Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with flu

What happens to expired Tamiflu?

amro — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:10:20 -0800

What happens to expired Tamiflu? I think I am getting the flu. My doctor's office is closed for the night. I have four Tamiflu capsules left from a prescription I got on Feb. 7, 2001, making it close to 9 years old (though likely older; I have no idea how long it sat on the shelf in the pharmacy before I got it). I have read that the shelf life of Tamiflu was recently extended to 7 years. So, is my Tamiflu ineffective now? Or toxic? Is it better than nothing tonight or should I just wait until tomorrow morning to go see the doctor? I would like to head this thing off at the pass, if at all possible.

I plan to see my doctor tomorrow either way, so I would switch to the fresh stuff if it were prescribed to me tomorrow. This is just for tonight.

Please, don't just tell me that it may be useless or toxic now. I know that. I'm trying to determine which it is, and if there's any advantage or disadvantage to taking it.

Where are they hiding them?

jourman2 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:53:20 -0800

H1N1 vaccine in NYC question. I'm looking to getting vaccinated for H1N1. I don't have a personal physician and none of the drug stores seem to have it (I was asked to call back in 2010) and I don't qualify for the free nyc clinics. Where else can I look? I've looked at Google Flu Shot and much of the data seems incomplete/completely incorrect. I'm looking for a shot either on the Upper West Side or in the Financial District. My work offered the regular flu shot and I took it, but don't have immediate plans to offer the H1N1 due to availability. Any ideas? Will doctors agree to see me just for the shot (i.e. without committing to becoming their patient?)

So how bad is the swine flu??

gttommy — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:13:34 -0800

How blown-up out-of-proportion is the swine flu scare relative to other life-threatening infections/diseases? Is it alarming enough that I need a swine flu shot if I'm going to SE Asia in DEC09/JAN10? Time is running out, and I am confused as to whether I should get a shot before leaving for a 3 week trek in SE Asia through a handful of countries.

From what I have been reading, vaccinations are the ultra-safe path for short-term protection and definitely should be taken during a crisis (e.g. epidemic). On the other hand, if it is not a crisis it would overall not be beneficial for someone my age (26), as I am likely to recover from a swine flu infection... and something to do with antibodies, mutating-dormant-virus and the overall corruption of my immune system. My microbiology-graduate friend confirms the negative effects of inoculations are part of the process, but also says if its a 'crisis' it should be taken.

So how bad is the swine flu??

Thanks!

Can we ask a sick person to leave?

MorningPerson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:48:59 -0800

Can we ask a sick person to leave? I work on a college campus. In our office, we have several video editing workstations that are available by appointment only. Today, a student who reserved one station came in, and is VERY ill. For the last two hours, he's been sniffling, sneezing explosively and coughing without covering his mouth.

In short, he is making me extremely uncomfortable and paranoid. I cannot afford to get sick right now.

Our workspace is not open to the public and the university has asked sick students to stay home and self isolate. Do you think it would be fair to ask him to leave and reschedule his appointment for when he is well?

Pandemic flu tourist vaccination

rom1 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:58:06 -0800

Which European countries currently provide or are planning to provide flu shots (H1N1 strain) openly, without invitation letters or national health insurance? I live in Poland and here, the authorities have not bought *any* vaccine. I am willing to pay for the vaccination.

Am I sick because I'm healthy?

Mountain Goatse — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:52:44 -0800

Flu vaccine and immunology questions, I have a few. Me: late 30's male, relatively fit and healthy.

Last month I got the FluMist, and my kids got the first of two flu shots. This is for regular flu, not H1N1. The next couple of days I was pretty congested in the head and was sneezing quite a bit. Kids were fine. My symptoms were confined to my head and went away quickly, unlike when I have a regular cold (usually spreads to my throat and lungs).

first questions: Is my body's response to the FluMist indicative of a strong immune system, a weak immune system, or neither? Does such a response to a vaccine correlate to future immunity?

Earlier this week, my kids got the flu shot booster (again, not H1N1). The next couple of days they had runny noses and were slightly irritable. A couple of days after that, I am again experiencing the same sort of head-cold-like symptoms.

second questions: Could my current symptoms be related to the vaccine response my kids experienced? Is it possible to "catch" the flu vaccine from someone else, especially germy sneezy kids? Shouldn't I have already built up immunity?

What do flu pains feel like and do they mimic pains that have been felt in the past?

pluma moos — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:13:16 -0800

I'm sick and I'm trying to figure out if it is a cold or flu. The symptom that I would like help diagnosing is pain. I am experiencing muscle pain, but it is similar to non-flu pain I have had in the past. Does flu pain tend to manifest itself similar to pains that your body has had otherwise? I have a history of back/neck/arm problems from computer use. I have been feeling a lot of pain at the base of my neck today and yesterday, similar to how I felt all the time when my problems were at their worse (several years ago). I have not had the kind of recent physical activity that would typically bring this pain back so I can rule that out. I am a bit stressed and that might have contributed to its presence, but that would be very unusual.

