[Closed] Anybody on STW got swine flu yet?

I haven't been tested but have been prescribed Tamiflu this morning, as I have all the symptoms and I'm asthmatic. A friend of mine and my sister-in-law have both had it too.

Thought Dr Doolittle had? Or he thought he had?

willej - is it seriously unpleasant? Do hope you heal quickly.

make sure you disinfect that keyboard, you don't want everybody on here getting it. 🙂

on a more serious note, hope your OK and your friend and SIL

I don't know if what I've got is definitely swine flu but it has been pretty nasty, but kind of in waves. So far it's not been a patch on the flu I had when I was 16. That had me bed-ridden for weeks.
Thanks for the best wishes chaps :o)

it's reached mrs_drummer's place of work. 1 confirmed, 3 possible cases. and she's got a scratchy throat now.

We (me and Mrs Stoney) recon that our No3 boy(who is 4) has had it over the course of last weekend. 😥 She has a leaflet from the Childminding Assos. and he had ALL the symptoms as described in the leaflet!

Hes fine now. 🙂

I don't have it, but I am on the pandemic rapid response team for Devon. I don't get a porsche or even a blue light for my van though. 🙁

thing is, I was looking at the directgov website earlier, looking at the symptoms. Jeez, they could cover anything from a hangover & a dodgy curry, to ebola.

well maybe not ebola, but you get the idea

storm in a teacup, I say. sneezing.

just coming back to normal after coming down last saturday, not the worst i've had, but wouldn't wish it on anyone. Diognosed by phone, prescribed tamiflu but by the time my 'flu friend' had been able to locate and get some i was already getting better- that and the fact the tablet only controls the symptons (Has similar side effects to swine flu's symptons) and doesn't make you better led me to not take it.

Still a bit weak and pathetic though

I died of it 3 days ago

My two daughters are both taking Tamiflu.

The youngest had a cold and high temperature. Tamiflu was prescribed over the phone. The eldest was given it as well because she has asthma.

24 hours later and the youngest is nearly better so I'm guessing false alarm.

I died of it 3 days ago

[url= ]A new strain of H1Z1, eh ?[/url]

[img] [/img]

My 4 year old's got it quite bad. He's had it since Monday morning.

Crying his eyes out tonight "I just want to get better".

🙁

Had a temperature earlier this week which put me in bed to sleep it off and sneezed a few times but it's all been so mild I feel as though I've missed out if I have had it.

one of the guys from work got a taxi ride in an ambulance last night due to swine flu, now the other day i had a fuzzy head and lost vision in my left eye for a a couple hours, and i have had headaches for 2 days, i put it down to quiting weed and cutting down on the beer, should i be worried????? :s

Visual loss + headaches = go see your doctor.

I have official certification that I am/was a carrier. Can't speak for others, but it wasn't/is'nt that bad for me. I've stopped sweating and coughing now, but it does make you feel a bit "pathetic" for a while. I did manage a two mile round trip on foot to collect the tamiflu a couple of days ago though, so I may just have a superhuman tolerance to misery.

I did manage a two mile round trip on foot to collect the tamiflu a couple of days ago though, so I may just have a superhuman tolerance to misery.

That's funny, my mate had a script for Tamiflu, but the doctor told him they would not give it to the patient. You have to get a "flu buddy" to pick it up.

Both my kids have had it, friend of my eldest has had it too, its all getting a bit worrying now it has started to kill young people with no underlying conditions, especially that baby who would still be full of her mothers defences etc, west mids seems to be one of the worst areas which is where we are

I had a huge wave of fatigue from 6pm, my whole body felt almost lifeless. Went to bed by 7pm and still feel rubbish despite taking ibuprofen - my joints are starting to ache a bit.......I am now waiting for a doctor to call me 😯 I feel such a hypercondriac as I'm not one for being ill! 😆

Aleigh - sounds similar to my starting symptoms, if you get the hot cold sweats as well you're almost there.

That's funny, my mate had a script for Tamiflu, but the doctor told him they would not give it to the patient. You have to get a "flu buddy" to pick it up.

Indeed, but last week my "flu buddy" was unavailable for a few days, so I went myself. Would you like me to scan and post some confirmation?

sheesh.... 🙄

I think from now on they'll stop testing for it (in fact they probably already have) as there will be too many cases to make it worth while, so most people will never really know if they have[i] swine[/i] flu or any other similar lurgy. But if it seems like you have, then you'll be treated as if you have. And you should really behave as if you have too.

That really means not following in Dolittle's footsteps and wandering into your local health centre, or going in person to collect your prescription. They are both the sort of places where the staff could do with not being off sick during a pandemic. They are also the kind of places where people with an 'underlying heath problem', for whom a does of flu could well finish them off, tend to be waiting in the queue.

My bad. Of course I kept my distance from other people and refrained from coughing all over the chemist. There's not much choice though for a lot of people but to collect it themselves or do without.

[i]I think from now on they'll stop testing for it (in fact they probably already have) [/i]

Yup already stopped doing blood test a couple of weeks back apparently it can no be diagnosed over the phone, isn't modern science amazing.

[i]bit worrying now it has started to kill young people with no underlying conditions, especially that baby who would still be full of her mothers defences[/i]

Young babies still have under developed respiratory systems so flu can kill them rather easily and the mother would have to be immune to this strain of flu for the baby to be which is unlikely. Flu kills people every year of course when there's a pandemic going around the numbers will increase.

Dolittle was a little irresponsible keeping your distance doesn't stop you from spreading it and if he was able to walk 2 miles to get the drugs then I'm sure he could have waited until someone could pick it up for him.

