all is well with my family and the kids went back to school today. It is a week this Thursday since my son was exposed and he does not appear to be feeling any effects at this point. Thanks for your good wishes.

Tamiflu might help a little, but it is no cure.
The best thing is preventive medicine. This year were supposed to have 2 shots, one for regular flu and one for the swine. Once you get the flu, either one, it will just run its course. They started giving out the regular flu shots last week down here.

 

[Jennifer31]

I hope it would not happen to me. my boys here,don't like cheap gr

 

[VanIsle]

Tamiflu might help a little, but it is no cure.
The best thing is preventive medicine. This year were supposed to have 2 shots, one for regular flu and one for the swine. Once you get the flu, either one, it will just run its course. They started giving out the regular flu shots last week down here.

The H1N1 virus and others do not always just run their course. What our news reported was that what they saw in the lungs of those who had died because of the flu was more than one strain of flu had hit the body once the stronger virus had taken over and combined, they kill. Naturally we should be taking care to wash our hands as frequently as possible and to stand back a little from others during flu season. Some of us don't have either option for much of each day.

 

[ironsides]

Hope this helps you understand what may happen. Stay well and use those hand sanitizers.

CDC H1N1 Flu | H1N1 Flu and You

 

[Outta here]

so... last week at work, an instructor showed up with a wicked cold. Sneezing and coughing all over the place. We were still in the midst of reminding students about H1N1 protocols - namely hand washing and isolating oneself if symptoms appear.

It's really strange though, because there's a stronger message being conveyed to somehow keep up with one's classes, miss as little time as possible.... lots of verbiage about accountability for coursework, doctors notes for extended absences etc...

And while I get the reasons for this, (college students are rather notorious for grasping any excuse to miss classes and consequently challenge the poor grades that result from these choices) I'm still a bit pissed that instructor chose to show up in that condition. Not only did she likely pass her damn cold on to me, who knows how many others?

So while the printed notices all over the college about precautions state one thing, the role modeling of the instructors says something completely different. Now, this doesn't just apply to students. I've called in sick for 2 days now, because I've truly been unable to work. Today however, I'm thinking I will be well enough to go back to work tomorrow. But with the news being so focused on this pandemic, I decided it would be prudent to head on down to my local health centre and get checked out before heading back to work.

My Gawd, what a waste of time that was! I wait to be seen, trying to be as discrete as possible about coughing into my kleenex - a woman sitting next to me made no attempt to be subtle about getting up and moving to another chair across the room. Finally, I'm seen by a triage nurse. She informs me that they only test people if they're sick enough to be hospitalized. I'm not. So no test. She then hands me a mask, directs me to see the registration desk, and then to head over to a little isolation room that's just for people who 'might' have the flu. For about THREE HOURS. I ask her what the doc will be able to do for me if he won't be testing me? She says "I don't know, probably nothing."

So I say: "Let me get this straight - I may or may not have H1N1, but we won't really know because you won't test me, but you want me to go into that little room over there full of other people who may or may not have it... so that my now compromised immune system can be exposed to further potential risk for THREE HOURS... all so the doctor can do what again? Oh ya... NOTHING?

I got up and left.

And I still don't know how much leeway I've got at work for time off. A certain amount of time away requires a doctor's note.... that says...what? that this patient may or may not have H1N1??

Frig! All this leads me to believe we're on our own with this one folks.

 

[Tonington]

Damn that sucks Zan. I know the feeling. Jamie and I had a horrible bout of food poisoning. The chicken she cooked, she thought it smelled funny, I didn't smell anything. The only bug I can think of that explains what we had is Campylobacter. We were sick for about a week. I was over it in seven days, Jamie in about ten days. Hers was so bad, and she already had a head cold before that, that I took her to outpatients. Now, Campylobacter only runs for about a week, but Jamies was longer than that, and with the weakened immune system we thought they should run some tests. We were there for probably four hours, and she finally couldn't take the discomfort anymore. We went home. The next day she was recovering, and a few days after that she was back to eating regular food.

It would have been better to go see the MD at the health clinic at school first. They could send us directly to the diagnostic services at the hospital, and skip the waiting line at outpatients.

Does your school have a health clinic? That might be the way to go, if you have access to it.

 

[Outta here]

Ya they do, I may check in there tomorrow. Glad you guys ended up ok after that ordeal. The main thing is to keep your immune system healthy. We've been pretty vigilant with our vitamins and trying to eat healthier, but when you get taken down by a completely unrelated illness, it does deplete your system for awhile - that's more my concern right now.

 

[Tonington]

Oh yah. It knocked me good. I seriously felt like death. Didn't want to be moved or touched for the first two days. I'll spare you the gruesome details. Moral of the story for me is, trust Jamie's nose!