Gerald Ford is the Best-Case Scenario, Too
If you’re old enough to remember the Swine Flu Epidemic, you’d probably rather forget it. The 1976 epidemic was so serious, President Ford made a big deal of publicly getting his vaccination, and about a jillion doses were ordered up. Then flu season hit and one person died of it. Another 25 people died — of side-effects caused by the vaccine.
This year’s epidemic is worse. I know; I’ve had this thing. I also had my shot, but this year’s shot doesn’t cover this year’s big bad flu. The first couple days were so bad I was pretty much non-functional. The third day was such an improvement, I managed somehow to put on a coat and tie and tape a week’s worth of Trifectas — and have zero recollection of having done any of that. It’s like an entire productive workday simply exited my brain.
Actually, “productive” is too strong a word. I tried watching one of the segments from that week, but had to turn it off because I don’t like how I look or sound as a high-functioning zombie.
Thing is, that was exactly three weeks ago, and my voice still isn’t all the way back. My lungs and sinuses keep producing just enough crud to keep me sounding like a cross between Guy Smiley and Jennifer Tilly. And that’s just wrong.
This is one nasty bug, and before you ask — yes, I had a ten-day round of Ceftibuten, which I think is somewhere above azithromycin but below Cipro. Powerful stuff in any case.
So when you read that Chicago hospitals are turning away flu patients because they’re out of room, remember that this isn’t one you can just pin on Chicago’s typical dysfunction. This flu gave me a one box a day Kleenex habit for a solid two weeks, and I’m still going through the stuff like, well, tissue paper. I can hardly begin to imagine what it must do to folks who are older or not in as good a health to begin with.
If there’s a message buried underneath all the mucous, I suppose it’s this: Don’t catch it. But if you do, get to the doc immediately.
Party like it’s 1918?
My wife has the creeping crud so bad that it turned into bronchitis. On a z-pack now, but I wonder if it’ll do any good. She’s had a horrible cough for a couple of days, and I don’t think she’s slept more than a couple of hours a night.
I say that because I know I haven’t, as I’ve had a nasty sinus infection since we got back from vacation at DisneyWorld. Between the two of us, we’re a shambling infirmary. I’d say that Tylenol PM is our friend, but all it does is put us in a mild doze and make us feel like a dope fiend crashing hard in the morning.
There’ve been reports of a huge spike in cases here in Maryland. I guess all the hospitals in the Baltimore area got blitzed right before Christmas, and haven’t seen a let-up since.
And everyone is still insisting on the flu shots, too. Have the “experts” gotten the correct mix at all in the last decade?
I was on Nyquil every night for two weeks. Then I read on the bottle to contact a physician if symptoms persist for more than seven days — and I’d seen the doctor ten days prior.
Asthma inhalers are your friend. Go in with a cough and ask the doc for one. Next time you get the creeping cough, self-medicate once a day for a couple of days to prevent it getting to the bronchitis stage.
I wouldn’t think an antibiotic would do a lot for the flu. You take anything like Tamiflu or one of the antivirals?
I should have been more clear — the Cedax was for the sinus infection that the flu induced. Nasty one, too.
you can take about a quarter of a bottle of vitamin d. at high to overdose levels it becomes a broad-spectrum antibiotic in your system. I’ve had to do it a couple of times.
then get vitamin k so you don’t stroke out.
I’m not at all certain that risking a stroke is worth it.
Think I’ll stick to my customary vodka-and-OJ remedy. Vitamin C + disinfectant, and it makes you less miserable.
I’m considering getting the flu shot for the first time in years now. The CDC says the vaccine is good against H1N1 and H3N2 which are both prevalent this year. Do you know which flu is flying under the radar?
Here’s the thing — I caught the flu from the vaccine. Yep, week after the election, and I’m dying of the flu (which kept me from jumping off the balcony until the idea caught that all the suckers captured was the government. Okay, so they can get us killed by foreign enemies, but we can make their lives miserable too. Right not a great consolation, but shuddup, I don’t want to kill myself.) Took two months to recover… then went and met a passing fan (which should teach me) who is also a friend in Denver, last day of 2012. Now I caught THIS YEAR’s flu. And OMG, Steve isn’t even joking. Last night at 3am I was awake, with my sinus trying to explode and wondering if sawing off my head wouldn’t be less painful, as I waited for it to be time to take niquill again.
And I have a book overdue. (sobs.)
Oh, jeez, Sarah — I’ll stop complaining right this instant.
And you… you get better, OK?
Right now drinking bourbon on the principle that, hey, it works better than cough syrup and helps me sleep too. Also, doesn’t turn the writing-thing off, which niquill does.
I’ve been down for a week with something nasty. It was low-grade for a couple of weeks before it got serious with me. Now, I’m trying to sleep in a chair because the congestion gets too bad when I lie down. I’m not drinking bourbon, but I am soothing my throat with one of my mother’s old remedies: 1 ounce of whiskey, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and one teaspoon honey in a cup, top with 4 ounces hot water.
Did any of you actually have Influenza A or B? Sounds suspicious for some sort of respiratory infection, but influenza is a specific illness — “Flu” is … a word that people use to mean “sick”
I kinda make a living diagnosing and treating this stuff, so it kinda bothers me when people pass on things like “I caught the flu from the vaccine.” Sorry, Sarah … love your stuff, but … not possible. Unless you live on Infowars website.
Um… that was my doctor’s explanation “You must have been down, and caught it from the vaccine.” (I’m not going to say my doctor is always 100% right. He’s been known to make some very odd diagnosis, mind. Including the famous nippleitis diagnosis, which I’ll only discuss under serious persuasion of alcohol.) It was definitely the flu — and this seems to be the flu again, but completely different. And rather stronger. The other one was like creeping crawling stuff — never very ill, but every time I thought I was well I got whomped back. This is… interesting. We’ll just say that. At least mind seems to be clearing, and I don’t care if I continue wheezing, provided I can write.
And bourbon is THE stuff.
Oh, and Sarah … there IS evidence that what you said about bourbon is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. I use it medicinally, and I don’t even live in Colorado.
Not sure if my last comment made it … but Sarah … there IS evidence that bourbon works for this … better than “cough syrup”.
I use it medicinally … and not even in Colorado.