- I had the most. awesome. weekend. Super huge humongous thanks to all my friends and family who made it great. I feel like a human being again (after studying and being a lame-o the past couple months) and it's great.
- Poor Chris has the swine flu (I think...I am pretty much an expert on it after being in B-town). I hope he gets better soon! He called tonight and said he's got chills and his body is just shaking...oh dear. 1) I hope he gets better really soon. and 2) I hope myself and my family don't get sick - we've been around him all weekend!
1) Swine flu is not regular winter flu. It's earlier, and it consists of mostly an upper respiratory infection (runny nose, maybe little cough, etc) + aches and pains + HIGH fevers and chills (higher in kids, their immune system kicks a little better than ours) + sometimes diarrhea. No other flu since the 1970s has had any sort of GI symptoms so this is new. Everybody always says "oh I caught the stomach flu" but it's not influenza. Influenza is a respiratory thing.
2) The "flu vaccine" does not cover the swine flu. At all. There is a swine flu vaccine coming out (we studied it in B-town) BUT it is not out yet. Hopefully soon. Unfortunately for most of you, you probably won't be eligible to get it (and there won't be enough for all of us). Babies, pregnant ladies, and healthcare workers (me!) will all be eligible first, then down the totem pole from there.
3) Older people (like, 60-70ish) actually have a partial immunity to this H1N1 (Swine) flu. This is because there was a similar virus that was around 50-60 or however many years ago, and they probably got it partly then. That's why they're not getting sick and dying from this, but the sickest of us are in their 30-40s.
4) GET A FLU SHOT because it can not and will not give you the flu. You may still get the flu (because 1) you already got infected BEFORE you got the shot and it was just incubating or 2) the shot didn't cover the strain you got or the the strain mutated) but one measly little shot may save you a heck of a lot of trouble. And it's pretty cheap. Do it.
5) This isn't proven but it has shown to be pretty true: The "FluMist" which is what they give kids now is a live attenuated vaccine that you squirt up your nose instead of getting a shot. The docs in B-town believe that the FluMist gives you partial immunity to the H1N1/Swine flu, because we had enormous numbers of kids with the Swine flu, but none of the docs that got the Mist got sick. Including me. So, keep your fingers crossed for me so I can go take care of my soon-to-be-husband! I need him healthy to walk down the aisle!
Anyway: if you get a chance to get the FluMist then I would try it out. For some reason they don't give it to adults - I think it's because of the live vaccine thing, adults have more medical problems...etc. and also I have heard that adults don't mount the immune response from that as well as the kids. However, getting a squirt up the nose is much nicer than a sore arm so I recommend it.
- ok back to the bullets. Sorry for the little tirade, I just think that people have no idea what they're reading most of the time, and for some reason there is a lot of misinformation regarding the flu. I hate to sound arrogant but I really do know what I'm talking about. :)
- As an aside-my hair looks AWESOME...eee!
- OK, it's time for bed. I wanted to talk about how awesome my weekend was but I need some sleep. More to post soon. Pictures may not come soon seeing as how Chris thinks he may die...so...don't hold your breath for them. ;)
1 comment:
I get swine flu shots before every bacon-y breakfast I eat!
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