# Influenza 2015



## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Wife and daughter fell ill Saturday Night. Taking care of them was a 24 hour job for one man. Tuesday we finally got them to a doc and they tested positive for Influenza-A. They went on Tamiflu for the illness and I got Tamiflu as a prophylactic treatment. I had the Flu Vaccine and they didn't. Wednesday I was fatigued from taking care of them but still holding up. That's when it all changed...

Sometime Wednesday Night, I spiked a fever. High enough to have full blown nightmares and hallucinations. Thursday arrived and I couldn't hold fluids. Doc got me an anti nausea shot and some pills to take home. Ran fevers in the 102 range through Friday Morning. Things seem to have settled down now. Wife and daughter are just now coming out of the woods too.

I think it has been probably 10 years since I got the flu. I don't think I've had a fever over 101 in that time as well. Kinda forgot what it was like to be truly sick for any length of time. In the mean time, while we were out with Influenza-A, the local elementary and middle school have been sacked hard with the Noro-Virus. They even closed the Kindergarten for lack of students to teach and teachers to teach them (They were down to 2 teachers and three students - over 100 were ill).

This isn't a sympathy post. This is a warning post. That stuff is real. I can't imagine having this hit in some sort of post SHTF scenario. It is really shifting some of my thoughts on self reliant medicine. Had I not got the anti-nausia meds, I might not have been able to keep any fluids going. Same for the rest of us. Seems silly that something as innocuous as the flu could have potentially deadly consequences with out a doc-in-the-box around the corner.

STAY WELL!


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

Hope you and yours gets to feeling better soon. Yeah, life without modern medicine would be very bad, and people dying of what is now considered non-life threading ailments


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Take it easy and get plenty of fluids GT and keep the family safe. 

Same thing happened to us this year. We both hadn't had the flu in years. Tamiflu worked on me but not on Mrs. Slippy. Doc also gave us antibiotics and prednisone (cortico steroid I think). We were a bit knocked down for at least a week after the flu. 

This year's flu-virus is for real. I've almost started not shaking hands with people because it is one of the leading causes of spreading the flu.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I kind of wonder what's going to happen with the Super Bowl (all credit for the use of the term "Super Bowl" belongs to the NFL Corp.) and all the home get togethers that will be going on. My wife is hosting another party this year. I wonder how people will react to my wearing a N95 mask and Nitrile gloves? Only kidding, but only a little.
Get well GT. I still have a lot of questions that need an old AZ residents advice.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

Nasty bug! I tried to get a prophylactic dose of Tamiflu before we went on vacation (it had been going around, and was Wicked)...thinking that either we'd need it (I hoped not!!) or I'd put it in the back of the fridge for a Just In Case. It was in too high of demand to get a prescription without dire need at that time. Glad you're on the mend!

I don't disrespect the flu though. There's that whole 1918/1919 thing; that got my attention.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

EVERYBODY!

Your BEST FRIEND ever is soap and hot water. You greatly lessen your chance of getting the flu by being nearly pathological about your hand washing. If you touch a surface touched by somebody else, then wash your hands with hot water and soap if possible. Hand cleaner is not nearly as good of an option but it is better than nothing.

Be very careful about opening doorknobs on the way out of public bathrooms, many people with wet, nasty hands have touched those knobs. Always use a paper towel or something to touch the door with, not your hands… some guy may have just taken a dump and turned that knob without washing.

I am not a germophobe but being exceedingly careful about washing your hands and avoiding touching your mouth or nose area can really save a lot of grief for you and your family.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

Wife seems to be on the mend better than most here. I think the fatigue and energy levels are her biggest issues. I was still sweating out a fever last night and fighting off body aches. My daughter just stopped the incessant coughing this morning (that's a great relief) and then had a toenail fall out for no reason in the shower this morning (weird!). It wasn't bloody or anything she said it was just kinda loose when she went to clean her feet and it fell out. We think the flu just taxed her system to the point of sacrificing a pinky toe-nail. Or it was totally random and unrelated. Either way we are like 7 or 8 days in and coming out of the woods, but still obviously we have had our ass handed to us by this round of flu. I'm still pretty shocked it was this bad.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

This season has been insane. I got nailed with violent chills, constant vomiting, body aches and a 103 degree fever. Just as I started to feel better my left leg swelled up and turned purple. I thought I had a blood clot and went to the ER. They had no idea what it was but ruled out a blood clot or anything else life threatening. I get all better and the exact same thing happens again last week. Now I have a purple leg and Blue Cross is telling me they ain't covering a penny of my ER bill.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

csi-tech said:


> Just as I started to feel better my left leg swelled up and turned purple. I thought I had a blood clot and went to the ER. They had no idea what it was but ruled out a blood clot or anything else life threatening.


Thats the weird thing... This year it is like Flu times ten plus one random, unrelated and different symptom for everyone. Like a Wild Card Flu.


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