Brigitte Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 ...would you go to the doctor? I have body aches, fever, slight cough, etc. If this felt like a regular cold, I wouldn't bother even asking. Since I can't remember the last time I had the flu, I have no idea what a doctor would even do for it, if anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I had no chice. I just kept thinking, "...am dying... must get to doctor..." :D I drove myself and by the time I got there, they checked my blood pressure and temperature and called dh to take me to the hospital. I think if you get in early and are willing to take something, you can make it a more mild case. It's at least worth finding out what you're in for. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Some people go in because *if* it's caught in the first 48 hours, Tamiflu can help. But there are side effects and potential dangers from that, so you'd want to research and decide if you would take it anyway. (In certain high risk groups for flu, it's probably worth doing.) Otherwise, if the cough and respiratory stuff gets bad, do go in. The problem, of course, is that if you're really sick, getting yourself to the doctor can be a challenge. I don't generally go to the doctor. I've had flu twice in the past five years, and honestly, I *should* have gone in sooner because the respiratory effects can be so very bad. It can become quite scary. The other thing I would do *immediately* if I suspected flu is take 50,000iu of vitamin D every day for three days, followed by 1,000iu per 25lbs of body weight every day after that. (So, a 150lb adult would take 6,000iu per day.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I never have and probably wouldn't. I get similar symptoms for 24 hour viruses too. However, I have heard that if you catch it early and get some Tamiflu that it can lessen the severity of the case. Not sure if it's a prescription and not sure I have the name quite right. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could test for influenza with a kit from Walgreens? I despise going to the doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 No because if it is viral there isn't anything they can do anyway. You can buy OTC stuff for symptoms. :iagree: We've gone with the flu and they just shrug and say "good luck". If you had very high fevers or got very dehydrated, that would be another thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 They do have a new anti-viral they will give for people with the flu - I can't remember what it is called at the moment. Not sure how they decide if it is the flu - an actual blood test is needed to confirm it (but I kow they don't bother doing that most of the time). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Thank you, everyone, for your responses. At this point, I think I will stay put. I haven't been to the doctor for illness in over 5 years. I am past the 48 hour stage - started on Saturday night with aches and pains, but felt better on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon/evening, I felt awful. Monday was better. Yesterday was not bad in the morning, but by dinner time I was done for. It seems like I should just wait it out. Since I am never sick, I didn't know if there was something they do for flu by now given all the attention it gets. Yes, blissfully ignorant, that's me! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Tamiflu worked great for me when I went in right away last time, but I was 8 months preggo so thats the only reason I went. I wouldn't go now unless I had trouble breathing. We use mostly natural remedies around here. I would take Ibuprofen, hot showers, up my vitamin C and D, natural cough syrup if needed or just plain honey, and lots of rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I wouldn't. Take zinc several times a day and lots and lots of vitamin C. Those two things will help shorten the lifespan of the illness. When my dd had influenza, she ended up with pneumonia and a hospital stay. So just keep an eye on it. We ended up getting influenza also. The second time she got the flu, we made sure to use Lysol sanitizing wipes on all knobs and switches, as well as every surface she touched like the edges of the counters, table, etc. and we were able to keep the rest of us from getting it. I hope you feel better soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 :grouphug:I hope you feel better...soon.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I would go ask for Tamiflu because my son has a lung disease. Anything to lower his risk of infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Tamiflu!! That's what it is. BTW - I've had influenza twice (they even sent my blood to the CDC in Atlanta), and both times ended up with pneumonia.... So, yeah - Tamiflu is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Thank you. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty mild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Did it come on suddenly? The only time I remember having the flu, it can on in the snap of a finger. I was sitting at work fine, then the next minute bam! I felt like I literally had been hit by a bus. I barely could drive home. So you say that you felt bad, then better, then bad, then better. So, maybe it's an awful cold? We're just getting over some weird kind of cold. My boys had fevers of 104., I started with a sore throat that lasted for 6 days before the nose leaking started. Lots of weird things going around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 The thing I worry about with Tamiflu cutting the flu short is that your body doesn't have a chance to build up a good immunity against that flu and you may get it again. Kind of like not finishing all your antibiotics...but I am in the camp of letting your body fight what you get naturally if you can. We go to the doc as little as possible and only if I am preggo or we are about to die do I go. My doc hates to prescribe meds anyways, so that helps my decisions :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Knock on wood, for my family the flu has not been cruel to us. One year after a LOT of illnesses for odd, I did take her in and she tested positive for flu. I can't remember if it was in the 48 hr period and if she got the Tamiflu or not. I just remember of all of the illnesses she had that year the flu was the mildest. And she had had the flu that year mist