H1N1 "Swine Flu" Ain't Got Nothing on 2012–2013 Strain...

LEDAdd1ct

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Went for a hike in October of 2009 and got a headache near the top. Told my friend it was likely because of eye strain/old glasses prescription.
Ran a low fever, felt tired, some minor congestion, may have puked but don't remember. In a few days, all was good.

This week my throat felt very, very dry on Tuesday. Wednesday I woke up feeling exhausted, even though I went to bed early. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and today been running 102/103 °F (39.4 °C) fever, the chills, extreme fatigue. Went to the supermarket to buy some soup, and barely able to lift the bag of cans into my cart.

During the times I was able to get out of bed and correspond with a few members, I learned that fevers may be beneficial,

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5

that the yearly flu shot is only 59% effective,

Link

that the capability exists to develop a highly effective flu shot good for five to ten years, but there is no money in it,

and that if it weren't for the Internet I would likely have gone insane.

After reading all the articles about how a fever helps your immune system defeat pathogens more effectively and faster,
I decided I would try not taking tylenol (acetaminophen) the next time my fever spiked.

Last night around 8:05 P.M. I checked and I had 103 °F (39.4 °C). I steeled myself. I put my palm on my forehead to act as a heatsink mechanism like on a flashlight body. Gigantic moral struggles were fought.

I caved.

Wobbly and weak, I popped two tylenol and was actually able to get some sleep, with a host of bizarre dreams.

So:

1) Anybody else suffering through this?
2) Anybody else try letting the fever do its thing?
3) How long did it take you to get well?

On a side note, the lady behind me on the plane who failed to cover her mouth and hacked for an hour right in my face has reserved some very special thoughts in my mind...
 

NonSenCe

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i try to let the fever rise some and stay there for a while.. but i do try to limit how high it rises (with pills).. my normal temp is on low side (36.4c) so just 37.5c feels already alot on me.

with +37c fever i only take pills if i MUST go and do something, like work or go to store etc, if i can rest and relax i let it be and ride it out. as that temperature only makes me tired and sick feeling but doesnt yet force me to stay in bed.. that comes at around 38c.

when fever spikes higher, i still tend to keep it in 37.5-38c with medication. (start small doses and increase until i find the right amount) as i have found out on myself that small fever does "heal" you faster than "killing" the temperature with medication. i bounce back to "normal" faster if i let the body feel bit feverish.. if i fight the symptons just by chucking pills to keep the temperature down it takes me about 2 more days to feel im in full strength than after "limited fever" treatment.

i wont let it go up to 39 as it feels like im dying already, basically cant get out of bed anymore. and also if it would rise above 39 and i have likely been eating the pills already and it will not drop down.. im off to doctors in hurry. there must be something wrong.

and i do medicate myself for the nights, i know the rest and sleep is good, and fever dreams are not restful type.. not in my case atleast.

and
if i do feel like im sick, i know i must take it easy and rest. so i will take a sick day(s). i once made the mistake of just working thru a bad flu, strained my body and kept on going with power of medication. and then, because of that, i kept beeing almost sick for almost 2 months after that.. it took me ages to get back to health, renewed small amount of fever several times and got other flu symptoms, got infections in sinuses and ears.. and then got the bronchitis. in the end: i had eaten over hundred 600mg ibuprofens and other meds, had 3 prescriptions of antibiotics. had about total 2-3 weeks of sick leave, in one to three day length segments and didnt feel completely healthy in between them either. felt just healthy enough to go back to work.. few days there and i was sick again.

nope, not going to do that again if i can avoid it. i rather take it easy for few extra days after i feel healthy just to avoid the complications.
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Sounds like on most counts you and I are on the exact same page!

Took my temp now and it is 100.3 °F (37.94 °C) which I can tolerate without issue. It doesn't feel the best, but if the fever helps the immune system,
I can deal at that elevation.

I agree about not pushing yourself. Tried that earlier this week, and was a miserable failure.

I'd love to see that vaccine good for five to ten years.
 

dudemar

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At 103F you were very close to hyperpyrexia. You were flirting with death. Popping the two tylenol was good idea, but at those temperatures you're toying with your life. Do the smart thing and go to the hospital right now. High fevers do come back.
 
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LEDAdd1ct

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Thanks for the post, dudemar. From poking around, hyperpyrexia is defined as "41°C (106°F)" or above.

"Hyperpyrexia

Hyperpyrexia is a fever with an extreme elevation of body temperature greater than or equal to 41.5 °C (106.7 °F)."

Source

While I am not endorsing a wiki as the be-all and end-all of knowledge, in this topic or any other,
the definition there is consistent with others on the web.
 

gadget_lover

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5,000 or more deaths per year from the flu.... Numbers to think about. If you are at 103 you should at least have someone checking on you, since the delirium that may accompany a higher fever would prevent you from getting help.


Only 46% of the US population has been getting vaccinations in recent years. It's been effective enough that many feel that it is unnecessary or ineffective. The reality is that you need a certain percentage of the population to be resistant in order to prevent rapid spread. If we don't get to that magic number, then it will become an epidemic as has been shown on TV.

If the vaccine is 65% effective, and 45% take it, then 1/3 of the population do not become carriers for the virus. People are not infected on every contact, so if that one person out of 10 that should get infected is vaccinated, the spread of the virus stops at that point. An infected person would have to sneeze on a lot more people if just another 10 percent get a flu shot.

I find it interesting that only California is not at epidemic levels, despite the way that huge parts of the state's population is in urban areas. What is California doing different than the rest? It is, after all, 1/10 of the US population.

If you have not been vaccinated, I ask that you join the group that is trying to stop the spread to those who can not resist the disease.

