i’m having really bad symptoms. achy muscles, diizziness, postnasal drip and sore throat. i’m really worried; i am immunocompromised and the last time i had flu i ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. does anybody have suggestions for treatments? i need help!
Call your medical provider, or call and make an appointment. Make sure he knows you have the flu.
I agree with Asanta. You really need to call your physician and soon. While you may have the flu you could have one of several other illnesses that can cause similar symptoms. If you do have the flu and you have a significant immune deficiency its important that you be started on antiviral medication as soon as possible. These medicines work best if begun in the first 48 hours of symptom onset although they may have some benefit in certain patients up to 5 days after first symptoms.
There are non-prescription medications that can relieve symptoms but there are none that will improve your immune response, reduce the severity of the illness, hasten the recovery, or reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia. You really need to see your doctor to get the correct treatment.
+1 for both asanta and macgyver. Take care of yourself!
I have a concern too. One of the teachers here was just diagnosed with the flu and she was innlculated. My family had the same inoculation. What gives? BTW, I’ve been getting these shots for the last 10 years and haven’t come down with the flu yet but now I’m Not sure.
Cap’t Jack
I have a concern too. One of the teachers here was just diagnosed with the flu and she was innlculated. My family had the same inoculation. What gives? BTW, I've been getting these shots for the last 10 years and haven't come down with the flu yet but now I'm Not sure. Cap't JackJack no vaccine is 100% effective in all patients. The efficacy of the flu vaccine is generally stated to be around 65% but varies a bit from year to year and depends on a number of factors most notably the age of the individual. It is more effective in younger people and less so in older ones. On a personal note, out of about 35 positive cultures I have seen this year only 3 were in vaccinated patients. All three got better relatively quickly compared to the rest who had been unvaccinated. There are never any guarantees in this world but the best protection is to get vaccinated yearly, wash your hands regularly but especially before putting anything in your mouth nose or eyes, and try your best to get 8 hours of sleep every night. Finally, don;t panic if you get the flu or are exposed. Most young healthy individuals will be miserable for a little while but will recover on their own with a little TLC.
Thanks Mac. I should have asked my doctor more detailed questions about the vaccine; I just assumed that it was nearly100% effective. It’s disconcerting to know that we can expect 65% but it’s better than nothing! I assume that us old farts ( over 60) were factored into the 65% as to effectiveness at that age but I do follow all of your suggestions. The classrooms are furnished with hand sanitizers and even though I’m only a sub now I do use them often as I can and wash my hands whenever possible. And I’ve seen first hand the ravages of pneumonia as it slowly killed my mother-in-law at 83.
Cap’t Jack
65% certainly isn’t as good as we would like. Part of it is due to the constant mutating nature of these viruses and it also has to due with the particular proteins used to invoke an immune response. They are continuing to do research in this area to try and find a vaccine that is more effective and wouldn’t require yearly reformulation but for now this is what we have. Like you said 65% is better than 0% especially when there is no significant downside to taking it. In the 23 years I have been practicing medicine I have followed the above approach and despite having been exposed to thousands of patients with the flu in my office and who knows how many out in the real world I have not had the flu in all those years. I hate to use anecdotal reports but for what its worth I’ve had a pretty good track record so far.
One thing I would mention about your classroom. Its good that they have hand sanitizer there. That stuff works well for influenza and cold viruses which can survive 6-8 hours on surfaces. Unfortunately it does not kill the Norovirus which is the agent that causes many cases of viral gastroenteritis ( Its been all over the news lately causing severe vomiting and diarrhea and also incorrectly sometimes called “cruise flu”. It causes a lot of cruise illness but its not a fu virus) and can survive on surfaces for up to 2 weeks. Soap and water seems to be the best way to remove this from your hands and will take care of the flu and cold viruses as well. I realize there isn’t always a sink available but I would try to make sure you always wash the old fashioned way before you put anything in your mouth if its possible to do so.
