Flu and hype

[katilac]

In my personal circles, there are definitely far more people with diagnosed flu than usual. 

 

But, I keep wondering if the fact that they are telling people to go in at the first sign of the flu is pushing numbers up.  
 

 

Again, this is my personal circles, but around here no one is going anywhere near a doctor's office if they can help it! One, the wait is insane, and two, they don't want to catch the flu. Heck, people don't want to go to the grocery store. 

[Joker]

I feel like there is a lot of hype and I'm in a state that says its really bad. We've been in three different doctor's offices and one hospital pharmacy this past month and we are all fine. Both dc have had some nasty upper respiratory bugs but no flu. I know they've had a few teachers out here and there with it but nothing that's caused any issues. 

 

Interestingly enough, both dc became ill the day after their flu shots this season (one in Oct and one in Nov). That's never happened before. Dh and I haven't had the shot this season as we only get it every other year. We're not hiding out and we've been fine. I do hear the scary stories online but I wonder what info we're not getting. 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Joker

[ktgrok]

In my personal circles, there are definitely far more people with diagnosed flu than usual. 

 

 

Again, this is my personal circles, but around here no one is going anywhere near a doctor's office if they can help it! One, the wait is insane, and two, they don't want to catch the flu. Heck, people don't want to go to the grocery store. 

 

Exactly!!!! I was going to go to CVS minute clinic to get the kids flu shots but the wait was over 2 hours! And that's the fast place!

[ktgrok]

I think saying, "I haven't gotten flu so there isn't a lot of flu going around" is like saying, "I just ate a sandwich so there isn't much hunger in the world".

 

But, either way, I'm glad you haven't caught it!

I feel like there is a lot of hype and I'm in a state that says its really bad. We've been in three different doctor's offices and one hospital pharmacy this past month and we are all fine. Both dc have had some nasty upper respiratory bugs but no flu. I know they've had a few teachers out here and there with it but nothing that's caused any issues. 

 

Interestingly enough, both dc became ill the day after their flu shots this season (one in Oct and one in Nov). That's never happened before. Dh and I haven't had the shot this season as we only get it every other year. We're not hiding out and we've been fine. I do hear the scary stories online but I wonder what info we're not getting. 

 

[Cindy in FL.]

My dgd had a fever and vomiting Sunday afternoon, and a positive test for Flu A on Monday. She said her head and stomach hurt at various times as well.

 

Actually, there is a strain of influenza going around that IS causing vomiting in children, which yes, is somewhat unusual for influenza. Several of the people I know who brought kids in and got a positive flu swab have vomiting kids.

[Joker]

I think saying, "I haven't gotten flu so there isn't a lot of flu going around" is like saying, "I just ate a sandwich so there isn't much hunger in the world".

 

But, either way, I'm glad you haven't caught it!

That's not quite what I was saying, though. Every flu season there is a lot of flu going around whether I get it or not. I was just stating I am one who feels its touted almost every year as the worst ever and I think it's a bit too much hype.

[Sandwalker]

That's not quite what I was saying, though. Every flu season there is a lot of flu going around whether I get it or not. I was just stating I am one who feels its touted almost every year as the worst ever and I think it's a bit too much hype.

Encouraging people to wash their hands, to disinfect surfaces, to keep hands away from the face, to get enough sleep, healthy food, and water, to stay away from sick people, to get vaccinated, and to stay home if they're sick seems like common sense to me rather than hype.

 

Edit for grammar

Edited February 8, 2018 by Sandwalker

[Catwoman]

That's not quite what I was saying, though. Every flu season there is a lot of flu going around whether I get it or not. I was just stating I am one who feels its touted almost every year as the worst ever and I think it's a bit too much hype.

This year seems a lot worse, though, and I’m hearing it from doctors and pharmacists, not just from the news. We have to be very careful because my dh is immunosuppressed.

[Joker]

Guys, I'm really not up for a flu debate. I only read the OP and answered for me.

 

The year after I had the flu for the first and only time (5 years ago and not during flu season) I obsessed about all the charts and news because I was so scared of getting it again. It took me months to recover and I have permanent issues because of that flu. I've quit obsessing because it seemed like every year was hyped the same. Maybe this year is worse and maybe the media should be more careful with how they report it every year.

[Catwoman]

Guys, I'm really not up for a flu debate. I only read the OP and answered for me.

 

The year after I had the flu for the first and only time (5 years ago and not during flu season) I obsessed about all the charts and news because I was so scared of getting it again. It took me months to recover and I have permanent issues because of that flu. I've quit obsessing because it seemed like every year was hyped the same. Maybe this year is worse and maybe the media should be more careful with how they report it every year.

Sorry if my post came across as argumentative — I didn’t mean it that way! I was just posting what I have heard about this year’s flu, and why my family has to be extra careful.

[creekland]

I think saying, "I haven't gotten flu so there isn't a lot of flu going around" is like saying, "I just ate a sandwich so there isn't much hunger in the world".

 

As is saying, "Well we had it and didn't die, so it's all hype."  Um, ok.  I wasn't aware that everyone had to die from an illness for it to be news worthy reminding folks to do what they can to prevent it as it can be deadly for some, esp if they aren't aware.

