Three to five trips in Flu season, of course a new one is out there so off we go for our shots

[LuvOrlando]

We are headed to Northern New England this week DD to midwest, Sharing a big space in Florida during Christmas and then WDW Uni in later winter plus one trip back to PA to see MIL and possibly a trip to DC for a volunteer event in early spring. Now I saw that there is a troublemaker of a new Flu out and about and I DO NOT ever want a repeat of the year I spent our WDW vacation yacking in our room, uggh that was awful, sick on vacation is another level of misery. We all did Covid already, time to suck it up and get the Flu one - I hate being sick, I hate it sooooooo much, so so so much.

https://patch.com/us/across-america/trio-illnesses-new-flu-mutation-concerns-experts-what-know

 

[Suger Mag]

We are headed to Northern New England this week DD to midwest, Sharing a big space in Florida during Christmas and then WDW Uni in later winter plus one trip back to PA to see MIL and possibly a trip to DC for a volunteer event in early spring. Now I saw that there is a troublemaker of a new Flu out and about and I DO NOT ever want a repeat of the year I spent our WDW vacation yacking in our room, uggh that was awful, sick on vacation is another level of misery. We all did Covid already, time to suck it up and get the Flu one - I hate being sick, I hate it sooooooo much, so so so much.

https://patch.com/us/across-america/trio-illnesses-new-flu-mutation-concerns-experts-what-know

just got over the flu myself so it is def around (Western Mass is my area).

headache, fever, body aches, fatigue and lack of appetite... very little 'wet' as far as nose or lungs, but had a cough. Knocked me down for a good 4 days or so. (-) on covid, so blaming flu a/b without any other tests for verification.

I agree being sick SUCKS.

 

[slo]

I hear ya…..I hate it too.
I normally never ever get a flu shot, but I did this year because I’m having some surgery on 12/5 and I wanted to do my best to keep me from getting sick.

Do you were a mask on the plane?
My DD22 and I still do, because airplane air grosses me out. It grossed me out before COVID. We wear our masks and our glasses to help keep everyone’s funk from entering through our eyes. Are we paranoid? Maybe, but knock on wood, we’ve never gotten sick during or after our vacations.

Have fun trips and I’ll send you some PD to help keep the funk away from you all

 

[Meriweather]

We got ours in Oct. before a trip to Universal Orlando.
We just got back from a cruise......and all is great. Also got Covid shot.
We do not wear masks on a plane.....DH has breathing problems and can't breath with one on.

Have some great trips!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I hear ya…..I hate it too.
I normally never ever get a flu shot, but I did this year because I’m having some surgery on 12/5 and I wanted to do my best to keep me from getting sick.

Do you were a mask on the plane?
My DD22 and I still do, because airplane air grosses me out. It grossed me out before COVID. We wear our masks and our glasses to help keep everyone’s funk from entering through our eyes. Are we paranoid? Maybe, but knock on wood, we’ve never gotten sick during or after our vacations.

Have fun trips and I’ll send you some PD to help keep the funk away from you all

I do mask on the plane. I do not want to inhale other peoples gross spit or goo in any kind of way am not looking to be a hero, I just watch other people enough to know they are gross and no thank you. The hardcore 3M N95 can cause lightheadedness if I move too fast but I have learned to go a steady pace with it on and all is well. I wear these in medical and hospital settings so I never really lost the skill, slow and steady wins the race.

We prefer the KN95 PowCom for flying and for me in crowds because they are most comfortable plus easy to breath through and I like to add the little plastic ear mask extender things from Amazon, the strip kind with the little groves to hold the mask. I also keep an N95 in my bag just in case someone really bad shows up, which did happen to us going to Key West a few years back, a lady got on the plane and sat in DH's row aisle window seat that looked like she needed the ER, what a mess. Can get a 10 pack at Home Depot, they are less comfy but I can live with it.

 

[leebee]

Do you were a mask on the plane?
My DD22 and I still do, because airplane air grosses me out. It grossed me out before COVID. We wear our masks and our glasses to help keep everyone’s funk from entering through our eyes. Are we paranoid? Maybe, but knock on wood, we’ve never gotten sick during or after our vacations.

Yup, DD and I still wear masks on the plane, and she wears her glasses instead of contacts (for a couple of reasons, but it's still a barrier). I don't care what others think; when we travel without masks, we get covid (5 out of 8 flights) so we'll wear the mask. I also really like being exposed to fewer allergens, not getting as many colds, etc. I don't seem to be flu-prone (never had a shot, never had the flu, knock on wood) but I don't ever look askance at folks who do their best to protect themselves.

I'm having cataract surgery 12/4 and 12/11, so I'm going to be "out" for the last 2 weeks of the semester. I am so thankful that I won't have to meet students F2F when they come back from Thanksgiving. Sickness levels always seem to rise when students come back from prolonged visits and home/travel. I hate having a cold, and I always seem to get one as soon as the kids are back on campus after Thanksgiving break.

 

[hardcorestitch]

A few seconds prick from a needle is much better than days sick in a hotel room unable to experience the magic of a Disney park…

 

[anniemae]

I had heard about the new strain of the flu that is spreading quickly. Unfortunately I also heard it is not in the flu shot this year.

 

[LuvOrlando]

A few seconds prick from a needle is much better than days sick in a hotel room unable to experience the magic of a Disney park…

Totally right! This year it is so much more more involved than just getting the kids out of school and grabbing tickets from AAA on our way to the airport like when they were little when I could just postpone as I wanted. With all adults these days planning takes a year of coordinated effort for time off, the expense of flights from different places with my little dog, getting hotel rooms in the same place and a rental car that doesn;t cost more than a mortgage payment

I had heard about the new strain of the flu that is spreading quickly. Unfortunately I also heard it is not in the flu shot this year.

