Sick and a tad freaked out... questions

[rosacer]

How sad it is you are not feeling well Kaiasgram . I came just to see what had happened with the new machine experience, I was expecting to see great news not this .

I hope it is not the nasty influenza. Here the emergency at hospitals was jam pack yesterday because clinics were too jam packed with people with the influenza and others with diarrhea to treat all the patients. The news told as weird as it can sound the vaccine from this year even if it has the virus stream on it it seems is not working as intended. One of the symptoms I saw at the hospital is a non stop coughing.

It could happen that you caught a cold and the sinuses get irritated with the new machine. I know that my two machines (a Phillips and a Resmed) doesn't deliver humidity the same way, maybe the amount of air delivered is different so less humidity, or the temperature?

I wish you a very fast recovery from whatever has produced the sinus problem. HUGS

Rosie

[cosmo]

In my office section, I have 3 people that are sick. 2 stayed home during the week, 1 has been coming in still and coughing the whole time. One guy was so scared he went out at lunch and got a flu shot

[YogaKitty]

I hope you are feeling better. My teenage son and I both had the flu in November. It hit early in our area of Texas this year. We both started off feeling like our heads were going to explode! Using my cpap at night with the humidity cranked up a little really seemed to help me breathe easier and get some sleep, even when my nose was blocked.

[BlackSpinner]

I hope it is not the nasty influenza. Here the emergency at hospitals was jam pack yesterday because clinics were too jam packed with people with the influenza and others with diarrhea to treat all the patients. The news told as weird as it can sound the vaccine from this year even if it has the virus stream on it it seems is not working as intended. One of the symptoms I saw at the hospital is a non stop coughing.

It also seems complicated together with a Noro Virus. You get the flu and it sets you up by reducing your immune system and you catch the Noro virus (48 hour stomach flu)
The season started early too. I had the flu in October, luckily I didn't infect the parents, my hands were raw from washing. We all got flu shots last month. The caregiver company has also blasted through the flu epidemic last month. We had random people flying in and out looking looking like they hadn't slept in days covering for the sick ones. One of our regular caregivers came down with it and ended up with pneumonia and is now working in the office as she recovers from that - a young healthy woman. Many of them got sick before the flu vaccines came out in November.

[cosmo]

The flu is on the top 10 trending list on yahoo.


http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm


I'm going to pick up some medical mask. To have on hand.


Winter 2013 looks like its going to get interesting

[jencat824]

Someone at the CDC missed the mark on the flu bug prediction for this year. Even so, my entire family refuses to get flu shots. I'm the ONLY family member to get one. My mother-in-law lied to the dialysis center & said she had one, just to keep them from forcing her to get one. I explained she could have just refused & she thought they would make her. Its not always fun dealing with the elderly, they sometimes get stuff into their head & no matter how much I talk, there is no listening going on.

Anyway, I'll bet my whole family will get flu shots next year!

I hope all the flu victims on this forum feel better soon.
Jen

[chunkyfrog]

I had it the weekend before Christmas.
Called in sick Christmas Eve.

[herefishy]

There've been so many duds as far as flu years lately that we have been getting lax. I haven't had a shot for years, but might have to get one.

[archangle]

I thinks is odd that acetaminophen is bad for the liver, but they put it in most controlled substance pain relievers. Also just as odd is the medical community pushes acetaminophen & ibuprofen (and is sister NSAIDS), then wonders why patients have liver & kidney failure. My kidney disease is due to a dr who over prescribed ibuprofen with another NSAID (salsalate), then poof & oops, I've got kidney disease. It is best that we all become better informed patients.
Jen

Actually, acetaminophen isn't bad for the liver unless you overdose. It's one of those weird things where a small amount is essentially not harmful at all up to a certain point. Then as the dose gets larger, it has short term effects, then long term effects, then fatal effects.

A couple of pills twice a day for your whole life may not do any harm.

20 pills in one single day might cause permanent liver damage.

Our scumbag government requires acetaminophen in many pain relievers BECAUSE it's poisonous. They'd rather see you have liver damage than get high off of hydrocodone. I'm not kidding. Hydrocodone with acetaminophen is in one drug "schedule" and pure hydrocodone is in another drug schedule and is much more difficult to prescribe and dispense. This is solely so that the acetaminophen will poison you if you abuse the painkiller.

[archangle]

I've heard from several sources that quite a few people are getting flulike symptoms, but have been told it's not the flu.

Unfortunately, this means your flu shot won't necessarily help, and you might get the Mayan Crud and the flu in the same season.

I'll recommend again that everyone get a pneumonia vaccine when they get a chance. It's fairly cheap and lasts many years. It's not 100%, but improves your odds.

[kaiasgram]

Flu has been all over the news the past few days, scary prognosis for this year. Sounds like many of you have already been hit.

I tested negative for Influenza A and B. I have a "generic" virus so the challenge now is to make sure I don't develop a secondary bacterial infection. I think my chances are good as I feel a little better today.

Pugsy, I think the lack of humidification and warmth in the loaner BiPap compared to my S9 was too much for my virus-infected airway and made for some killer symptoms the first couple of days. Would you recommend cranking the humidification up to max when I resume the bipap trial? I think max is 5 on this machine and I had it on 4.

I still consider myself a newbie being on PAP less than a year, and this is the first respiratory infection I've had to deal with since starting so it was a little more stressful than it used to be -- before I didn't have to make a decision about whether to keep myself breathing at night while sick! So thanks guys for your advice and good wishes, and please everyone, stay well.

[Pugsy]

I think I would try 5 humidity setting on the PR S1 machine in hopes that it will give you more like the S9 setting of 4 would give you.
Maybe also increase bedroom temp just a little to help with overall warmth of the air.
Plus use the homemade hose cozy with even more added padding if the air doesn't seem warm enough.
You are probably right....the combination of the sick nasal passages from the virus along with the change in humidified air (change from what you were used to) going to the nose and sinuses was a recipe for disaster. Likely made an already bad situation worse.
I just don't see the PR S1 giving you a whole lot more than what you were getting with the S9 at similar setting.

Hope you continue to mend from your ordeal. It's no fun for sure.

[BlackSpinner]

Pugsy, I think the lack of humidification and warmth in the loaner BiPap compared to my S9 was too much for my virus-infected airway and made for some killer symptoms the first couple of days. Would you recommend cranking the humidification up to max when I resume the bipap trial? I think max is 5 on this machine and I had it on 4.

Humidity is crucial. One of the traditional ways to deal with the symptoms of a respiratory infections is to put a steamer in the room with the patient and this is especially true with babies.

[ughwhatname]

When I had a recent head cold, I switched my climate setting to manual, then changed my humidification to 5.5 and turned the heat up to 84. Normally, I've got heat at 80 and climate on Auto. It really helped with my coughing.

[kaiasgram]

Thanks Pugsy, BlackSpinner and Ugh -- I'll go for more humidification. I agree, I remember the vaporizer in my room when I was a kid and was sick. Makes sense.