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Community Open Thread January 1 2013 to ...

by: Bronco Bill

Tue Jan 01, 2013 at 00:01:00 AM EST


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Bronco Bill :: Community Open Thread January 1 2013 to ...
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Community Open Thread January 1 2013 to ... | 47 comments
Got my flu shot this morning
Haven't had one in 20 years (since a bad reaction), but seeing the early spread and the seriousness of some cases convinced me. I have asthma and usually get my first round of bronchitis/asthma in March - this year I got it on Christmas Eve.  I'm still on antibiotics so might find myself under the weather for a few days, but my gut this year is the benefits outweigh the risks.

In case anyone reading this hasn't decided whether to get one - I'm happy to report the shot itself didn't hurt, and after 4 hours my arm isn't sore at all. I am however lightheaded and loopy - a not unpleasant side effect. (ha)  

I spent a lot of time educating myself on this site during the initial H1N1 outbreaks, so wanted to stop back in to thank everyone for always providing such valuable information.  

Good for you, KimD
I experienced influenza first-hand about 10 years ago, and NEVER EVER want to go through that again.  

I work with young children so get my flu shot religiously every year before school starts.  Even though this year's H3N2 strain sounds like it doesn't match well with the vaccine, I'm still grateful for any degree of protection the vaccine offers.

[ Parent ]
A little protection is better than none
I'm glad I hadn't read that it before the shot, or I might not have done it.  I read that yesterday afternoon, and had second thoughts, but of course it was too late.  But, I have had NO adverse after effects from the shot (spaciness was gone after a few hours), and as you say it does still offer some protection - which in my case could make a world of difference.

And on the off change anyone reads this and finds it helpful, I got the Fluzone single dose vial .5ml shot at CVS, there's no mercury in that formulation.  

[ Parent ]
I just checked
The majority of the cases in my state are B, that improves my odds.

Now to get myself back into the prevention habits I was so good at a few years ago. Kind of scary how easy it was to get out of the habit of sanitizing when out in public, etc.  

[ Parent ]
Wish I'd gotten mine!
I really did mean to get one this year. I even had signed up at CVS for one, but was very ill with something else non-repiratory that day, so cancelled. A few days later, they left a message on my voicemail, saying that they were out of the vaccine. The cases then died down in my area, so I thought I was safe.

Hubby, who had a shot (for the first time ever!) a few months ago, came down with something 3 days ago.  Chills, swoleln glands in his neck, stuffy nose, coughing, headache and the runs. Thsi is only the 2nd sick day he's taken in 10 years; he's really sick. I've only seen him so sick once before--at Christmas, when we both had the stomach virus that was rampant. That actually was worse than flu for me. At least with the flu, I could do some housework. Couldn't with that miserable virus!

Guess who woke up this morning with the same thing? I went to work anyway (we were short-handed, and I knew some very important work was piled up due to that), but left at noon.  I feel worse, if anything. I don't have a fever, even though it feels as if I do. I'm staying home tomorrow.

It may not be the flu, but next year, I'M GETTING A FLU SHOT!

[ Parent ]
Hope you feel better soon, WhiteSwan (n/t)

[ Parent ]
Not happening right now! (has anyone else had it?)
Hi AlohaOr,

Long time, no see (for me!). Thanks for the good wishes. Thought I was getting better yesterday, Nope. Feel and look ghastly--the head congestion and chills have come to visit. This stinks.

I'm curious--has anyone else had the seasonal flu this season, and, if so, what was your like? I've had flu a few times before, but this felt different. I didn't have a fever, though I felt as if I did.  I did have aches and pains, including a headache (but not the classic back of the head kind I've had the other times), and the nasal thing started very late in the game.

I've go to gell well soon. We're having 3 houseguests at the end of this week, and I also have to cook meals for them.  Not worried about passing on the germs--they are getting over the same thing themselves!  

[ Parent ]
Hi WhiteSwan!
No flu around this area in spite of the reported high flu rates for the county. Hope you get well soon and don't be a stranger!

cottontop

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

[ Parent ]
Hi, WhiteSwan!
Isn't there more than one strain of flu circulating?  Maybe you shouldn't take it for granted that your guests have the same one.  You wouldn't want to swap strains with your guests.

It sounds really miserable.  Hope you feel better soon!