One thing I would mention about your classroom. Its good that they have hand sanitizer there. That stuff works well for influenza and cold viruses which can survive 6-8 hours on surfaces. Unfortunately it does not kill the Norovirus which is the agent that causes many cases of viral gastroenteritis ( Its been all over the news lately causing severe vomiting and diarrhea and also incorrectly sometimes called “cruise flu". It causes a lot of cruise illness but its not a fu virus) and can survive on surfaces for up to 2 weeks. Soap and water seems to be the best way to remove this from your hands and will take care of the flu and cold viruses as well. I realize there isn’t always a sink available but I would try to make sure you always wash the old fashioned way before you put anything in your mouth if its possible to do so.although I'm not OCD about it, I try to use soap and water at least the recommended 5 times a day. The sanitizer works best as we only have 3 minutes between classes and weaving around all those munchkins to hit the b-room is almost impossible at times! I did read somewhere(don't recall where) that this was a particularly virulent strain and mutated rapidly. Makes you wonder if one day a Spanish type flu will one day wipe most of us out. Cap't Jack
Yet another way my child-hate and endless quest to avoid being around them pays off for me: I rarely get sick! Yay for me! :lol:
But yeah, call a doc, man. If you weren’t immunocompromised I’d say, “Suck it up, Buttercup.” But I used to work with a guy in your boat. (Or at least one of similar design.) It was scary to watch how a common cold could put in the ICU. After that happened a couple times, they started taking every sniffle seriously. You know, just in case.
EDIT
Additions. And maybe some glitter. Oooo, glitter!
Yet another way my child-hate and endless quest to avoid being around them pays off for me: I rarely get sick! Yay for me! But yeah, call a doc, man. If you weren’t immunocompromised I’d say, “Suck it up, Buttercup." But I used to work with a guy in your boat. (Or at least one of similar design.) It was scary to watch how a common cold could put in the ICU. After that happened a couple times, they started taking every sniffle seriously. You know, just in case. EDIT Additions. And maybe some glitter. Oooo, glitterYeah, we boomers have to cling to what's left of our lives with the gusto of a hound dog on a porkchop! My Doc has me in his office every 4 months now to ck. my meds. It sucks gettin' old but it sure as hell beats the alternative. What reallllly pisses me off is my brain age doesn't match my body. Mentally, I'm somewhere around 30, but the bod? Not so much. goddammit! Glitter? Will there be glitter? OOOOH shiny! And wow, you sound like W.C. Fields who when asked "do you like kids"? He replied, "yes, they're very good with butter"! Cap't Jack
i'm having really bad symptoms. achy muscles, diizziness, postnasal drip and sore throat. i'm really worried; i am immunocompromised and the last time i had flu i ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. does anybody have suggestions for treatments? i need help!Call your MD now.
