H1N1 Death [Archive] - Wegener's Granulomatosis Disease GPA Support Forum

Jaha

01-10-2014, 10:36 AM

To all,

I lost a friend of mine on Monday to this flu(H1N1), she was only 31. Her mom was also transferred from our local hospital with it just hours after she was sent to OSU. The local hospital had admitted them both for pneumonia and then they both started coughing up blood. They had put her in an induced coma and did a biopsy on her lungs that was Sunday and husband reported that things looked better, but Monday morn they did another procedure and they lost her. Please all of you take great care to protect yourselves from any germs if you are out in the public. We are from a community of about 3500 people and my mom is in that same hospital right now with bronchitis asthma, I can't be with her and I am scared for her, I'm usually the one who deals with mom's illnesses, but I know how dangerous that might be for me. Just wanted to give
guys prayers and a heads up to be really careful. Be well:scared:

pberggren1

01-10-2014, 12:20 PM

I'm so sorry to hear this Jana. I can feel your fear for sure. I have a few friends in the hospital here with pneumonia. 2 of them are in pretty rough shape.

windchime

01-10-2014, 12:29 PM

Jana,

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. Hopefully her mother is doing ok as well as your mom. Unfortunately we have to make hard choices to protect ourselves. Have you thought of wearing a mask and visiting her? You can get very good ones at Home Depot or Lowes that filter much better than the ones you buy at the drug store.

We have had two deaths from the H1N1 flu in the last two weeks. Both were in their 30's. There are currently 3 on life support in the next county over. One is pregnant, one is 62, the other in their 30's. This is a very virulent flu and it's very important to protect ourselves especially if it is in your area.

Take care Jana and my prayers are with you and your mom.

annekat

01-10-2014, 01:52 PM

I'm very sorry to hear this, Jana. It is sobering. I'm assuming she wasn't immune-compromised or anything of that nature. What a shock for you and all her friends and family. I hope both of your moms will come through OK and be back home soon. My prayers go out for her mom, especially, for what this will do to her while being sick herself, and for her dad, siblings, husband, and any kids she may have.

Debbie C

01-10-2014, 03:07 PM

Jana,I am also sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.It was just on the news last night how the flu is hitting many states hard. Did you or your mom get the shot ? I feel so bad for her mom,she must be devastated. Is your mom in a private room,you should try to get her home asap. When my mother was just in the hosp ( for something else ) the dr. said it may seem like we are not treating them but the sooner they get home and away from all the sickness in the hosp. the better. My prayers go out to all of you and I hope both moms can come home soon,and you stay well also:hug2:

NikkiNicole

01-11-2014, 04:54 AM

I live in an area of California known as the Bay Area, it's a cluster of 9 counties. There have been 7 deaths. One of which happened in my county. The death came in after I left work so I didn't hear about it until it was on the news this morning. (All deaths are reported to my office.)
The death in our county was a young man, who was only 23 and reportedly perfectly healthy. All the deaths in the area have been people under 50. Some with prior medical issues but not all. This scares me greatly, given where I work and the probability that people just come to work sick rather than use their sick time.
I just heard someone in here scoff at the guy that died, said it's a freak thing and nothing to freak out about.
Um ... Hello?
Do you remember me?
I can't get that flu! I can't. Remember? Do you want me to die?

NikkiNicole

01-11-2014, 04:55 AM

And I am so very very very sorry that you had to be personally affected by this. My heart goes out to you with your loss. Please stay safe.

pberggren1

01-11-2014, 09:09 AM

There have been 7 deaths in my province so far. Over 30 in ICU. And almost 700 confirmed cases.

JeanMarie

01-11-2014, 09:47 AM

I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. I hope your mom makes a quick recovery. Hugs, good thoughts and prayers coming your way.

annekat

01-11-2014, 11:21 AM

Nikki, the people at your work are way too callous. They should not be scoffing at anyone's death. I'm sure they are just trying to reassure themselves that if they get the flu they won't die of it. Yeah, what about you? Are you invisible or something? I'm pretty appalled at their attitude and lack of regard for you. And yes is it scary. I haven't gotten a shot and wasn't going to but am now beginning to wonder. Sheesh.

