tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
A swine flu outbreak in the southeast has health officials concerned that the virus is spreading again. And the call is going out for people to get vaccinated if they haven't been already.
For those who do get this flu, new research shows there is a greater chance of serious lung complications, more so than with previous strains.
Getting back to the drums is quite a feat for Rudy Starr.
"I still get tired really easy," he said.
For three weeks, the church drummer was in an coma because of H1N1 swine flu.
"I had to learn how to walk. I tried to get out of bed, and they say, 'No, you can't.' And sure enough, there's no strength there," he said.
He was one of the first to be tested for a severe after-effect of the flu.
"One interesting thing we found was a high incidence of PE or pulmonary embolism," said Dr. Prachi Agarwal, University of Michigan.
University of Michigan researchers found that patients who suffered from a severe case of the swine flu are at a high risk for serious lung complications.
CT scans revealed a third had a pulmonary embolism. It happens when arteries in the lungs become blocked. PE can be treated with blood thinners, but if it's not caught, it can be deadly.
"One side effect from being sick is that my heart got a little out of whack. They say with my lungs as bad as they were, it could take up to a year to fully recover," said Starr.
Starr was one of the lucky ones. He's recovering, and seven months later, he's almost back to 100 percent.
"I feel energized anytime I get behind the drums. I can't imagine doing anything else. It's been my whole life," said Starr.
Now, Starr's ready to rock on.
Researchers at the University of Michigan hope to get the word out to other hospitals to make sure they consider pulmonary embolism as a possible complication. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain and palpitations.
http://www.king5.com/health/H1N1-l-89545047.html
For those who do get this flu, new research shows there is a greater chance of serious lung complications, more so than with previous strains.
Getting back to the drums is quite a feat for Rudy Starr.
"I still get tired really easy," he said.
For three weeks, the church drummer was in an coma because of H1N1 swine flu.
"I had to learn how to walk. I tried to get out of bed, and they say, 'No, you can't.' And sure enough, there's no strength there," he said.
He was one of the first to be tested for a severe after-effect of the flu.
"One interesting thing we found was a high incidence of PE or pulmonary embolism," said Dr. Prachi Agarwal, University of Michigan.
University of Michigan researchers found that patients who suffered from a severe case of the swine flu are at a high risk for serious lung complications.
CT scans revealed a third had a pulmonary embolism. It happens when arteries in the lungs become blocked. PE can be treated with blood thinners, but if it's not caught, it can be deadly.
"One side effect from being sick is that my heart got a little out of whack. They say with my lungs as bad as they were, it could take up to a year to fully recover," said Starr.
Starr was one of the lucky ones. He's recovering, and seven months later, he's almost back to 100 percent.
"I feel energized anytime I get behind the drums. I can't imagine doing anything else. It's been my whole life," said Starr.
Now, Starr's ready to rock on.
Researchers at the University of Michigan hope to get the word out to other hospitals to make sure they consider pulmonary embolism as a possible complication. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain and palpitations.
http://www.king5.com/health/H1N1-l-89545047.html