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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
 Posted - 10/31/2009 : 13:55:45
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As the subject-line says...
I've got the flu.
I can feel it in my bones, and my inside-the-head-not-in-the-ear tinnitus is just as noisy as when I have a fever. I guess it figures, because several of my co-workers went home sick this week, only half the staff was at work Friday morning. I went home 2 hours early, exhausted because I didn't get much sleep the last two nights (different reason though), but it seems I should have clocked out sick instead.
The question is...
How do I tell the swine flu from the regular one, short of testing myself?
My company are providing free vaccinations on the clock, but I'm not scheduled for that until a few weeks. If this is the swine variant, then there wouldn't be any use taking the vaccine, other than wasting it?
It was more than 5 years since I had the flu, was pretty knocked out last time, so I guess I at least used to have a good immunity against the regular kind. But since it was so long ago, maybe the regular strain have mutated beyond the scope of my immunity, in which case me getting sick of the flu was inevitable. Sooner or later.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 11/04/2009 04:18:03
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 10/31/2009 : 14:56:01 [Permalink]
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Easy. Swine can be used to hunt truffles. Truffles are good, I'm told, so I'd go with swine flu.
I don't think there is much difference in the symptoms, so the surest way would be to get checked.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 15:00:05 [Permalink]
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(I am posting on the run so forgive me for leaving out too much.)
Sorry to read you're sick. Take care of yourself. The "health experts" on cable news here are saying that the symptoms between regular flu and H1N1-Swine flu for most people are the same and usually mild. If you have family members or folks living with you that are in a high risk group, (over 60 or infants or children,) you should see your doctor to be tested and they should be inoculated if the vaccines are available. |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 15:45:01 [Permalink]
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If I don't get worse than this, then what's the point of testing for it?
If any of my co-workers are confirmed with swine-flu, then the safe bet is that I have it too. But it really doesn't change anything.
I'm alternating between paracetamol and acetylsalic acid because the effect wears off about 2 hours before I can take the next pill, as per the box prescription. |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Zebra
Skeptic Friend
USA
354 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 18:42:48 [Permalink]
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Sorry to hear that you're sick. Flu is miserable; even a "mild" case is pretty awful.
Short of getting yourself tested (for which there is likely no reason other than interest), the best clue would be to find out what's turning up in people who have been tested recently in your area. Is there a local health department, & would they have this info available online?
(Here in the NW corner of the lower 48 states of the US, there's lots of swine flu and no cases, yet, of the "seasonal flu" strains.)
Influenza mutates readily, undergoing shift in "minor" antigens routinely, and in "major" antigens less frequently. This one is different because it's a hybrid (reassortment) of 3-4 different types of influenza (N. American and European swine flu strains, an avian flu, and a human flu virus).
Would you be a candidate for vaccination against H1N1 influenza in Sweden? In the U.S., it's not being given to most adults at this time (or wouldn't be, if there were enough supply to give it). I've gotten my H1N1 shot, but I'm a healthcare worker w/ direct patient contact and have asthma (and I got in line the moment I heard that it was available).
Complicating matters, there are other viral illnesses which act alot like influenza but aren't, most notably parainfluenza. (Hence its name.)
Stay home while sick, and get better soon!
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I think, you know, freedom means freedom for everyone* -Dick Cheney
*some restrictions may apply |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 19:10:39 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
As the subject-line says...
I've got the flu.
I can feel it in my bones, and my inside-the-head-not-in-the-ear tinnitus is just as noisy as when I have a fever. I guess it figures, because several of my co-workers went home sick this week, only half the staff was at work Friday morning. I went home 2 hours early, exhausted because I didn't get much sleep the last two nights (different reason though), but it seems I should have clocked out sick instead.
The question is...
How do I tell the swine flu from the regular one, short of testing myself?
My company are providing free vaccinations on the clock, but I'm not scheduled for that until a few weeks. If this is the swine variant, then there wouldn't be any use taking the vaccine, other than wasting it?
It was more than 5 years since I had the flu, was pretty knocked out last time, so I guess I at least used to have a good immunity against the regular kind. But since it was so long ago, maybe the regular strain have mutated beyond the scope of my immunity, in which case me getting sick of the flu was inevitable. Sooner or later.
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The point of getting tested is to make sure you are getting appropriate treatment. The H1N1 can make some people much sicker than seasonal flu (Had a patient here die today from H1N1 complications, 29 years old).
Best thing to do is go see a physician. Maybe get an anti-viral.
As for the vaccinations, if you have H1N1 then you can still get the seasonal flu vaccine. If you have H1N1 it won't grant any immunity to other strains.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26020 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 20:54:59 [Permalink]
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Another point to getting tested would be to help the health authorities track the pandemic.
If you're one of them damnable socialists, that is. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2009 : 23:43:47 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
If I don't get worse than this, then what's the point of testing for it?...
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If you have it and its not too bad for you, that's great, but if you are living with individuals who are in the higher risk groups: Pregnant women, babies and young children, folks over 60 or people with weak immune systems or health issues - that's not good for them. If it is swine flu, and they get it, they could become much more seriously ill. (According to what I've heard here in the States over CNN, MSNBC.) They should be away from you while you get well. If you're tested, you'll know.
I don't know if regular flu is any more or less dangerous for the groups I mentioned. A health expert should know. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 04:21:44 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Zebra
Flu is miserable; even a "mild" case is pretty awful. |
Reminds me of a Swedish "Esberitox" (cold remedy) commercial.
A man in his 45-50s is steaming his head with a towel on top and looks really miserable, looks up and says "You women talk about giving birth, but when a man gets a real cold..."
Would you be a candidate for vaccination against H1N1 influenza in Sweden?
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I don't belong to any of the prioritized groups, but even our right-wing, conservative government is socialist enough to have ordered flu-vaccine for the entire population.
That's why I have to wait a few weeks before I get it, priority cases are served first on availability.
Stay home while sick, and get better soon!
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I will, and thanks.
Dude:
As for the vaccinations, if you have H1N1 then you can still get the seasonal flu vaccine. If you have H1N1 it won't grant any immunity to other strains.
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That's a good point. I seem to recall talk about the vaccine in question is meant to provide protection to multiple strains of the flu.
Dave_W.:
Another point to getting tested would be to help the health authorities track the pandemic.
If you're one of them damnable socialists, that is. |
Another good suggestion. After all, I am one of them damnable...people... 
I know I should have thought about all these things. It's just that currently, my brain feels like meringue. I tried to play some Guild Wars yesterday, but my reaction, coordination, and tactics-skill is so impaired it was ridiculous.
The most I can do is lie in the sofa in front of the TV, and when I'm not sleeping I'm watching Star Trek Voyager. I'm already half-way through the first season. 
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 09:34:58 [Permalink]
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Mab said:
That's a good point. I seem to recall talk about the vaccine in question is meant to provide protection to multiple strains of the flu.
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The normal seasonal flu vaccine covers the three strains most likely to appear (based on epidemiologists calculations) in your part of the world.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Zebra
Skeptic Friend
USA
354 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2009 : 13:04:37 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dude
Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
As the subject-line says...
I've got the flu.
I can feel it in my bones, and my inside-the-head-not-in-the-ear tinnitus is just as noisy as when I have a fever. I guess it figures, because several of my co-workers went home sick this week, only half the staff was at work Friday morning. I went home 2 hours early, exhausted because I didn't get much sleep the last two nights (different reason though), but it seems I should have clocked out sick instead.
The question is...
How do I tell the swine flu from the regular one, short of testing myself?
My company are providing free vaccinations on the clock, but I'm not scheduled for that until a few weeks. If this is the swine variant, then there wouldn't be any use taking the vaccine, other than wasting it?
It was more than 5 years since I had the flu, was pretty knocked out last time, so I guess I at least used to have a good immunity against the regular kind. But since it was so long ago, maybe the regular strain have mutated beyond the scope of my immunity, in which case me getting sick of the flu was inevitable. Sooner or later.
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The point of getting tested is to make sure you are getting appropriate treatment. The H1N1 can make some people much sicker than seasonal flu (Had a patient here die today from H1N1 complications, 29 years old).
Best thing to do is go see a physician. Maybe get an anti-viral.
As for the vaccinations, if you have H1N1 then you can still get the seasonal flu vaccine. If you have H1N1 it won't grant any immunity to other strains.
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If Dr. M is in general good health, and not pregnant, and age 40 as his profile says, he is not likely to get deathly ill from H1N1 influenza. (Of course, statistics don't get influenza. People do. Oh, and pigs and birds, especially ducks.)
His illness is not likely to be changed all that much by the available antivirals, especially if he's been ill for more than 48 hrs already.
The "rapid flu" tests perform poorly, with sensitivity something like 50%. The influenza A PCR has much higher sensitivity (barring ineffective collection technique) and specificity (barring contamination), but at least in our community takes 36 hrs to get the results, so isn't useful for informing decisions about whether or not to start antiviral treatment. We are doing that on a clinical basis (how sick now - meaning, needing hospitalization or not; how likely to get sicker based on underlying health and known risk factors, esp. pregnancy).
The more widespread the use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu, in the US), the more likely strains with mutations conferring resistance will be selected for, and begin to spread.
The available antivirals would be effective against any influenza A (but not influenza B), but if that's what's prevalent in the community, then that's likely what he has. Seein' as how it's very contagious, and all. |
I think, you know, freedom means freedom for everyone* -Dick Cheney
*some restrictions may apply |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 04:32:40 [Permalink]
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It wasn't the flu...
It was a urinary tract infection that went septic on me (See now I can finally live up to my title "Septic Fiend")
Yesterday I said enough is enough and contacted the hospital for some testing. And a good thing that was, I was admitted with sky-high fever 41.2°C. (Edited to add: 106°F) I got antibiotics intravenously, fluids, and some paracetamol kind made for IV as well. I have barely slept because every hour during the night, nurses has taken bloodpressure, pulse, oxygensaturation, and temperature.
I have no apetite to speak of, but as I get better, it'll return I'm sure. My brain feels like mush.
New lesson learned:
Assumptions are the mother of all fuckups. If I hadn't been so focused on the flu that's been doing its turn (My hospital reported the first fatality of the swine-flu this morning), I would have stopped and thought about what else it could have been, and contacted the hospital sooner.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
| Edited by - Dr. Mabuse on 11/05/2009 01:56:56 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2009 : 14:10:57 [Permalink]
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| Jeeze, get well soon, Mab! That sounds way worse than most Swine Flu or seasonal flu cases. It's great that you are at least hospitalized at last. Now that you're officially Septic, you can begin to work on that Fiend part. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9687 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 00:05:40 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Now that you're officially Septic, you can begin to work on that Fiend part.
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The the doctors made their rounds this morning, they could confirm bactera in my blood. They couldn't say which kind yet, so I'm still getting a generalised anti-biotic. Fever is down a fraction, but my apetite is non-existent. I barely look at the chocolate sweets in the little halloween bag my wife brought in yesterday.
Outside there's a snowstorm. I have to phone my father-in-law to ask him to help my wife put on the winter-tyres on the car: While she's an exeptionally safe driver, with this weather accidents can happen anyway.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 07:53:24 [Permalink]
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Here's hoping it's nothing antibiotics can't easily clear up!
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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Zebra
Skeptic Friend
USA
354 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2009 : 23:05:35 [Permalink]
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Yikes, what an incredibly high fever!
Are they calling it pyelonephritis with bacteremia/sepsis, or just "urosepsis"? "Cuz with pyelo the fevers & symptoms commonly do go on, and on, only gradually improving, even when you're on the right antibiotic. (Though it will, of course, all resolve eventually.) |
I think, you know, freedom means freedom for everyone* -Dick Cheney
*some restrictions may apply |
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Ok, so I got the flu... NOT
