I think I have the flu

[crispini]

Headache, chills, fever, and achy all over. No cough or sneezing, though, so I'm not sure what that's about. Yes, I'm going to my doctor tomorrow so this is not a call for medical advice, just whining. Although let me say that I have just had a hot chocolate topped off with a couple of Panediene (codeine - aspirin hybrid that you can't get here, I brought it back from Oz) so I am feeling absolutely no pain right now which is nice considering what a rotten day I had. More hot chocolate please!

[bigwillq]

1. I hope you feel better soon.

:hug:

[crispini]

2. Thanks!

Me too! :D :hug:

[bigwillq]

3. I had the flu this past March

it was awful. But I am still not getting a flu shot. Never had one.

I had the flu this past March for the first time in 15 years. Here's hoping for another 15. :)

[crispini]

4. I was GOING to get a flu shot

But they were out. So there ya go.

[NNadir]

5. My boy's been running a fever all week. It started with chills.

Later he developed a nasty cough.

The doctor ran a flu test.

It was negative, which is, I think, a good thing.

It's his first year in high school and I'm concerned about the academic work. I hope he's well enough this weekend for an intensive episode of home schooling from his stupid father.

It is his bad luck that they're covering biochemistry, which means he's going to get all kinds of insufferable pedantry that "won't be on the test."

His little brother likes my science lessons, but the big guy, I think, could take 'em or leave 'em, and clearly sometimes wants to leave 'em.

At least you won't have to deal with that when you get better, which I hope will be soon.

[crispini]

7. haha, well, he'll learn something from you anyway

and I get the feeling YOU'LL enjoy teaching him. :D

[NNadir]

10. I will. That's the bright side, although I feel terrible he's sick.

He just doesn't get sick that much, so we're not used to it in this family.

He had perfect attendance all through junior high. I guess we were lucky.

He has an assignment from his robotics team - which he's been enjoying a great deal - to learn C++. He was well enough today to email the faculty advisor about a compiler he found and has been working with. I was proud of him for getting up to do that, self-motivated.

He's good with programming, and scored nearly a perfect score (299/300) on the science standardized test in these parts, but truth be told, when it comes to class based science and math, he really wants to do the minimum. I think I may have killed his interest by pushing it so hard when he was small. I swore I was going to be better than my parents in this way, but I'm not sure I've managed to be as good as them, never mind better.

On the other hand, his younger brother, a 5th grader, wants to talk science all day, and lately he's taken to giving lectures that even I don't want to hear - and can't always understand - on sub nuclear particle physics. He bought himself this book this summer: http://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Omega-Search-Beginning-Universe/dp/0670031798

I thought he bought it to try to look impressive, and I discouraged him from spending the money on something I thought he wouldn't use, but damn if he didn't read it 3 or 4 times already. Now he cruises the internet looking for particle physics stuff.

But the big guy, he'd rather do programming and art. His goal is to build video games, maybe because I hate video games. Hopefully he'll do that robot thing too. I could use his help on some of that stuff.

It's hard to see him sick and unable to do his things.

But I'm rambling at you and you're sick: Feel better. Stay warm.

[crispini]

11. Sounds like they are both good kids

and with an interest in science (and video games!) they'll go far. I'm a big fan of video games, well at least the Wii and simple games you can play online -- I'm certainly not a hardcore gamer -- but the Wii is quite a lot of fun -- and very active and social, too!

And I'm enjoying being rambled at -- :) DU is proving an excellent diversion. I think my fever just broke, I'm sweating like crazy. Maybe I won't go to the doctor after all tomorrow -- we'll see. Bless my neighbor, she went out and bought me chicken soup and a thermometer so at least I know how high the fever is getting. :D

[NNadir]

14. Go to the doctor. If it's H1N1 your best chance is to treat it early with one of the anti-virals.

At this time, it's not too good to try to muscle it out.

Thanks for the compliment on my boys. I love them very much, and I hope I do right by them and that they're safe.

[stray cat]

9. PCR is accurate but doctors don't use it often - the nose swab test misses almost 50% of cases

[crispini]

12. Wow.

I had no idea, very interesting.

[NNadir]

13. I didn't know that. Got some references on that?

My doctor diagnosed me with swine flu earlier this year - based on an impression, he said they were refusing to do swine flu tests because of shortages of kits.

It turned out though, that what I really had was Lyme disease. I was lucky enough to get the rash, and I went back to him and talked it over and got it treated.

He's a great doctor, by the way, not imperious at all, and he actually listens to your ideas about your illness, and when he doesn't know, or makes a mistake, he says, "I don't know" or "I made a mistake." We had a great talk discussion of neuroamidase inhibitors, that Tamiflu stuff. (The CDC is now saying Tamiflu isn't all that effective on H1N1.) I feel like he takes my advice seriously, and I hope I helped him with the potential crisis.

I love that about my doctor, that he treats you like a grown up. He's a good Democrat too.

I feel like I've been sick all year. My kid's sick, my wife's exhausted - working too hard - and my job is all pressure. I'm working too hard, sleeping too little, and stuffing my brain with too much information. On the side, I'm trying to write 4 or 5 patents and do background research on prior art.

But we're all alive, and if you're still breathing, that's good news.

I've been here in the Lounge a lot, because I'm trying to relax and have some fun. I was up all night last night preparing for a meeting with one of those "world's expert on..." kind of guys, in from overseas. He proved to be a great guy, but I was scared shitless. It went well.

[stray cat]

15. Link below - One reason they are not relying on the rapid test for diagnosis or treatment

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/15/10/1662.htm Epidemiology studies are using PCR and these are called PCR-confirmed cases - but that is not a rapid test that can be done in the doctors office or ER. Also, the ER doctor told me the same thing when the rapid test for me was negative even though it had been PCR-confirmed.

[NNadir]

16. Thanks. I appreciate that. I'll keep it in mind.

[Danger Mouse]

6. Take care and get well soon.

:hug:

[crispini]

8. Thanks!

:hug: :hi: