Do you get colds or flu?

[jendie]

I haven't had a flu shot since 1999. Haven't had the flu since 1991. In '99 I got a flu shot, Tetnus shot, and a pneumonia shot. I only reacted to the pneumonia shot. I did get pneumonia in 2007, but this was because we had a rabbit and I was the only one cleaning her cage. We put pine shavings on the bottom of her hutch, not the area she was on but down in the area below the mesh of her flooring.

With 3 sons in the local public school system since 1994, I've been lucky enough to NOT catch anything they have brought home.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

In 1993, my sons were forced to have flu shots as adults, when they began an adult day activity program. Every single attendee of that program, including my boys, were sick for months. We took them out of that program, and they stayed at home with us. No more flu, because we isolate ourselves during the flu season.

Jon has been hospitalized during flu season, and we've been with him day and night, and neither one of us, nor Jon, got the flu.

Earlier this Spring, Jim had his first visit to Jon's doctor, who has accepted us now as patients, during an extreme flare of RA. Jim consented to a pneumonia vaccine. GIANT MISTAKE! Jim's arm still has not recovered fully, and this was in May. He was in bed for a week after that shot, in pain, and very ill.

We take a good multi vitamin, extra Vitamin D, and we're vegetarians. We both have RA.

One of the problems with the annual flu shot is that the people concocting the vaccine don't really know which strain will hit. Many times the flu shot doesn't target the one strain that strikes or breaks through whatever barriers the flu shot might have created.

A dear friend of ours, who has MS symptoms, recently recovered from an upper respiratory infection followed by an intestinal virus. And she had a flu shot.

We avoid crowds, busy times at the grocery or pharmacy, limit visitors to our home, blow our noses and wash our hands (something I learned in the 80s from an ICU nurse), and take our vitamins.

Healing energy for all that the flu and cold viruses will pass you by ~

Love & Light,

Rose

[mchlkirk77]

Working with the public as a bartender, I have a really good chance of getting the flu each year.

For three years, whenever I got the flu shot, I would get the flu two times per year, plus maybe one or two colds.

Now, I take echinacea, two pills on my Monday and one pill each day I work, and I have had no flu the last two years, just one slight cold per year.

Could be psychological, but works for me so far....also, hand washing and hand sanitizer is a must before I touch my face.

[Howie]

Good point about hand washing. I am very careful to wash my hands after going anywhere. And wash them before fixing a meal, and especially after doing my cat chores, litter boxes, and washing out their water bowl. They sleep in the bed with me at night, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

[mchlkirk77]

UGH,

Fred has been sick with the flu for two weeks and I was so sure that I wasn't going to get it, but now I have the flu, one day after posting that I haven't had the flu in awhile! That will teach me to get too confident lol.

Two weeks in the same household as someone who has the flu and not getting it until now is pretty good though.

Hope it goes away quickly...i'm going to urgent care tomorrow...throat is VERY sore, so may need antibiotics? Not sure.

Enjoy your week everybody!

[agate]

Mike, that's a shame that you got the flu.

Antibiotics aren't prescribed for flu because they won't do a thing against a virus. There are some medicines that might help but if you can stand it, your best bet is probably to save yourself the strain of a trip to a clinic and just rest up and try to drink lots of fluids.

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[Gary]

UGH,

Fred has been sick with the flu for two weeks and I was so sure that I wasn't going to get it, but now I have the flu, one day after posting that I haven't had the flu in awhile! That will teach me to get too confident lol.

Two weeks in the same household as someone who has the flu and not getting it until now is pretty good though.

Hope it goes away quickly...i'm going to urgent care tomorrow...throat is VERY sore, so may need antibiotics? Not sure.

Enjoy your week everybody!

For me the worst part is the fever. Like lots of folks with MS the heat either internal or external is a killer. I am of the opinion that we need to get on antibotics sooner rather than later as our immune system is already a mess and anything amiss makes things worse.

Lots of liquids, NSAIDS for the fever. I normally try to give it a couple of days before the doc thing. But if you really feel bad or are getting a fever then your plan for the Doc in the box or urgent care is the right thing to do.

With MS most of the time you need to stop something before it gets worse. At least I try to anyway

And, of course giving advice to people is always easier than following it yourself.

[Virginia]

Like Agate said antibiotics will not do anything for the flu Mike. However you say your throat is really sore, so you might be misdiagnosing yourself. You could have strep or an infection of some kind, in which case antibiotics would help.

We do like to confuse on here. Not really, but I just happened to think about the really bad sore throat. In the meantime if you have nothing to take, try what I am sure your Mother taught you- gargling with warm salt water.

[agate]

Good point about the sore throat! A throat culture would be useful, and you would definitely benefit from antibiotics if you have strep.

[Howie]

And I'll stick by what I think, unless it's REALLY bad, I would let the revved up immune system take care of it, and take no meds. But it's just what I think. Maybe in another century, doctors will catch up to my way of thinking.