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

[ Parent ]
Flu news
I want to thank you for your hard work hunting down flu news every day and helping me to keep informed of what is happening here in the US and abroad. The news means a lot to me and after some time away from FluWiki,I have been reading every day since the swine flu started this fall. I had a bad feeling about the flu then and I have revisited my flu meds. I stocked up for my DH and myself,my Mom and my son. I bought all natural meds and I am so thankful I sent them to my son! He had the flu last week--dreadfully sick. He hit the meds I had sent HARD. In 2 days he was, as he said, at "90% better". It was amazing the recovery he had! What he took was Nature's Way Sambucus liquid Original and Immune Booster formula,Nature's Way Umcka Cold and Flu(which he called powerful)(I had sent him the Umcka Cold care hot formula,but not sure if he took it.) Also,Vitamin C & D3. He said he took Star Anise tea as well,but I am not sure where to buy that.No,I don't work for Nature's Way,lol,I just have a lot of confidence in their products. I always shop thru Swanson's for the best prices. I hope our experiences will help others stay healthy. Your advice and news have been a great benefit to my family. Thanks so much!  
finalride, thanks for the otc medicine recommendation!
I hadn't heard of that type/brand of cold medicine.  Reviews of Umcka's effectiveness are impressive, and now I'll get some to have on hand.  http://www.amazon.com/Natures-...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor
[ Parent ]
Thanks from me too
After reading your post here I ordered some Umcka, just in case.  While at work today I started getting symptoms, feels like just a cold (no fever or aches), but I sure was happy to see that my Umcka had arrived when I got home.  

For anyone reading this and ordering it online - the suggested dose is 4-5 tablets or if you get the FastActives 4-5 packets a day. With only 10 packets in a box, that's only enough to last for 2 days. Order extra!  The tablets come 20 to a box, so one box will last 3-4 days.

I just ordered more, since an hour after the first dose my sniffling is much less noticeable. With Amazon Prime I'll have them by Friday, just as I run out of the others.  

[ Parent ]
Many thanks to Carol for keeping the news
flowing. Without her we would be newsless. She deserves a new pink feather boa. A lady can never have too many you know. :-)

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com
And how!
Carol is all over the news, every day.  She's amazing.
[ Parent ]
A big THANK YOU...
To Carol (if she gets a new feather boa, I'm keeping the old one!), and to all of our contributors who keep the news updated every day (and all night).
[ Parent ]
hear, hear!!
a gem.
[ Parent ]
Ditto!
It's always extremely comforting to know I can come here and find out exactly what is going on.

On a different note, my neighbors just sent me a text (asking me to take care of their animals) from Sweden - their two daughters got the flu so they couldn't make their flight home. They'll be back to Santa Fe tomorrow night. Glad they'll be back home, but boo for the virus that will be coming with them.

Also talked with a friend who had the flu here in Santa Fe back in December, she was in bed for two full weeks. Like me she has asthma - she went through a regular oral dose of prednisone and nebulizer treatments, and then needed 3(!) steroid shots.  Another friend in town just got the flu this weekend- she posted on Facebook 'hope it's over quickly'. I didn't have the heart to tell her how unlikely that is.  

Hope all of you stay healthy!  

[ Parent ]
Ode to Carol
There was a great lady who new
Where to find all the stories on flu
She flaunted her boa
Like a right little goer
And wore silver spandex, not blue.

She liked a scary flu thriller
And an odd glass of red wine flu killer
Said 'Carol's the name
Influenza's my game
And I've Tamiflu hid 'neath my pillo'.

She hails from South Carolina
And we'd all love to wine her and dine her
But don't ogle her stuff
'Cause she'd say in a huff
'Please don't touch my preps or I'll fine ya.'

[ Parent ]
Sigh, can't even get the first line right - 'knew'
still what can I expect writing limericks at 3 in the morning.
[ Parent ]
LMAO! Thanks, UK-Bird (n/t)

[ Parent ]
LOL!!! Awesome! n/t

[ Parent ]
So good!! :-D n/t


"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor
[ Parent ]
UK-Bird, you described her perfectly!!


"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson
[ Parent ]
OMG! Y'all have just made me speechless!
And that is a rare thing for this either joking, laughing or bitching woman to be. LOL

You give me way to much credit and praise but I thank you for the kind words. ~~And here I thought you only noticed me when I screw up!~~ LOL

UK - Bird, I absolutely love the poem and I have enlarged the print, printed it out and it is going to be hanging on the wall next to my desk from now on. I will laugh every time I read it. You are very good at writing poetry.

