I have H1N1

[Freedom 4 all]

Hey y'all,

With all the fear and panic and 24 hour media bombardment I think it's important to have a first hand account of what it's like so here goes. I have a low fever, a cough and a bit of a headache, it kind of sucks but it is NO WORSE THAN ANY COLD I'VE EVER HAD. There's nothing to panic about, it's all hype.

[tangent4ronpaul]

Some ppl have much more severs symptoms - oh, and please STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME FOR AT LEAST 3 WEEKS! Electronic communications are fine...

thanks,

-t

[Dieseler]

Hey y'all,

With all the fear and panic and 24 hour media bombardment I think it's important to have a first hand account of what it's like so here goes. I have a low fever, a cough and a bit of a headache, it kind of sucks but it is NO WORSE THAN ANY COLD I'VE EVER HAD. There's nothing to panic about, it's all hype.

Hate to intrude but if you would, what is your age?
I'm pretty sure both of my kids, 21 and 17 have had it and maybe twice.
Felt kinda bad one morning myself but seemed to fight it off.
I'm 41.
Oh, we're in Alabama and it was running like crazy through our schools apparently.

[dannno]

Did you take the vaccine?

[susano]

And, why do you believe you have h1n1? Who did the testing?

[ghengis86]

how do you know it's H1N1 and not the seasonal flu?

[raiha]

He's not answering...hope it's not a turn for the worse.

[Mitt Romneys sideburns]

Thats what you get for not praising Obama

[sevin]

You know what? Fuck H1N1. It is so overhyped it is a joke.

Give me H1N1 right now, I can take it.

Seriously, I want someone with H1N1 to make out with me right now. I don't give a shit. I've had the flu before. Stop listening to the media and stop being afraid!

[MelissaWV]

I'm fairly sure I had it earlier this year, just before it became overhyped and trendy (or even really made the news). There are a bunch of people at work who go between our site and Mexico... and the Mexican workers who visit us are always gross with some disease or another. One of them even arrived with a nasty case of pinkeye (thankfully none of us got it).

Anyhow, for me, it was a pretty awful case of the flu. I really didn't feel like moving, my fever was sky-high, and I was off work for a little over a week (the normal flu usually only sidelines me a day or two). What's funny is I had another co-worker with the same exact thing. His sickness started just after mine, and he was likewise out for over a week. Our boss even accused us of faking, etc. Then the H1N1 news broke lol.

It was pretty awful, but not worth a vaccine to me. This is not polio. I would only even CONSIDER getting the vaccine if I thought getting the disease would kill me, which would mean a pre-existing condition of some sort. Even then I think I'd rather wash my hands and just be aware of my condition in case I had to rush to the ER. My niece (7) and nephew (10 months) had it as well. Neither of them could eat for a couple of days, and had really high fevers, but they too pulled through just fine. I have a hunch that this SHOULD have been treated like people USED to treat chicken pox in the old days... that is to say, my sister's glad her kids got it early while there was still a little bit of TamiFlu around (my BIL got the second to last dose and some parent offered him $500 for it heh) and weather conditions allowed for easy doctor visits. Imagine getting sick when there's a foot of snow out there, or if the power goes out during an ice storm? That sucks.

But not much more than the regular flu. Plenty of people die from that, too. What's killing people is probably stress coupled with the flu now lol Pre-existing conditions don't help.

[DamianTV]

You know why all the H1N1 hype? Guess how much the major Pharma industries increased their profits by LAST WEEK: 7 BILLION!!!1!

Other than that, hope u feel better soon Freedom, oh, and uh, Congratulations! Its a bug!

[JAlli41]

Some of you guys are nuts... I had swine flu last weekend and it wasnt fun, I had a fever, flu-like symptoms and a bad cough that was made worse by my athsma. It wasnt anything more than a normal flu, but it sucked nonetheless. I did't get a flu shot and wasnt prescribed anything (well an extra inhaler for my athsma, but thats to be expected with any cold or flu). I wasnt given tamiflu or anything extra, and was just told to take tylenol every few hours to break my fever. The reason dr's are giving as to why its not the normal seasonal flu, is because they're claiming its too early for the normal flu and they are expecting the seasonal flu to come around later on... For some of you guys its like it is always a conspiracy to get the government to inject you with things. Sometimes a flu is just a flu (that has recently mutated and we're not longer immune to).