Alysia

01-12-2014, 02:45 AM

Hi Jaha,
my heart is going out to you, I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I am sending my prayers to your mom. I hope she will be better soon.
this is scary, the N1H1. as far as I know we don't have it now in Israel.
we had that epidemic in 2009 and some people passed away, but they stopped it with Tamiflu. my small son also had it and it was scary to death, and he vomit the Tamiflu. thanks God he recovered.
when we had it here, the instruction was to stay at home if you are sick, and kids were allowed back to school after being sick, only with a doc's letter that they are not sick anymore.
stay safe everyone.

annekat

01-13-2014, 06:08 AM

I do think it should be a policy at work places that people who are sick with something contagious should not be there. Any other policy is selfish on the part of both the sick worker and the employer. It is completely disregarding the welfare of others who are not yet sick with that contagious illness, and the fact that some may be immunocompromised for whatever reason and therefore in more danger from being around a sick co-worker.

Psyborg

01-14-2014, 12:19 AM

It's like impossible to make people see this. I've had managers tell people to stay home when they are sick, but they still come in. I think this is largely because we have a single pool of sicktime/PTO. People immediately see it as all vacation and don't want to spend vacation on staying home sick. Meanwhile I have to take my time to drive to cleveland 4-5 times a year, plus at least 2-3 days wasted by getting sick when people bring it to me.

pberggren1

01-14-2014, 12:57 AM

My mom does not get any sick days per year so has to use vacation time if she is sick.

Alysia

01-14-2014, 01:04 AM

My mom does not get any sick days per year so has to use vacation time if she is sick.
In Israel it would be illegal. one of the social rights here is to get payment for sick days.

annekat

01-14-2014, 03:03 AM

Those kind of laws here apply to companies with a certain number of employees, but not to very small companies with just a few people working.

pberggren1

01-14-2014, 10:53 AM

Not sure if I should start a new thread or post it here or what, so here it goes..........

Saw my Wegs doc today and of course she asked if I got the flu shot. So I told her no because of the RTX. She said the RTX does not wipe out all memory and that there are still many T and T-helper cells left. She did say that there might be a link to the flu shot and GB syndrome, but she strongly feels the risk for me is very low in getting the shot vs the potential benefits. I do know that if I got a flu like H1N1 I would most likely be dead in a couple days. She said she has worked in the Regina health system for over 25 years and has never seen that many patients in the ICU period. And they all have H1N1. We talked about Marta's case and others like hers and the adjuvants, etc. I have always been a fence sitter when it comes to the flu shot but maybe I might get it next season. Still not sure. She told me to do more research and she would try to find me articles in medical journals to help me decide. If the H1N1 can be hitting strong, young healthy people like this and putting them in the ICU or killing them then it would obviously get rid of me pretty quick. I'm still so confused on this matter. Please give some insight once again.

NikkiNicole

01-14-2014, 11:04 AM

Around here, in Northern California on the Western Side of the US, there are a couple different flu shot options. There is the nasal spray which is a live virus. I have NEVER got that one because I get so violently ill with the flu with the regular non-live virus injection. My doctor strongly advised against the live virus spray!
Not ALL of our flu shots in this country protect against h1N1. I've heard places offering that their shot does ... so they don't all cover it. That's the scary part.
In a place like mine, where we get 3.5 hours of sick time every single pay period and they accumulate and never have a cap ... if people are sick they need to go home.
I am absolutely livid right now.
My supervisor went home sick last night and came in today. We asked if she was feeling better and she said "I feel worse today.' but she has to stay late tonight so she's here.
No.
Absolutely not.
I will be speaking with her supervisor about this.

Debbie C

01-14-2014, 11:51 AM

Phil, this is still the time of year to get the shot. I am really surprised your doc. doesn't insist on it. I'm glad I got both the pnuemonia and flu shot. I don't know if it covers the H1N1 but I feel a little safer,but still take precautions.
Nikki,you need to keep a can of lysol at your desk and spray it when someone sick comes around you...maybe that will keep them away .

pberggren1

01-14-2014, 05:39 PM

Actually Deb, the peak is over. Flu season is coming to an end now.

annekat

01-14-2014, 05:45 PM

That is good news, Phil.

NikkiNicole

01-14-2014, 05:58 PM

Our flu season in the states peaks in February, at least here in CA. Ours is only just begun ...

NikkiNicole

01-14-2014, 05:58 PM

4 more flu deaths today in my area. It's awful.

pberggren1

01-14-2014, 06:00 PM

It is awful for sure. I feel for those families. I know if got it I would be dead in days. So I have to rethink the flu shot thing. I know most on here get it with no weird side effects so maybe I will get it again.

annekat

01-15-2014, 01:48 AM

I'm on the fence about it, too. Thinking the flu season is over does seem sort of like wishful thinking, especially in the face of additional deaths in N. California. I'm curious, though, where the flu bug goes when the season is "over"... does it just hibernate or die out, or what?

I'm so sorry about the new deaths, Nikki, and others elsewhere; haven't heard much about deaths around here.... I guess there may have been one or two around Seattle... I don't know why I wouldn't remember such a thing. But my sister lives in N. California and has a beach cabin at Salmon Creek in Sonoma County. I hate to think of the possibility of her or her husband getting this. Or any of us, of course.

Alysia

01-15-2014, 03:12 AM

I know if got it I would be dead in days.
no way, sweety, we need you around for many many years to come :love:

I remmeber when we have the N1H1 epidemic in Israel in 2009, docs used Tamiflu to treat, stop and prevent it. it was said that is must be given in the first 48 hours of the flu, otherwise it is not effective. it was also given to people who were in touch with those who got it.
I checked some links about it. seems controversial if it helps ot not.

Oseltamivir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oseltamivir)
Flu Treatment and Flu Prevention Medicine | Tamiflu® (oseltamivir phosphate) (http://www.tamiflu.com/)
Tamiflu oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing - WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/drugs/mono-5294-OSELTAMIVIR+-+ORAL.aspx?drugid=17765&drugname=tamiflu+oral)
The Myth of Tamiflu: 5 Things You Should Know - Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/harlankrumholz/2013/01/08/the-myth-of-tamiflu-5-things-you-should-know/)
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/new-questions-raised-about-tamiflus-effectiveness/?_r=0

so I suggest each one check with his doc.
please stay safe everyone !

pberggren1

01-15-2014, 04:53 AM

I don't think these flu strains disappear when summer comes around. It is the fact that we stay indoors much more often in the cold seasons and indoor air is stale, it gets recirculated over and over again. Heating systems for buildings don't bring in outside air to be heated. If they did it would probably make the flu season much less.

windchime

01-15-2014, 08:52 AM

Debbie C

01-15-2014, 02:35 PM

Yea Phil this is only the middle of the season,it goes on until March. I don't know about Canada though.What about across the ponds..is the flu bad in Europe or in the land of Oz ??

pberggren1

01-15-2014, 03:42 PM

I have no idea then. I'm just going by what my doc told me. She said it was pretty much pointless at this point for me to get the H1N1.

