# Horrible Illness--alert!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 1999, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345 "1999-12-27T02:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/21 "1999-12-27T11:11:00Z")
Make that Bosda, and give me thirty lashes with a wet noodle. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/22 "1999-12-27T16:46:00Z")
Influenza AKA “Flu” is a respiratory, not gastrointestinal, virus. Symptoms include high fever, cough, sore throat, headache, and severe muscle aches. Anorexia (appretite loss) is common; nausea is sometimes experienced. Although stomach flu, or intestinal flu are terms in common use for acute diarrhea +/- nausea & vomiting, they are inaccurate in that imply the symptoms are due to the influenza virus. If you substitute for virus for flu in these phrases, they are fine. Bottom line: Influenza immunizations won’t protect you against a gastrointestinal virus. * * * Sue from El Paso Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/23 "1999-12-27T17:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > it sure does seem strange how 90% of the people I know are suddenly ill, despite the fact that none of them have had contact with each other. --ChrisCTP Umm… Have you ever read _The Stand_ by Stephen King? Maybe your new SN should be “Captain Trips.” * * * **StoryTyler** “Not everybody does it, but everybody should.” [I Spy Ty.](http://sites.netscape.net/storytyler/homepage) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/24 "1999-12-27T17:27:00Z")
If you spend any time at all at a doctors’ they always give you a chart listing what they treated you for. Unless the person can post the specifics, I won’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisCTP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@ChrisCTP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisCTP)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/25 "1999-12-27T19:04:00Z")
StoryTyler: I’ve never been much into Stephen King, but I’ve made a mental note to horde the SN “Captain Trips” in case I ever have an uncontrollable desire to go a’trolling. 🙂 * * * “Wednesday the 15th - Chris made one of her rare good points today.” _Guanolad_ ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/26 "1999-12-27T19:10:00Z")
Dan, Hope your better soon! Lots of people in my family down with a bad bug too. Not me (thank heavens!) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/27 "1999-12-27T20:15:00Z")
We know we’re really sick when hubby isn’t hungry and I don’t want to smoke. He’s lost 23 pounds since last Thursday, and I’ve lost 12 – he can afford it, I can’t. The scale says 92. We’re not puking or pooping – just not eating. Trying to do the fluids thing though. This sucks. ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 1999, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/28 "1999-12-27T21:48:00Z")
AuntiePam writes: > [@](#): > > We know we’re really sick when hubby isn’t hungry and I don’t want to smoke. > > He’s lost 23 pounds since last Thursday, and I’ve lost 12 – he can afford it, I can’t. The scale says 92. We’re not puking or pooping – just not eating. > > Trying to do the fluids thing though. This sucks. The date on your post is 12/27, or Monday. Do you mean to say your husband has lost 23 pounds in 4 days? That is frightening. Maybe Sue can address this but my gut tells me that is a dangerous rate of loss. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/29 "1999-12-28T00:00:00Z")
Yeah, that is a lot of weight. Even if someone did not eat they would only lose about 2lbs/day. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/30 "1999-12-28T00:01:00Z")
[[Bottom line: Influenza immunizations won’t protect you against a gastrointestinal virus.]] Right, Sue. I was gonna say that, and also add that the flu vaccine, when administered prophylactically to healthy adults or children, is only approximately 70%-90% effective in preventing the influenza strains it’s designed for. Even though, as MajorMD said, these don’t sound like flu symptoms anyway. G.I. illness can really lay you low quickly. When I was pregnant, I got sick with G.I. symptoms and ended up in the emergency room for I.V. hydration. Dehydration can cause serious problems, especially during pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/31 "1999-12-28T00:09:00Z")
Just wanted to add that I just saw another statistic saying that the flu vaccine is only 60%-80% effective in completely preventing the flu in healthy people (and possibly less so in elderly and unhealthy persons). Jill ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/32 "1999-12-28T00:27:00Z")
