Monday, April 27, 2009

The New Potential Pandemic-Swine Flu or How the NP Spent Her Weekend!

Well folks, I think that I have been the unfortunate victim of this illness. The sudden onset of low grade fever, body aches from hell, nausea, vomiting EVERY hour, chills, sweats, and now on day two the stuffy nose and slight cough. It's pretty bad when you base what you try to eat consists of "will this taste as good coming back up in the next hour?"

After seeing a patient with the above symptoms, within 22 hours, three people in our office came down with the same symptoms with varying times of exposure. I was the lucky one with the longest contact so I ended up with the full force of the illness. I am going to propose that this is an airborne virus as well and contact.

The good thing is that the process doesn’t last more than three or four days (I’ve heard and pray!)

I hope that you all don’t have to experience this illness for yourselves. Protect yourself and your families by washing your hands frequently and avoid obviously ill people if you can do so.

Since the post above, I've recovered completely and hope that no one else I know gets this. It was pretty bad! Please, please, please use proper precautions and pay attention to others who are sick around you. Hang in there!

8 comments:

  1. Thus far there are no confirmed cases in FL that I've seen in the news... are you doing any testing? The peds office where I am based of course had lots of calls from panickly moms today. Always LOVE the media for inciting mass panic. Let's show a few MORE people wearing masks on TV :(

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  2. Jennifer,

    Glad you recovered. No fun being ill, regardless of what type of flu it is.

    We are all getting calls...this next week will be busy for sure!

    Barbara C. Phillips, NP
    www.NPBusiness.ORG

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  3. Lisa, I was told that they are only swabbing people who have had direct contact (traveled to specific states or to countries with outbreaks) and have fever greater than 100.4 with a cough. Nothing else counts? I've seen three other patients today with similar symptoms but no severe cough or fever? Are we going to miss cases because it's mutated already? I wonder.

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  4. Barbara, I'm in complete agreement! I never want to be that sick again.

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  5. Very interesting. They are sure to miss cases that way, esp. in FL where so much is brought to us, and right after spring breaks at that!

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  6. Lisa, I'm sure we will miss some of the cases as it changes. I hope that my patients, family and friends are spared. Yours too!

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  7. Are you feeling better by now? Or have you had any confirmation of the symptoms?

    Even though the CDC is significantly downgrading the severity, or threat, or the flu itself, the news outlets don't seem to be listening.

    There have been multiple reports that this Swine Flu is in fact no more dangerous than the regular Flu, but it's causing all this trouble!

    It makes me a bit afraid to finish up my online nursing program because I'm not sure how I'd manage to deal with this type of hysteria- I'd have been terrified to go to work just a week ago, and yet now, I feel like it was all hype!

    Is it taxing to have to deal with this type of a panic situation, or does everyone just continue to get along as if it were all the same?

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  8. Heather, I felt better in about three days. I never did have any respiratory symptoms. I haven't seen any hysteria in my office as most of my patients are pretty sensible.
    We have to be cautious in these situations because of new strains that evolve. I am always careful and all we can do is hope that our immune system is strong enough to fight off the germs and viruses. Good luck with school and hang in there!

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