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New York, 7:16 AM
Sun Nov 29
17 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/05/09
As soon as I can get it, I will. A guy I know had it recently and said it was MISERABLE. And while I have the sick days, the thought of missing a week of work, and all the sub plans, etc. that would go with it, makes me shudder. #swineflu
11/05/09
not a big deal. :) #swineflu
11/05/09
Did you read any of the other comments before you posted yours? #swineflu
11/05/09
in bed for three days and then coughed for a week. only took cough medicine.
i guess my response is influenced by most everyone around me FREAKING OUT about it. especially given that more people die of other flus than this one..
p.s. i was tested; definitely positive. #swineflu
11/05/09
I guess I just bristled at your cavalier attitude, especially since so many shared stories of how awful their experiences with it have been. #swineflu
11/07/09
People are stupid to take the flu shot, but should do what ever they want to do. #swineflu
11/07/09
11/05/09
And they look at me blankly and say no. So how did they know it was swine flu, and not regular seasonal flu, hmm (assuming they didn't get the seasonal flu vaccine)? I feel like due to all the media panic, anyone who gets a bad cold or the seasonal flu this year is proudly telling everyone that they had swine flu.
They may have, but it's equally likely they didn't. #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
And I will say, I did have it (and was actually tested, a week after receiving a clinical diagnosis, because my boyfriend recently got the vaccine which contained live virus.) It was AWFUL. Absolutely miserable. My face, legs, and chest were so hot it was painful for me (104 fever for 6 days, 102-101 for a few days before and after) and I was so dehydrated I had to get fluids in an IV. It is absolutely a more miserable experience than seasonal flu. #swineflu
11/05/09
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11/05/09
I get sick like 4-5 times per winter (unfortunately), but even without flu shots have only had the flu 3 times that I can think of in the last 15 years. It's definitely awful-- comes on so quickly, terrible fever, terrible bodyaches.
So I guess what I'm saying is, I still wonder if some of those folks have swine vs. seasonal flu, but based on what you said about so many that they did test being positive, I guess most likely do have swine. #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
Anyway, the diagnosis bit seemed pretty haphazard to me. The doc examined him and said he had the flu. Then he went on to say that since seasonal flu hasn't started yet, it's H1N1. He said they weren't specifically testing for H1N1 because 1) it's an expensive test and 2) whatever the result, the treatment is the same. #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
@RupertsDrop: Not being able to wake him when you gave him a shake sounds like a *very* good time to bring him in to the doctor. Glad your son is okay now. #swineflu
11/05/09
The whole Swine flu/seasonal flu thing has me very confused. Over the last few days I've spent a lot of time trying to find information that distinguished between the two. I wasn't able to find any definite information. The crazy thing was that I had two sick kids with different symptoms. One had a high fever, the other a low fever. One was throwing up, the other was lethargic. They're both better now (thanks!), and even though the doctor told me he thought it was H1N1, I wonder. I'll still have them vaccinated... if the doctor's office ever gets it. #swineflu
11/05/09
Both my husband and I have had our flu shots and he's getting the H1n1 shot soon through work. I'm not at risk and as I keep pointing out to him, I'm not the one who ended up in the ER two years ago because of the flu. I figure, it's that time of the year and if I feel like crap, I'll stay home. #swineflu
11/05/09
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11/05/09
I didn't bother getting tested because the test isn't totally accurate, I wasn't sick enough for hospitalization, and I really, really didn't want to get out of bed.
People need to deal with the fact that they may get really sick this year and there isn't a quick way to get better. The flu takes time to get over even with Tamiflu (if they decide you need it). The point to freak out is if you are having real trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or chest pain. If you have a little kid, be a little more proactive. [www.cdc.gov] #swineflu
11/05/09
Mas vale prevenir que lamentar. Especially when insurance pays for it anyway. #swineflu
11/05/09
I didn't know what to say besides, "Oh, no." What does that even mean? A flu vaccine isn't Santa Claus -- it's a safe way to keep your child from contracting a potentially dangerous illness. That just pisses me off. There's so much talk about respecting people's choices about the vaccination, but why should I have to respect a choice that is ignorant and irresponsible?