too. We didn't go to the dr. when we got the Swine flu last year. It was during the time that they didn't have enough Tamiflu to go around. We called in and they said don't come in unless there are complications. Luckily for us there weren't. It was not as severe for us as it was for others. So if you caught it in the first day, I might go get the Tamiflu. But flu doesn't stress me out since we have never had any of the bronchial stuff come after it, thank goodness. It is still not fun though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Did it come on suddenly? The only time I remember having the flu, it can on in the snap of a finger. I was sitting at work fine, then the next minute bam! I felt like I literally had been hit by a bus. I barely could drive home. So you say that you felt bad, then better, then bad, then better. So, maybe it's an awful cold? We're just getting over some weird kind of cold. My boys had fevers of 104., I started with a sore throat that lasted for 6 days before the nose leaking started. Lots of weird things going around. Yes, absolutely. Typically, flu comes on in a matter of hours (as in, you feel fine, you feel a little funny, and 2-4 hours after you were feeling fine, you can barely stand up)... Colds build up over a day or two or three... There are always exceptions, but *generally* if you feel the illness coming on for a day or two, it isn't flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I would, because I've had the flu before and Tamiflu was my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Thank you, everyone, for your responses. At this point, I think I will stay put. I haven't been to the doctor for illness in over 5 years. I am past the 48 hour stage - started on Saturday night with aches and pains, but felt better on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon/evening, I felt awful. Monday was better. Yesterday was not bad in the morning, but by dinner time I was done for. It seems like I should just wait it out. Since I am never sick, I didn't know if there was something they do for flu by now given all the attention it gets. Yes, blissfully ignorant, that's me! :D Just wanted to say that I recently had what sounds like the exact same thing! I came down with it on a Saturday and was in bed all day with the body aches. For the next 3 or 4 days, I felt fine until late mid/afternoon when I would have to go back to bed. After that, there was a cough that lingered for about 10 days. Hope you feel better soon.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Did it come on suddenly? Yes, it did. All of a sudden I was sore all over. I felt like I had run a marathon or been run over by a mack truck. The other symptoms came later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 The only thing they can do is give tamiflu, which is an antiviral with some serious side effects, that only shortens the flu by 1 day. The other option is to buy some Sambucal (elderberry extract) at Walgreens, which has studies showing it cuts the flu duration in half, and reduces symptoms significantly. No bizarre side efffects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21352539 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 The only thing they can do is give tamiflu, which is an antiviral with some serious side effects, that only shortens the flu by 1 day. The other option is to buy some Sambucal (elderberry extract) at Walgreens, which has studies showing it cuts the flu duration in half, and reduces symptoms significantly. No bizarre side efffects. Thanks for posting the link about the elderberry extract in your other post -- if you buy the Sambucal at Walgreens, does the package have dosing information? Has anyone here used this? Did it work? If so, I think I will buy some to have on hand "just in case." I wonder if it works for other "flu-like illnesses." You know, the kind where you get a fever and you feel rotten but you know it isn't bad enough to be the "real flu." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 ...would you go to the doctor? I have body aches, fever, slight cough, etc. If this felt like a regular cold, I wouldn't bother even asking. Since I can't remember the last time I had the flu, I have no idea what a doctor would even do for it, if anything. No, not just flu. But if the flu cough turns into something like bronchitis, I have to get right on that, and get an antibiotic, from past experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Yes, if you buy Sambucal it will have directions on it. Health food stores and such will have a few different brands too. I keep a bottle in the house for colds, flu, etc. It also has now been proven to work on bacterial infections as well. It is a total immune booster. I take it whenever I feel run down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 No. Doctor can't do anything for a virus, I would be miserable going, and I would get other patients in the waiting room sick. I'd stay in bed and wait it out. Get better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 The thing I worry about with Tamiflu cutting the flu short is that your body doesn't have a chance to build up a good immunity against that flu and you may get it again. You don't build up a real immunity to the flu anyway, because the virus is mutating so rapidly that they have different strains all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 if I felt bad enough,yes I'd go...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I had the flu last year over Christmas so I did go to the doctor to get tamiflu (expensive!). I don't thInk it helped much. I knew it was the flu because I could barely get out of bed. I went to the doctor on my second bed day and ended up spending a total of three days in bed. It was awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 ...would you go to the doctor? I have body aches, fever, slight cough, etc. If this felt like a regular cold, I wouldn't bother even asking. Since I can't remember the last time I had the flu, I have no idea what a doctor would even do for it, if anything. No. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I would not be able to get myself to the doc if I had the flu. Two years ago we had that (I don't remember the letter/number designation) swine flu. I couldn't get out of bed for 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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