The Flu

There have been lots of cases around here. I am a teacher and we have had kids with it. My step-mom and step-brother both had it right after Christmas. Step-mom had gotten a flu shot, so she hers was much less mild than the case bro had.

I got a flu shot, so knock on wood, I hopefully won't get it.
 
There was a thread here earlier this flu season that talked about flu shots being sore this year. Just adding that I had no pain in my arm at all after the shot, and neither did my family members. Just as a reassurance to people worried about it; it may not necessarily be bad.
I remember that thread. I commented that when I got my shot, the nurse who gave it to me advised that I should make my arm as "floppy" as possible - don't tense it up at all. I'd never heard that before, and I'm not sure if it was coincidence or the fact that I took this advice, but I had almost no soreness after the shot. My husband had his before me and was sore for a few days afterward.
 
How do you think they administer the drug that will knock you out?

Well, most of the time, in the ER, they won't knock you out. They need those patients alert as much as possible. I'm not even talking about anything catastrophic...one time I had to take my husband to ER for severe upper back pain that was radiating to his chest. It was the middle of the night and he had taken a muscle relaxer before bed and kept nodding off and they made me keep him awake while they ran a bunch of tests to make sure he wasn't having a heart attack. They needed to give him an IV for contrast solution before a CT scan too. They absolutely needed him to stay awake. He was about 35 at the time this happened.

While my son does not have a needle phobia, at one point he had to go the hospital and get an IV. He was young and FREAKING OUT. They could not even get him to be still to do the IV. They gave him an Ativan under the tongue. Worked like a charm.

If the poster who is afraid is conscious, an oral administered anxiety drug will work. If she's unconscious, it won't matter.
 
Take care to all. I currently have a dry cough which is slowly doing better.

I have shared this before, reminder, (I never knew this until I was well into adulthood) that there are topicals to prevent needles (both medical and at the dentist)from being painful. I hope this info may help someone out there :)
 


It feels like every day there's a friend or acquaintance posting on social media that their kid has the flu (or they do).

There are countless people who believe that gastroenteritis (stomach bug) is "the flu". I know there's a lot of actual influenza going around now, but I still am hesitant to immediately assume that's what people mean when they mention having "the flu".
 
There was a thread here earlier this flu season that talked about flu shots being sore this year. Just adding that I had no pain in my arm at all after the shot, and neither did my family members. Just as a reassurance to people worried about it; it may not necessarily be bad.
My arm was mildly sore the evening after getting the shot, but perfectly fine the next day. My daughter really hates needles, but got one because she's living in the dorm this year. She said hers didn't hurt at all after.

I've been told to relax the arm as much as possible, to massage it in after, and to be sure and move the arm around a lot after. It seemed to work for us.
Yep, same here. The only reason I got a flu shot this year was because I had already met my 4000 deductible because of an emergency room visit back in August. I had gotten a notice from my doctor that I was due for a tetanus shot so I got a flu shot at the same time. So I got a shot in each arm, and man was I sore-especially from the flu shot. I didn't really think that one through :crazy2:
I was due for my tetanas shot this year as well and got one in each arm that day. I had put it off because of the frozen shoulder I've been dealing with all year. The thought of making my arm sore just as it was finally feeling a bit better after a year of pain was a bit daunting. But I'm glad I did it. And very happy it wasn't as bad as I feared.
 
I teach Pre-K, and my students are required to get the flu shot by the State of Connecticut. My grade level is the only grade with that requirement. We have only had one case of the flu, and the boy was out of school for one week. I always get the shot because I have asthma. Same with the rest of my family.

One student’s mother who teaches 8th grade in my school got a serious case of the flu. She didn’t get the shot, but the rest if her family did. Her daughter who is in my class didn’t catch it from her mother, thank God.

Every other grade in my school has been hit hard by the flu. Some students have been hospitalized. Right now Pre-K has the best attendance in the school. We usually have the worst attendance, but it appears that the flu shot has really protected us.
 


2 of my students got it in the week leading up to Christmas break. Only one of them was tested by his doctor and I can't remember which type his mom said it was. Thankfully I didn't get it. I got sick around the same time but it wasn't the flu. I did get a flu shot this year so hopefully that will help keep it at bay.
 
2 confirmed cases of flu in my son's preschool (3 and 4-year-olds), I learned today. So now I'm paranoid. DS got his flu shot, but I heard they weren't effective this year.
 
Everyone in my family got the flu shot this year. My older son started feeling bad this past Saturday but we thought he just had a cold because Nyquil seemed to help some. Since he wasn't better on Monday, my DH took him to the dr instead of going to work because I wasn't feeling well. It turns out my son has Influenza A. I immediately called my dr. and she worked me in and it turns out I have the same flu plus an ear infection. She also prescribed TamiFlu for my DH as a prophylactic. My DH and I have the same PCP. This morning DS8 woke up with a 100F temperature so my DH took him to the dr. I'm still sick. It turns out that DS8 has the same flu despite my attempts to quarantine him. My MIL just returned from India and spent lots of time with her favorite grandson (she plays favorites so much that even the favorite complains about it) even though I warned her not to. I should take bets on how soon she'll get it despite her flu shot.

As for soreness, I learned from my allergist's shot clinic that placing a cold pack on your arm right after your shot can really help. You also want to keep your arm loose, massage the muscle and move your arm around a lot even though want to baby it. Movement lessens the stiffness. I have way too much experience with shots.
 
On topic - I don't know anyone in my immediate circle that got the flu so far this season. I guess one of the kids' friends had it over Christmas break though.

Slightly off topic - On Netflix the show Pandemic just came out. It's all about virus' spreading and has a huge segment on people working on a lifetime flu vaccine. It hasn't gone into human trials yet - but that would be incredible. If someday our kids could talk about "remember when people would get the flu every year" in the same way that we talk about polio or other diseases like that.
 
I somehow caught the flu very early in the season this year. I have no idea which strain it was but the symptoms were classic and familiar. No one I know has caught the flu in this area so who knows where I caught it.
 
As I mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with the flu Monday. I’m almost done with TamiFlu and have been fever free for 24 hours. I still have a sore throat, a slight cough at bedtime and feel run down. At what point will it be safe for me to do the family’s laundry? DS12 does his own but I do mine, my DH’s and DS8.

My DH is willing to do it but he lacks the patience to do it properly. He doesn’t really look for stains even on DS8’s messy clothes and just throws everything in without sorting. I’m always worried that something will get ruined.
 
There would be no reason why you couldn't treat the stains and start the laundry. If you're feeling up to it, take a shower after you start the laundry, then put on fresh clothes. Try not to cough or sneeze but you should be fine to fold everything if you want. (If you do cough or sneeze, be sure to use a tissue and wash well.) Clothing isn't a growth medium so the clean laundry should be fine.
 
Slightly off topic - On Netflix the show Pandemic just came out. It's all about virus' spreading and has a huge segment on people working on a lifetime flu vaccine. It hasn't gone into human trials yet - but that would be incredible. If someday our kids could talk about "remember when people would get the flu every year" in the same way that we talk about polio or other diseases like that.

I'm watching episode two. That would be great.

What bothers me about flu season is how PTO and healthcare deductibles work. Because the year resets PTO, I find people are less likely to stay home when sick during the first part of the year. I also find people less likely to go to the doctor because it's usually all out of pocket since their deductible reset. Both of these have me avoiding sick people at work. I'd love a universal flu vaccine.
 
As I mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with the flu Monday. I’m almost done with TamiFlu and have been fever free for 24 hours. I still have a sore throat, a slight cough at bedtime and feel run down. At what point will it be safe for me to do the family’s laundry? DS12 does his own but I do mine, my DH’s and DS8.

My DH is willing to do it but he lacks the patience to do it properly. He doesn’t really look for stains even on DS8’s messy clothes and just throws everything in without sorting. I’m always worried that something will get ruined.
Why wouldn't it be safe to do laundry? If you're all living together in the same house, breathing the same air, doing laundry isn't going to matter.
 
I didn't want the laundry to be contaminated. My husband hasn't gotten the flu. Since I've gotten sick I've stopped cooking, cleaning and doing dishes as well.
 
I didn't want the laundry to be contaminated. My husband hasn't gotten the flu. Since I've gotten sick I've stopped cooking, cleaning and doing dishes as well.
I don't see any reason why you can't sort dirty clothes and put them in the machine. Personally I'd be comfortable washing my hands and doing the rest as well especially as you are fever free, but if you are not comfortable with that. Certainly your husband or son could move the wet clothes to the dryer and fold them.
 
As I mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with the flu Monday. I’m almost done with TamiFlu and have been fever free for 24 hours. I still have a sore throat, a slight cough at bedtime and feel run down. At what point will it be safe for me to do the family’s laundry? DS12 does his own but I do mine, my DH’s and DS8.

My DH is willing to do it but he lacks the patience to do it properly. He doesn’t really look for stains even on DS8’s messy clothes and just throws everything in without sorting. I’m always worried that something will get ruined.
You are contagious with the flu for seven days.
 
You are contagious with the flu for seven days.


Do you shed the flu as much (or at all) once you've been on Tamiflu for a while. Tamiflu stops the replication of the virus, so theoretically, her "shed" level should be WAY down. At least enough to fold laundry unless she's coughing/sneezing directly onto the laundry.
 

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