I'm pregnant, so I got the H1N1 vaccine, so at least my paranoid self isn't going to worry that my niece is incubating the virus while she's being adorable and putting her ear against my belly to "listen" to her cousin. #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
I don't think I'm overly trusting -- I respect the science that goes into making a vaccine, even if I don't understand it completely. It's just that there are those so ignorant of how such things are developed they think they're being vigilant and wise by being suspicious. #swineflu
11/05/09
This goes for seasonal flu as well as H1N1, too. #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
I understand the obvious worry over the deaths of children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems, but isn't that the case with any strain of flu? I really do not intend to belittle someone's worry, I guess I just don't see what the BD is about this. Am I way off base here? #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
Seasonal flu kills about 35,000 people every year-- I would bet (though not too much, because you never know!) that by the time this is over, swine flu won't have killed any more. #swineflu
11/05/09
It's scary for me, because I am prone to getting pneumonia, which is how most people die, and I had swine flu.... it was awful. So I agree it's not a BFD for most people, but for some it's really scary. When I was sick, and my mom would tell people she was worried about me, people weren't very nice to her, saying she was making too big of a deal, but they didn't bother to listen to why she was so scared.
Okay now I'm rambling and have gone completely off topic. Sorry guys! #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
Edited: I did not mean to sound callous.
Just trying to offer a reassuring comment about one family of 4 who survived 2 weeks of H1N1, felt like shit (high fevers, coughing for days, exhuastion - both from the flu and from staying up nights taking my kids temps.), but NO required hospitalization.
11/05/09
How much worse was it than the regular flu? On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being "I want to sleep for twelve hrs. straight and maybe then I'll have sufficient strength to endure an episode of Law & Order on the couch" and 10 being, "Must...murder...all...pigs...on..planet...Earth...fuck...bacon...(reaching for pail)." #swineflu
11/05/09
But, I think my toddler spit out most of his anti-viral meds.
For this age group there should be an anti-viral shot or a daily nasal spray.
I'm afraid of the virus quickly mutating if hundreds of babies/toddlers are just spitting out 1/2 of their nasty tasting medicine. (And trust me, I tried everything to get the kid to take his meds properly, but to no avail.) #swineflu
11/05/09
Don't know how to rank it in #'s (too arbitrary). But for my family, it was not your version of a 10. We shall let the pigs live! #swineflu
11/05/09
11/05/09
11/05/09
#1 - The vaccine production was "rushed" and the vaccine has never been tested on humans. Do you like to play guinea pig for Big Pharma? If so, line up for your swine flu vaccine this fall...
... Read More
#2 - Swine flu vaccines contain dangerous adjuvants that cause an inflammatory response in the body. This is why they are suspected of causing autism and other neurological disorders.
#3 - The swine flu vaccine could actually increase your risk of death from swine flu by altering (or suppressing) your immune system response. There is zero evidence that even seasonal flu shots offer any meaningful protection for people who take the jabs. Vaccines are the snake oil of modern medicine.
#4 - Doctors still don't know why the 1976 swine flu vaccines paralyzed so many people. And that means they really have no clue whether the upcoming vaccine might cause the same devastating side effects. (And they're not testing it, either...)
#5 - Even if the swine flu vaccine kills you, the drug companies aren't responsible. The U.S. government has granted drug companies complete immunity against vaccine product liability. Thanks to that blanket immunity, drug companies have no incentive to make safe vaccines, because they only get paid based on quantity, not safety (zero liability).
#6 - No swine flu vaccine works as well as vitamin D to protect you from influenza. That's an inconvenient scientific fact that the U.S. government, the FDA and Big Pharma hope the people never realize.
#7 - Even if the swine flu vaccine actually works, mathematically speaking if everyone else around you gets the vaccine, you don't need one! (Because it can't spread through the population you hang with.) So even if you believe in the vaccine, all you need to do is encourage your friends to go get vaccinated...
#8 - Drug companies are making billions of dollars from the production of swine flu vaccines. That money comes out of your pocket -- even if you don't get the jab -- because it's all paid by the taxpayers.
#9 - When people start dying in larger numbers from the swine flu, rest assured that many of them will be the very people who got the swine flu vaccine. Doctors will explain this away with their typical Big Pharma logic: "The number saved is far greater than the number lost." Of course, the number "saved" is entirely fictional... imaginary... and exists only in their own warped heads.
#10 - The swine flu vaccine centers that will crop up all over the world in the coming months aren't completely useless: They will provide an easy way to identify large groups of really stupid people. (Too bad there isn't some sort of blue dye that we could tag 'em with for future reference...)
