ButchA

Howdy everyone...

No, I didn't disappear or anything like. I am still around and still have my C&V 1985 Fuji Del Rey road bike. I know it's been a bad winter, wicked cold, snow, ice, etc... and lots of people (myself included) put up their bikes for the winter.

However... A few weeks ago, I got hit with that horrible Flu virus that has been all over the news! It really did a number on me, and put me flat on my back for a week straight! This strain of Flu is absolutely awful! It's a different type of virus, as you aren't throwing up, you don't have the runs, etc... nothing like that. This variation of the Flu is all in your chest to where you literally can't breathe! Seriously, you feel like an elephant is standing on your chest!! Any type of normal inhale/exhale and you're on the floor coughing and coughing so bad, you think you're about to have a heart attack!!

Anyway, after taking Tamiflu and that antibiotic Azithromycin(?) or what they call Z-Pack, I got over it, but I still feel like there's residual "goop" leftover in my lungs. The docs said it takes time (about a month!) to fully recover from it - maybe even longer!

So, as you can see by the short video below, I just got back from a quick 6.25 mile bike ride to sort of "test" myself and see how I feel with bike riding. I won't go jogging and am skipping out the annual 10K road race here in town, as I won't be ready no matter what.

DON'T GET THIS FLU BUG! I DON'T WISH IT ON ANYONE!!!

JanMM

Congrats on a good recovery!
As you experienced, influenza is a respiratory illness - what people call 'stomach flu' or 'GI flu' has nothing to do with influenza.
Did you have the vaccine this season? Not too late to get it for anyone not yet vaccinated, even if you already had the flu.
Next year, I'll be going for the 'high dose vaccine' which is intended for those of us 65 and over. Went with the regular vaccine this year, as it is free for employees of the hospital where I work and easy to get in the same building as my office.

bruce19

Just getting over my 2nd bout of flu/illness. Why? Because there are idiots in the world that refuse to stay home when they are sick.

CliffordK

I assume you got the vaccine, right?

Apparently the efficacy of the vaccine wasn't real great this year, but it helps if greater numbers of people get it. I suppose I was one of those who never thought the flu vaccine was really that necessary... until I got slammed with the flu last spring.

Perhaps convince your office to have a mobile vaccination unit to get everyone in the office next year? Plus an update on the DPT (which only recently got the Pertussis put back in, so some may have missed out on it).

Bald Paul

I used to work with one of "those guys". He would come in coughing and hacking, and basically fall asleep at his desk to rest. Why? He wanted to "save his sick days for the good weather". He finally got the hint and stayed home when we started spraying him with Lysol.

JanMM

Subtle persuasion.

ButchA

Thanks... Honest, I was an idiot this year and never got the Flu vaccine. I drive a school bus for a living and do multiple schools from elementary to high school. I have little 1st grade kids coming on the bus and saying, "Good morning, Mr. Butch! *cough* *cough* *hack* *sneeze*..."

My wife is a manager of a daycare center, and she and all the other ladies got Flu shots, and none of them got sick at all! For the first night or two, my wife did kick me out of bed and she made me sleep in the spare bedroom. Nice... Real nice... Feel the love...

bkentr

I feel your pain.
I was "out' from Christmas eve until the end of January.

Not enough to keep me in bed, but on and on with the relapse's.

It was enough to keep me from doing much. Retired has some benefits I guess.

Finally got a flue shot. Must help some, my wife got one and did not catch what I had, even with all the
coughing and sneezing.

One thing that is predictable, school kids are "little germ factories'

DaveQ24

My silver lining to being asthmatic - a supply of albuterol. When I was in the respiratory distress phase of H3N2 in January, I was taking a hit of albuterol every few hours. It helped. Between that and Tamiflu it was tolerable, but still not fun. The first day, before I could get the Tamiflu filled, I really did feel like death - horrible body aches and profoundly chilled but with a 102-103 degree fever.

