Shug, if'n I had seen a $100 bill on my front lawn, I would have flu out there to get it, flu or not.
Went to Doctor this morning 10AM. Wife sat in with me. I was armed to the hilt with questions relating to last night's searches. Did the fever first, this morning 101.1` for the 8th. day. He studied the blood workup, and said, "I don't know". Went on to ask if additional bloodwork was OK with me. Sure, it is. I mentioned possible Adrenal tumor, on the Hypothalamus or Pituitary. He looked seriously at me, and asked if I thought that might be a real possibility. He listens and listens, then looks off to one side, finally proclaiming some possible conclusion. Never had a Dr. who came close. Never answers with an immediate opinion, without thinking it over; previous Doctors spit out opinion, then go on, right or wrong. We both like him better than any other we've either experienced. Frank
Bad night, again, morning better, by noon 101.4 temp. again, my wife prevailed. Spent afternoon in ER. Flu A & B negative. Chest X-ray negative (but, can see my deteriorated shoulder-joint balls and sockets). 2 hour long IV of Levoquin, a high power antibiotic known to sometimes cause tendons to snap. Asked about that, they either don't know, or don't discuss it. Big warning at pharmacist about it. If no improvement 24-48 hours, I'm to go back. Guess then they start looking at my Hypothalamus and Thyroid. The former instructs the Thryroid how much to control body temperature. A tumor would be bad news. Barely keeping my head up, I'll check in tomorrow with what I've learned about "Walking Pneumonia". Heard that one all my life. Frank
That is what I was thinking, too, @Shirley Martin . If they are giving you an antibiotic, @Frank Sanoica , then it would seem to indicate that you have some kind of bacterial infection that they think can be stopped with antibiotics. If it were a flu virus, then antibiotics would not affect it, since they are of no use against a viral infection. As long as your fever is not very high, it probably means that your body is trying to fight off the infection, which is what a fever is supposed to do, and that is a good sign. Since you are taking acetaminophen to keep the fever at a low-grade one, it is probably taking it longer to fight off the infection; but hopefully the antibiotics will help do it in.
@Shirley Martin Apparently maybe, and maybe not, depending (I think) on the degree of lung involvement. The X-Ray revealed nothing. Frank
A mild case of bacterial pneumonia, often called walking pneumonia, features symptoms similar to the common cold,7 including: Persistent dry cough that often gets worse at night. Low-grade fever. Shortness of breath. Fatigue or tiredness. Chest pain that gets worse when you take a deep breath or cough. Loss of appetite. My granddaughter had walking pneumonia and it took quite awhile to go away. She was able to go to school, and do regular things....but she was tired all the time and experienced most of these other symptoms too. @Frank Sanoica One article I read says that it often comes on after someone has had the flu.
@Babs Hunt My wife is probably right about me being atypical. From the above list: No cough whatsoever No shortness of breath. Can breathe as deeply as I want effortlessly. Fatigue tiredness, weakness: GOT IT. No chest pain whatever Hungry all the time. My added: Chills, extreme, alternating with being hot and sweaty. Evidently it DID come on after the flu, but the check on Thursday showed no flu virus left. This is the sickest I've ever felt, but then too, I've never been sick at 75 before. Frank
So far as I know once its gone, its gone, and as your body now has resistance, it don't come back. That said, the fine print is the bit about "once its gone its gone"...because it can often seem to be gone when its really just hiding out. The antibiotics can almost kill it off but a little has escaped, hunkered down, rebuilding its numbers, and waiting to attack again.
Healthcare workers in some areas are forced to take the shot in order to remain employed. Here healthcare workers who work around children and pregnant women MUST take the MMR vaccine if they are going to work at that job. State law. They used to exempt anyone born before 1957, but that exemption no longer applies.
Antibiotics do nothing for the flu itself, but they can prevent or arrest secondary infections like pneumonia. "Walking Pneumonia" is most commonly caused by something called Mycoplasma, and was once called "Atypical Pneumonia". Mycoplasma can be killed by Erythromycin or Azithromycin (Z-pak).
I know that! I was talking about regular citizens. I volunteered at a hospital and had to get the shot then. Did you read the whole thread? I'm not against shots at all.
Sure, I read the whole thread. I wasn't commenting on anything other than your statement that "they" can't make you take a shot. Some professions are pressured to do it, and I know it has been considered as a requirement for coverage by both the VA and Medicare, but so far no bureaucrat has been willing to start the political furor that it would cause. They are thinking about it, though, "for our own good" because we don't know any better.