 

I'll just add this CDC graph and folks can make their own judgments as to whether this is a worse year than others or not - esp since the news does seem to mention it every year, esp since it comes every year.  There is a ton of other data on the CDC site, though they only track pediatric deaths from flu.  I'm not sure if this season will be more deadly for kids or not.  Google tells me stats have only been kept since 2004 and seasons have had as few as 37 or as many as 171, but I thought part of the reason for the news getting the word out is so folks can do what they can to prevent deaths by getting help when needed (or getting the flu vaccine).

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/reported-flu-deaths-children.htm

[mom2scouts]

The flu is really bad in my area and seems to have started earlier than usual. DH and I both got it and we are rarely ill. It was over a month before we were completely healthy again. My mom got the flu and she rarely leaves the house and almost never gets sick. Almost every family I know has had at least one family member get the flu and two of my personal friends were hospitalized. The next school district over hasn't been able to run their school bus routes because so many drivers are out with the flu and half the substitutes have it too. They've had to start calling parents and telling them that the don't have a bus driver for their route and parents can either drive the child to school or wait and have a bus come after another driver has finished their first route. I think some of the hype is based on the fact that very healthy children and teens have died from this strain and not just elderly, very young, or immune compromised people.

[Catwoman]

Not sure I understand the need to call it hype. It’s an illness that has hit many communities hard, some years are better/worse, and if repeatedly warning people that yes, the flu is still around and will be for a couple more months at least so let’s all keep doing whatever we can to keep from getting it... who cares if it’s ‘hype’? The schools here were hit hard early in the season. It seems to be better now, but worse where my nephew’s daughter lives. She’s at the hospital tonight to see if it’s developed into pneumonia.

I hope she’s okay, Dot! :grouphug:

[MIch elle]

Here are some stats on flu this season and info on how vitamin D can help:

 

https://grassrootshealth.net/blog/vitamin-d-prevent-flu-epidemic/

[Ravin]

I have several friends who became ill this year and were diagnosed with influenza, and a DH's best friend's mother died of flu complications--though it wound up being too far down on the list of contributing reasons for hers to actually count as a "flu death" for statistics. Often with elderly folks, if there are multiple causes, (such as in friend's mother, COPD plus congestive heart failure, and the flu hit on top of that while she was recovering from open heart surgery), the flu gets ranked below diseases of aging/chronic illness are the ones that get counted as official cause of death for the statistical calculations.

 

Or so DH's friend was told, anyway.

 

This is NOT a year where, in the World of Ravin's Personal Experience, the buzz in the news does not match what I'm seeing around me. This year, flu is bad from where I'm sitting.

[mom@shiloh]

Five of us have it at my house -- or at least, we have something.  I assume it's the flu.  Fever, achy, headaches, fatique, etc.  I'm on my 5th day and feel almost back to normal.  The kids who had it were better in 2-3 days.  My dd (bless her heart) told me that I probably had it longer because I'm older.  I'm thinking it probably had more to do with the fact that even though I was sick, I still took care of four other people who were sick.  

[Paige]

Yes, people die of the flu every year. But stressing about dying hasn’t prevented death yet. Common sense avoidance of risky areas and quarantine if you have it is all excellent. But this is getting to ridiculous huge levels for a flu strain that is virulent but not exactly Ebola levels of fatalities.

 

It was awful - I was sick and essentially stuck in bed for days at a time, and wasn’t better for almost a solid month. I’m only just getting over it.

 

As an outbreak of Ebola would be catastrophic with about a 50% fatality rate, I don't think we need to get there before people get concerned. 

 

For me, what's unusual in the reports this year is how many previously healthy people have died with relatively minor symptoms. It's the reports of people going to bed not too bad- certainly not in the hospital- and not waking up that I find frightening because that could be anyone. I'd much prefer a predictable trajectory of get sick, get worse, go to hospital, get really sick, then die in the hospital, because it would give me some comfort if my family got sick that I'd know what to expect and perhaps a (false) sense of control in the situation. I don't think this year is hype because this is unusual and they really want people to understand that if you have been sick, get better, and then relapse, you need to go to the hospital ASAP. I never would have done that in the past because we are the type who don't go to the doctor unless we're really sick- we wait it out a day or so and see how it is. Of course if someone was having significant breathing problems we'd go, but with this flu it appears that a lot of people seemed stable before their sudden crash. 

[school17777]

Here’s a pediatrician’s response to the hype:

 

http://www.advancedped.com/2018-flu-scare-false-alarm/

[creekland]

Here’s a pediatrician’s response to the hype:

 

http://www.advancedped.com/2018-flu-scare-false-alarm/

 

And this pretty much says the same thing.

 

All in all, it depends upon whether one needs deaths to consider something newsworthy or whether one thinks the news should report on what is happening to keep folks aware of what to look for and do - reminding people it's out there and there are things they can do to make it less of an issue.

 

I'm in the latter camp, obviously.  I think the news is doing it's job and doing it well, and by doing so is likely preventing more deaths.  It's not hype.  It's the facts/news.