Don’t feel too bad about not being vaccinated. It’s not always effective. I have gotten the vaccine for years - and got true influenza in 2014 and 2018 - both flu seasons when the efficacy was very poor.

bruce19

Couldn't get healthy enough to get the vaccine. First, grand kids (my gf not mine) had Cocksackie (?) disease. Of course I, and others, got it. Got healthy but then ran into someone with the flu. Sick for 3 weeks. Finally got healthy but went to an adult ed class and ran into someone who was sick. Of course I got that too. Been sick off and on since before Thanksgiving. This really sucks.

CliffordK

School Bus Driver and a Daycare... both occupations for which I'd want the vaccine the day it was released.

CliffordK

According to the notes I'm reading, they don't want you to be really ill when you get vaccinated, but don't exclude it if you have mild symptoms, or are well on the way to recovery.

You can get the DPT vaccine any time during the year (once a decade or so). I'm not sure what other vaccines would be pertinent. They tend not to give pneumococcus vaccine until age 65.

And, of course, the Shingles vaccine. Approved for 50+, but apparently the CDC is still recommending it at 60+

Biker395 

Tip: Schedule your annual physical for after the time when the flu shots come out. I get it every year, and I've been fortunate to avoid this year's awful flu. I have friends ... healthy ones ... that were sick for weeks.

I'm lucky enough to be able to work from home at will. So when I'm sick, I stay home. People who don't do that are one of my many pet peeves.

TimothyH

Me too.

I tested positive for Type A Influenza on the afternoon of Tuesday, 2/13. A sore throat had me in the doctor's office the week before but medication didn't help and it was worsening that morning.

I got in one dose of Tamaflu that evening but my body shut down that night. At 3:00 AM I could not lift myself from the floor to the sofa and was dry heaving uncontrollably and shaking/shivering violently. I had my daughter dial 911 and paramedics took me to the ER. Oxygen was down to 90% so they kept me overnight.

Feeling lots better now and the IV's at the hospital were a godsend. Still, I've cleared my calendar through the weekend.

I work from home too and it didn't prevent me from getting sick. All it takes is a handshake or getting change from a cashier or touching the keypad at the gas station.


-Tim-

canklecat

Yup, I got smacked hard with flu this year. First time I can remember getting the flu, ever. Had no idea how debilitating it can be.

I rarely get flu shots because I don't get the flu. Can't remember ever getting it before. Pneumonia and bronchitis, sure. I get pneumonia shots every few years. But not flu.

Now I'm a believer. I'll get my flu shot next time.

It hit me late December/early January. Sneaked up on me. At first I thought I was just tired and had the usual allergies. Very stressful period -- my mom was deteriorating rapidly after surgery for her knee and femur, and it was looking like long term nursing home care. I was spending almost every day at the hospital and rehab center, evaluating her progress and trying to decide on the next step.

One day around the second week of January I couldn't get out of bed. So weak and achy I literally fell out of bed trying to get to the bathroom. Then I fell trying to get up from my computer desk chair -- no leg strength, just wicked muscle spasms when I tried to stand. Could barely move for the next week. So I stayed home and avoided the hospitals and nursing home for the rest of the month, just keeping in touch via phone to check on my mom's condition.

Then for the next three weeks I'd feel comparatively better for one day, take a bike ride... and the next day start all over again with the aching, respiratory stuff and weakness. It didn't let up until the first week of February.

I'd go to the grocery store or pharmacy about once a week, usually late at night, and wore a paper surgical mask. I see a couple of older Asian folks in my neighborhood doing that. Good practice. More folks should do it. I mostly did it to minimize the impact of cold dry air, but it made sense to avoid spreading my germs all over the place.

I'm probably among the lucky ones, perhaps because I have some natural resistance to the flu virus. There were much younger and stronger people dying from it. I'm wondering whether my auto-immune disorder (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) somehow worked for me to offset the cascade effect of immune system responses that sometimes kill other folks.

B. Carfree

Apparently there are four distinct strains of flu available to be caught this year, two can be somewhat serious and two are mild. As advertised, that's exactly what I've been through. Picking up two granddaughters from pre-school every day, with the added bonus of them taking a trip to Japan in January, has kept me fully exposed.

