my wife works at Women's College hospital and contracted h1n1 3 weeks ago, this is a very nasty bug, last Thursday she was rushed to hospital with breathing problems and she was placed on oxygen for 3 hours, it was later found that her whole chest cavity was inflamed causing breathing difficulties. she was placed on pain meds, antibiotics and antiinflamitories. Luckily she made it through, but when she gets sick it usually last 2 to 3 days this was three weeks, now my mother and mother in law has it and i am on antibiotics and my sugar levels hit 22 last night.
This virus is no joke and the hospitals are finding that it is hitting younger people harder as we have no immunity to this bug.. This is a very scary bug so please take care of yourselves as you do not want to get it, right now I have a fever of 98 and it gone up and down all day, i have been given a new course of antibiotics as I have a secondary chest infection and a swollen chest cavity as well.
Please watch your family and friends for breathing difficulties as this problem comes on very rapidly and if you are sick stay home.
John
is that womens college in toronto?
I certainly know first hand that it's not a joke! Breathing difficulty was the first symptom for me and it was scary. Anyone who thinks the threat of the disease is not real needs to think again. It was ten days before I felt well enough to actually move about and two weeks really before I started feeling more like my old self. Tomorrow will be three weeks and today was the first day since getting it that I have not felt completely worn out. Anyone who says the swine flu is a joke should be ashamed of themselves.
And in case anyone is wondering....YES! I was confirmed POSITIVE for the swine flu by a medical laboratory.
At least I don't have to have the vaccine now!
Kevin
yes it is in toronto
I am actually quite shocked that a forum that is as small as this one is has multiple people that have had this virus already. The percentages certainly don't reflect that. Very odd. That said, I am glad everyone got through it ok. One thing to keep in mind with anything like this is we are all at the mercy of news information outlets. I also remember Morex's comments about the situation down in Mexico and how he said don't necessarily believe everything you read.
With regards to the "vaccine," as a scientist I still have my doubts about this. First, this is virus which by it's very nature you really can't completely protect yourself against. Common cold virus ring any bells? How long has that been around? Where's the vaccine? Second, I still maintain that unless you fall into a high risk type of group (very young, very old, preexisting condition, etc.) I would not be running in to take this vaccine. Especially considering how very new it is. There is certainly no guarantee at all that even if you do get the vaccine that it will make you immune to this strain. Add to that variations on the strain and your real odds in even coming in contact with it are extremely small. But of course everyone has to make up their own mind.
Finally, from all that I have seen so far on this here is what the case seems to be. Your odds of getting this at all currently are very small. And I mean very small. And, for the majority of people who do get it while it certainly is not a fun time, it is something you will survive. Heck, I had a flu bug a couple years back before all this got going that knocked me on my butt for a good two weeks, and for a couple days there I could barely move. Anyway, just some observations and thoughts.
While it is true that very few people have had it so far, the hospital has confirmed that this one is much harder on the younger population then the older, the hospital expects that 30 % of the population will get this and of course it is higher for hospital and emergency workers.
And while I am not a great fans of vaccines either, having this has made me rethink this, even if the vaccines don't provide full protection, some is better then none and may make the symptoms for someone exposed to be allot less and less severe.
The problem with this bug, is you think you are getting over it, then it hits again, this is what happened to my wife. I think Rico is right in saying we must take the news reports with a grain of salt, that being said though, the problem is the doctors still don't really know allot about this bug and as people get sick they find out more, a large percentage of the those patients who have had it at hospital were healthy without impaired immune system, Unlike my self who has an impaired immune system from diabetes. I got it because i was looking after my wife, mother and mother in law. From what i have been told this is like a mutated version of the Spanish flu bug, that was around in the early 40s, which is why our parents aren't getting as sick because they have some immunity.
In any case just because you haven't had it yet doesn't mean you wont, and I believe their are allot more people sick with it then is being reported in order to prevent panic etc \i know my wife's sisters kids got it and were home from school and they are in cambridge Ontario., so it is around and is probably wider spread then you think
So please take percautions and wash your hands etc, because unlike other flu bugs you don't want this one believe me as I am still fighting it, It will literally knock you off your feet, it is like being hit by an 18 wheeler that backs up and runs over you again.