[liberalnurse]

I think I had it 2 weeks ago. For me it came on very quickly. It was a day off and I was fine until the afternoon and I started with horrific body aches. I went to bed and had the chills so bad I counldn't stop shaking. Anyway I got cold signs and symptoms but no sore throat. High fever, no energy or appetite for the fist 24 hrs. Then vomiting set in with horrible stomach pains. Vomiting almost hourly for 36 hours. No loose bm's. Then went to the doctor mostly casue I needed a note for work on day 3. Anyway he asked did I want to be tested I said no, did I want the antivirals I again said no. Gave me a GI cocktail and some donnatal and prilosec for my stomach and phenergan with codiene for the cough. Temp up has high as 102.6. I ate nothing for 5 days. I was really sick but now am back to baseline but it took a good 10 days. The worst thing really was the stomach issues. Went though a case of 7-up and gingerale and put myself on the bratty diet for about week once I started eating. Used the Prilosec for about a week. Well, that's my story. The reason I think it was the H1N1 is the stomach stuff. Also 2 nights early on I had to get up in the middle of the night and change the sheets due to major sweating.

[ghengis86]

could someone describe the difference in symptoms of the seasonal flu vs. swine flu? maybe i'm missing something.

[ghengis86]

oh, and if the CDC says this:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/key_facts.htmSwine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

why was swine flu just recently found in hogs?
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iEFqaAgSclYCMs3yvitB0vestl1gD9BOT3185

[MelissaWV]

The "difference" seems to be in the severity of the same old symptoms. The real difference is, of course, on the level of the little bugs that actually cause it all, but really there's no way to tell if you are having an absolutely awful version of the "regular" flu (which is actually already a misnomer; there are many varieties that circulate) or actually have H1N1. The flu normally doesn't take me out the same way, but no, I didn't get it tested. I only have the circumstances that make me suspect it was probably H1N1, as I said earlier.

I didn't get any prescriptions for it, either. By comparison, I got three prescriptions last year for a very dangerous and pesky bronchitis. The symptoms I had that I think are H1N1 were awful, but nothing that lots of fluids, sunlight, vitamins, rest, and intelligent care didn't alleviate :)

[Freedom 4 all]

And, why do you believe you have h1n1? Who did the testing?

My doctor. By sheer coincidence I had a scheduled physical the other day.

[Working Poor]

I have H1N1

So run out to Wall Mart

[Freedom 4 all]

Did you take the vaccine?

Nah. My liberal friends are having a field day lol but tbh, I still probably wouldn't take it

[Dieseler]

Welcome back to your thread...
I've sit up all night worried about you.
:D

[MelissaWV]

So run out to Wall Mart

Run to the offices of anyone who's going to vote on the health care bill...

[Working Poor]

Run to the offices of anyone who's going to vote on the health care bill...


that too

[angelatc]

There are at least 2 strains of flu going around, and probably about a million versions of the common cold. Why are all of you sure that you had swine flu?

[Dieseler]

There are at least 2 strains of flu going around, and probably about a million versions of the common cold. Why are all of you sure that you had swine flu?

I'm not sure.

[MelissaWV]

There are at least 2 strains of flu going around, and probably about a million versions of the common cold. Why are all of you sure that you had swine flu?

This was earlier in the year, for me... before the whole H1N1 thing became popular. I have routine exposure to Mexican workers who were complaining that a worse-than-usual bug was going through their ranks rather rapidly. Various other people at work were confirmed H1N1 right towards the beginning of the whole fiasco, which would have made them sick very near to the same time I was. No, not sure, but fairly suspicious. There are a couple of flu bugs going around work now, too, but they are not like the unseasonable mess that was circulating mid-April.

If I didn't have H1N1, then I had a particularly nasty and virulent strain of the flu which doesn't have as catchy a name :p It happens.

[Brian4Liberty]

There are at least 2 strains of flu going around, and probably about a million versions of the common cold. Why are all of you sure that you had swine flu?

They aren't, unless they were actually tested for H1N1 and had it confirmed.

What makes H1N1 different than a standard, bad influenza is it's effects on the lungs. Bad H1N1 may cause pulmonary embolism (blood clots) in the lungs. That's generally the problem for people who get H1N1 and end up on a respirator (or die). Regular flu doesn't cause that. Secondary pneumonia is a risk with all respiratory diseases, but combined with clots, it becomes even more dangerous.

[Brian4Liberty]

If I didn't have H1N1, then I had a particularly nasty and virulent strain of the flu which doesn't have as catchy a name :p It happens.

You will not forget your first exposure to true influenza A or B, regardless of the strain...

[JeNNiF00F00]

I know someone who has died from it. I don't think its hype. People who have a relapse of it are the ones who have serious problems.

[Working Poor]

It is my understanding that children who have died all had the strep virus either active or dormant

[Brian4Liberty]

It is my understanding that children who have died all had the strep virus either active or dormant

That would be a bacteria, streptococcus. Like staph, it's a nasty bacteria that is starting to become resistant to antibiotics. It doesn't go "dormant" like a virus, but it's almost always around, waiting for a chance to infect. It (and especially staph) is often present in moist areas like the nose.

[Working Poor]

I like to spray around my nasal area and a small amount in my nose with hydrogen peroxide and also rinse my mouth with it on occasion.