This year's flu- bigger picture

[khalloc]

Honestly, I have never really given a 2nd thought to the flu. I always get my DS vaccinated because he has asthma. But I dont get vaccinated, DH doesnt usually and I dont make my DD get vaccinated. She is so healthy she rarely even gets a cold.

I dont think I've ever had the flu. Maybe once I have (not confirmed because I remember a few years ago there were about 3 days that I was completely out of commission and I spent most days laying on the couch sleeping.

I dont really see the big deal. I'll take almost any med I am prescribed. If my DS's doc wanted to give him tamiflu, I would totally do it. She is the doctor, she knows best. Plus he has asthma so sicknesses are worse for him.

But in general I dont really think about the flu ever. Maybe because its never happened to me? I dont know. I guess I am just not a worry-wort. If I get it I get it, if I dont, I dont. If I knew someone was sick with the flu I wouldn't be over visiting them of course.

[candaceb]

We did not get tested, but best guess is that all 3 of us had the flu in November. DH went to the dr. and she said that it looked like "flu you get after a flu shot". We all had flu shots this year. DS got sick first - 2 days of fever and a couple of days after that of being tired, with a little bit of cough. DH came down with it the day before Thanksgiving and completely missed Thanksgiving. He had a fever for 2 days, took another 3 days of being out of commission, and coughed until Christmas. I was 3rd - 2 days of fever, another 2 days out of commission and I coughed for 2 weeks. I am immuno-compromised due to drugs for rheumatoid arthritis so I am lucky to have gotten through it with nothing worse than the rest of my family.

We don't know for sure that's what we had and we still catch a different strain, but we aren't changing anything. Normal winter use of hand sanitizer and hand washing after being in public places.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I had a diagnosed case of flu in 2009. I don’t make any lifestyle changes. Just carry on. I would never choose to skip events or outings out of fear of getting sick. I’d never leave the house!!


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[Indianamom2]

I don’t change anything. I firmly believe that unless you are medically immune compromised, then exposure is actually better than constant hand sanitizing (washing is fine) and living in a bubble. Exposure helps build immunity and in my opinion those who are constantly using sanitizer and trying to avoid germs end up sicker.

I will add that we did avoid family at Christmas who had known flu cases at the time. That’s just common sense though. I would do the same if it were pinkeye or stomach bug!

[trales]

I work at a college, DD2 goes to daycare, dd1 is in school, DH works in a major city. We wash hands, but there are a lot of people out there, and at some point we will get some illness and that is life.

[robinsmommy]

We are trying to be somewhat careful, within reason, but between DH and I, we have one mom with congestive heart failure and one mom in treatment for cancer. They both live near us, and flu would horrible for either of them. It's not the same as it would be for just us and the kids, risk-wise.

[calebsmama03]

Only change is I'm going to start making my own elderberry syrup so I can control the cost of it a bit more. I voted no change in the poll since it's really not a change in lifestyle. We do higher doses of D3 and I am strict about proper handwashing and trying to get my kids to keep hands out of mouths/noses but otherwise we are going on as usual. We don't do flu shots anyway so these are just our normal flu season precautions.

ETA that according to my doc most cases of death with the flu in otherwise healthy people are from flu related complications like pneumonia and, as someone previously said, waiting too long to seek care when those complications set in.

[squimp]

What does elderberry syrup do for you? I see people recommending it but don't understand how it works.

[calebsmama03]

What does elderberry syrup do for you? I see people recommending it but don't understand how it works.

Has anti viral properties, vitamin C. I don't know how but it does seem to work if caught early enough. I was out when I got sick and didn't realize it was likely flu till too late.
http://www.gaiaherbs.com/blog/2017/0...lderberry-101/

http://www.progressivehealth.com/eld...-colds-flu.htm

[bisous]

Only change is I'm going to start making my own elderberry syrup so I can control the cost of it a bit more. I voted no change in the poll since it's really not a change in lifestyle. We do higher doses of D3 and I am strict about proper handwashing and trying to get my kids to keep hands out of mouths/noses but otherwise we are going on as usual. We don't do flu shots anyway so these are just our normal flu season precautions.

ETA that according to my doc most cases of death with the flu in otherwise healthy people are from flu related complications like pneumonia and, as someone previously said, waiting too long to seek care when those complications set in.

Having seen how quickly pneumonia progressed in my DH a couple of years ago I finally "get it" how people can die from these kinds of things. He was totally not sick until Friday night and by Sunday night he needed an antibiotic drip and was hospitalized for several days.