The lottery, they say, is a tax on people who can't do math. Similarly, flu vaccines are a tax on people who don't understand health.
Such absolute ignorance and bullshit can be hard to combat. Luckily I am home sick ( yeah, I know ) and have plenty of time to amuse myself dropping science on the heads of morons. #swineflu
11/05/09
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11/05/09
#1 Yes the vaccine was "rushed" However there have been human trials done. Just because the Canadian trials are not completed doesn't mean other countries haven't completed trials....
#2 - Swine flu vaccines contain dangerous adjuvants that cause an inflammatory response in the body. This is why they are suspected of causing autism and other neurological disorders.
#2 Vaccines have never been proven to cause autism. The original claim was regarding the measles,mumps and rubella vaccine, of the 13 authors involved in the article, 10 have now stated that their evidence for the link was insufficient.
Yes adjuvants cause inflammatory responses, that's the whole point of using them. They boost your bodies immune system reaction. The adjuvants in the Canadian H1N1 vaccine have been used in clinical trials and determined to be safe.
#3 - The swine flu vaccine could actually increase your risk of death from swine flu by altering (or suppressing) your immune system response. There is zero evidence that even seasonal flu shots offer any meaningful protection for people who take the jabs. Vaccines are the snake oil of modern medicine.
#3 Yes it could. The important word here is "could". That doesn't mean it will or that it's even likely.
Also there is evidence that seasonal flu shots are beneficial to those who get them.
#4 - Doctors still don't know why the 1976 swine flu vaccines paralyzed so many people. And that means they really have no clue whether the upcoming vaccine might cause the same devastating side effects. (And they're not testing it, either...)
#4 The 1976 swine flu vaccine is linked to a condition called GBS which results in muscular weakness. Most people recover completely but some are left with chronic weakness. 10 in one million people vaccinated people developed GBS. Yes they still don't know why it happened, however it was the only vaccine to have a clear link to GBS. The H1N1 vaccine is not the same as the 1976 swine flu vaccine.
#5 - Even if the swine flu vaccine kills you, the drug companies aren't responsible. The U.S. government has granted drug companies complete immunity against vaccine product liability. Thanks to that blanket immunity, drug companies have no incentive to make safe vaccines, because they only get paid based on quantity, not safety (zero liability).
#5 Can't argue with you there. Unless anyone believes that drug companies have a vested interest in our well being.
#6 - No swine flu vaccine works as well as vitamin D to protect you from influenza. That's an inconvenient scientific fact that the U.S. government, the FDA and Big Pharma hope the people never realize.
#6 Low vitamin D may well be a factor in influenza infection. This means both H1N1 and seasonal influenza. The comparison between the effectiveness of vaccines and vitamin D is unknown. There are ongoing clinical trials testing both H1N1 vaccine and vitamin D.
#7 - Even if the swine flu vaccine actually works, mathematically speaking if everyone else around you gets the vaccine, you don't need one! (Because it can't spread through the population you hang with.) So even if you believe in the vaccine, all you need to do is encourage your friends to go get vaccinated...
#7 Well if you lived in a sterile environment and you could ensure that all your friends where vaccinated and that everyone they came in contact with was vaccinated and so forth, this could work.
#8 - Drug companies are making billions of dollars from the production of swine flu vaccines. That money comes out of your pocket -- even if you don't get the jab -- because it's all paid by the taxpayers.
#8 Yes
#9 - When people start dying in larger numbers from the swine flu, rest assured that many of them will be the very people who got the swine flu vaccine. Doctors will explain this away with their typical Big Pharma logic: "The number saved is far greater than the number lost." Of course, the number "saved" is entirely fictional... imaginary... and exists only in their own warped heads.
#9 Only time will answer this.
#10 - The swine flu vaccine centers that will crop up all over the world in the coming months aren't completely useless: They will provide an easy way to identify large groups of really stupid people. (Too bad there isn't some sort of blue dye that we could tag 'em with for future reference...)
#10 It's possible that the swine flu pandemic will turn out to be all hype and that the vaccines will be worthless or even harmful. We'll just have to wait and see which group is wrong. #swineflu
11/06/09
11/05/09
My abs are crazy sore from coughing, and I'm hoping they'll be all washboard-like by the time I'm done with this. #swineflu
11/05/09
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11/05/09
I didn't mean to make light of the wait times and issues with queue priority. #swineflu
11/05/09
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