It is not but it does have a different strain of H3N2 so maybe it can help, also it's too soon to know what will be the dominant one, it might or might not be the new one but who knows which one will be where. I'm going to check in with my Immunologist to see what I should expect but to date not a single Dr has ever told me to just skip it, don't bother. The good thing is there is Tamiflu, that stuff is magic, and I have a bunch of the Binax brand Covid + Flu A + Flu B tests to hopefully avoid unnecessary urgent care visits & fast track care if needed. Last Year I had the Ihealth brand ones, they both seem the same, there is a brand at Wegmans and I think I saw Walgreens has their own at at $10 a test so if the test avoids missed vacation time and a $40 copay it is worth it to me. So far I have avoided Urgent care quite a few times we thought something was up that was not. Vacation peace of mind is everything.

 

[mikehn]

I got the flu shot in September and then caught the flu in October, so it's not fool proof.

 

[Christine]

I got the flu shot in September and then caught the flu in October, so it's not fool proof.

Yeah, it never is. Usually after the flu season is over, they come out with the stats on the vaccine and how well matched and effective it was. TBH, it's never been that great for the past few years. I know it will never be 100%, but I'd like to see it get above 50%.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Whole family traveled to and from Ft Lauderdale with countless restaurant visits and interactions with hundreds of people in the hotel elevators with a nightclub on the rooftop during Christmas week without anyone getting Covid or Flu so the shots worked.

There was an illness though, my DD did not mask on the plane and the child in front of her was crying and miserably sick with throat pain so she caught that ick and ended up in Urgent Care with a horrible sinus infection and strep. Of course, everyone else in the suite also got the same thing to a lesser degree but since there is no vax for that stuff it is gonna be what it is gonna be. Still no Covid and no Flu from the holidays or New Years so to me the vaccines did their job for us. I have the Binax Covid Flu A & B on hand and shipped some to her at home so screening was simple.

We are all supposed to be rejoining at the end of February for a visit to EPIC, IOA and Universal which will be fun but plainly another vat of germiness so I have an appointment with my Immunologist to check my titer numbers at the end of January to see if I need a booster or not. I probably do and will pay OOP for the titer test if necessary but avoiding Covid and Flu while traveling was worth it, sick rots but sick on vacation is a misery I'd rather avoid. It was sad to see my DD pushing through instead of having the time of her life but she is an adult and if the thrill of not masking on the plane was worth being sick for a week at the beach, I guess that is her bed to lay in.

 

[Christine]

Whole family traveled to and from Ft Lauderdale with countless restaurant visits and interactions with hundreds of people in the hotel elevators with a nightclub on the rooftop during Christmas week without anyone getting Covid or Flu so the shots worked.

There was an illness though, my DD did not mask on the plane and the child in front of her was crying and miserably sick with throat pain so she caught that ick and ended up in Urgent Care with a horrible sinus infection and strep. Of course, everyone else in the suite also got the same thing to a lesser degree but since there is no vax for that stuff it is gonna be what it is gonna be. Still no Covid and no Flu from the holidays or New Years so to me the vaccines did their job for us. I have the Binax Covid Flu A & B on hand and shipped some to her at home so screening was simple.

We are all supposed to be rejoining at the end of February for a visit to EPIC, IOA and Universal which will be fun but plainly another vat of germiness so I have an appointment with my Immunologist to check my titer numbers at the end of January to see if I need a booster or not. I probably do and will pay OOP for the titer test if necessary but avoiding Covid and Flu while traveling was worth it, sick rots but sick on vacation is a misery I'd rather avoid. It was sad to see my DD pushing through instead of having the time of her life but she is an adult and if the thrill of not masking on the plane was worth being sick for a week at the beach, I guess that is her bed to lay in.

I did see something recently from the CDC who is now recommending a second COVID booster shot this season for older adults, knowing that it wanes pretty quickly. FWIW, apparently COVID is super low right now and has been stable through the holiday season. We shall see what happens in the next coming weeks.

 

[Meriweather]

I did see something recently from the CDC who is now recommending a second COVID booster shot this season for older adults, knowing that it wanes pretty quickly. FWIW, apparently COVID is super low right now and has been stable through the holiday season. We shall see what happens in the next coming weeks.

That was last year too. We got a second Covid vaccination 6 months after the first.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I got the flu shot in September and then caught the flu in October, so it's not fool proof.

That's because they can't put every strain out there in a single shot. They take an educated guess as what strains are going to be dominate each year and include those.

 

[Christine]

That's because they can't put every strain out there in a single shot. They take an educated guess as what strains are going to be dominate each year and include those.

I did read just yesterday that the British/UK flu shot was better formulated for the nasty new Type A that's out there, but the U.S. vaccine didn't quite get it as well.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Our son and DIL returned to TX last week and our son was sick with (presumed) flu day #2 after returning. None of us are sick here where they stayed. They were at the AMEX Lounge at LaGuadia before their flight home, so I am sure they picked it up in NYC. DIL is fine, thankfully and our son recovered quickly after a 102 fever. We are in NH.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Our son and DIL returned to TX last week and our son was sick with (presumed) flu day #2 after returning. None of us are sick here where they stayed. They were at the AMEX Lounge at LaGuadia before their flight home, so I am sure they picked it up in NYC. DIL is fine, thankfully and our son recovered quickly after a 102 fever. We are in NH.

Certainly get some immunity drink if you can! Flu is no joke. Hope your son gets well…

 

[MICKIMINI]

Certainly get some immunity drink if you can! Flu is no joke. Hope your son gets well…

He's strong and young! His fever only lasted part of a day and he is resting over the weekend. Thanks for the kind words!