Dem, thanks for giving me a place to hang out and kill time. I count everyone here at FW as a friend.

I will keep on posting the news as long as y'all keep on reading!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

[ Parent ]
LOL!! Loved it! n/t


United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com
Why preparedness matters
Here is a good article about a study (just released in draft form) by 150 volunteer experts on the anticipated impacts of a predicted subduction zone earthquake off the Oregon coast.

A few snippets:

Buildings will be so severely damaged that restoring full utility service will take three months to a year in western valleys and far longer on the coast, the commission found.

Across western Oregon, many schools are expected to collapse. Hundreds of highway bridges could go down. Aging tanks holding the state's main fuel supply along the lower Willamette River will probably rupture as soil undergoes liquefaction.  

Transmission towers may topple into the river, blocking ships. Fires, landslides and explosions will proliferate. Hydrants and sprinkler systems won't work.  

There will be no water or sewer service, no electricity and no ATMs, telephones, television, radio or Internet. Willamette River bridges will be impassable. Food will soon run out.

Responding to the disaster will be difficult, experts found, because of a sort of emergency gridlock. To restore phone service, crews will need restored electricity. To bring back power, workers will require repaired roads and bridges. To fix highways, crews will need restored fuel delivery and distribution.

And my favorite:

The draft report is already upending decades of emergency preparedness doctrine, such as the idea that citizens should prepare to be self sufficient for 72 hours during a disaster.

"That makes me crazy, it's not nearly enough," said commission member Susan Steward, executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Oregon. "It's not like the Super Bowl, where everything's going to magically come on in 34 minutes."

 
So many problems it boggles the mind!
And how can anyone tell which buildings and bridges are not safe to trust, even if they haven't fallen down yet?  Who's qualified to judge structural integrity?

Reading your post sure woke me up!  Thanks, AlohaOR!

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

[ Parent ]
"What to do before an emergency"; different types of emergencies covered
Everything You Need to Survive the Impending Snowpocalypse
This post about the winter storm heading for the East coast has links to six articles about prepping for different types of emergencies (including use of cellphones and internet; very clever...  http://lifehacker.com/5749261/...  )

http://lifehacker.com/5982651/...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

Cold remedies for children and adults (journal article)
Some information available without logging in:
[snip]
The common cold, or upper respiratory tract infection, is one of the leading reasons for physician visits. Generally caused by viruses, the common cold is treated symptomatically. Antibiotics are not effective in children or adults. In children, there is a potential for harm and no benefits with over-the-counter cough and cold medications; therefore, they should not be used in children younger than four years. Other commonly used medications, such as inhaled corticosteroids, oral prednisolone, and Echinacea, also are ineffective in children. Products that improve symptoms in children include vapor rub, zinc sulfate, Pelargonium sidoides (geranium) extract, and buckwheat honey. Prophylactic probiotics, zinc sulfate, nasal saline irrigation, and the herbal preparation Chizukit reduce the incidence of colds in children. [snip]
{more at the link, which goes to a Google page; click on first or second offering (one may give error message but one works, I think.  Also, I removed 2 or three spaces from the link as it was in the search box.  I don't know what's going on, that spaces would pop up....)}

Article is from the July 15, 2012 issue of American Academy of Family Physicians journal.   http://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0...

(Geranium extract is sold under the name Umcka, recommended farther up this thread.)

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

MRSA Bug Found On One Third Of Nurses' Bags
23 Jul 2012

(I came across this while searching for a nursing(medical) bag for my DD who. A good read.-cottontop)

Dr. David Swann from Huddersfield University discovered that 55% of nurses' medical bags that have been used to deliver community care in the UK for the past 150 years are never cleaned and only 6% are cleaned once a week.

Swann's study revealed that around one third of medical bags carry the MRSA bug, which prompted him to design a new medical bag that is set to change medical bags around the globe.

continued
http://www.medicalnewstoday.co...


United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

Thanks for all the hard work peeps.
There's a lot going on right now and us lurkers appreciate your dilligence.
Are the facebook, like and tweet buttons making the main page slow?
Every time I load the main page it gets partway and then freezes while the page fills up. The Facebook and Like buttons are the last to load but it might not be them that are holding things up.
I haven't seen much difference
OTOH, I'm using Google Chrome as my browser, and it loads a bit slow anyway.
That said, I don't think those link buttons are slowing the page down...
[ Parent ]
Okieman, could you
do a map that shows the areas of where cases have been found? You have done maps in the past for us and they were really nice. I think if someone could put one up on FW for us it would be a big help. I need a visual here on FW.
Thanks.

