Flu deaths still hitting close to home for me.

[Taz_Zoee]

My friend texted me last night and told me a guy her boyfriend works with just passed away from suspected H1N1/swine flu.
Today on Facebook I learned a guy I went to school with (elementary through high school) just passed away too.
Come to find out it is the same person.

I know it's not only the swine flu that can be fatal, but it seems to be the one making it rounds right now. :(

Everyone, please be careful. If you are sick, stay home and if it lasts too long go to the doctor!!!

RIP George

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Oh man.:( I keep hearing more and more about the flu! Has anyone on here gotten the vaccine? I'm not so sure about it....
RIP George:(

[Alysser]

I am so sorry for your and his family's loss. RIP George :(

[Casper]

I'm so sorry to hear about George. :( My thoughts are with his friends and family.


I have heard of a lot of people I know contracting H1N1, but luckily it seems to be pretty mild around here so far. (*knocks on wood*) My mum has been home from work with H1N1 this past week. It can really make you feel crummy! Thankfully she is feeling much better now.

[caseysmom]

RIP George ...that is very scary.

[Nomilynn]

I went and got my H1N1 vaccine and my seasonal flu vaccine on Thursday. I have type 1 diabetes, so I was in the high risk category and therefore eligible to get it early. The H1N1 shot HURTS way more than the seasonal flu shot. I still have a bump on my arm and it hurts to lift it over my head :p Other than that, I have had no side effects whatsoever. I think it's worth getting the vaccine.

[Karen]

I hope to get the vaccine when I have my annual physical later this month. A couple years ago, my Primary Care Physician, whom I respect, moved my annual physical into "flu shot season" so I could get everything done in one visit if possible.

[Lady's Human]

If and when I can find doses, I'll be getting the H1N1 vaccine......though I'm afraid it may be too late, as we have a person at work who, after being diagnosed positively with a flu, but not tested for H1N1, come back to work after only 2 days out, even though he has plenty of sick time banked.

We'll see how it goes.....

[sparks19]

you know...I HATE to buy into media hysteria... this kind of scares me

hannah cant get the vaccine as she has a reaction to eggs and the regular flu vaccine is NOT given to people with any kind of egg allergy. especially at her age.

Brian and I will most likely get our flu shots and then... if the H1N1 is available still (since there is a shortage) we might get it... but Hannah can't get it and that kind of worries me.

but I am more worried about a major egg reaction than I am about the flu. I like to think I am doing my best to protect her against it and that she has had so much exposure to the outside world that she may have a strong immune system... but I just dont' KNOW. and that scares me as a mother

[krazyaboutkatz]

Cindy, I'm sorry to hear this.:( I've only had my regular flu shot and now I've heard that most places are running low on this. I have Kaiser and I can only get the H1N1 shot if I'm pregnant which I'm not or if I have some other disease like diabetes or asthma. If they ever let the general population get it then I most likely will be getting it. When I was at the cat show at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds there was a huge H1N1 clinic there and the line was huge. I don't know what the requirements were for this one but there were men,women and children there.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

Got my shot last week. :) I wasn't even sore the next day, like I was for the seasonal flu shot.

[pomtzu]

I get my seasonal flu shot tomorrow, but I won't be getting the H1N1. My doctor is still not recommending it for anyone, but he will give one if a patient insists. He feels that there are still too many "unknowns" with the H1N1 vaccine, and that's why he has taken that position on it.

[Freedom]

RIP George, and to all his family and friends, my condolences.

We've had two 12 year old girls die in RI from H1N1 in the past 10 days. :( Different schools, different cities. It IS scary! In each case, no underlying health issues. Both girls seemed to be recovering, then suddenly and rapidly declined. One girl, her sister had it the week before, a seemingly mild case, and recovered. Both families are in shock, needless to say.

Dad and I both got the seasonal vaccine in Sept.

RI is having some difficulty getting H1N1 vaccine. School clinics start this week. Dad and I are on the list but not a high risk as this thing came around twice before - 1968 and 1989, so we are considered to have some immunity. Even with all Dad's health issues, he is quite low on the list.

Schools have about 20% absenteeism, but some of that is cautious parents keeping healthy kids home, and some is kids "faking" to stay home. Still, it is a high rate and expected to climb.

What I heard over the weekend, even afterwards, when you feel find again and have no symptoms, you can be contagious for up to 2 weeks! :eek: THAT will make this tough to control.

[Taz_Zoee]

Yes, this is all too scary. Even the vaccine is scary. I just don't know anymore.
George was 3 years younger than me, so he was around 33 years old. There have been several children lost here in California to this as well. A 5 year old in my town just the week before my friend passed back in June.
It almost makes me not want to leave my house. But that's not possible. So I will just be extra careful and wash my hands often.
Thanks for your kind words.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'm sorry to hear that someone you know died from this flu. :(

[CountryWolf07]

The key is, to wash your hands EVERYWHERE you go. Mike's friend knows a couple people who have the H1N1 flu, but not sure how serious, though..

[pomtzu]

Seeing that there is such a demand for this vaccine, and clinics, hospitals, doctors, etc are having a difficult time getting their hands on it, I'm wondering just what the priorities are.

I heard on the news last week, that some big Wall Street firms were getting supplies of it in for their employees, while the doctors, etc, are still waiting. A whole lot of people are in an uproar over it, and should well be! I wonder who makes the call as to who gets these supplies first? I would hate to think that it goes to the highest bidder. :(

[Daisy and Delilah]

I'm so sorry to hear this news, Cindy. George was a young man. What a shame. I am naive I guess but I still can't believe that people are dying from this all over the place. With the technology we have today, you wonder why this disease can't be eradicated. With a young man dying like this, who is safe? I'm not big on getting vaccinated for the flu but I'm thinking maybe I should?

Rest In Peace George :(

[Moesha]

I have a friend, who happens to be the sister-in-law of one of my best friends, that has been in the hospital since Monday with pneumonia. She has been getting progressively worse. Tonight she was transferred to Nashville and is ICU there. The doctor is pretty sure this started with H1N1. She had a fever and chills and was sick last week. She stayed in because that is what she thought you were supposed to do. Friday she called her doctor and he told her it was probably sinus problems and gave her a prescription. She knew it wasn't sinus problems and went to a different doctor on Monday. That's when she was hospitalized. She hasn't responded to any antibiotics and the Nashville doctor thinks that the pneumonia is bacterial due to the H1N1 she had first. If she doesn't improve quickly with the new treatment, she will be put on a ventilator.

[Taz_Zoee]

Oh no, Moesha. This sounds so familiar. My friend that passed away back in June due to H1N1 was put on a ventilator as well. I'm hoping that your friend will pull through. Since it sounds like she wasn't sick as long as my friend. Hopefully they can get it under control.

I will be hoping everything turns out okay in this situation. I can't stand to hear of another fatality due to this flu.

Oh, another similarity is being misdiagnosed. Same thing happened with Eric. He was told he had a sinus infection and sent home with antibiotics. You'd think with this strain of flu being in the spotlight so much right now that doctors would take more precautions and test for it sooner.

[Catty1]

My cousin in Moose Jaw just got hit - he felt unwell for a couple of days, then WHAM. Pneumonia too. Doc sent him home with antibiotics. At least he is not in hospital...I hope he heals.