| magicalfreddiemercury 23.02.2008 19:42 |
What do you do when you're too sick to drive yourself to the emergency room, but not sick enough to call 911? Well, you can't ask your 12-year-old for advice because it'll just make them cry. :-( I had the flu about two or so weeks ago. I could barely stand and felt like I'd been repeatedly clubbed with a baseball bat. Every part of me hurt. But I got over it and managed to wash my hands often and spray enough Lysol to keep my kid from getting it. And then I got it again. Started with a cough. Then chills. Then next thing I knew, the rooms in my place were spinning like Dorothy's house. Only, when the spinning stopped, I wasn't in Oz, I was in hell. Massive headache, the shakes, cold, hot, exhausted, muddy-brained. I rarely get fevers. Well, the one I got this time made up for all the fevers I've missed out on over the years. From normal to 104.4 in under an hour. I thought I was going to die. I kept thinking, who will take care of my kid? Who will cuddle my cats? I don't have a will! I probably should have called someone for help, but I managed to down some Tylenol then did what they told me to do for my daughter when she had a high fever as a baby - sit in a tube of tepid water. Damn, but tepid water never felt so cold! This whole thing knocked me out for almost a week. Again. If my daughter is spared again this time, it'll be a miracle. Has anyone else had to deal with the flu this year? |
| YourValentine 23.02.2008 21:04 |
After having a flu, a pneumonia and a sinusitis in one winter I get a flu shot each year which I can highly recommend. This year I also go my first pneumonia shot which should last for 5 years. I hope your daughter stays healthy and please ask your doctor about the flu shot next fall! |
| magicalfreddiemercury 24.02.2008 10:18 |
YourValentine wrote: I hope your daughter stays healthy and please ask your doctor about the flu shot next fall!Oh, I will. I'm the one who has never gotten the flu. Everyone else gets the shot and gets sick anyway. This year - BAM! So, yes, next year I'm getting it. The chance is just not worth it. Problem seems to be that the flu shot is only for certain strains of flu, not all. Still, it's a safety net and I'll be using it in the future. |
| Lisser 24.02.2008 11:24 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:That is exactly me, I watch everyone else get the flu shot and them get sick so I've sworn it off, but I'm sure if I ever wind up with the flu I'll regret it! I did get a horrible sinus infection this year that I'm sure was/is coupled with some sort of bronchitis or something in my lungs bc when I go to take a breath I lose my breath. When I wake up the couging fits start, so bad I want to puke. Hopefully I'll shake it soon.YourValentine wrote: I hope your daughter stays healthy and please ask your doctor about the flu shot next fall!Oh, I will. I'm the one who has never gotten the flu. Everyone else gets the shot and gets sick anyway. This year - BAM! So, yes, next year I'm getting it. The chance is just not worth it. Problem seems to be that the flu shot is only for certain strains of flu, not all. Still, it's a safety net and I'll be using it in the future. I'm so glad you're feeling better, I can only imagine how hard it was for you. |
| AspiringPhilosophe 24.02.2008 12:05 |
I'm glad that you are feeling better, Magical. I'd be careful with the lysol and stuff though...that's probably what made the flu so much worse when you got it the second time. It's a well known fact in the medical community that the rise of things like hand sanitizers and the phobic spraying of everything with lysol leads to the development of superbugs, both in bacteria and viral form. You didn't kill the virus completely when you were spraying stuff, so the ones that survived it adapted and were now twice as hard to kill. Please promise the next time you get a fever of 104 you'll go to the doctor...that is a dangerously high fever. They recommend you come in for anything above 101. Hope you have now gotten over it completely and that your daughter doesn't wind up with it! |
| magicalfreddiemercury 24.02.2008 14:58 |
HistoryGirl wrote: It's a well known fact in the medical community that the rise of things like hand sanitizers and the phobic spraying of everything with lysol leads to the development of superbugs, both in bacteria and viral form. You didn't kill the virus completely when you were spraying stuff, so the ones that survived it adapted and were now twice as hard to kill.Great. So we can't do what will help us because in the end, it'll hurt us. That just sucks. HistoryGirl wrote: Please promise the next time you get a fever of 104 you'll go to the doctor...that is a dangerously high fever. They recommend you come in for anything above 101.LOL. I can promise to try, but honestly, when the fever is that high, thinking gets mighty tough. I've been to the doctor since and she said tamiflu only helps in the first 48 hours. That's another mistake I made. After getting the flu the first time, I should have gotten tamiflu for the house, just in case. I suppose I should do it now... Hmmm. Can one get the flu THREE times in one season? Crap. :-/ |
| magicalfreddiemercury 24.02.2008 15:05 |
Lisser wrote: I did get a horrible sinus infection this year that I'm sure was/is coupled with some sort of bronchitis or something in my lungs bc when I go to take a breath I lose my breath. When I wake up the couging fits start, so bad I want to puke. Hopefully I'll shake it soon.Oh, this is awful. I have asthma, so I know what you mean about taking a breath and losing your breath. Something that's supposed to help reduce symptom duration is inhaling the vapors from a pot of boiling water 'seasoned' with a couple of drops each of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and oil of rosemary. I've used it in the past and it does open the sinuses. I can't say for sure if it reduces the duration of the cold but it couldn't hurt to try it. I hope you're feeling better very soon. I sooooo sympathize with what you're going through right now. |
| Lady Nyx 24.02.2008 19:27 |
magicalfreddiemercury wrote:eesh i get that way sometimesLisser wrote: I did get a horrible sinus infection this year that I'm sure was/is coupled with some sort of bronchitis or something in my lungs bc when I go to take a breath I lose my breath. When I wake up the couging fits start, so bad I want to puke. Hopefully I'll shake it soon.Oh, this is awful. I have asthma, so I know what you mean about taking a breath and losing your breath. Something that's supposed to help reduce symptom duration is inhaling the vapors from a pot of boiling water 'seasoned' with a couple of drops each of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil and oil of rosemary. I've used it in the past and it does open the sinuses. I can't say for sure if it reduces the duration of the cold but it couldn't hurt to try it. I hope you're feeling better very soon. I sooooo sympathize with what you're going through right now. i had the flu a couple weeks ago. i believe it was the first time ive had it in years (usually i just get a cold) but it started in my lungs and worked its way up, and i was achy all over. oddly enough, no fever (i tend not to get them in winter, strangly enough) at one point, i coughed so hard i did throw up. it hurt sooo bad. luckily im a quick healer, so i was better in a week (which is usually longer than normal, im ussually back to normal in a few days). but ifelt like i normally do when i have 'attacks'. so i guess it wasnt as bad as i thought. funyn thing is since then, my lungs havent been as shitty lol so to all who are sick, heres some tea *makes orange pekot* my favorite! |
| Ms. Rebel 24.02.2008 20:27 |
I had flu few weeks ago. My grandmother made whole drama about it, she thought I'm going to die -.- First day I was in a pain so my brother went to her so that she could give me pain killers. She gave him pills for the heart, it was mistake, she mixed it ( I hope xD). Good that we noticed it =) |
| YourValentine 25.02.2008 05:04 |
I hope you all get better and get a flu shot next November!! The vaccine is updated each year, so even if there is no 100% protection, you will certainly have less complications. I agree with Maggie that the overuse of disinfectants does not help at all, mainly because the virus is transmitted through airborne droplets, so the only way to prevent infection would be wearing a respirator mask all the time... |
| AspiringPhilosophe 25.02.2008 11:09 |
Woke up this morning with a bit of a headache. Took some aspirin, and it seemed to go away. Walked to campus and was doing fine. Then, halfway through the HST 112 lecture for my undergrads I suddenly start feeling dizzy, my throat is getting coated and my stomach feels weird. Walking back to my office from lecture, had to stop once to get my balance again. I still have two sections I have to teach this afternoon. I can't go home until at least 2:00 and it's only 11:00 now. Damn it Magical...I think you gave me your flu. |
| magicalfreddiemercury 25.02.2008 11:23 |
HistoryGirl wrote: Damn it Magical...I think you gave me your flu.NO!!!! LOL. Oh, wow, seriously, what you're feeling is exactly how I felt. Promise YOU'll get help if your fever starts climbing. It's one of the worst feelings in the world. I hope you just have a bad cold and nothing more. Ugh. Awful. |
| Lisser 25.02.2008 13:15 |
Maggie! If you are sick then you need to be in your bed resting and drinking fluids! Do what I say woman!!!! Now, get better! :) |
| AspiringPhilosophe 25.02.2008 15:21 |
Thanks for the concern Magical and Lisser. I'm out of my sections nows and had to take care of some work for some of the students in them. I'm on my way home now, and I've already told my friend I'm not meeting her to work out. Magical, I promise if my fever starts climbing I'll go to the doctor. Lisser, I'll go home and get into bed, but I can't relax. I have reading I have to do. :-( Now I just hope I can make it the one mile walk home in the freezing drizzle without falling or losing my balance. :-S |
| Deacon Fan 25.02.2008 17:55 |
I've been lucky for two years now, but in January 2006 I had the flu from hell which was bad enough to land me in the hospital.. my oxygen was down to like 55% so they insisted I stay.. However I still refuse to get the shots. I heard that this year's version wasn't even right or something? Generally I get just a bad cold and not the full-blown flu, but that one time I found out what the fuss was about and I couldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. You know what I hate is when sick people still go to work in the service industry. Checkout people coughing and sneezing all over the place and if there's the slightest hint at a fast food joint I cancel my order. I too had to resort to spraying Lysol on groceries when I'd get home, and I have multiple hand sanitizers everywhere but when it's airborne there's no 100% safe way to live. Of course, rule #1 is staying away from people in general :) I live my life this way anyway ;) |
| Janet 25.02.2008 19:01 |
Gosh, I hope you all are feeling better soon! I get a flu shot every year, and got a pneumonia shot this year as well. A couple of years ago, I didn't bother to go in for my flu shot and boy was I sorry. I got so ill that year, I vowed I'd never skip again! |
| Erin 25.02.2008 20:04 |
Janet wrote: Gosh, I hope you all are feeling better soon! I get a flu shot every year, and got a pneumonia shot this year as well.I didn't even know they had a pneumonia shot. I was sick for 2 weeks straight and am only just now feeling better. My niece and nephew went to the doctor today and both have the flu. It's been an awful season for it. |
| YourValentine 26.02.2008 04:37 |
J7 wrote: You know what I hate is when sick people still go to work in the service industry. Checkout people coughing and sneezing all over the place and if there's the slightest hint at a fast food joint I cancel my order. I too had to resort to spraying Lysol on groceries when I'd get home, and I have multiple hand sanitizers everywhere but when it's airborne there's no 100% safe way to live. Of course, rule #1 is staying away from people in general :) I live my life this way anyway ;)It's really useless to use all these disinfectants. They are only good if someone in your household has a bacterial infection but they do not help to protect you against airborne pathogens at all! Stop using them:) Wash your hands when you come home, before you touch food and before you eat, that helps against bacterial infection. Rinse your salads, fruit and other food you do not cook... Protection against flu: not inhaling the airborne pathogens or flu shot! You are right - many ill people are in the streets, shops, buses etc and you have no chance to avoid infection. If more people had the flu shot, not so many people would get ill and the risk of infection would be smaller. |