[Jodi]

Just a question of curiousity here. My husband had a 24 hour bug on Saturday which I thought was food poisoning. He had fever, chills, diarrhea, general aches and the "truck hit me" feeling. Lasted about a day and a half.

I thought it was food poisoning, but then I came down with it Monday and suffered miserably for about a day and a half.

The true influenza lasts longer then this, doesn't it? Are there other viruses going around siimilar to flu?

It's ironic also...he got a flu shot last Tuesday.


Jodi

[CanadaSue]

Influenza comes on just as suddenly & has most of the same symptoms. The big difference is the diarrhea. I suspect you both may have been introduced to the wonderful world of noroviruses. They come out of nowhere, wrestle you to the ground & leave you there for at least 24 hours & your househols generally starts coming down with in within 24 hours. Thankfully for most it passes quickly.

Flu lingers - the acute phase might not but you're at least days, usually a wee or so, before you feel more than half human again.

[Jodi]

Thanks for the reply. Fortunetly, I have never had the "true" flu...and don't think I want it!!!!! What I had on Monday is enough. I'm still feeling it's effects.





Jodi

[CanadaSue]

Look at Monday - eliminate the runs - they're rare in flu & usually seen in kids. Think of the chills you felt & multiply them to the point where you swear you're going to break your teeth & rip muscles from the shivering involved. The general aches can be so bad, you swear your eyelash roots are swollen - literally. Your gums ache, your nail beds can be 'felt'. Substitute a train for the truck. With human flu strains that feeling or those feelings can often last 3 - 4 days - assuming you're otherwise healthy. You have no strength - rolling out of your bed to the floor takes all you have - hit the floor & you may have to rest a few minutes before literally crawling to the bathroom.

THAT is influenza. It certainly does not hit a majority that way but when a novel strain, (H5) hits humans, a higher proportion of people feel that bad or worse. Don't forget the coughing that you swear is cracking ribs, (it can) & the trouble catching your breath just lying there. If you live alone, 3 or 4 days of that COULD prove fatal - if not from the illness itself than from other problems that crop up that you don't have the strength or residual intelligence to cope with.

I had 3 days like that when BriHard was 4 & CanadaKid 10 months or so. I don't remember much. My DH at the time was out of town & none of the neighbours were around either. Why I didn't call for help escapes me - I certainly was beyond rational thought. I only made it off the couch to go to the bathroom & fridge & change CK's diapers. Bri put them in a green garbage bag & someohow managed to find crackers & peanut butter, juice & canned fruit & such so the kids had SOMETHING in their tummies but what a nightmare. My poor DH flew back from overseas to that swamp. Jet lag, me looking half dead & the house an absolute mess.

Trip to hospital which I don't remember & lab confirmed H1N1 flu. I'd had a lab confirmed H3N2 previously but didn't have kids to worry about. NEVER want to experience that again. Every waking minute & most were,seemed to be an endurance contest. Everything HURT, couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't even whimper much - lol. I miscarried about a week after that last bout of flu; not sure if it was related though.

I think that's why the potential for pandemic flu concerns me so. Many do live alone & support programs may cease to function as those who provide them succumb themselves. What of the elderly who live alone or single parents with very smalls?

Scary, scary stuff.

[FrmlyZ]

Jodi:

I have had a serious strain of influenza one time. Back in the early 70's when I lived in Montana [too damned close to Canada to be safe :) ]. I had a temperature over 105, was in the hospital for 3 days and lost the use of my left arm. Took two years to get it back to normal. I was lucky. The military had to fly in iron lungs cause a lot of folks had lost use of their chest muscles. If you contact a serious strain you will know.

Best Wishes,,,,,,

Z

[Jodi]

All that I can say is...... :eek: And I wish I had gotten the flu shot that was offered to me at the doctor a couple weeks ago. I refused it as I have never, ever gotten a flu shot before and figured...why start now.

It was only in the last couple of years that I learned that "true" flu is not what I had on Monday. We grow up getting that 24=hour stomach virus thing and call it "the flu". I had always associated that with being influenza. How wrong I was!

Hope to never experience the real thing!



Jodi

[CanadaSue]

I still refer to 'stomach flu' only because it's all some people know when speaking of something digestive.

As to flu, if you've never had it, you may never. Many people go through an entire life without experiencing the 'joys' of true influenza. I got the first case from a patient in military emerg - came in after an absolutely horrific snowmobile crash which we found out later was caused because he was half out of it with flu! He was barely clinging to life & it was a while before we could mask, glove gown - there was only myself, a young civilian contract doctor & medic for the first 45 minutes. Happens. Kid lived by the way but all 3 of us came down with rotten flu.

The second one - not a clue but I lived in Toronto & had spent time that week exploring an outdoor market in Chinatown.

Glu can be rotten & FrmlyZ's case - wow. But if I had a choice of shots, (free), I'd probably go for the pneumococcal one - it's good for 10 years or so & it's the pneumonia you CAN get that normally does you in if anything's going to.

[Jodi]

So, just so I understand...should I go back to my local clinic and get the flu shot they offered? Even if I have never had one before in my life? (I'm 40). I did not know it lasts 10 years.



Thanks, Jodi

[goatlady]

Jodi, it's NOT the FLU shot that lasts 10 years, it's the PNEUMONIA vaccination that lasts 10 years - Pneumococcus is the bug that causes pneumonia which is a secondary infection that sometimes occurs after you are weak from the FLU and if you're REALLY down on the floor, the pneumonia can kill you.

[Jodi]

Thanks, goatlady. I didn't quite understand what CS said....now I feel like such a DUH! I understand now. Didn't even know there was a vaccination for pneumonia!


Jodi

[goatlady]

Jodi, there has not been much publicity about the Pneumonia vaccination as it's mostly touted for the older age group as they are most likely to benefit by avoiding getting pneumonia. It's been around for a while and supposedly works real well.

[Shadowfane]

Ah yes it DOES work VERY well, on pneumococal infections. But it fights PNEUMOCOCAL infections...