Yeah, we boomers have to cling to what's left of our lives with the gusto of a hound dog on a porkchop! My Doc has me in his office every 4 months now to ck. my meds. It sucks gettin' old but it sure as hell beats the alternative. What reallllly pisses me off is my brain age doesn't match my body. Mentally, I'm somewhere around 30, but the bod? Not so much. goddammit! Glitter? Will there be glitter? OOOOH shiny! And wow, you sound like W.C. Fields who when asked "do you like kids"? He replied, "yes, they're very good with butter"!Fields is a gem. A hard, black little gem. :lol: Love him. And I kind of feel the opposite how you do. Physically, I feel like a 31 year old (which I am), but mentally I feel like a crotchety old man. I hate kids, I complain endlessly about every new trend and technology, and I'm deeply, deeply cynical. But I still have many, many years ahead for my mood to lighten. Or darken. ;-) :lol:
And I kind of feel the opposite how you do. Physically, I feel like a 31 year old (which I am), but mentally I feel like a crotchety old man. I hate kids, I complain endlessly about every new trend and technology, and I’m deeply, deeply cynical. But I still have many, many years ahead for my mood to lighten. Or darken.Ah, 31, I remember it well. But really, I have no regrets, well there was that one time I almost got my head blown off but that's a story for another day. What ever you do, don't let yourself turn into a curmudgeon (ya damn kids ,get the hell offin my lawn). Cynical's ok though ala H.L. Mencken. Nothing wrong with that. Cap't Jack
One of the best ways to fight viral infections is high dose Vit C. If you are really sick the best way is using an IV but not many places will allow it. You can take it orally at the rate of several grams per hour until you reach bowel tolerance - at that point you should see the symptoms alleviate. I take 10-20 grams a day as a maintenance dose - to keep from getting sick. Check out this news story about a guy in New Zealand whose life was saved by Vit C from a severe case of flu.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Living-Proof/tabid/371/articleID/171328/Default.aspx
One of the best ways to fight viral infections is high dose Vit C. If you are really sick the best way is using an IV but not many places will allow it. You can take it orally at the rate of several grams per hour until you reach bowel tolerance - at that point you should see the symptoms alleviate. I take 10-20 grams a day as a maintenance dose - to keep from getting sick. Check out this news story about a guy in New Zealand whose life was saved by Vit C from a severe case of flu. http://www.3news.co.nz/Living-Proof/tabid/371/articleID/171328/Default.aspxVitamin C has virtually no recognized effect on the common cold, sorry to say. For more on the quackery surrounding Vitamin C, see Quackwatch].
Doug’s right. Study after study has shown that Vitamin C is useless as a cold treatment or preventative. Linus Pauling championed this idea back in the 50’s and it has gotten a life of its own that no amount of science seems to be able to beat down. It just goes to show that even a Nobel prize winning scientist can sometimes fall victim to irrational beliefs.
Even though it has no effect on the common cold, can it effect the complications derived from a cold? and what about vitamin C tablets instead of the recommended five servings of fruit and veggies? Also, does cigarette smoking effect your level of vitamin C or is that woo?
Cap’t Jack
Even though it has no effect on the common cold, can it effect the complications derived from a cold? and what about vitamin C tablets instead of the recommended five servings of fruit and veggies? Also, does cigarette smoking effect your level of vitamin C or is that woo? Cap't JackVitamin C has not been shown to have any effect on reducing the chance of catching a cold or on reducing the severity of symptoms when you have a cold. As far as taking vitamins of any kind instead of eating fruits and veggies, that is never a good idea. We are not sure what components of fruits and vegetables account for all of the benefits they impart contrary to what Dr. Oz and the vitamin industry would like everyone to believe. There is no pill substitute for a good diet. As far as cigarette smoking and vitamin C I would have to research that. I seem to recall that there is a connection of some sort but I can't say for sure. At any rate, if the point of the question is whether cigarette smokers should take Vitamin C to overcome a tobacco induced deficiency, the short answer is they should quit smoking rather than take a pill to try and compensate for just one of a hundred harmful effects of smoking.
As far as cigarette smoking and vitamin C I would have to research that. I seem to recall that there is a connection of some sort but I can’t say for sure. At any rate, if the point of the question is whether cigarette smokers should take Vitamin C to overcome a tobacco induced deficiency, the short answer is they should quit smoking rather than take a pill to try and compensate for just one of a hundred harmful effects of smoking.I don't remember where I even heard this info and can't find anything substantial on the Internet that makes any sense so I thought I'd throw it out. We've been trying to get our son to quit for years, he's 39, and even though he's cut back still hasn't put them down for good. I agree that getting C the natural way is best, if nothing else for the fiber in the plants. I happen to like all fruits and veggies, especially the leafy ones so that's not a problem. Thanks again for the info Mac.And as to Oz, I caught about 2 minutes of his show yesterday while channel surfing and he claimed that rage was not our fault! He showed several people (obviously staged) raging over the phone or in face to face confrontations and alluding to, I believe a lack of a hormone! I think he's going to push this pseudoscience to the limit. Cap't Jack