Flu Me?
I know I said i’d write…so, i’m sorry for being a M.I.A lately.
You see, after I retured from visiting my sick grandmother in Puerto Rico in July, I got sick. After a few months of a lingering drainage of all of the energy that I had in me, I learned that I had been exposed to H1N1. After reluctantly ingesting 2 sets of heavy antivirals and sleeping every little bit of my free time away, I learned that my boyfriend (who had recommended I see a doctor for the possibility of pneumonia over a month ago) was right…
I had walking pneumonia. After 2 sets of antibiotics, I am still exhausted.
I guess it took me so long to give in and go to the doctor because, I was waiting for my Cobra medical benefits to kick in and couldn’t afford the full cost of a doctor’s visit being unemployed and all. I began going back to school in a part-time paralegal program with a full-time school workload in August, was trying to fit in as much probono and freelance work in as possible…these small tasks have been draining every drop of energy that I have in me…
I also turned 30 in August. So old age could certainly be another contributing factor…
I can’t afford to be sick. I despise feeling tired. I have too much to do!
I have been taking my vitamins, eating right, drinking lots of fluids, and resting a lot. I originally thought I could do all of the right things and knock this thing out for good. Apparently, it’s not that easy.
I have begun to notice the news reporting that many of the swine flu deaths are linked to pneumonia and am VERY glad that I went to the doctor when I did.
Of 77 people who died from complications of the H1N1 strain between May 1 and Aug. 20, 22, or nearly 30 percent, also had bacterial co-infections, including some caused by pneumococcus, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Those infections likely worsened the illness and contributed to the deaths, six of which occurred in previously healthy people with no known medical conditions. CDC officials urged people at high risk for flu complications to check with doctors about getting a pneumonia vaccine in addition to the recommended seasonal and H1N1 flu shots.
In the latest report, scientists analyzed tissue samples collected from swine flu victims in eight states. Patients who died ranged in age from 2 months to 56 years, with a median age of 31. Some of them may have been eligible for the pneumonia vaccine.
From a WHO press release about findings presented at the meeting: … Concern is now focused on the clinical course and management of small subsets of patients who rapidly develop very severe progressive pneumonia. In these patients, severe pneumonia is often associated with failure of other organs, or marked worsening of underlying asthma or chronic obstructive airway disease. Treatment of these patients is difficult and demanding, strongly suggesting that emergency rooms and intensive care units will experience the heaviest burden of patient care during the pandemic. Primary viral pneumonia is the most common finding in severe cases and a frequent cause of death. Secondary bacterial infections have been found in approximately 30% of fatal cases. Respiratory failure and refractory shock have been the most common causes of death.
A Washington Post story reports this: Unlike the seasonal flu, (Nikki) Shindo (a medical officer in the WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response Department) said, the virus appears more likely to travel deep into the lungs, where it can cause viral pneumonia. Such a condition can cause severe lung damage and a life-threatening condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome. “Remarkably different is this small subset of patients that presents very severe viral pneumonia,” Shindo said. Shindo noted that some hospitals in Australia and New Zealand were severely strained by seriously ill swine flu patients during their recently ended winter. “This disease overwhelmed emergency rooms and especially intensive care units because of the very severe patients that required special care,” Shindo said, urging hospitals to prepare for the possibility of a significant number of patients requiring intensive care.
The lesson here is that carrying around antibacterial wipes, spray and gel just ain’t gonna cut it. You can still get sick.
In most cases the swine flu isn’t going to kill you, but it may present itself as pneumonia or a more serious bacterial infection later that can have a lasting effect on your health.
If you can, get the flu vaccines available to you and at the first sign of the flu SEE a doctor….the folks at the NC State Fair, this year, are taking precautions to keep the pigs healthy…shouldn’t you?
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader or email.
Subscribe to RSS
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment