Too late for a flu shot?

[bean]

First... I got a flu shot in December. I've gotten sick twice since then, but it was with the sinus infections that I always wind up getting in the winter.

Day before yesterday... 3 people in grocery out sick with flu.
Yesterday: 2 people out sick, and I wound up staying 2 1/2 hours late.
Today is my day off. Or rather, it was, until the phone rang.

Me: "Hello?"
Boss: "You shouldn't have picked up man! Wanna come to work?"
Me: "Not particularly, why?"
Boss: "We got 4 people out and nobody has worked frozen at all."
Me: "Shit. Yeah, I'll come in, give me an hour or so though, I just smoked." (pretty much everybody in the department smokes, including him... I don't mean cigs)
Boss: "Thanks man"
Me: "You guys really need to get flu shots and take your vitamins damnit"
Boss: "..... I know, I know."

I don't particularly like working frozen, but I already have 2 1/2 hours of overtime this week, and I figure I'll work 4 or 5 hours today for some more overtime.. plus I have a $70 bonus coming on my next check.

[Librarybabe]

It turns out, that the flu viruses most prevalent this season weren't part of the vaccines distributed late 2007/2008, so many states are experiencing flu epidemics. Pharmaceutical companies are having to "re-tool" for next year's production.
Take aspirin (or other pain med), drink as much liquid (non-alcoholic) as you can, stay warm, get rest, watch as many cartoons as you can while awake.
Hope you feel better soon!

[Sheldonrs]

Yeah, just in my dept. we have all had it multiple times in the last 3 months.
Every week at least one of us is out a day or so. It sucks!

[bean]

Ugh great, so it's just pure luck that I haven't gotten the flu... yet.

Turns out 5 people were out - one of them is on vacation. I got in, worked frozen, then the first of two deliveries for the overnight team showed up. Holy crap, 7 pallets on that truck when we normally get 2, maybe 3. I asked the boss how many are coming in on our main truck and he just said "A lot".

That's when I decided it was time to get the hell out of there so I can get enough sleep for tomorrow morning. I was already running on fumes since I work up at 2am after only 3 hours of sleep (stupid internal clock, I wanted to sleep in until 5 or 6). I worked a bit over 3 hours today... 2 1/2 extra hours yesterday.. and after seeing how big tonight's shipments are, I figure I'll wind up staying late again tomorrow. He asked me if I was sure I didn't want to stay late, so I pointed out how little sleep I'm running on. Usually I don't mind working up to 12 hours a day there, but when I'm this tired.... no.

[technical.angel]

We have work study for 4 days of the week, a total of 6 students. Last week, *1* of them showed up. The rest had the flu (or so they claimed).

[DGoddessChardonnay]

It turns out, that the flu viruses most prevalent this season weren't part of the vaccines distributed late 2007/2008, so many states are experiencing flu epidemics. Pharmaceutical companies are having to "re-tool" for next year's production.
Take aspirin (or other pain med), drink as much liquid (non-alcoholic) as you can, stay warm, get rest, watch as many cartoons as you can while awake.
Hope you feel better soon!

That's what I heard on one of the evening news programs just last week. This year's flu vaccine only protected against 40% of the strains that showed up over this winter . . .so even if you had one last fall, chances are more than half that you'd still catch it.

My "ritual" for dealing with the flu:

TheraFlu . . . the kind that mixes with hot water (not the strips or pre-mixed liquid.)

Plenty of icy water (as in mostly ice chunks)

Plenty of blankets

Remote control

Turn off the alarm clock . . . and the ringer on the phone too (after you've called in sick to work.)

Sleep, sip hot TheraFlu, eat light (soup, jell-o, crackers if you feel up to it) watch tv until you fall asleep again.

Hang in there . . . although you may feel like you want to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kevorkian, you won't kick out yet. It'll eventually get better.

[draftermatt]

I stopped getting flu shots.

I used to get one every year, until the year when they were short and said "if you are young and healthy you really don't need one"

Why should I pay for a shot that apparently I only need when the supplies are high enough?

My wife is required by law (Nurse) so she gets her's free. But some old person or young person can have mine.

[technical.angel]

Thanks, DrafterMatt, I'm taking yours. I lost of one of the "Get a flu shot if" when I moved out of the dorms, but now, I'm still left with being asthmatic and in Education.

The flu shotted Jenni, who seems to be doing the two step tango with the stomach flu.

[Primer]

Everybody I've ever known who got a flu shot subsequently came down with the flu. I've never had the shot, and I've had the flu only once in my life that I can recall.

[Mr. Rager!]

The flu shot will not prevent you from getting sick, but it may prevent you from being sick for a long period of time. I was out for 2 weeks and lost 12lbs. My dad ended up with the flu shortly after me and was sick for 4 days. My mom got sick shortly after him, again sick for only a few days.

So, I'm basically on my death bed (it felt like it, but I still worked) and didn't have my flu shot. My parents had theirs and were on their sick couch. (Technically, I was the one living on the couch for those two weeks.)

[Evil Queen]

Flu shots were required in elementary school in SC, but it has been a long time since then and I've never had a flu shot since.

I came down with something nasty about three or four years ago. So far, everyone I have spoken to (dr.s, nurses, co-workers and one random pre-med student... somehow..) said it wasn't the flu, but Mono. I was out of commision for the entire month of Feb. (which pissed off my then boyfriend, but that's a different story) and lost some 25 lbs.

I must say, though, I haven't been sick with anything ever since. Not even allergies. (holy cow! a good side effect from being sick?!)

[technical.angel]

I came down with something nasty about three or four years ago. So far, everyone I have spoken to (dr.s, nurses, co-workers and one random pre-med student... somehow..) said it wasn't the flu, but Mono. I was out of commision for the entire month of Feb. (which pissed off my then boyfriend, but that's a different story) and lost some 25 lbs.

Yep! Sounds like mono! Thankfully, I got it over the summer.

When I got it, it took the doctor a while to figure out it was mono. He gave me antibotics, and for the two weeks they worked, I was fine. The day they wore off, I was one sick little Jenni. After the second time of getting antibotics, he figure what was going on, and since there's really nothing else he could do, he left me on antibotics.

[Evil Queen]

Yep! Sounds like mono! Thankfully, I got it over the summer.

When I got it, it took the doctor a while to figure out it was mono. He gave me antibotics, and for the two weeks they worked, I was fine. The day they wore off, I was one sick little Jenni. After the second time of getting antibotics, he figure what was going on, and since there's really nothing else he could do, he left me on antibotics.

You lucky ducky! I never bothered to see a doctor because I lived so far out in the boonies, I figured it wasn't worth the hassle. Three weeks of solid sleep and lots of cranberry juice (mom says it was the only thing I could keep down) and I was fine.
How come Mono is that hard to diagnose, anyways?

I'm just glad I had gotten the mild version of it. Must have caught it in the grocery store...

[bean]

Don't believe people when they say you can only get mono once.

I've had it 3 times so far. Though all 3 times were from ages 12-17 (I'm pushing 30 now).

[technical.angel]

Kinda like the chicken pox. I had that 3 times too.