Yes, I got the vaccine and I'm glad I did. This could have been a lot worse (and last year it certainly was). I hope that when the kids' mom finishes her schooling I'll no longer needed for afternoon pick-ups and can spend December and January somewhere warm where people aren't all exposing each other to the flu with every indoor breath.

bruce19

I've had the pneumonia and shingles vaccines. Each time I've had this illness it has not been mild and it seems to last about 3 weeks. I'm guessing I have another week with this round. Ugh. Thanks for the info. FWIW I'm pushing 72.

WNCGoater

Still recovering here. Diagnosed with Type A last weekend. But reading ^above^ I'm thanking God I apparently got a mild case. Very low temperature. Chills, aches, bad hacking cough in my chest. I thought I had an upper respiratory infection, which is why I went to the doc. Major symptoms only lasted a couple days but here a week later and sinus's still aching, worn down, general lethargy, no energy. Gonna try a ride this weekend though.

I read a statistic (though I have no idea where nor can I find it now) that said of all the flu deaths this year, 7 out of every 10 had gotten a flu shot. Thanks but I'll pass. 57 years old & never had the shot, nor the flu till this year.

TimothyH

I don't believe this statistic. You were just lucky, that's all.

The shot is only 10% effective this year anyway, and elderly people are more likely to both get the shot and die from the flu.

Remember that 100% of people who drink orange juice will die.


-Tim-

mwalsh5757

Mark my mom as a victim of this years flu pandemic. She died of Pneumonia and Sepsis 2 days after starting to feel better from the actual flu.

Be careful with this one, particularly if you're older (or very young for that matter)!

StanSeven

The latest CDC data has a 36% effectiveness rating and 25% for the H3N2 strain. That’s an improvement over what was initially reported.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...-great-n848351

TimothyH

I'm really sorry to hear this. May God have mercy on her soul, and ours.


-Tim-

WNCGoater

Don't know if the stat is true or not. Doesn't really matter I don't suppose. I simply am not one to jump on the vaccine bandwagon. Lost half my hearing (irreversable) due to results of a vaccine as a kid. Never had flu before in my life, maybe never again. Still not on the bandwagon. I certainly don't discourage anyone who does. But every year people get flu even with the shot. Shrug...
Sorry you had it so bad. I told my wife about your particular case and since I had Type A like you, I'm thanking God (and others who covered me in prayer) for a mild case. Hope you are fully recovered.

So very sorry. This is what I've heard, that actually, most of the flu deaths were due to secondary issues brought on by flu. Had a mid-50's guy die in our town from a heart attack after fighting flu, then pneumonia. In his weakened state his heart couldn't take it. So sorry for your mom, it's tough losing your folks, no matter your age.

canklecat

Even the initial 10% figure is significant, considering the alternative. If the higher figures are correct for effectiveness, so much the better.

Put into bicycling perspective, how many of us would modify or buy equipment to gain a 10% improvement in our speed and power? I'm betting many of us have already done/spent more for less gain. Such as poring over those rolling resistance reviews to decide which tire offers a 2 Watt advantage over another, and whether it's worth an extra $20 per tire for that gain.

$20. That's about what the flu vaccination cost this year at Walgreen's, for folks without Medicare/Medicaid or insurance.

I'm an idiot for not getting the flu shot this year. Just because I rarely if ever get the flu.

Not only did I put myself at risk, and lost weeks of productivity because I was too sick to accomplish much at a really crucial time in my life, but I also put others at risk by assuming I wouldn't get sick and carry germs around.

I was in health care for years. I should know better.

Deal4Fuji

I was a 1st timer for the vaccine this year and it looks like my wife (who also drives a school bus) & I picked a good season to start. I rarely get sick, but I've crossed an age milestone this year so I plan to make it a yearly practice. The information about the flu shot while not 100%, will promote a milder case helped us decide. Glad you're back riding @ButchA and so sorry @mwalsh5757