Landfall2004

I will never forget when I caught the norovirus must be 7 Years ago . I thought I was gonna Die lol .but a tip .. I rang my medical practice at the time (an advantage of free to all medicare) and they told me to drink Defizzed Coke or pepsi (not diet ) as it settles the illness in the stomach and if it didnt settle in 48 hrs they would see me but they didnt want me coming in and infecting all in the surgery

Cleanliness and good sanitation are the key to reducing your risks of infection by many spurious bugs, but sometimes ya get em no matter what ya do. And sometimes you are stuck in environments in which you have very little control over cleanliness and sanitation.

Just the way it goes I guess.

Ya know, the really funny thing is that since I started religiously wiping down my grocery carts and my hands with sanitizer and sanitizing wipes--that is when I caught more ailments!!!

With the arrival of grandbaby #2 at my house 15 months ago, I once again stepped up the sanitizing--but alas, I don't think I could keep up with ALL the germs being brought in by Grandchild #1 from pre-school!!! And if you read the article, that virus can live on soft stuff like couches and rugs for almost 2 WEEKS! Geesh, no wonder I lost that battle. OMG--I bet the kids' backpacks are full of it!!!

Thanks for stopping by, you two!

PS Lib, yes, my Mom used to give me "flat" Coke. They even make Coke syrup. Doesn't matter--nothing would stay down to even try to lessen the symptoms. If you can find Ginger Ale with REAL Ginger, that is supposed to help with nausea--even motion-sickness (which I suffer from horribly.) Mark, if you need to take someone out on your boat to chum, I'm your gal!

I have two kids...so it's a guarantee to be sick. Little virus factories, otherwise known as school/daycare, is a great way to get something worse than sniffles.

Our local hospital is on a virtual lockdown due to the flu. I know the guy who put it on...the birthing unit complained that siblings wouldn't be able to see their new baby. Ya...let the little buggers infect an entire floor of new or soon to be mothers AND their nurses.

My hard core fishing buddy refuses to take women offshore on his boat. He says that they always start whining and want to go back in and he doesn't like to waste the gas. I don't subscribe by that rule, but there are very few women who will go offshore with me because they know I won't go in if they get sick.

I always feel sorry for folks who get motion sickness though. One of my little brothers gets it just stepping onto a boat tied up at the dock which leads me to believe that in many cases motion sickness is all mental. Probably works both ways, some physical, some mental.

Oh my....flu/virus....makes me ache all over..to even think about it.....especially the stomach ones....the worse!!.....I try really hard to stay away the the doctors office this time of year(and any other time of year).....cause that's a darn good place to get it...

Here's hoping for a happy, and healthy year to come for all.....At the present....sunshine is what I need ...maybe tomorrow....seems I'm always sayin that

Well, it seems that over Christmas that the "bad cold" I had was the "real" flu. Fever (102+), aches from fingers to toes, terrible congestion, headache, cold symptoms, sweats/chills, coughing (STILL coughing.) And this WASN'T one of the flu's that was in this year's flu shot.

Here's a little info on THIS year's vaccination:

"The agency has received reports that people who were vaccinated still developed laboratory-confirmed strains of flu. CDC officials said it’s not possible to know whether that’s happening more this season than usual and that the agency is “watching the situation closely.”

Overall, this year’s vaccines appear to be well matched for the two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B that are circulating this year, CDC officials have said.
The dominant strain this year is the H3N2 strain, which can cause more serious illness. Flu seasons can vary widely, but some years are severe, with hospitalizations of up to 200,000 people and between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths during a season."

I have a doctor in the family. The problem may not be the the vaccine. What you won't hear, especially from a government run agency like the CDC, is the dosing is probably off. Basically, not enough of the good stuff. You didn't hear it from me though....

PS Our local Nursing Home is on lockdown because of the flu. Visit at your own risk--and if you are not feeling well or have a cold--stay away!

Am I shamelessly driving up my numbers and interest--not my first thought--but YES!

LOL Landfall ...

