Flu Outbreak Hits Phoenix

FOXNEWS ^ | 12/28/2005 | AP (VIA FOXNEWS)

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

Flu Outbreak Hits Phoenix

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

MESA, Ariz. — A flu outbreak is making its way around and hospitals say their emergency waiting rooms are packed.

The emergency room staff at usually sees 100 to 140 patients a day without any wait.

[Ditter]

Several of you folks seem confused about the flu. Influenza is 'the flu' and it affects your lungs and bronchial area, you do not vomit and poop. You have fever, chills, headache and muscle aches. The lower intestinal virus also can cause fever, and muscle aches along with the vomiting and diarrhea but the one that affects the lungs is 'the flu".

[ncpatriot]

Yes, I've had the bad flu - about every ten yrs or so. Nice to know that Tamiflu does work. I've got some on hand. Thanks for posting this.

[Ros42]

I have the one that is affecting my lungs/bronchial tubes. So far I've been able to avoid going to Urgent Care...but there's been a few times I sure thought about it.

[Ditter]

A flu shot would not have helped you with an intestinal virus, sounds like you had food poisoning, e-coli or something similar. I have heard people call it the stomach flu but that only serves to confuse. What you had was not influenza.

[shield]

The eastern europeans make wine with those berries. If the flu hits they drink a large quantity of the wine, sleep for about 12 hours and they're well thereafter. Those elderberries were known as a poor man's medicine.

[webstersII]

"Everyone I know who got a flu shot this year have gotten the flu"

It's a potential side effect of some of the flu vaccines, along with all sorts of other potential side effects.

[shield]

Thanks. I thought that was one weird flu. I thought it hit the lung area.

[Ditter]

I hear ya. You might need antibiotics if it goes into a secondary infection. If the mucus turns *any* color, usually yellow, then you need to call the doc. As long as the mucus is clear it's the flu.

[Ros42]

Will do, thanks! :)

[conservative cat]

There is also a nasty tracheo-laryngitius bouncing around the Chandler family (cough). With the high volume of dust and molds in the valley air, my asthma is kicking up, too (cough cough). Mrs. Chandler wanted me to go to urgent care Christmas Eve, but I knew I literaaly would not survive sitting in the waiting room for 12 hours (wheeze).

We've had something similar since a trip to So. Cal in late October (we live in WA). Two of us ended up on antibiotics. The two year old had an ear infection and I (pregnant mom) had it settle in my chest and throat. Even after a round of antibiotics, it's not totally gone. Ex-MIL met us on vacation and got the same thing. She lives in Avondale and has not been able to get in to see a doctor or urgent care. She said the same thing about the 12 hour wait in the ER. She is almost to the point of driving to Mexico and picking up antibiotics there. I am not usually a fan of that tactic, but... I really don't blame her. It's sad when you do have medical insurance and you can't get medical care!

[Slip18]

Whatever it was, it was bad. We had take-out Chinese food the night before, so maybe it was e-coli. Probably would never have been diagnosed in the ER, though.

[Slip18]

That's why in AZ we go by ambulance. Never walk in to a hospital. You'll be there for hours on end.

I go to my doctor if it's during office hours, but it always seems you get sick after office hours.

[Ditter]

Oh yes, the ER would have known what you had. I caught e-coli in France a few years back, got sick the day before we came home. Try to imagine being as sick as you were and being on a plane for about 9-10 hours. Fortunately the plane was only 1/3 full and I had a whole row to myself and the bathroom never had a waiting line. I still had diarrhea 2 weeks later and the doc put me on antibiotics and it finally cleared up.

[manwiththehands]

"... You have fever, chills, headache and muscle aches ... "

That's putting it mildly. Fever of a 104, 1/2 hour chill fits followed by drenching sweats, pounding head, and you feel like you've been hit by a truck. And for a month or so after you get over it you want to sleep 12 hours a day - and I was in my 20's.

But you came close. :-)

I can't believe anyone over 70 survives it.

[McGavin999]

Hey, good idea, I never thought of that.

One of the bad things about going to the emergency room is that if you're not sick when you get there (i.e. drove someone else there) you'll be sick by the time you leave.

[Ditter]

I am 65 years old and I might not survive it next time, that's why I get a flu shot. The secondary infection that comes on after the flu is what a lot of old people do die from.

[KYGrandma]

There's something going around here in SE Michigan. The worst is over for the family, except the terrible coughing that is just hanging on. Had a flu shot in November, but this is just as bad. If I could only stop coughing!

[manwiththehands]

You're too ugly even for the flu, huh? :-)

[manwiththehands]

And the two times in the last 25 years (the first time I got the flu and again last year) that I did not get the flu shot I got the flu. I haven't gotten my shot this year (my doctor can't get it - there's a shortage this year), but I have a dose of Tamiflu standing by.

[Ditter]

I have been getting flu shots about that long too and in that time I haven't had the flu but I did have bronchial pneumonia, that will make you think you have been hit by a train.

I had jury duty in early December 1993 and I remember thinking while I sat waiting "gee there sure are a lot of people in here coughing". In a few days I was a sick girl!LOL!