Debbie C

01-16-2014, 03:15 AM

It was just on the news this a.m. that 3 more people died of the flu in Toledo,Ohio ( that's not far from Cleveland )

Alysia

01-16-2014, 04:27 AM

there are still many T and T-helper cells left

something to give hope:

Scientists closer to universal flu vaccine after pandemic "natural experiment" (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_20-9-2013-17-43-38)

mr.g

01-16-2014, 08:01 PM

NikkiNicole

01-17-2014, 02:57 AM

We have 3 now in my area, and almost 20 in the Bay Area... AHH!

annekat

01-17-2014, 04:16 AM

I think...the news reported 12 flu death in Washington State as of the 14th. I try to stay away from groups but this winter I've had two funeral and too many meetings. Maybe I should go fishing until the sun shines again. Thanks, mr. g. I have not been keeping up with the news. 12 deaths in WA is quite a lot. As is 20 in the Bay Area of CA and 3 in the Santa Rosa area alone! That is not a really large population center and is some distance away from SF.

pberggren1

01-17-2014, 08:48 AM

Sounds like there is possibly a thousand deaths so far in the US from H1N1.......:sad:

NikkiNicole

01-18-2014, 08:38 AM

I just took a call for the coroner regarding another death in Santa Rosa. I then announced to everyone in the room that if people came near me with the flu, I'd spray them in the face with a can of Lysol. I literally got sick to my stomach when I heard what the guy had passed away from.
I felt more off last night, but I think it was because I choked on a piece of chicken and coughed so much it made my stomach a little upset.

pberggren1

01-18-2014, 08:50 AM

Stay safe Nikki. Do what you have to do.

drz

01-19-2014, 05:01 PM

Today's news on flu in MN:

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) -The Minnesota Department of Health reported 33 more flu-related deaths in the state last week, raising the total to 60 deaths in Minnesota this flu season.

Officials say 88 percent of the deaths were patients age 65 or older, making up 53 of the 60 fatal cases this season. There were no deaths in the past week involving patients under the age of 24.

To put this year's flu outbreak in perspective, 33 people died during all of last flu season. While officials stopped short of calling this year's season an epidemic, they acknowledged the activity is above average.
All told, 476 people were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza last week, Jan. 6 through Jan. 12. Since the start of the flu season, 1,842 patients have been hospitalized with the flu in Minnesota.

Nearly 100 schools reported outbreaks during the past week.

The CDC found this year's flu vaccine is 62 percent effective (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/20591132/2013/01/15/good-news-about-a-particularly-bad-flu-season). That means those who get it have a 62 percent chance they won't have to see a doctor with flu symptoms. Those findings are consistent with a University of Minnesota study that found the seasonal flu vaccine only works 59 percent of the time in adults over a 45-year period.

Read more: 33 more flu deaths in Minnesota - KMSP-TV (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/20615910/33-more-flu-deaths-in-minnesota#ixzz2qokX7BgM) 33 more flu deaths in Minnesota - KMSP-TV (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/20615910/33-more-flu-deaths-in-minnesota#ixzz2qokX7BgM)

ND has had 1217 cases of flu, 65 needed hospital care but no deaths. Their data says the numbers peaked two weeks ago and have decreased since then.

Debbie C

01-20-2014, 03:27 AM

This flu is terrible :ohmy: We all need to be extra careful when going out into the public because it seems when people are sick they don't care about staying home. I was out last weekend at the mall and people were coughing (without covering their mouths,which really pisses me off ) all over. I just gave them a dirty look and told my boyfriend loud enough so they could here it .." How ignorant,that they don't care who they get sick. Stay well everyone and have a good day.
Niki, I would spray your area with lysol a few times a day. Keep everything and everyone at bay...

Alysia

01-20-2014, 04:43 AM

oh. no. drz, this is aweful :crying: and scary :scared:
I checked the report of the ministry of health in Israel
http://www.health.gov.il/publicationsfiles/flu04012014e.pdf
it seems that Israel is now a safe place. no N1H1.
my dear weggie friends, I wish I could bring you here "untill the passage of wrath", it is also sunny and warm here most of the days...
Phil, is your Jet plane ready ? :wink1:
please take care everyone. wash hands. be careful. even be non-polite if needed to people who seems sick and are coming near you.
stay safe.