# Rudolph Giuliani in hospital with flu-like symptoms **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700 "2007-12-20T14:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/1 "2007-12-20T14:15:29Z")
[New York Times story](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/us/politics/21cnd-giuliani.html?hp) I hope he is going to be okay. I like Rudy (though I’d vote for Hillary if it comes down to the two). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/2 "2007-12-20T19:45:25Z")
I was befuddled to see that this was actually news this morning. He had no symptoms of anything, apparently, but even if he did, who gives a rat’s ass if he has a cold or the flu? Why is this newsworthy? Seems more like a bid for publicity, but then I’m completely jaded, politically. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/3 "2007-12-20T20:48:47Z")
What is a “flu-like symptom”? Something’s either a symptom of the flu or it isn’t. Being one of the symptoms of flu doesn’t mean it IS the flu. It could also be a symptom of something else, or there could be other symptoms of other things, or it could be totally meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/4 "2007-12-20T20:55:51Z")
Obviously, it’s a nice way of saying he was damn near shitting himself from a stomach bug or something. Euphemisms, blah blah. Ok, maybe that’s just how I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/5 "2007-12-20T21:56:56Z")
Or he is simply in need of [Kan Jang](http://www.proactivebio.com/viewproduct.php?id_product=8) . ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/6 "2007-12-20T22:00:18Z")
Maybe he was getting too close to Vladimir Putin in some election and he had to be dealt with. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/7 "2007-12-21T16:56:23Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20071220/us\_time/isgiulianifacingfreefall](http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20071220/us_time/isgiulianifacingfreefall) This is the part that got me: "Finally, late last night, Giuliani checked into a St. Louis hospital with symptoms of the flu. He is expected to be released sometime Thursday. " Ok, why would you check yourself into a hospital for the flu? I just buy some NyQuil and call out sick from work. Is this normal? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/8 "2007-12-21T17:01:07Z")
You have obviously never had the actual flu virus. Most people think of the flu as a bad head cold when in reality it knocks you on your ass for about 2 weeks. You can’t function and it sucks to be alive. If he has the flu he could very easily need medical attention as it is very dangerous to have the flu if you are a child or over 55. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/9 "2007-12-21T17:01:38Z")
News report said he had abdominal pain strong enough to ask the pilot to turn his plane around. If it’s that bad, NyQuil is not going to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/10 "2007-12-21T17:03:35Z")
Well, seeing as antibiotics don’t work on the flu, I really don’t know what a hospital visit could achieve that two weeks of bedrest couldn’t- other than publicity/sympathy of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/11 "2007-12-21T17:07:46Z")
My husband is in his mid-30s and had real influenza for the first (and so far only) time a couple years ago. There were times where he honestly thought he was going to die, he said, most of them when he was shaking violently with the chills even though he was wrapped up in multiple layers of blankets. He also had spikes of fever approaching dangerous levels; if your fever gets too high, the enzymes in your body can start breaking down (chelating, IIRC), which generally leads to Very Bad Things. As **pbbth** noted, the flu can be much more dangerous to the old or young, and to those with suppressed immune systems as well. **Wee Bairn** , an admission for the flu could involve things like monitoring fever, breathing, IV fluids for dehydration, and watching out for secondary infections (some of them bacterial) that can develop, such as pneumococcal pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/12 "2007-12-21T17:11:14Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Well, seeing as antibiotics don’t work on the flu, I really don’t know what a hospital visit could achieve that two weeks of bedrest couldn’t- other than publicity/sympathy of course. [/QUOTE] Patient maintinence and pallative care? It’s a lot easier for the hospital to give you an IV to deal with dehydration and fever reducers in the event of a fever spike than it is for you to do all that on your own, especially when you’re delirious with fever and it hurts to move. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/13 "2007-12-21T17:19:55Z")
I would imagine campaigning hither and yon, numerous meetings, handshakes with people who may or may not be careful of their hygeine…I’m not surprised he got a bit run down. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/14 "2007-12-21T17:27:33Z")
It’s my understanding that “_the_ flu” is a bit of a misnomer, since there are different types and strains of the flu virus, some more dangerous than others. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/15 "2007-12-21T17:42:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, seeing as antibiotics don’t work on the flu, I really don’t know what a hospital visit could achieve that two weeks of bedrest couldn’t- other than publicity/sympathy of course. IV fluids, IV Phenergan, IV pain meds if necessary. People on the campaign trail are usually teetering on the edge of health anyway, so even a routine stomach bug can knock them on their ass. Honest-to-God influenza would probably have them wishing for the grave. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/16 "2007-12-21T17:52:12Z")
Jim Henson died of what he thought was the “flu” - had he been admitted to the hopital earlier, he probably wouldn’t have died. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/17 "2007-12-21T18:05:35Z")
I merged the two Giuliani/Flu threads, and grabbed one of them from Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/18 "2007-12-21T18:16:55Z")
[QUOTE=DoctorJ] IV fluids, IV Phenergan, IV pain meds if necessary. [/QUOTE] Exactly. A few years back I came down with the honest-to-God, good-ol-regular flu and I seriously thought I was going to die. It came about all of a sudden in that I was fine the day before, woke up, ate breakfast, and started hurling up everything from my breakfast to every sip of water I took. I was 18 and was writhing on my bed, literally screaming in pain. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt (which is saying a lot, as through my teen years, I had migraines so bad that I would pass out)- it was like someone was stabbing me all over the stomach, over and over and over, with a hot, sharp poker. When my mom took me to the hospital later that day (once it had gotten so bad I was screaming), they admitted me straight away. Just one day of that flu had be dehydrated so bad that I had to be hooked up to all kinds of stuff. And let me tell ya, a Phenegran shot is NOT pleasant. . . my ass still hurts when I think about it ☹ . 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/19 "2007-12-21T18:23:08Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] Ok, why would you check yourself into a hospital for the flu? I just buy some NyQuil and call out sick from work. Is this normal? [/QUOTE] My father was dating a woman a few years back who died from the flu, or rather from the dehydration caused by the flu. When she finally checked herself into the hospital, it was too damn late. - fixed quote tags - UB\* ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2007, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700/20 "2007-12-22T01:26:12Z")
There are also anti-virals that are effective against the flu. I’ve tried them and they work like magic if you get to the doctor in time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-giuliani-in-hospital-with-flu-like-symptoms/430700.md?page=2)