When you have a large family or you’re out and about a lot, you’re going to be exposed to nasty stuff. I spent an hour at my daughter’s yesterday and her 6-year old son had stayed home from school with a 101.6 fever and cough—nothing to be concerned about. I didn’t avoid him because I thought maybe he’d come down with the same bronchitis I have. Well, later on his temp went up to 104 so she took him in and sure enough he tested positive for Type A flu!
He’s on Tamiflu and so is their 5-month old baby, who I sure hope is protected well with the Tamiflu because flu is really dangerous for babies.
I called my doctor and she ordered Tamiflu for me. If you’re on a DMARD or biologic be sure to get Tamiflu if you know you’ve been exposed or if you get the flu. It’s nothing to fool around with.
I’m still coughing from bronchitis so idk if I’m more susceptible to getting the flu or if my immune system is working overtime right now and I’m less susceptible. I’m not taking any chances—I had the flu once, about 30 years ago, and I felt like I was dying…don’t care to go through that ever again!!!
Agreed. Last time I had the flu was about 20 years ago. I have no desire to have it again, which is why I get my flu shot every year as well. Hope that you avoid the flu @Grandma_J!
Here the advice is to not take drugs like tamiflu… they only lessen the symptoms by 20-30% and shorten how long your sick by a day… but they do have a lot of side effects
I was reading about it since I’ve never gone to the doctor for flu like symptoms… but it looks like there are 42 primary care doctors who take swabs of everyone in their practices who presents with flu like symptoms and they get tested for flu to keep track of wether there’s an epidemic… but I don’t think they do any other testing…
I wouldn’t think of going to the doctor for flu… they say only go if the fever has been high for 5 days and if you have bad lung symptoms…
All those stats and advice are absolutely true for people with normal immune systems.
For those on immunosuppressants (almost all of us), or the very young or old, Grandma J’s comments are definitely spot on what is recommended by the medical professionals here in Aus too.
The flu is pretty much the only non-autoimmune related reason I’ve been to the doctor in years. My daughter spent 4 nights in hospital, and 7 days later I spent 8 hours in ER.
But the trick with the Tamiflu is that unless you get it early, it’s next to useless, so if you know you’ve been exposed… go.
It’s worth bearing in mind that most people only get the flu once or twice in their lives (luckily), and Tamiflu will do nothing for a garden variety cold, so unless you either know you’ve been exposed, or you have the classical sudden-onset symptoms (but remember your fever may not be as high as they say from immunosuppressants), then heading to the doctor is pretty pointless.
Unfortunately, if you actually have the flu (and not a bad cold), and you wait for 5 days, then the Tamiflu generally doesn’t help.
Hi Cynthia…things like the flu never scared me before I went on Enbrel, and maybe now I’m overly cautious but I’d rather err on the side of caution and experience a couple minor SEs from tamiflu than catch the flu and get really sick. My immune system is compromised—my white blood cells are usually below the normal range. I don’t like hospitals and I don’t like being super sick. When I had the flu 30 years ago I couldn’t get out of bed four 4 days. I was too sick to get dressed and go to the doctor, so I wasn’t tested. I just know it was Type A flu because I had all the classic symptoms, and on top of that I felt weak and tired for 6 weeks afterwards with a bad cough and I finally had an X-ray and ended up with pneumonia in my right lung…I was in my early 30s then and healthy as a horse for the most part. Now I’m a 64-year old horse, ready for the glue factory!
I’m probably too anxious, but IDK—I’m really not one to take too many meds, so hopefully I’m doing what’s best for me this time.
I took my first dose a few minutes ago. I’ve been coughing for two weeks with bronchitis and my chest has felt tight for that long so I’d rather avoid any more sickness right now.
I do agree most people only get the bad flu once or twice in their life—30 years ago was the only time I had it—and the only flu vaccine I had before I was 50 was the swine flu vaccine that almost everyone got because the the swine flu scare back in the 70s (I think that’s when it was).
I started getting the flu shot regularly when my daughter had our first grandbabies because they were preemie twins and very weak. The whole family started getting the flu shot since then. But now I’m hearing it isn’t very effective—my grandson actually had the shot in the Fall and he still caught the virus.
Thanks, Stoney—I’ll worry less now that I’m on Tamiflu.
Yes Grandma J - I’m not sure about the US, but reports are in the UK that there is one strain where even if you were immunized, 80% of people are getting the flu on exposure! They are calling it the Aussie flu because it’s the same strain that whacked us winter just gone
I sure hope the Tamiflu helps keep you well!
I work in a hospital and we are FULL. That happens very rarely, and is directly related to this flu season.
I’ve had flu three times, but do have a poor immune system even without immunosuppressants. I’m pretty concerned with my career being around so many sick people and being on one.
I think being seen immediately and attempting to be proactive is the way to go, especially with a known exposure. The vaccine sure didn’t hit the mark this year.