Auntie Pam posts: > [@](#): > > We know we’re really sick when hubby isn’t hungry and I don’t want to smoke. > He’s lost 23 pounds since last Thursday, and I’ve lost 12 – he can afford it, I can’t. The scale says 92. We’re not puking or pooping – just not eating. > > Trying to do the fluids thing though. This sucks. 12 & 23 pounds are way too much weight to lose this fast. The majority of this weight is fluid, and you will feel at least 80% better once it gets replaced. (5.5 & 10.5 liters respectively) Get thee to a doctor’s office or an ER & let them fill up the tank with IV fluids; you will very likely be able to keep up with your ongoing fluid requirements once you feel a little better. They can also prescribe some anti-nausea medication that may help if this is limiting your tolerance for oral fluids. Yes you can do this on your own by just pushing fluids, but it is much harder to make yourself drink the volume required when you are this dehydrated & feel this awful. The volumes mentioned above are to catch you up - you also need 2-3 liters of fluids each day just to keep up. Sipping a can of 7-Up or Ginger Ale every 2 hours for 16 hours a day is going to plus you up 0-1 liter/day so it will take a LONG time to get you back to normal. * * * Sue from El Paso Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/33 "1999-12-28T00:28:00Z")
I don’t know if it was the same thing that Bosda (aka Dan) had, but the whole family was really sick about two months ago. My hubby ended up in the ER too because of “explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting”. It’s one thing to clean it up after a small child, it’s quite another to have to clean it up after a grown man… ## (sorry about that, does that ever sound gross) Shadowfox “We are what we pretend to be.” - Kurt Vonnegut ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/34 "1999-12-28T00:56:00Z")
Thanks for the advice re the weight loss – I think (hope) hubby was exaggerating (he’s been trying to lose). I’m not sure when he last weighed himself so his might be off – mine too – I’m going to see the doctor tomorrow. He saw his last week. And he managed to eat some lunch before he went to work today. A few years ago when I had a flu thing, I would swear I lost 5 pounds in just 24 hours – at least that’s what the scale read. Glad we don’t have that projectile vomiting-diarrhea thing though. And it does sound like food poisoning – or some kind of poisoning. Scary. Back to the water jug. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/35 "1999-12-28T01:26:00Z")
Tomorrow, I will try to return to work. Dad is still ill, but doesn’t seem to be as bad off as I was. Mom has yet to show symptoms. Thanks for the kind wishes, one & all. I feel so “washed out” that I can’t work up the strength to abuse HTML today. Sorry gang. 🙂 ☹🙂 * * * “Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.”----Jung ---
**Author:** ![GirlFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@GirlFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GirlFace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/36 "1999-12-28T15:09:00Z")
What did the doctor say it was? I mean, is he posting a panic button with the health department or something? I haven’t heard about this illness. Sounds like a shitty deal, though (pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/37 "1999-12-28T17:01:00Z")
“Just wanted to add that I just saw another statistic saying that the flu vaccine is only 60%-80% effective in completely preventing the flu in healthy people (and possibly less so in elderly and unhealthy persons).” Wait a moment. The flu shot is a cocktail of the four most dangerous influenze viruses [unless its 5 now]. It WON’T protect you from any other influenza virii but the ones it’s for. Hey, ya all, I went to the Docs on Duty the other night to ask about the Flu shot, its only $11.00 Cheap. Also, does NOT leave any after effects, so Im going to get one soon. Y’ all should. YOu know why? The doc next door said the hospitals here are full [MOnterey, calif]. My brother said that the hospitals in Laguna Beach are full too for the same reason: flu patients. Nasty bugger of a virus going around, the flu shot this year DOES cover that strain. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345/38 "1999-12-30T02:31:00Z")
I seem to have had a particularly bad case. Mom has yet to become ill,& Dad is already recovering. I want to thank everybody who posted for thier kind words & sympathy. 🙂 * * * “Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.”----Jung [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-illness-alert/12345.md?page=1)