I'm inspired to create this new thread by the life-threatening situation documented in thread "DH Type 2, at Urgent Care right now". My greatest thanks to member greenacres for sharing the experience. Like many people who have seen too many commercials for over-the-counter analgesics and cough meds saying they treat "colds and flu", she said:

"WOW, I didn't expect something so "common", he never goes to the Dr and he certainly wouldn't have if he "knew" he had the flu. Ah well, at least we know and it's not something major. Thanks!"

"Not something major" is a DEADLY misconception: Flu (the "comes around every year" type, not just the Avian Flu on the TV) is a KILLER DISEASE. The CDC estimates flu and it's complications to be the cause of 36,000 deaths in the USA every year. Compare that to the total from NHTSA for traffic deaths, including pedestrians: 42,600. Each year, flu kills nearly as many people as all traffic accidents combined. (See thread listed above for references.)

Rule #1: ALWAYS GET YOUR FLU SHOT. We are recognized, along with the elderly, as especially at-risk for horrible complications and risk of death from flu. You CAN go to the clinics on "elderly and at-risk only" clinic days.

Rule #2: EVEN IF YOU MISS THE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER CLINICS, GET A FLU SHOT. The Flu "season" lasts way into the Spring, and some people catch it even in the Summer. Even if the Virus which you catch in the Summer has already modified itself from the previous year's version, having taken a flu shot will reduce the severity of the illness.

Rule #3: NEVER IGNORE FLU. Don't "wait to see if it gets better", or "wait for a regularly scheduled appointment": Death can come quickly, and with little warning. If you ignored rules #1 and #2 and haven't had a shot to reduce the severity of the disease, you should IMO go INPATIENT at a hospital until you are well on the path to recovery. The statistics agree: most of those 36,000 didn't get their shots, and a majority also stayed at their residences until it was too late to save them... or, they simply died at home, never getting to a hospital at all.

If you'd been involved in a high speed car crash with symptoms of serious brain injuries, you wouldn't be dumb enough to stay home and go to sleep, hoping you wake up in the morning OK, right? Treat flu seriously- if you're not monitored continuously, AND treated aggressively right away if/when things take a turn for the worse, you're very likely to become a part of history. :eek:

OH MY GOSCH, I didn't realize! THANK YOU so much. Last night, he was not doing well again. He felt ok yesterday after he had gottten home from the Dr. Then he felt like crap again. He kept getting the chills then the sweats and such. He was able to eat some soup and such, but small things. I left for work (am just got here now 7am) and he was still sleeping. Perhaps I should have checked on him. I'm going to research this myself on the net today. THANK YOU again for this informatin, I had no idea!!!! :eek: PS, on his urgent care discharge paper it said "Type 1" diabetic, all these years his doc said he was a Type 2. I don't get that at all. Just cause he's on insulin they consider him a Type 1 but because he got it later in life (diabetes) his doc consideres him a Type 2? Not that it matters a whole lot, but this is all confusing me. I'll keep you updated on his condition and thank you also for your well wishes.
Sandra

PS, on his urgent care discharge paper it said "Type 1" diabetic, all these years his doc said he was a Type 2. I don't get that at all. Just cause he's on insulin they consider him a Type 1 but because he got it later in life (diabetes) his doc considers him a Type 2? Not that it matters a whole lot, but this is all confusing me.
All of my MD relatives sneer at the quality of "Doc-in-the-box" Urgent Care. (One of them worked in one for almost a year, right after he graduated. He needed some $$$ before before specialty training.) The lack of pt. records, lack of ER equipment, lack of adjacent in-patient facilities, and (often) institutional pressure to "get 'em in, get 'em out" often leads to substandard care, IMO.

Confusing insulin-dependent T2 with T1 is appallingly stupid, don't believe it. If his REAL Doc diagnosed T2, and especially if he responds to any non-insulin meds at all (i.e., he's on a combination therapy), just ignore the Doc-In-The-Box guy. He was only "treating" the flu, not doing differential diagnosis of Diabetes.

All of my competent MDs have ordered me, if I ever get into stress while suffering a flu-like illness, to go without delay to a Hospital ER (the biggest/best one in reach). I'm compelled to relay this as unqualified "advice"... and I'll mention that my last Internist was selected as a "top MD" by Mpls/St. Paul magazine, that's a metropolitan area with millions of people. (We've moved, my Reno Internist isn't quite as good... because I think me and my wife can tell ;) and we don't think there's anyone like him in this relative backwater town. (Surprisingly, my Endo here is absolutely top-notch.) If your Doc-In-The-Box didn't include this order as part of his instructions, ummmm, malpractice? That's a fightin' word, against the posting guidelines of the Board, but I'll dare to use it in this context.

I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. Sad situation. But, unfortunately, you are right. I had a very bad situation with my son, then 2.5. To make a long story short, he was diagnosed with rota virus and pneumonia AFTER we were in the ER for 8 hours and I insisted on them admitting him. One day later, they said "good thing" moms know best, he would have died (those bast***). Gawd, it makes me mad. They were going to just send us home AGAIN (2nd time being there) and I said "NO", admit him!
Sandra