Oh **** me, the STW pious sermonising has started just in time for Sunday prayers.... 😕

Perhaps people could refrain from pontificating on my circumstances last week and note that, yes, it was not an ideal way of collecting the Tamiflu but it was the only one available for two or three days, so my Doctor in a bout of terrible irresponsibility thought it ok for me collect the stuff myself.

Least you admit it was irresponsible amazing that you have no one to collect it for you though.

amazing that you have no one to collect it for you though

Why is that?

No friends, family or work colleagues to help you?

Just seems odd but could be possible.

Since my GP thought it fine for me to collect the prescription myself (as I believe I have mentioned) asking family to fly over to London, friends to inconvenience themselves or work colleagues who live dispersed over London to fetch the stuff for me seemed a little extreme.

Now though that I have ruthlessly and carelessly despatched several young innocent children, pregnant mothers and no doubt a few gallant war veterans by shedding germs all along Stoke Newingtion high street, I feel duly chastened.

Thank you for putting me right.

Just curious and given the advice is not even to visit your GP if you think you have seems a bit careless on behalf of your GP. Pretty sure none of my friends would mind collecting tamiflu for me if they needed to and it's 70 mile round trip but still each to their own.

[i]Aleigh - sounds similar to my starting symptoms, if you get the hot cold sweats as well you're almost there. [/i]

Lush! The doc said if I have a cough or start sneezing then I'm to get in touch again. All I want to do is sleep right now but I can't because the kids won't let me............argh!

Yes Drac, you do seem very curious. I believe you have expressed your point now. Since it wasn't a 70 mile round trip, but a mile there and back to the chemist I felt perfectly capable of collecting it myself. My GP suggested I get a taxi, but it was a nice day so I walked.

Give the kids some calpol too you know as a errr precaution, then they'll sleep too.

Couse I'm curious given number notices we get daily for advice to give people, the same advice that goes to GPs. Never mind probably no harm done as anyone who can walk 2 miles is unlikely to have the flu.

Calpol.....or do you mean Piriton?!

Well that would certainly work Aleigh.

*Rushes to the cupboard to find the Piriton*

Never mind probably no harm done as anyone who can walk 2 miles is unlikely to have the flu.

Somebody mentioned this the other day too. What makes you think this is this case? Given that I walk almost two miles to and then from work five days a week, and managed last Monday and Tuesday when I was starting to feel ill with just a little extra tiredness, I'm surprised that you think this. You must have discovered during your extensive studies of this illness Drac that the flu isn't particularly bad for most people. It is persistant though.

If you notice I said unlikely as you mentioned, sort of, it effects different people in different ways and what you do daily has no relation to it as such. Not done extensive studies but almost 20 years of dealing in immediate care has introduced me to many people effected in different ways by the flu, just how many people have you dealt with in your medical career?

I'm only recounting my own experience Drac, not attempting to diagnose others.

I was off work for about 10 days I think. Doc didn't want to test me (this was in the early days of the pandemic!) despite having all the symptoms. To be honest I wasn't bothered, didn't particularly want Tamiflu anyway since I didn't feel I was about to keep over and die (I had a bout of Malaria 2 weeks before which was much worse, and even that is a lot milder than back in the mid - late 90's when I caught it).

Worst bit was the cough - big chewy one! The fever was pretty mild by what I am used to, nothing to get overly worried about. Aching and lethargic, but again, not as bad as I am used to... and no delirium which was a bonus 😉 Headache, sore throat etc... but all pretty mild really.

Probably would have been back at work earlier, but since my job is pretty manual it is difficult to do when your lungs are falling out all the time.

I am definitely not a doctor, but i do look after someone who has virtually no immune system, chronic asthma, and diabetes..... ie firmly in the "at risk" category.

I have been following this pandemic very closely and my semi intelligent input to this debate is as follows:

There seem to be two extremes of reaction to this pandemic, from the panic stricken "preppers" mainly in the states who are gaffer taping up their doors and windows and bedding in for the next 6 months.....

to the "if you can walk its not flu" and "I dont care I am going to work its all a media hyped non event", which appear to be mainly the underinformed.

I think a more balanced reaction is needed, and I do think the media are over emphasising the worst case scenario to sell papers, get hits etc.

But it is a potetially serious business, the government are probably doing the right thing, and yes people socialising/working whilst even potentially ill are acting irresponsibly.

Hopefully it doesnt mutate in a bad way, hopefully it doesnt kill a large number of people, but some perspective is needed when looking at inflamatory headlines.

20000 people died in 1999/2000 of influenza, this was quite a lot, and didnt cause this much media/public reaction.

65000 is a worst case scenario.

The questions i would like answered though are as follows, any doctors able to answer them?

1) Of the reported dead, how many ACTUALLY died of swine flu (ie Viral Pneumonia, or an inflammatory immune response or Sepsis?).

2) The deaths in previously healthy individuals, is this caused by an over excited immune system response, ie a cytokine storm? If not, is there any explanation for why some healthy people die then, could it be Viral Load, ie how much Virus (snot etc) they take on initially, or a lack of immunity or genetic weakness to pneumonia?

[i]20000 people died in 1999/2000 of influenza, this was quite a lot, and didnt cause this much media/public reaction.[/i]

I got the flu that year and put me in bed for week took me a month to fully recover but wasn't right for about 5 months kept coughing up gunk.

I'm one of the unlucky ones. Was told by my GP yesterday that I had it and I was not allowed to cross the door for 7 days. Doesn't feel any worse than any other flu I've had.

I'm due to do the Merida 50km next Sunday but think I might struggle which is a total bitch. Might see if I can downgrade to the 25km cause if I am still slighly recovering my body will never tale it, especially if I cant get any training in between now and then.