Question About the Flu UPDATE

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

IF you are a person that gets the flu a lot, Tamiflu is invaluable. WHY? Because the flu has a high possibility of going into pneumonia.

I have taken it 3 times so far and it does help.

I've had the flu. And I've had pneumonia. Just a couple months ago. I also have two autoimmune diseases.

Both my primary doctor and my rheumatologist said, don't bother with Tamiful.

It doesn't mean that you shouldn't take it. It just means that they don't see the benefit.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I've had the flu. And I've had pneumonia. Just a couple months ago. I also have two autoimmune diseases.

Both my primary doctor and my rheumatologist said, don't bother with Tamiful.

It doesn't mean that you shouldn't take it. It just means that they don't see the benefit.

My flu goes straight to pneumonia now, I mean right away. Tamiflu lessens my flu symptoms so I do not get pneumonia.

Blanket statements from doctors about the use of Tamiflu does not ring true for everyone.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I tested positive for influenza B on Wednesday. Fever, runny nose, cough, light headed, major body aches all hit me at once and I had a co-worker swab me (I work in a clinic). Going on day 4 on tamiflu and I still can't get out of bed without feeling like I'm going to fall down or pass out.

 

[DebbieB]

One thing our fancy new high deductible plan does for me is it makes it easy to decide not to visit the doctor to see if I have the flu. Because I'm not springing for the Tamiflu (fully subject to deductible, no copay option). So I'll suffer in silence when the time comes.

OP, one thing I've heard about the flu is that it hits like a ton of bricks. I imagine you have a virus or are having complications from your allergies. It's been a terrible year for them here in the Midwest already too (even sans cherry blossoms).

I hope you're feeling better soon!

Be careful suffering in silence. I know someone who started not feeling well on Wednesday about 3 weeks ago. He dragged himself to work, he didn't want to miss. By Monday, he couldn't move. His wife took him to the family doctor and he said to go to the ER, you have double pneumonia, likely caused by the flu. He ended up in ICU. Not only had double pneumonia but was severely dehydrated due to not eating. He was in bad shape, on a respirator and feeding tube and nearly died. He was finally taken off the respirator and feeding tube earlier this week. He will likely be discharged on Monday and then he has to go to rehab to get his strength back, he can't even get out of bed yet. He was one to never go to the doctor, if he would have went earlier it may not have progressed to the point it did.

 

[tvguy]

My flu goes straight to pneumonia now, I mean right away. Tamiflu lessens my flu symptoms so I do not get pneumonia.

Blanket statements from doctors about the use of Tamiflu does not ring true for everyone.

In this HIPPA era you don't have to answer this, but have you gotten a pneumonia shot? And a flu shot? My employers have given free flu shots at work for the past 11 years, so that was a no brainer. And my Doctor believes in a pneumonia shot for everyone over age 50, so I have had that. They don't prevent the flu and pneumonia, but they lessen the severity. Although I don't think I have had the flu in 20 years.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

In this HIPPA era you don't have to answer this, but have you gotten a pneumonia shot? And a flu shot? My employers have given free flu shots at work for the past 11 years, so that was a no brainer. And my Doctor believes in a pneumonia shot for everyone over age 50, so I have had that. They don't prevent the flu and pneumonia, but they lessen the severity. Although I don't think I have had the flu in 20 years.

I can answer yes to both shots & this bout of flu I have right now is kicking my butt worse than the days following my chemo! Not sure what strain it is, but I sure don't want it again. I have to go back to work on Monday & I only pray I can stay upright for my 8hr shift.

 

[katie01]

I'm sure you're feeling miserable and I know everyone is different but if I had the flu I wouldn't have the strength to be online or have the brain power to post. I hope you feel better soon. I personally wouldn't take any meds other than something my specific symptoms. Honestly tamiflu has side effects that might just add to your misery. Stay hydrated and rest.

