A clear and present misery, and to some a danger: the flu.

This is Day 6 of the flu for me and am feeling much better than earlier in the week. Presumably the infamous H1N1, which evidently accounts for the vast majority of flu cases at the moment.

I've never before caught a flu so early in the season.

Think I may have caught it at jury duty last week. I was worried about being in the courthouse all day (five hours in a jury pool for a murder trial) and had antiseptic wipes and took care not to touch any doorknobs or surfaces, but in that confined space with so many people (took 100 jury candidates to get to the requisite 14 and we were all in a room that barely fit us), forget it. I'd like to know what the infection rate of current jury pools is.

Until this bug, I'd been blessedly healthy for 13 months. Hit out of the blue Saturday night with an excruciating sore throat. But I didn't associate that with flu and expected that it would migrate to a simple head cold or sinus infection. By Sunday night my throat was fine (thank goodness, that sore throat's been the worst aspect of this but was short-lived) and a head cold-chest congestion began. Then the aches, fever and chills emblematic of flu kicked in and I was surprised to find that the sore throat was a symptom of H1N1.

Monday - Night 3 - was the worst and the third in a row virtually devoid of sleep. 101.5 degree temp during the night, 101 at dawn Tuesday. I don't keep the digital thermometer in my ear all the time but that was clearly the most feverish night. Wouldn't be surprised if my temp had edged even closer to 102. But no higher than that.

Night 4 was markedly better with several hours of sound sleep. Last night was harder to get to sleep (some wheezing, there is a respiratory component to this flu) but my fever was negligible and this morning I actually felt like I did not have a fever. Walked Gidget for several blocks (avoiding people, coughing into an arm, etc.) and afterward felt a low-grade fever and tired.

Since that wicked sore throat abated, fatigue has been the big thing, typical for any flu I've ever experienced. All in all, not even close to the worst flu I've ever suffered (1994 stands out in my personal flu history - 10 days of abject misery marked by three consecutive nights of 103-degree temp and near-convulsive chills). But bad enough to make you want to take it very, very easy for a few days.

Below are two links that the Washington Post ran in which you take a brief test of your symptoms and are advised at the end whether to consult a doctor or seek urgent care. The answer options are so broad that I'm not sure whether it's going reduce or increase the hospital onslaught. It advised me to rush to the hospital but that was ridiculous, at my worst I felt nowhere near that bad. These tests are nearly identical but not quite.

Microsoft-Emory H1N1 test:
https://h1n1.cloudapp.net/Default.aspx

Federal Gov't version (slightly more involved):
http://www.flu.gov/evaluation/


More info:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

Exposure to on set of 2009 H1N1 flu virus?
The infectious period for confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) is one day before the onset of illness and up to seven days after.

Twenty-seven states are reporting widespread influenza activity at this time. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.

Any reports of widespread influenza activity in September are very unusual (the 27 state figure was from September).

Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far are 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. These viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir with rare exception.

Background

As of September 12, 2009, 99% of circulating influenza viruses in the United States were 2009 H1N1 influenza (previously referred to as novel influenza A (H1N1))

If you haven't already, I strongly advise stocking up on flu care essentials. Now. Especially if you live alone. Flu is on the upswing here. A neighbor was in the same jury pool and she, too, is sick.


Kleenex (Puffs with aloe being my fave). I've gone through nearly 3 large boxes in 5 days. I think they need a special Swine Puffs with MORE Aloe.

Soup - for me, nothing soothes a sore throat/cold/chest congestion quite like a steaming bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle. Have several on hand.

Liquid - for me that's been constant iced tea and during the 18 hours or so that the sore throat was torture: hot tea with honey.

Juice -- I had a strong craving for orange juice but didn't have any on hand so a friend ran to the store for me. Hit the spot.

Tylenol - for fever and aches.

Sore Throat Lozenges - I might have called 911 if I hadn't had good sore throat lozenges handy. That was killer.

Lip balm - breathing with your mouth open all night makes this stuff priceless.


