I’m in Northeast Missouri. There has been alot of it going around here as well. Some how we have been lucky to avoid it to this point. I had intentions of getting a flu shot but didn’t get around to it. I hope I don’t end up regretting that.
Well, let’s see, I had the flu shot and still got pretty sick. Out 2 days before X-mas and still recovering. 'Course I work in an ER and probably got exposed out the wazoo. On the other hand, I hear that the standard flu shot is only about 85% effective, so it’s still a bit of a crap shoot.
I’m in the Thumb area of Michigan. There’s an ucky bug here, too. Some folks are getting the full-blown flu, some are just getting a really bad cold. Four people in my office were out with the flu over the holidays. My 10-month-old nephew had the bad cold at Christmas, and my 2 year old daughter caught it. OJ, water, Dimetapp & Motrin seemed to take care of it for the kids. I don’t have it…yet.
They are usually a mix of the four most common or dangerous flu strains. That is four viruses, not one.
There are always a dozen or so strains out there so you can still get the flu even if you get a shot. ‘Flu’ like ‘cold’ is a group not a specific virus.
Flu? Yesterday in Toledo five hospitals closed their emergency rooms for anywhere from 2 to 6 hours. They said they had too many patients to serve properly and diverted ambulances to other hospitals. However, they were still accepting walk-in patients.
Does this seem a bit backwards to anyone else? Wouidn’t it be more likely that someone arriving in an ambulance is in more serious need of medical attention than a walk-in?
Easy one-step assembly instructions.
Pour Beer A in Uncle B.
Sounds reasonable Unclebeer but consider that someone in an ambulance will get to a different hospital quicker than the walk in and is already being monitored.
I’m in California, too (San Diego), and it’s hit hard here as well. Both my kids got it, then I got it, then my husband got it–and he did have a flu shot at least a month earlier.
I think my flu experience started in Alabama, went with me to Austin over Thanksgiving (when I actually succumbed and felt like death), then returned with me (and I continued to feel like death for another few days). I didn’t completely feel like myself for a month. I hear it’s bad this year - it sure felt awful - and I sympathise with anyone who suffers it.
Several classmates and I went to New Orleans for NYE, where someone managed to pick up a case of walking pneumonia and transmit it to everyone in the van.
When I e-mailed the dean for an excused absence, she said, “So you rode home on the Mycoplasma Express, too, huh?”
Humph. I am just starting to feel better after my New Year’s guests brought the flu to me. I am just kicking myself for not getting a flu shot.
I am wondering if there’s any way to make mucus production profitable…black market mucus? I also actually caught myself wondering whether it is possible for your sinus cavities to explode (implode?) inside your head. Anyone know?
Eden: Yes, it is possible for a sinus cavity “explosion,” of sorts. I don’t remember all the details, but this happened to a woman who works in my office, a couple of years ago. She was in the hospital for a couple of months, and it was touch-and-go for a couple fo weeks. She was off work for well over a year. It was scary.