Daniel
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Saying "If only a 59% chance of prevention, then why bother getting immunized?" ignores the fact that spreading it may cost a young child or elderly person their life.

A child died in Minnesota who had been vaccinated. Although nothing can bring back their child, the parents
can at least think that in getting her vaccinated, they did everything reasonably expected to prevent the illness.

Two important links:

Here is a link to the CDC flu map, by state.

Here is a link to the Google Flu Trends site. Click your country for more info.

Sitting at 98.8 °F (37.1 °C) now without tylenol for 17 hours.
 
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jtr1962

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i try to let the fever rise some and stay there for a while.. but i do try to limit how high it rises (with pills).. my normal temp is on low side (36.4c) so just 37.5c feels already alot on me.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has a low normal temperature (mine is about 96.9°F or 36.1°C). As for the flu, fortunately I haven't caught it this year, so far. I think two things are involved. One, I put in nearly 4300 miles cycling last year. Exercise I heard boosts the immune system. Two, I was very ill with "something" about 5 or 6 years ago. It may have been the flu, or perhaps West Nile virus (it occurred not long after a mosquito bite). In any case, my fever ran past 106 and I literally couldn't get out of bed sometimes. I was pretty ill for over a week. I think beating this may have been like a superboost to my immune system. I haven't been severely ill since. The old adage what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger certainly rings true.

BTW, when I have a high fever I pretty much just stay in bed, or at most watch TV. Trying to do more just ends up dragging it out.
 

LEDAdd1ct

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I drove a couple miles to the supermarket, and was barely able to lift the cans of soup into my cart.

I've been upright at this machine too long...time to lie down again.

jtr1962, hope you don't catch it. It's bad. The fact you do your transporting by bicycle instead of in enclosed metal cages certainly helps keep space between you and the inconsiderate sick person across from you.
 

StarHalo

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I only do fever reducers/pills in general when it's time to sleep, during the day I let the body do its work. Don't overlook the power of coffee and tea - caffeine speeds up your body processes while the infection is stuck at normal speed.
 

dudemar

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While I am not endorsing a wiki as the be-all and end-all of knowledge, in this topic or any other, the definition there is consistent with others on the web.

Ahh, you missed an important detail my friend. Hyperpyrexia is between 40.0-41.5C. You were one degree away from that.

In addition to that I acknowledge your statement on Wikipedia, and per wiki:

body temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) can be life-threatening.

You were also likely suffering early heat stroke. Your fever may be down but it fluctuates.
 
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LEDAdd1ct

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Yeah. I tried and couldn't take it.

Popped the pair o' pills and was able to sleep.

Fever comes up at night...no tylenol since last night and last I checked a couple hours ago at 98.8 °F (37.1 °C).

It felt horrible.

I would never ask a parent to "leave their child alone" with 103.3° fever.
 

TedTheLed

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...then on the other side of the therapeutic coin, so to speak, is the fact that stress and/or pain can impede the healing process. So there is a decision to be made; easing the pain of stress (or vice versa) with 'a pill' thereby speeding recovery, or, duking it out with the alligators..
 

127.0.0.1

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At 103F you were very close to hyperpyrexia. You were flirting with death. Popping the two tylenol was good idea, but at those temperatures you're toying with your life. Do the smart thing and go to the hospital right now. High fevers do come back.

I had 104 plus fevers once due to a toxic reaction to something, and I will say the fever itself starts to destroy
organs and it takes a long time to simply recover and build back up from fever damage alone. never screw with
fevers alone, you could die once you hit 103 and above. I had to be iced to get me below 104.8 deg
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Thanks, Home.

I'll take some tylenol tonight if the fever comes back.

EDIT: Call it a gimmick, but it stood out from the usual "Made in China" fare, so I picked one up last week.

It's been working very well. Aside from a fear of water intruding into the case, I give it high marks.

When you feel lousy, you don't want to hunt down batteries.

Link to PDF

Top Quotes:

"With relatively low efficacy, the flu shot today doesn't have much power to produce true "herd immunity," Osterholm says. Herd immunity is achieved when enough people are immunized with an effective vaccine that the community's viral load drops, protecting even the unvaccinated."


"In a 2011 interview with USA TODAY, National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said he was "guardedly optimistic" that a "universal" flu shot could be developed within about five years..."


"Also, the Food and Drug Administration in November approved the first flu vaccine made in cell cultures, rather than chicken eggs...The USA's current system — a six- to nine-month process that relies on fertilized chicken eggs to grow viruses — is "archaic," says Robert Glatter..."


"Drug companies may see little point in developing a universal vaccine, Glatter says. "If you get a mega-vaccine once every 10 years to prevent the flu, the flu vaccine market would essentially be down-regulated, with less financial market incentive."

Source: USA Needs More Effective Flu Shot
 
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PhotonWrangler

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LED, I hope you're feeling better soon.

I am also of the thinking that fever plays an important role in healing but needs to be watched so you don't get into the danger zone. Whenever I've had the flu I always tried to 'bake it off' by staying bundled up. It seemed to help, at least from a subjective point of view. Keeping the fluids going helped also.

I've since been convinced that flu shots are at least moderately effective. I've been getting one annually and I haven't had the flu in over 20 years. Before that I used to get the flu annually and it would knock me down for a week each time.

Anyway, get well soon.
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Thanks, Photon. :)

Feeling much better now.

Just a cough every once in awhile, and a sore rib cage from extreme coughing fits earlier in the week.

I think I'll be getting the shot from here on out. 59% is better than nothing, and more than that, it may well lessen the severity
if I get it again.
 
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