I know you already said everyone is different, so I'm not picking on you bt I have influenza right now and I have been able to post on my ipad, it's about the only thing I've been able to do for the past 10 days. I do agree though that overall it's a hit by a truck feeling and when you have it there is little you can do except sleep. Mine has gone into bronchitis, I had to go to Walk In Care yesterday and barely made it in, the dr said he feels I was "this close" to pneumonia and in the worst shape of anyone he'd seen that day. He couldn't believe I was going on as well as I was, but my husband has been working overtime and in order to stay alive I had to get out of bed sometimes. My older kids were wonderful in bringing me things but I have been unable to eat more than bites here and there over the whole week. Even with two doses of antibiotic I'm still a mess and when I lay down all I can hear is wheezing and crackling. So OP it is possible to be able to post online and form sentences and things, but overall influenza can be very debilitating, especially when it goes into secondary infections. Nothing could touch my fever and the pain it inflicted, there were indeed times I was delirious and incoherent. But you could still have it even if you're not as bad, my 9 year old got it at the same time, she has had headaches and 9 days of coughing, but her fever only lasted three days and she was able to eat and play. It does indeed affect people differently. Oh, I got the flu vaccine too. Couldn't get Tamiflu in time because during that window I was out of my head with fever and had no one to take me to the dr

 

[Bilberry]

Here's the ironic thing. For many years, I have been Vitamin D deficient. Well, I'm sure I have. About 3 years ago, I started getting it measured and so I knew I was. Last year was the first time I have achieved a very good Vitamin D level and I still have it as I continue with supplements and sun. This is the first real illness I have (aside from a cold) since probably 2003.

That is something I've wondered about - what was it that helped me with preventing colds/flu. I made a few changes at the same time, with diet and eating healthier, taking vitamin D, and obtaining sensible UV exposure during the winter. Hard to say what helped me so well with avoiding the flu . What ever it was, I'm hoping it continues!

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Magpie]

I hope you feel better soon!

FWIW, I had the flu once, years ago, and all I remember about it is lying in bed feeling so miserable I geuinely thought I might die... And I didn't care if I did! I'd seen a doctor a couple days earlier, and all he said was, "Go home and rest. You've got the flu."

I got better, obviously.

 

[Christine]

Uuuggg, temp now up to 102.5... Normal I guess for the afternoon.

 

[indygirl99]

Hubby tested positive for influenza A. He did not have a fever. It came on gradually, not "hit like a mack truck". He was overwhelmingly tired, off work.

After seven days he was feeling better and BAM he had a seizure, respiratory and cardiac arrest and I had to do CPR on him.

Please take care of yourself, get rest, plenty of fluids and have someone who can watch out for you.

Hubby gets his flu shot every year and has had the pneumonia shot as well.

 

[mom2rtk]

Be careful suffering in silence. I know someone who started not feeling well on Wednesday about 3 weeks ago. He dragged himself to work, he didn't want to miss. By Monday, he couldn't move. His wife took him to the family doctor and he said to go to the ER, you have double pneumonia, likely caused by the flu. He ended up in ICU. Not only had double pneumonia but was severely dehydrated due to not eating. He was in bad shape, on a respirator and feeding tube and nearly died. He was finally taken off the respirator and feeding tube earlier this week. He will likely be discharged on Monday and then he has to go to rehab to get his strength back, he can't even get out of bed yet. He was one to never go to the doctor, if he would have went earlier it may not have progressed to the point it did.

Still not spending price of an office visit plus more than $100 for the price of the drug for less than a day and a half improvement.

This is just one of the downsides of high-deductible health plans.

 

[DebbieB]

Still not spending price of an office visit plus more than $100 for the price of the drug for less than a day and a half improvement.

This is just one of the downsides of high-deductible health plans.

You are assuming you will be able to recover on your own. My friend almost died. I can only imagine the bills he is going to get, 2 weeks in ICU. May have been avoided if he would have went to the doctor sooner, before it progressed into pneumonia.

All I'm saying is if you are not improving, get medical attention. Don't assume it will pass like he did.

 

[mom2rtk]

You are assuming you will be able to recover on your own. My friend almost died.
I can only imagine the bills he is going to get, 2 weeks in ICU. May have been avoided if he would have went to the doctor sooner, before it progressed into pneumonia.

All I'm saying is if you are not improving, get medical attention. Don't assume it will pass like he did.

I got that. And it sounds tragic and very scary. I know those extreme cases do happen. It's why I typically get a flu shot. No issue with that.

I would never not seek medical attention if I thought an illness was lingering and not getting better. But I still would not make the doctor my first stop at the onset of a suspected flu. The calculus is just different when you have to pay the entire bill yourself.

 

[ctinct]

Still not spending price of an office visit plus more than $100 for the price of the drug for less than a day and a half improvement.

This is just one of the downsides of high-deductible health plans.

Yeah, my high deductible plan always has me second guessing if I REALLY need to see a doctor.

Had the flu about a month ago. A coworker had it shortly before I did. Both our symptoms came on very suddenly. I left the room at work for about a half hour, and when I came back, he had gone home. He was ok before that. In my case, got up on the weekend, felt just a little sick, but within 15 minutes I had to crawl into bed, where I remained pretty much for three days. I did the shake and bake (chills and then sweats) for about a day, even with taking fever reducers. When I finally was able to get out of bed, I literally had zero energy. As in, I sat on the couch. Couldn't even muster the energy to read. The energy dearth continued for several days, although it slowly got better. While a had no cough during the height of the flu, I did develop one as I recovered. The cough hung around for weeks, but I don't know if it was directly related to the flu. All I know is, the flu is miserable. Whatever you have, I hope you feel better soon.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah, my high deductible plan always has me second guessing if I REALLY need to see a doctor.

Had the flu about a month ago. A coworker had it shortly before I did. Both our symptoms came on very suddenly. I left the room at work for about a half hour, and when I came back, he had gone home. He was ok before that. In my case, got up on the weekend, felt just a little sick, but within 15 minutes I had to crawl into bed, where I remained pretty much for three days. I did the shake and bake (chills and then sweats) for about a day, even with taking fever reducers. When I finally was able to get out of bed, I literally had zero energy. As in, I sat on the couch. Couldn't even muster the energy to read. The energy dearth continued for several days, although it slowly got better. While a had no cough during the height of the flu, I did develop one as I recovered. The cough hung around for weeks, but I don't know if it was directly related to the flu. All I know is, the flu is miserable. Whatever you have, I hope you feel better soon.

I'm glad yours is behind you. Thankfully my discussion has been merely hypothetical. But I think we can all agree we hope the OP (Christine) feels better soon.

 

[ctinct]

I'm glad yours is behind you. Thankfully my discussion has been merely hypothetical. But I think we can all agree we hope the OP (Christine) feels better soon.

Oops. Yeah, I knew it was Christine I was wishing well, Put two separate thoughts in my reply. It made sense in my head, which should tell you something about the state of my head.

 

[gwynne]

I had the flu in mid-December. It went into pneumonia and I had a heck of a time getting over it. Seriously, it was Valentines Day before I was feeling like my old self and had my strength back. I'm not one to hop to the Dr, but in hindsight I probably should have gone in sooner.
FWIW, I had a flu shot in the fall.

 

[VandVsmama]

DH & I had the flu several years ago before we started getting annual flu shots. It was miserable. Felt like we'd both been hit by a truck and we were sick as dogs for a week. Then for both of us, it turned into pneumonia.

2 years ago, I went from being totally healthy to having pneumonia 12 hours later. Went to Urgent Care and they prescribed antibiotics, but apparently not the right kind. So I got sicker. A day and a half later, and I had a very rapid pulse, could hardly breath, and almost called 911. Called DH instead. He came home early from work and drove me to the ER. Once at the ER, they basically rushed me to the front of the line. I couldn't even walk in on my own...I needed a wheelchair by that point. My fever was 104.2. Both lungs almost totally infected. They talked about intubating if my O2 levels dropped to 83% (they were 85%). I was in the hospital for 5 miserable days. Fever didn't break until the night of day 4 on 3 different IV antibiotics. Then I was at home for another 2.5 weeks on supplemental O2 until I was cleared to go back to work.

After that, I got a pneumonia shot. And I'm a healthy 40-something aged person. No immune-system compromising diseases or conditions. It just came on that quickly.

 

[Christine]

So, I'm probably closing in on the initial 48 hours of this illness. I woke up at 5AM this morning wishing that I had taken the Tamiflu, yet alternately scared to death of it (I seem to have whatever reactions to anything you can have, especially in the digestive area). It would have been one thing had I got the positive flu swab but not having that sort of complicates things for me.

Since Friday evening, I've been taking Tylenol to control things because Motrin causes gastritis for me. I always say that I'm saving it for when I really have to use it. That came yesterday when my temp went to 102.5. It took quite awhile for it to kick in, but after that it controlled the fever for a long time and I was hovering around 99.5-100 for a few hours. Rotated with Tylenol at 11PM which helps a little. I am up this morning and am already at 101.5 which tells me that I'm going to have another day of high fever as the afternoon wears on. I am already tired of this and I keep staring at the Tamiflu package.

I have a weird cough still. It's not happening a lot but when it happens it hurts. I had some hot, creamy soup from Panera yesterday and I guess it caused some sort of increase in mucous and I almost choked trying to cough it up. My throat started hurting yesterday but I think it is related to the cough and it looks fine. Have yet to blow my nose once.

I'm feeling like I'm probably going to be out of work awhile. And yes, I've started my pity party.