Re: Can You Get H1N1 More Than Once?
This is such a basic question and has profound implications for people who are at risk.
It makes my heart ache to witness the unfolding of this pandemic - the uncertainty of not knowing if your loved one does or doesn't have ******, not knowing if your loved one can get a prescription for Tamiflu in time, and most horrible of all, knowing there is a small random chance of death.
My daughter is 5 months pregnant in the Denver area. During my two week visit with her I accompanied her to her doctor appointment. There was no signage about the flu. She leaned with both elbows on the reception counter. She knows about it, because she works in HR at the U of Denver, and she says that her department will be tracking employee illness so that is good she will have a heads up. But it is so HARD to remember how a virus can be (almost) anywhere. One supermarket has wipes near the carts, another doesn't. We talked about the flu, we bought some alcohol sanitizer for her pocketbook and for the car. She knows she is at risk, and her husband knows that too. The last night I was there he asked what should he do if he got sick, and I said move to another bed and stay away from her. The next morning he was sleeping in the baby's room and it turns out he had woken up with a sore throat. I also had laid awake with a tickle in my throat and that dull feeling in ones chest before onset on illness. Turns out her also. She called me to tell me he had tried to go to work but had to come home sick, with congestion, cough, fever, headache. He moved to the family room and she picked up cleaning supplies on the way home and changed the sheets and cleaned and cleaned. He was told he couldn't be seen until two days later despite being with an at risk wife. So he went to the emergency room with a mask and was able to get relenza. He was very sick for two to three days and then recovered. My daughter by chance had an appointment at the new hospital obstetrics the next afternoon and she was given Tamiflu. She had the same tickle in throat I had had, but seemed like she fought it off. Also that first evening of his fever, they both gargled with a garlic/lemon/cayenne brew. I felt slightly headachy and dull but thought I fought it off (two weeks ago). An employee of ours showed up with the flu two days after I got back and we sent her home. She did not go to a doctor and got terribly sick, out of work ten days and now has pneumonia (she finally went). So yesterday when I began feeling tired and dull and fighting something in my mouth and throat (I went to bed and took vit C and ginger tea) I wonder is it back the same one or is this a new one from my employee? My husband and I in twelve years have maybe had the flu once each? We haven't gotten the shots ever. We are in our midfifties.
I would have liked to believe that my daughter was exposed, fought it off, the risk is over for her. I am not worried so much for myself and my husband, but I take it so seriously, because you never know with this one, it is a killer, which is why I went to bed, otherwise I might have worked through it. It seems as if one can get this over and over in different ways, and although Tropical was joking about the human, swine, or bird parts kicking in more or less, maybe the novel form is unusual enough to do just that. After all, unlike common flu this virus often has no fever, does show gastrointestinal symptoms, the cramping, the rashes, it is different. And it is scary stuff.
I was grateful, that I knew enough to guide my daughter and son-in-law to act determined and fast to get the tamiflu and relenza, to fill the prescriptions despite the expense (!), to take the virus seriously and clean and stay apart, everything I know I've learned from the internet, this site and others, and I am so grateful. :applause::tiphat:
If my daughter carries to term (and she will and she and her little daughter to be will be okay, just 3 1/2 more months) if we negotiate this time safely and have better cleaning habits and caring for ourselves knowledge, this site and others deserve the praise and the thanks. So Thank You - all of you.
But back to the thread - sigh it does seem like you cannot let your guard down with this flu. For myself, I will assume every respiratory symptom I get from now to next summer might be this ****** flu, and not to think that I already 'had it' and now can relax and not worry. Same for my pregnant daughter. Maybe she fought it off, but now I think maybe she can get it again, and again. So each time, take it as seriously as if life can depend on it.
arty:
