Holy ****, actual influenza is ******* horrible

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Birdstrike

Birdstrike

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I'm not one to complain. When I get sick I pop some ibuprofen, plow ahead and go to work like I did yesterday and today, and >¡bam!< I'm better in no time. But this time I have actual influenza and its @!$&*£%!! gad awful. Poor me, I know, but holy jumpin' j--us on a pogo stick. Let me allow you license to have just an ounce more compassion, than your already plentiful cup of compassion that runneth over, for people with viruses. (Emergency Medicine blasphemy, I know.) And no, I didn't go the ER and sellout by calling in my own ridiculously and inappropriately potent antibiotic, antiviral or prescription cough syrup (yet). I know what you're thinking ("Birdstrike just outed himself as a big -----") but, man this strain this year outright,

S U C K S !
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Did you get a Flu shot this year? Did you have the Flu test?

Sorry man! - we're seeing a ton every shift… 'Tis the season.
 
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Birdstrike said:
I'm not one to complain. When I get sick I pop some ibuprofen, plow ahead and go to work like I did yesterday and today, and >¡bam!< I'm better in no time. But this time I have actual influenza and its @!$&*£%!! gad awful. Poor me, I know, but holy jumpin' j--us on a pogo stick. Let me allow you license to have just an ounce more compassion, than your already plentiful cup of compassion that runneth over, for people with viruses. (Emergency Medicine blasphemy, I know.) And no, I didn't go the ER and sellout by calling in my own ridiculously and inappropriately potent antibiotic, antiviral or prescription cough syrup (yet). I know what you're thinking ("Birdstrike just outed himself as a big -----") but, man this strain this year outright,

S U C K S !
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I too am recovering from this year's strain, and it takes everything I have just to go to work. The rest of the time I'm passed out on the couch. And yes, I got my flu shot.
 
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dotcb said:
Did you get a Flu shot this year? Did you have the Flu test?

Sorry man! - we're seeing a ton every shift… 'Tis the season.
Click to expand...

46% of the strains tested in Georgia have drifted from the vaccine. Therefore, the flu vaccine isn't offering much protection.

Birdstrike, did you not take Tamiflu? It lessens the course by a few days.
 
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You mean half a day, not a few days. Why I don't prescribe it much. Not much of a benefit. Sorry you got sick bird. That really sucks.
 
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That sucks Birdstrike. I hope I can dodge it, but it's looking like this is going to be a tough year for that. On my last shift about 1/3 of my patients were influenza (not that I tested them).

I want to make 2 predictions:

1) Because close to 50% of the flu that's going around is dissimilar to this year's vaccine, this is going to be a bad year for flu.
2) People who don't understand logic and science (i.e.: Social Media/anti-vaxers) will point to vaccinated people getting the flu and say "See, vaccines are horrible!"

But, in fact, if #1 turns out to be true it actually provides evidence for vaccinations.
 
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Weird, in the post above, something changed the contraction for it + is to "Tis".

Tis the season, I s'pose.
 
dotcb said:
Did you get a Flu shot this year? Did you have the Flu test?

Sorry man! - we're seeing a ton every shift… 'Tis the season.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

Yes I got the flu shot.

No I did not take an antiviral because by the first 3-4 days of anything viral, I just plow ahead in denial. Therefore out of the window for anything.

No, I didn't flu swab myself because there's no point. If it was positive, it wouldn't change anything. If it was negative, I wouldn't believe it. (If this is just a "cold" or "bronchitis," holy f****t**d, it's the worst one I've ever had). Fever, chills, body aches, headache, fatigue and a deep cough that's like coughing up razor blades. Influenza or influenza-like virus until proven otherwise. It's the worst virus I've ever had. Was just wondering if people were seeing a particularly bad strain go around this year, or if I just had a bad roll of the dice.
 
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Sunny Florida's seen its share. It seems my average patient has a 102F fever, and about 125 HR. My highest HR (sinus tach) in a flu patient so far this season has been 149. I was pretty impressed. They all look like crap. I've been more liberal with the hycodan than normal as well.
 
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ccfccp said:
Sunny Florida's seen its share. It seems my average patient has a 102F fever, and about 125 HR. My highest HR (sinus tach) in a flu patient so far this season has been 149. I was pretty impressed. They all look like crap. I've been more liberal with the hycodan than normal as well.
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This, all day long down here in FL.
 
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Sorry you're sick! I'm getting over it right now. The strain going around the area of Texas where I practice isn't very severe (thankfully) but I got it after seeing 30+ pts w it (Flu A). Fever, aches, HA, cough, bronchospasm, resting tachycardia @ 115. I took Tamiflu right away plus Motrin/Tylenol & did ok. I typically give zofran, t3, & albuterol to my pts who have it. It really is usually a miserable illness.
 
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I brave the trenches in the ED as a scribe and Flu A is terribly rampant here in St. Louis.
 
I had H1N1 in 2009 when it very first hit. I was like patient zero. I have never been sicker in my life.
 
Ug. I just saw about 3 times as many patients as I'd usually see on an Xmas shift.

1/3 of them were your typical holiday patients: Head bleeds, gallstone pancreatitis, suicidality, NSTEMIs and dog bites. You know, mostly people who need to be in the ED (as opposed to the other 363 days of the year).

The other 2/3 of them were Influenza Like Illness.
 
Just did a month on pediatric ER in inner city NYC.

Needless to say we were *walloped* with flu. Flu that looked nasty and hit kids with good vaccination records for the flu this year. Attendings basically told me that the service was going to admit any asthmatic who was flu+ (by test or flu-season-gestalt) because we had the beds and the strain going around here was so nasty they didnt want it combining with the baseline asthma.

I nasal swabbed myself at three different points when I woke up with cough and rhinorrhea (+myalgia once). 0-for-3 so far. I know the test has a horrid sensitivity, but I've since recovered from all three URI's within 3-4 days so Im calling themn all non flu and I made it through the month without either getting that flu strain OR without washing my hands until they were nothing but bone.
 
Yeah it is. I have it now, also despite the flu shot. Unfortunately, although you can call in dead, you can't call in sick...
 
i think i had h1n1 two years ago aswell, we had patients with it in the ward.
 
dotcb said:
Did you get a Flu shot this year? Did you have the Flu test?

Sorry man! - we're seeing a ton every shift… 'Tis the season.
Click to expand...
I heard the flu shot gives you the flu. (Or this is what all my patients and nurses tell me, so it must be true.)
 
wholeheartedly said:
The number of nurses and other healthcare folks at my institution that think this...:smack:
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Having spent most of my life in a region of the country that equates public health initiatives with equal parts Northern aggression and Communism, I remain amazed at the ingrained resistance to getting flu shots. It's like trying to talk a 3 yo into getting a shot, but with less crying.
 
Still sick, coughing. Much improved, though. Finally caved and took some antibiotics. Probably would be getting better anyways. 2 1/2 - 3 wk sick. Yuk
 
Birdstrike said:
Still sick, coughing. Much improved, though. Finally caved and took some antibiotics. Probably would be getting better anyways. 2 1/2 - 3 wk sick. Yuk
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If you've been sick more than 2 weeks, you may have an atypical hanging on, so the abx aren't such a bad idea now. Viral just doesn't last that long.
 
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Apollyon said:
If you've been sick more than 2 weeks, you may have an atypical hanging on, so the abx aren't such a bad idea now. Viral just doesn't last that long.
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That's what I'm thinking. I'm not one to jump on antibiotics quickly for anything, but there comes a point...
 
Birdstrike said:
That's what I'm thinking. I'm not one to jump on antibiotics quickly for anything, but there comes a point...
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Have you tried albuterol? It's the most efficacious treatment of post-viral bronchitis (which can last 2+ weeks). That being said, I don't judge you for reaching for the ABX.
 
WilcoWorld said:
Also - feel free to PM me if you need a work note. ;)
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Yes, I want a work note and I want one now.


Plus a Sierra mist and a meal tray.





...and a blanket, to put over my head to take a nap in the hallway.








And bus pass.....





....and the sound of violins playing.






Plus can I have "Tylenol" written on an Rx, please?



Thanks you. You will be rewarded for your kindness/enabling.


:)
















...oh, yeah. Please follow that up with a physician letter to my own-occ disability insurer stating I will "never be fully functional again."
 
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Birdstrike said:
Yes, I want a work note and I want one now.


Plus a Sierra mist and a meal tray.





...and a blanket, to put over my head to take a nap in the hallway.








And bus pass.....





....and the sound of violins playing.






Plus can I have "Tylenol" written on an Rx, please?



Thanks you. You will be rewarded for your kindness/enabling.


:)
Click to expand...

Here's 2mg of PO dilaudid for the road. Please make sure you fill out your survey, remember "we strive for five!"
 
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WilcoWorld said:
Here's 2mg of PO dilaudid for the road. Please make sure you fill out your survey, remember "we strive for five!"
Click to expand...
Yes! (Check out my last line/edit above, btw. Just added that very important request/demand from you, my "doctor/patient-care-concierge")
 
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I took tamiflu right away, and feel almost normal after 5 days.
 
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