I need to fly in a helicopter a few times a year and ginger gets me through everytime. I drink a cup of ginger tea (with a lot of sugar to counter some of the spiciness) and take a couple of powdered ginger capsules before I go up.

Originally Posted by NavarreMark

My hard core fishing buddy refuses to take women offshore on his boat. He says that they always start whining and want to go back in and he doesn't like to waste the gas. I don't subscribe by that rule, but there are very few women who will go offshore with me because they know I won't go in if they get sick.

I always feel sorry for folks who get motion sickness though. One of my little brothers gets it just stepping onto a boat tied up at the dock which leads me to believe that in many cases motion sickness is all mental. Probably works both ways, some physical, some mental.

I have come to believe that motion sickness has a variety of causes but #1 is that the hyppocampus area of the brain is very sensitive. If memory (and my 1978 College Anat. & Phys. class) serves me right, it coordinates between what the eyes see and the ears/balance says.

#2 I believe female hormones play a role--at least for me. Sometimes things bother me, sometimes they don't. No explanation for the variance except time of month.

I can get sick on a child's swing-set, I can get sick riding in a "higher" SUV or raised truck, I ALWAYS get queasy in jets & planes & boats & the back seats of cars (when they are moving--get your mind out of the gutter!). And I get queasy when you leave the car windows open while driving and you hear that wump, wump, wump noise of the wind reverberating IN the car. I got sick while on board a cruise ship WHILE IT WAS STILL TIED TO THE DOCK--it was the reverberation of the engine noise coming out off the stacks, bouncing off the pier and 3-4 story loading docks. Add diesel fumes or cigar/cigarette smoke to any of the above, and I'm a goner for sure.

Yeah, I know, I'm wierd. But I prefer to believe that I'm "sensitive."

Back to the subject at hand: Cone, Hurricat, and I are in the headlines. Dew comes mighty close!

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —MD Now's Dr. Peter Lamelas knows first-hand what this flu season is bringing.

"We're seeing a lot of people come in with body aches," said Lamelas, who diagnosed himself with the flu in December. "They say they feel like they've been hit by a 2-by-4 -- aches, pains, headaches and sweats chills."

While Palm Beach, Martin and Okeechobee counties are experiencing mild flu seasons so far this year, St. Lucie and Indian River counties jumped up to the moderate range this week.

Northern parts of the country are seeing the influenza A H3 strain of the flu, while Florida is mostly seeing the influenza B strain.

The influenza A H3 strain is covered in this year's flu vaccine; the strain of influenza B that Florida is predominantly seeing is not, a Florida Department of Health spokesperson said.

Read more: St. Lucie, Indian River counties jump to moderate flu levels | Health - WPBF Home

Lol landfall I generally do pretty well but one whiff of diesel fumes and I'm a total goner! Went out on a dive boat once and inhaled diesel. Everyone said "you'll be fine once you get in the water". Yeah right, threw up in my regulator at 60 feet...the gross part was all the fish swarmed around me to eat it...I think I'm getting sick again just remembering!!

Originally Posted by Tulsahurrcane

Lol landfall I generally do pretty well but one whiff of diesel fumes and I'm a total goner! Went out on a dive boat once and inhaled diesel. Everyone said "you'll be fine once you get in the water". Yeah right, threw up in my regulator at 60 feet...the gross part was all the fish swarmed around me to eat it...I think I'm getting sick again just remembering!!

OH DEAR!!!!

One does not fare well at 60 feet with a clogged up regulator!!!

UPDATE--41 states now reporting flu! Great short video link:

Flu has already spread to 41 states - Video on TODAY.com

UPDATE 1/09/13

FLU SEASON GETTING WORSE

Charles Krupa / AP
Flu has spread to more than 80 percent of the U.S., government figures show, as Boston mayor declares a public health emergency.

"Nationwide, the flu has spread to more than 80 percent of the U.S., latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated. More than 2,200 people had been hospitalized since October, and 18 children have died. Other viruses besides the flu are also circulating -- CDC data shows only about a third of all people with flu-like symptoms actually are testing positive for influenza."