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My son tested positive for Type A flu the Monday before Christmas. His pediatrician told us to call our own Dr and ask for Tamiflu immediately, as we had no symptoms yet and would get it in our system in plenty of time to hopefully avoid getting sick at all. My Dr knows I take a DMARD and didn’t even make me come in to the office. They called it in to the pharmacy within the hour for both me and my husband. I was so thankful. Neither of us got sick at all, even with me not getting the vaccine this year. My son was able to get it in HIS system right at or near the 48 hour mark, which turned him into a new kid the next day. His flu ended up being a 4-5 day event, with days 4/5 being almost normal. Personally, Tamiflu is our new bests friend.
FYI everybody. I have a pretty strong stomach, but I’ll tell you, after about 6 days of Tamiflu, 1 dose a day with food, the stuff got really gross. About an hour after I take it I feel so sick inside—almost like I’ve been poisoned. I wake up at night with some really bad stomach pain. Thankfully, tomorrow is day 10 and I’m done!
Another thing it does is make me just a bit confused and forgetful. I searched for my purse for about 5 minutes—it was nowhere to be found. Until I realized it was hanging on my shoulder. I took the TV remote from our bedroom into another room and couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t work. I was about to put new batteries in it when my husband yelled from the bedroom, where’s the remote??? Oooops…
On top of that, I’m forgetting people’s names, grandkids mostly. I love watching the Cash Cab show and chiming in when I know an answer. Yesterday when I watched it, the answers I knew I knew were on the tip of my tongue but I couldn’t say them…
I just wanted to clue everyone in—the SEs are annoying! Getting the flu would be 1,000 x worse, though!
That’s really good to know. I’m probably taking my son in today to be tested for flu and if he’s positive I was planning on requesting tamiflu for myself.
Well, Stoney, how did the blood test turn out? Or didn’t you take him in? I was just wondering if you ended up on Tamiflu.
I hope all is well and he didn’t have the flu, although some of the other bugs going around aren’t so pleasant, either, and they’re viruses so not much can be done to stop them.
I thought I’d throw it out here that my son also had the nasty stomach side effects from his Tamiflu. He was taking the 2X a day for 5 days though, as He DID have the flu. I can’t imagine if he’d felt that way for 10 days. He tends to get side effects from many meds though, unfortunately.
That’s great, Stoney! I have a granddaughter who’s been really sick since Sunday. Flu and strep negative, second trip to ER at 2:30 a.m. today (Tues.) with trouble breathing! (First trip Sunday night she had a 106.2 temp.)
She’s on Prednisone, antibiotics and a nebulizer…so worrisome. She’s a kid that rarely gets sick. It’s been a rough week so far…we’re hoping her 6-month old baby sister doesn’t catch it. Mom nurses the baby, so hopefully she’s got good resistance!!!
That’s really rough. We’ve had plenty of those illnesses around here too. A friend’s grandmother has pertussis recently, so everybody including the 5 month old baby had to be treated for it. Scary stuff. I hope the little one feels better soon. And the baby is likely to her sick because she’s nursing.
Flu caught me, too. I went to my doc on January 2, flu swab was negative. Breathing issues, two visits to ER and one two-day stay in the hospital later, I end up back in the ER on January 28. This time the swab was positive.
They ran me through the wringer–chest x-rays, CT heart, echo–my heart is fine. Kept saying your sats (running 95, 96) are fine. Wonderful, but I STILL CAN’T BREATHE! I got albuterol treatments when I was in-patient (and could breathe!) but no one seemed to think I should go home with the same. The ER doc on January 28 did give me IV solumedrol AND I COULD BREATHE!
Frankly, I think the swab on January 2 was a false negative and the flu chewed me up and spit me out the month of January. In the middle of all that, my husband and I figured out that the last time I had flu was in January of 1981 or 1982 when we were in college. I was due for a round of it.
I’m still going to see a pulmonologist. I’m working on getting energy back. I’ll probably do a dance when the cough goes away, too.
OMG you poor thing! What a way to ring in the new year! I hope everything settles down now and you get your energy back.
The time I had flu and then pneumonia, I was run down for six weeks after the flu before I found out I had pneumonia. Sometimes they don’t get an accurate “reading” of the lungs by just listening with a stethoscope. My doctor told me my lungs were clear, but he did an x-ray anyway because I was new at that clinic and he said they should have a base x-ray of my lungs. Lo and behold, my right lung was full!
Anyway, you’re on the mend now, finally! Not too bad a record for not getting the flu since 1981, or '82–36 or 37 years…mine was probably more like 1987–I had two kids in the early primary grades and one at home 3 or 4 years old. I DO NOT remember how I took care of her during the day while my husband was gone to work. All I remember is feeling like death and barely being able to get up and go potty a few times a day without passing out! Not fun stuff! I didn’t get the flu shot then, but I do get it now. I know it doesn’t always prevent the flu, but I think it minimizes the symptoms most of the time.
I was so thankful. Neither of us got sick at all, even with me not getting the vaccine this year. My son was able to get it in HIS system right at or near the 48 hour mark, which turned him into a new kid the next day. His flu ended up being a 4-5 day event, with days 4/5 being almost normal. Personally, Tamiflu is our new bests friend. 
I wake up at night with some really bad stomach pain. Thankfully, tomorrow is day 10 and I’m done!