The good news is this flu hasn't really been that horrible, for me. The sore throat was the most miserable aspect but thankfully was entirely gone within the first 24 hours. I could hardly bear to swallow for 12 hours. My throat was quite swollen.

The 4th night I was feeling much better and slept well. Tonight's the 6th night and I expect to sleep fine though I'm now experiencing a dry cough. But will have water and lemon drops nearby to alleviate that.

And stock up on pet food if you have pets. I haven't had the energy to go anywhere and thankfully haven't needed to.

I have been walking Gidget 4 times a day, two of those walks 8 to 10 blocks each. A nurse friend and doctor have advised that deep breathing can help with fever and so long as I didn't overdue it the walking would be healthy.

It sure helps with cabin fever.

Avoid processed white sugar and things with lots of sugar. As I understand it, sugar has a suppressive effect on the immune system. Candy, soda/pop, many fruit juices. . . long list. Chicken soup is a good thing, not sure where ice tea would fall.

I haven't had the flu in many years.

It's weak tea, no sugar. It just tastes better than tap water (not that I've been able to taste much this week).

I keep iced tea in the fridge in lieu of soda.

I did not know that sugar suppresses the immune system.

I add vapor rub, generally the generic brand. Acts as a decongestant, calms a cough, soothes the throat.

Also when sick I take hot showers. The heat, sweating, seems to help with fever while increasing tiredness so I sleep instead of tossing and turning. The steam clears the lungs and sinuses.

Push water. Even if you have to set an alarm clock to wake you to drink. Water, sugarless tea, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in water, are far better than soda.

For sore a throat gargle with warm salt water.

The interplay between blood sugar and/or insulin and the immune system is complicated and still not well understood, but there is something to it. Too much, as well as too little, blood sugar can negatively affect your immune system, or at least certain parts of it.

I once read about an experiment on mice genetically bred to have Type I diabetes. A transplant of new islet cells into the pancreas can cure their diabetes, but normally that requires using drugs to suppress the mouse immune system. In this experiment, they spike the blood sugar before the procedure, and the mice accept the new cells and don't reject them, at least for a while. Eventually the immune system reasserts itself and starts attacking the transplanted cells, but that's a remarkable result.

I have heard the statement that for an adult, it only takes less than a teaspoon of sugar to maintain normal blood sugar levels. I don't have any soda cans handy, but 4 grams of sugar is roughly a teaspoon. A can of cola can be...about 9 teaspoons, IIRC. I doubt that many of us normally drink, say, a cup of coffee with 9 teaspoons of sugar in it. Something to think about.

And, knock on wood, haven't been sick yet.

I was hit by a terrible sore throat three nights ago, at 11:05 precisely.

On the next night, my nose started to run.

Last night, I was so sick that I when I drove a crew to Seattle, I couldn't get back home on my own. Severe headache, dizziness, nose running like a faucet. I had to leave my van up there and hitch a ride with a local guy to get home (THANK YOU, BOB!)

At first, I thought it was the flu, so as soon as the sore throat started, I started taking taking Zicam. No real effect that I could see.

I am into Day 4, and the funny thing is that I haven't had any fever, so I am wondering if this is 'just' a severe sinus attack working its way into a sinus infection.

I am trying not to use aspirin or similar. I have been reading that a fever is the sign that your body is actively fighting the virus, and taking aspirin interferes with that. There is apparently some indication that using aspirin when you have flu/fever causes your body to take 7-10 days to shake the flu. Without aspirin, only 3-4 days.

We shall see.

Sue

Good luck, Susan! Note below from CDC, not every flu sufferer exhibits fever.


http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

How do I know if I have the flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

* fever *
* cough
* sore throat
* runny or stuffy nose
* body aches
* headache
* chills
* fatigue
* sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

Interesting CDC chart on flu incidence. The red line is 2009 and it is showing an unusual spike in fall cases. Reportedly nearly all the H1N1.

CDC did an update today:

* Thirty-seven states are reporting widespread influenza activity at this time. They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. [color:#660000][color:#006600]Any reports of widespread influenza activity in September and October are very unusual.[/color]

* Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far are 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. These viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir with rare exception.[/color]