See the rest at:

Bad flu season worsens as Boston declares emergency - TODAY Health

MSGAL is down with it at the moment she did a drive by last night

Originally Posted by libgoon

MSGAL is down with it at the moment she did a drive by last night

OH DEAR!!!

Hope she feels better soon!

Yes So Do I

Really sorry to hear that about MSGAL. Best wishes that she gets better as quick as possible.
.
Landfall...it was great of you to start and maintain this blog. I didn't see it till just now, I'm sorry. This flu business has had me worried for at least a week now. There's friends/family that have it and I'm seeing talk of it pop up in every message board/chat that I contribute too regularly, all 6 of them. Places where folks don't normally talk about their health..I first noticed it there a couple of weeks ago...today this Boston emergency AND now you and MSGAL...this is I fear a big and growing story. I'm thinking we have a 5-10% chance at least at this point of the whole country being cautious/restrictive about everyday activities like shopping for food. And I can't convince my 85 year old healthy mother to get her first flu shot. She keeps giving me ridiculous excuses, the last was some imagined allergy to eggs. I pointed out to her that she eats egg salad 3 times a week and 2 eggs with bacon on Sunday! She claimed there was a difference between that and "injectable eggs"

Hey MS!! You just need a few of these guys to stir you up and you'll be fine! Adrenalin does that for you!

Yep it's kind of strange cos. I've seen some dire messages on different sites as we'll. Was feeling a bit uneasy

Thanks Cos! Well, you see, the flu IS weather related. The theory is that in the summer when the air is more humid, the sneeze and cough droplets fall to the ground quicker. When the humidity is low, they stay in the air longer--like hang-time--and more people and surfaces have a chance to be infected.

Come to think of it, it has been hot and humid and raining down here in S FL, but yet EVERYONE I know has the flu.

Oh, never mind the theories!!!!

Lol landfall,, at least you had a theory to advance!!

Thankfully It dont seem to have made it over here but It will in time I guess

Yup, due to the wonder of air travel, we and our germs can travel around the world. It is only a matter of time, Lib.

Landfall, I don't know for sure, but I think Vernors ginger ale still has real ginger in it. I know Canada Dry and Seagrams don't. I use Vernors to settle a tummy ache.

Update 1/10/13

Nasty flu season sparks spotty vaccine shortages
By JoNel Aleccia, Staff Writer, NBC News
The nation’s nasty flu season has created a sudden surge in demand for vaccine, leaving some sites across the country short on the shots that can prevent illness -- or make it a little less miserable.
There’s still enough vaccine to go around, but people may have to make a few calls to get it, said Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more here:

Nasty flu season sparks spotty vaccine shortages - Vitals

Not always the flu: Some may have other viruses

Public health officials said while the season is off to an early start, the influenza virus doesn’t so far seem to be doing anything especially unusual. They’ve been urging people since last fall to get vaccinated against the flu and to take precautions, such as frequent handwashing, to avoid infection.

But this year, in addition to the usual colds, there's also a strain of a virulent stomach bug, called norovirus, making people sick around the world and in the United States. Patients who are sick may have a hard time telling the difference. Norovirus causes flu-like symptoms as well as vomiting and diarrhea. In the past few weeks, 250 people at a Mormon missionary training center in Provo, Utah, became sick with norovirus, the Associated Press reports. In Mill Valley Calif., two died after an outbreak of norovirus at a senior care facility over Christmas sickened 60.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows only about a third of all people with flu-like symptoms actually are testing positive for influenza. So two-thirds of the sick people have something else.

Unlike for flu, there's no vaccine for norovirus. There's also no treatment except what health professionals call supportive care – rest, fluids and ibuprofen or acetaminophen for muscle aches. Some patients with influenza can take a pill called Tamiflu. It doesn’t cure the virus but it can cut a few days off the week or so that flu usually makes people ill, if it’s taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms.

Entire article:

Not always the flu: Some may have other viruses - Vitals