 

I guess how one responds to it could be overboard, but I've yet to see anyone do that.  I've seen people making common sense decisions whether it's parents continuing to let their kids come to school or immune compromised people deciding to skip public events.  A few more areas where it's all around are doing deeper cleaning.  Can't say I think that's bad TBH.  I haven't seen schools shut down in areas where it isn't rampant or people putting up blockades around their houses.

[Murphy101]

Dh and I are down with it and on tamiflu.

 

It looks like two more kids are down this morning.

 

I’m freaking out about the 15 month old getting it. This is horrible and I can’t imagine being so tiny and having it.

 

I don’t think it’s hype at all.

 

And I’d appreciate it if people stayed home if anyone in their household is sick as much as possible.

 

Our dr sent tamiflu without us even going in. My pediatrician tho says he doesn’t like what he is seeing it do to his younger patients and doesn’t rx it. He is normally very pro these things, so I take it serious when he tells me that.

[Hilltopmom]

My 4 year old has had it for 6 days now and is on the mend finally. She’s only gotten out of bed a few times all week! Poor kiddo.

We didn’t do tamiflu for her because of the side effects I’ve seen locally.

 

I work in 5 different preschools and for the past few weeks most have only had half of their kids attend on any given day- that’s a lot of sick kids.

Dr offices extending their hours too.

 

I started coughing yesterday but think I have something different, it’s not coming on instantly like the flu. Stayed home today so that I don’t cough all over my students, though I’m sure I got it from them.

Need to disenfect everything around here

Edited February 9, 2018 by Hilltopmom

[BooksandBoys]

What is the incubation period on this flu? Anyone know?

[Katy]

What is the incubation period on this flu? Anyone know?

 

An EMS relative said up to 3 days.

[eternalsummer]

The hype, imo, is not that we are having a worse than average flu season, or even a 1-in-10 or 1-in-20 flu season; it's that headlines like this one: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flu-season-breaking-records-cdc-says-n846341

 

"Flu season is breaking records"

 

makes it sound like this is the worst year for flu ever in some way.

 

But the only record mentioned in the article is something that's only been counted that way since 2010.  So yes, this is maybe the worst flu year since 2010, or even 2009.  Bad year?  Yes.  Record-breaking?  I mean, I guess so.  But only if you're only counting the last 8 years.

[gardenmom5]

a guy posted his dr's "algorythm" for "diagnosing" flu.

 

do you feel like you've been hit by a train?

 

• no-then you do not have the flu
• yes-   have you been hit by a train?

1. yes - you have been hit by a train        
2. no - you have the flu

 

[shawthorne44]

Yep! Married to someone in healthcare who is very partial to the flu shot...as he says, if you get the flu shot, and it keeps you from getting the flu, great! But it's really there to hopefully keep you from DYING from the flu. Not dying = success even if you still get sick. 

 

Some people also do not realize that the flu test gives a lot of false negatives--you can test negative for the flu and still have the flu. Happens all the time. 

 

I am descended from people who had the 1918 flu--a great-grandfather survived; his father did not. Just knowing that information has made me take flu really seriously.

 

People don't remember that flu, for some reason.  They think that the worse that can happen is that they have to stay in bed for a week.  I remind people of that flu and all the dead people every now and then.  

 

One thing that got me recently, a 7-year-old blonde girl (DD is a 7-year-old blonde girl) died recently after the hospital sent her home.   The thing is, not only did she have the flu but she also had strep and scarlet fever.  

[kbutton]

People don't remember that flu, for some reason.  They think that the worse that can happen is that they have to stay in bed for a week.  I remind people of that flu and all the dead people every now and then.  

 

One thing that got me recently, a 7-year-old blonde girl (DD is a 7-year-old blonde girl) died recently after the hospital sent her home.   The thing is, not only did she have the flu but she also had strep and scarlet fever.  

 

Holy cow! That's terrible. 

[elegantlion]

Our area is promoting caution more than anything. Schools closed for a day this week because of snow AND because over 1000k people in the school district were out sick (including staff and faculty). My university has told people that even if they think they're sick, they should stay out of the classes and those excuses will not count against attendance even without a doctor's note. We've already had one faculty member out for a full week in our department.

[creekland]

People don't remember that flu, for some reason.  They think that the worse that can happen is that they have to stay in bed for a week.  I remind people of that flu and all the dead people every now and then.  

 

One thing that got me recently, a 7-year-old blonde girl (DD is a 7-year-old blonde girl) died recently after the hospital sent her home.   The thing is, not only did she have the flu but she also had strep and scarlet fever.  

 

Poor kid/family!

 

I used to wonder how doctors missed such things.  Now that middle son has shared about some of the students who habitually score well below average on exams in med school, I wonder why our system allows the bar to be set so low for one to actually become a doctor.  Getting into med school is tough.  I'm ok with everyone who gets in becoming a doctor, but I want the bar set a little bit higher on those grades - or I want doctors to have to let patients know just how well they did (or didn't do).  FWIW, for at least some, the grades come from the attitude, "We only have to know enough to pass, you don't have to know it all" spoken as they chide him for studying so much (and habitually being at or very near the top on those same exams).  :glare:

Edited February 10, 2018 by creekland