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com
Ruby Murray has done a great map...
...here (link posted here).  I'll see if I can figure out how to post the map on the H7N9 diary.
[ Parent ]
Very helpful!! Thank you both. If you can't
get the map post on FW, perhaps have the link front and center somewhere on the front page?

Sorry Ruby, I didn't see your map the first time.  

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

[ Parent ]
Saratoga Jack thermal cooker (and a DIY type)
This thermal cooker  http://store.saratogajacks.com... was recommended on Survival Blog  http://www.survivalblog.com/20...

Fuel and some kind of stove are required to bring the food to simmering temperature, then the cookpot is closed into an insulated thermos-type container where it cooks without further attention for hours, on a counter (or in the car while traveling).  It sounds good to me.  Has anyone here tried it?  

The site says it's most efficient to use the proper size for your group (3-5 or 6-10 people).  The link above is for the smaller version.

The site also sells the Stove-Tec Rocket Stove. http://store.saratogajacks.com...

There's a even blog about thermal cookers, including photos of a do-it-yourself insulated cloth container.   Also has links for other brands of thermal cookers, and cook books. http://thermalcooker.wordpress...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

To compare early years of H5N1
2003 - 4 - 4
2004 - 46 - 32
2005 - 98 - 43
2006 - 115 - 79
2007 - 88 - 59
2008 - 44 - 33
2009 - 73 - 32
2010 - 48 - 24
2011 - 62 - 34
2012 - 32 - 20
2013 - 12 - 11

H7N9

2013 - 21 - 6

Treatment of severe cases have now moved on a pace since the early days of H5N1 and China in particular has the resources to keep people alive who would have previously died. They pioneered antibody serum therapy. 21 cases in such a short space of time is significant though perhaps a feature of it's invisibility in birds.

Thanks for this tally, UK-Bird
I had been wondering how this onset compared to the early H5N1 years.
[ Parent ]
Sympathies for anyone affected by the Boston bombing.
It's twenty years since my own home town was bombed and they recently held events to remember the two boys killed. You never look at the place in quite the same way after something like this.
strange flu in Texas?
Hi all, I was wondering what you might think of this news that's popping up in Southeast Texas?

http://main.montgomerycountypo...

This is the most informative article I can find on any critical cases, but there are rumors swirling in the area about "a bad flu" going around.  

Do you think it is a flu?  Or another type of virus?

I'm kind of hyper-aware of flu news (lurked on here during H1N1 and now with the new bugs), so I'm sort of freaking out. This is practically right next door to me.  Any words of comfort you can provide (i.e., "it's not flu, don't worry!"), would be greatly appreciated.  I thought you may know ways of finding information or news that mere lurkers do not :)

And also, many thanks for the constant research and work you all do, even during slow times.  You are dedicated and so very knowledgeable.
Courtney

I'm just guessing here...
But I suppose "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help" probably aren't the words of comfort you're looking for? :-/
[ Parent ]
Lol BB! That
would make me look for an exit! gulp  :-)

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com
[ Parent ]
Haha, hmm, not so much comfort, Bronco Bill, but thank u for trying :)

[ Parent ]
Hi clwn~ Welcome to Flu Wiki
After having read the article, I'm not entirely convinced that what these teens died from is flu. Symptoms are varied and swelling of the brain is not a symptom of flu. Also there are no other reported cases. Taking a look at the big picture seems to suggest something other than flu. I think you can not worry for the time being at least.

cottontop

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

[ Parent ]
Thank you, Cottontop!
On one hand I find it reassuring that we have the Houston Medical Center right here with high-level care for these cases. But on the other hand I wonder why answers aren't coming more quickly from said medical center?? I'll just try not to think about it and attempt to keep my littles from licking playground equipment! Thanks again, see you around!
[ Parent ]
Scheduled downtime at original wiki
Hi. The wiki -- the original site -- will be down for a bit today for scheduled maintenance. It will probably be late this afternoon or this evening. Nothing to get excited about. They're moving us to newer hardware.
Community Open Thread January 1 2013 to ... | 47 comments
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