I think there are more cases than being reported for the simple answer for many people they get it, feel sick and stay home and get better. Like many do every year with various flu strains, colds, and so on. And it is always a good idea to wash your hands. Especially if you come in contact with a lot of different people every day for your job, go to school, etc.
I got it back in May (might have been April), got pretty sick for about a week. Just stayed home and slept most of it.
May I join in here......Our 3 year old was just diagnosed. Our Doc isn't terribly concerned just yet....put her on Tamiflu and told us to keep an eye for respiratory symptoms (thankfully, none of those yet) and said as long as Tylenol and Motrin are controlling the fever that she should be fine.
He also said that the test for h1n1 is proving out to be about 40% accurate...scary.
Quote from: Darth Gaos on October 28, 2009, 04:05:34 PM
May I join in here......Our 3 year old was just diagnosed. Our Doc isn't terribly concerned just yet....put her on Tamiflu and told us to keep an eye for respiratory symptoms (thankfully, none of those yet) and said as long as Tylenol and Motrin are controlling the fever that she should be fine.
He also said that the test for h1n1 is proving out to be about 40% accurate...scary.
How did they actual diagnose for this? Did he do a culture or blood test? And what does the 40% figure you mention represent?
We have all had it now in my family (me, wife, 9 & 7 year old). Our 9 year old is still suffering a bit, but she is on the mend. The rest of us have thankfully gotten past it now.
It came with a terrible neck pain, fever, headache, and nausea. Most unpleasant experience.
Sounds like the flu. Glad you are feeling better.
Fran and I both experienced fatigue, sore throat, stuffiness of the head and muscle aches. It lasted 24 hours for both of us. She missed a half day of work. Seemed like a very VERY mild flu for us. No swine in sight.
People at the new job are going on and on about h1n1, it's a bit sensational really.
So, I'm working at this small plant now and one of the first things I hear is that one of the plant workers kids has h1n1. I mean there are like 10 people working in this place! Kind of weird.
The thing that worries me is that there are numerous reports of young healthy people killed by this flu. there was just a new death in MD reported this morning on the news. A 21 year old healthy young man after 2 weeks of having H1N1.
I am not worried about myself, I am scared for my 12 month old baby boy.
Don't worry yourself too much and be careful with the reports you hear. You don't know all the circumstances involved. A lot has to do with early detection and treatment like any type of illness. Being aware and watching for early symptoms is a big help - as again with any illness.
can any one confrim...
The H1N1 vaccine has not completed all rounds of testing yet?
No idea on the vaccine and the testing that has been done. Interesting map below. Based on these numbers, even in the highest reported case areas the percentage chance of getting this is running at about 0.04% currently. That's pretty darn low. Now, I know there can be cases that are not getting reported. I also know that other flu cases are getting lumped in with this. Bottomline, I still think the odds are pretty low currently of getting this exact strain of illness.
source:
http://specials.usatoday.com/h1n1+flu/ (http://specials.usatoday.com/h1n1+flu/)
We've just had the letter round inviting the children for vaccination. Two have already had it but as no-one was doing real diagnoses I guess it's just an assumption based on symptoms so they are suggesting vaccination anyway.
Well, we know this vaccine has only existed for less than one year, contains mercury, and may prevent a flu which is less of a threat than the seasonal flu virus.
My doc doesn't recommend this for anyone who isn't in a high risk category.
I'm thinking this isn't as bad as they are saying. Not worried here.
Yeah, I agree. I don't think it is anything to panic about. As long as everyone is " aware " of their surroundings and being aseptic (washing hands, not touching face, etc..) this should be easy to avoid.
I think the issue is that this strain of the flu is a little more virulent and has a synergistic effect with other illnesses on compromising the body. More so then other common illnesses. So if left unchecked it could have an exponential growth.
The estimated incubation period is 3-6 hours.