well yesterday my elder sister was diagnosed with Swine flu, she is coping with it and it is ok. What i am worried about is the me, my boyfriend, my mum, my dad and my other sister had very close contact with her the day before she was diagnosed, so we are all a bit cautious at the moment. I am very worried about my mum as she has had quite a bad medical history, and me and my boyfriend have asthma.
Anyway i am currently on Macrodantin nitrourantoin capsules for a UTI, i am only on them for 3 days and i started them the day my sister was diagnosed.
My boyfriends mum is a nurse, and she say that i am lucky because im on these antibiotics, they will the germs before they start to show. Is this true? im on these tablets to treat a bacterial infection and not a viral infection, and i have felt a bit chesty today, but nothing else.
My boyfriend and my family have been fie so far, but im scared as my mum and my boyfriend are most vulnerable, what do you guys think? if anyone could give me some help on this subject it would be much appreciated!! thanks!!
so far, the swine flu has been fairly mild. you are right, the anti-biotics won't protect you from a virus. try not to stress out over this because stress lowers your immune system. try not to worry.
My son came home from summer camp with Influenza A, and was treated for swine flu in the emergency room. I am also a high risk person, so I was also prescribed the same medication..."Tamiflu".
My teenage son recovered very quickly due to the Tamiflu, and I avoided being infected at all, due to taking the Tamiflu.
With my insurance, Tamiflu costs $3.10 for 10. Without insurance, Tamiflu runs $9.50 a pill, so $95.00 for 10. it was worth the investment, no doubt about it.
Whoa you BF's mom said thank goodness you are on antibiotics? UMMM...any nurse would know that swine flu is caused by a virus not bacteria which is what antibiotics kill.
The swine flu scare was just silly really, swine flu is very contagious, but the symptoms are usually very mild. So, while it spreads rapidly, getting it should not be scary! Of course, mild or not, it sucks to have the flu, but this is not something to be too paranoid about. Stay calm, take in good nutrition, and drink lots of fluids. If you get it, you may not feel much worse than if you had a cold. If you don't get it, good!
And you're right, the anti-bac meds won't make any difference with a virus.
The swine flu scare was just silly really, swine flu is very contagious, but the symptoms are usually very mild. So, while it spreads rapidly, getting it should not be scary! Of course, mild or not, it sucks to have the flu, but this is not something to be too paranoid about. Stay calm, take in good nutrition, and drink lots of fluids. If you get it, you may not feel much worse than if you had a cold. If you don't get it, good!
And you're right, the anti-bac meds won't make any difference with a virus.
Why does the news scare you though if it is not serious? I am really worried about the winter months coming up. I have a 6 year old and 8 year old but we don't have any medical conditions. I would like to get the vaccine but because it is so new I worry about that too. I have anxiety over the whole situation. I put myself and my kids on vitamin D and probiotics and a immune booster vitamin. We are always washing our hands wherever we go. We avoid public bathrooms. During the winter we will avoid large crowds and going out to dinner.
The news media has sensationalized swine flu - what does "GLOBAL EPIDEMIC" make you think of? Swine flu has the contagious power to be classified as an epidemic. But, that doesn't make it a dangerous flu. Compared to the more "classic" flu strains, swine flu is much less common and less fatal.
The vaccine should be safe - the flu vaccine is tweaked for every virus it is expected to fight, but it is basically the same formulation as other flu vaccines.
it can be very dangerous. no one has immunity to it and even if you are young and healthy you can get a cytokine storm and die. you should not be so non chalant about it.
i suggest you read up on two things. the 1918 influenza pandemic (H1N1-2009 is presenting with similar symptoms... deadly pneumonia, organ failure, young victims) and the 1976 swine flu vaccine.
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Of the estimated 50,000 cases of flu mortality last year, less than a thousand were caused by H1N1! This virus has a 0.1-0.5% estimated mortality (and even that may be an overestimation, because people who don't get seriously sick may stay home and self-treat instead of reporting to a doctor), which is lower than the typical seasonal flus we combat, and much much lower than the especially virulent strains of 1918 and 1957-8.
Basically, although it is highly contagious, it is not extremely potent, and the H1N1 strain will likely move through the population, and become one of the endemic strains that we deal with all the time. It came to attention because we saw some early atypical mortalities - people who were young and healthy. But it probably simply wasn't noticed when it killed the elderly and the weak, which are the usual flu mortalities, and likely didn't alarm anyone or raise any red flags at that point. And yes, "normal" flu viruses can kill the strong too, it isn't the norm, but it's not unheard of! And "normal" flu viruses can cause a cytokine storm too. There is nothing here that is unique to swine flu which makes it more dangerous than a typical flu. Many flu-related deaths involve pneumonia and organ failure - that too is not unique to swine flu.
That said, I don't want to sound nonchalant - we should all take precautions to avoid catching the flu. But swine flu is just another virus, and continuing to take normal precautions (hand washing, etc.) is really all the average person needs to do!
Try asking your doctor or a researcher about H1N1 - I have asked multiple doctors, and I am an Animal Science student, so I've talked to some very knowledgable and informed professors, so this is not just my opinion that I'm pulling out of thin air (I did some research on it to prove to my grandparents that NO I was NOT going to get swine flu from my pigs and die). The universal opinion I've gotten is that the government and the media have grossly mismanaged information regarding this virus, and while *normal* caution relating to flu should be taken, it is not cause for undue fear, and this virus is not strong enough to cause anything remotely close to the terrible flu pandemics that people fear will recur.
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The information about the potential effect of swine flu is simply that...information: to inform us, NOT scare us.
There is not a vaccine available yet to counter the current strain of swine flu, but one is expected by October 09. Tamilflu is a medication that greatly decreases the symptoms, or stops the flu altogether, and is available, but only after you become sick, or if you are in a high risk group determined by your doctor, and have been directly exposed.
To stress yourself, and your children about it is counter-productive...Instead, be pro-active. Keeping your hands clean, and yourself healthy are good measures for everyone to take. If you feel ill, see a doctor. Other than that, enjoy each day, have a positive outlook on life, and be a good person. That is all any of us can do. If you find yourself obsessing about anything, you need to address obsessing itself, not the matter over which you obsess. That is good mental health.
So, that means that 90-99% of users have few or no side effects. In my case, and my son's case, we had no side effects, only great results. His flu was limited to two days duration, and I avoided the flu altogether.
Not to mention, that the potential side effects are very close to the typical symptoms of the flu itself, less the fever and the sore throat.
Jen is the voice of reason. I think the media has blown this way out of proportion. More people die of the annual flu than the Swine flu "epidemic". I am more wary of the vaccine than the flu itself. I remember the Swine Flu debacle of 1976. What a disaster that was More people died or were disabled by the vaccine than by the flu. It worries me that they want to give all children & pregnant women this vaccine first and before it's been thoroughly tested. The government has also made the pharma companies blameless if something should go wrong. Just relax, do some research and follow the regular things you do to avoid the flu every year. Take care.
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Of the estimated 50,000 cases of flu mortality last year, less than a thousand were caused by H1N1! This virus has a 0.1-0.5% estimated mortality (and even that may be an overestimation, because people who don't get seriously sick may stay home and self-treat instead of reporting to a doctor), which is lower than the typical seasonal flus we combat, and much much lower than the especially virulent strains of 1918 and 1957-8.
i didn't get to read the link but i do believe your statistics are about H1N1 - a seasonal flu. We are talking about A-H1N1 2009. a new virus.
I'm not here to scare people. I just want to balance out the people who say it's nothing, it's overhyped, it's no worse than seasonal flu, blah blah blah. look. chances are we are all gonna end up with it sooner or later. you need not be afraid but "concerned". if you get ill and have a hard time shaking it, or get a cough and have difficulty breathing, have ANY symptom that concerns you, or if you are in a high risk group (diabetes, heart disease, asthma or copd etc, and the list goes on)... if you get sick you should go to your doctor and see if you can get an antiviral. sitting at home hacking up a lung in denial while there is a virus going around that is killing a young population is not smart. most likely 99% of you will get it and get sick and be fine after a while. but to totally dismiss it is ridiculous.
educate yourself. don't count on the tv to give you advice. read news about what is going on around the world. read about whats happening in brazil, australia, etc. be prepared.
Last edited by PumpkinSeed; 09-03-2009 at 04:35 AM.
I just asked my child's doctor - what should I do if they get sick and you think they have it - the doctor said said don't bring them in just go to the emergency room if it gets bad. Otherwise treat it at home like any other flu. I saw my doctor yesterday and she said the same thing.
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i've noticed alot of people on many forums getting sick with this and many feel absolutely yucky and gross, but most have gotten over it. a few have gone to the doctor and gotten antibiotics for secondary infections, and a couple needed to be hospitalized.
it's going to be spreading like wildfire now that schools are open. but the good news is that most of us will get it and hopefully be immune and eventually it will just settle down into a normal seasonal flu. and i even read today that they don't think it's going to become more dangerous, it doesn't have the 'parts' to do it. so we just have to take care of ourselves, rest if we are sick, and if we feel something is wrong, we should go to the doctor.
and for those who still feel it's being overhyped and "not so bad", get your heads out of the sand. this is a new thing that is going on that we haven't experienced in our generation. we should be concerned!
On Tuesday morning I saw on the news that a 5 year old boy died and had no complications - the mother did everything right. They are still doing a autopsy. My kids had there flu shots - we are all on probiotics, vitiamin D, Vitamins, and we walk everyday in the fresh air. My kids are homeschooled but they have gotten every sickness out there. We avoid public bathrooms and stores for right now. We take morning tak kwon doe classes rather than the crowded evening classes. We always use hand santizer. I am not raising bubble children but just for the winter season and then spring we will go back to normal activities. I will take them camping soon to get them out in the fresh air. Sounds ridiculous but I had walking pneumonia last year and boy was that bad. I can't imagine this flu hitting me or my kids but there is nothing I can do about it if it does, just pray.
Most of the people I know who have had the swine flu aren't affected by it too much. They are a little sick for a couple days but then they get over it. Seems to be a lot better than the normal flu at least.
More people died or were disabled by the vaccine than by the flu. It worries me that they want to give all children & pregnant women this vaccine first and before it's been thoroughly tested. The government has also made the pharma companies blameless if something should go wrong. Just relax, do some research and follow the regular things you do to avoid the flu every year. Take care. 