I have looked up the difference between cold and flu symptoms, thanks - just want to know what flu pain feels like and if it makes sense that flu pain would feel like muscle pain that I have been susceptible to in the past but would not expect to be experiencing right now.

Hey, pig piggy pig pig pig...

spinifex23 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:13:36 -0800

So, I had probable Swine Flu (H1N1) - do I still need the vaccine? If so, when should I get it? I'm a 40 year old non pregnant woman with high risk issues (namely asthma and neuromuscular illness.), so I'm one of the prime candidates for the Swine Flu shot. However, it just became available in my area (Seattle), and before I could get it, I came down with probable Swine Flu.

I say 'probable' because I didn't get tested; I was able to handle the entire stretch of the illness with NyQuil, chicken soup, and herbal tea with honey. I didn't even see my doctor for this, nor go to the hospital. However, when I called my doctor's office for advice on treating this, they said that chances are that, listening to my symptoms, I had the Flu, and that it was probably H1N1 to boot, because that's over 95% of the flu cases going around. I'm all better now, and I didn't (thank God) have complications.

So, should I get my H1N1 vaccine? If so, should I get it now with the high risk groups, or wait until it's available to everybody? I already got my seasonal flu shot in October. I'd like to get vaccinated for H1N1 in case that's not what I had, but I also don't want to deprive someone else of badly needed vaccine.

Can swine flu jump?

pipti — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:04:08 -0800

I have a meeting shortly with someone who will have just come from her sister's bedside; the sister has the swine flu. I am pregnant and wondering if I am being overly cautious to want to cancel. Thoughts? It is a tutoring session and therefore is worth some money to me, but obviously I don't want to risk anything. I can't judge if I am being paranoid. What are the chances of infected person A infecting person B who then immediately passes it on to person C? FWIW, my student lives part-time with this sister and so she (and I) may have already been exposed. We sometimes (like last week) meet in the house of the swiney sister, and sometimes (this week) meet elsewhere. The sister was diagnosed Monday.

Can employers tell people when employees are sick?

um_maverick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:45:19 -0800

My employer just asked us to contact HR if any of our employees are diagnosed with H1N1 flu. Is this allowable under HIPAA? It was kind of a weird email that came not from HR-on-high, but from a local HR manager. Are managers even allowed to ask this question? If they come across it somehow ("hey boss, I have pig flu, be back in a week"), can they pass it along? I don't know HIPAA that well, but this seems to be a violation...

Are there different flu vaccines for Chinese people and roundeyes?

Wet Spot — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:17:48 -0800

Asking for my sister-in-law: is the swine flu vaccine formulation given to people in China (Shanghai) the same as the US version? My sister-in-law's daughter, three years old, is returning to the US (from China) next month. She recently went through a bout of pneumonia and spent a few days in a hospital, although she did not test positive for the flu. Should she get a flu shot in Shanghai, the US (Minneapolis), or perhaps both? If she gets the vaccine in Shanghai, will it protect her against whatever roundeye version of the virus is prevalent in the US?

Should I get the H1N1 vaccination?

KokuRyu — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:38:23 -0800

Is it really worth getting the H1N1 flu shot? First of all, I trust the medical system and doctors in general, and understand the need to vaccinate the general public against this new flu, as well as other seasonal flus.

However, I've heard that it is possible to get slightly sick as a result of the H1N1 flu vaccination, which is something I don't want to experience.

I've never actual had the flu before. Although I am susceptible to chest colds each winter, I've never experienced influenza, ever.

I live in an area that has been identified as an H1N1 "hotbed", and I do a lot of business travel, and have been traveling a lot this fall, and am therefore in a lot of situation where I could be exposed to the H1N1 virus. I have a child in elementary school, who could also act as a vector.

I have also worked as a teacher in the past, and when 15-20% of students stayed home sick because of the "flu", I always thought it was an exaggeration - I was so ignorant of the flu that I thought they must have a common cold - but I never came down with the virus.

I suspect I may be immune to the flu. Do I still need to get a vaccination?

Can I take this expired cough syrup? Just for tonight?

tastybrains — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:25:25 -0800

Terrible cough, too late to leave the house in search of remedies -- can I take this expired (expired April 2009) prescription Tussionex cough syrup or is there a better solution in my house? It's after midnight and the shiny new cough I developed today has gone from irritating and annoying (earlier this afternoon) to the kind of hacking cough that hurts my whole body. It's too late to go to the drugstore, and I can't even lay down for 5 minutes comfortably.

I have most of the bottle of Tussionex from when I had a horrible chest cold around my sister's wedding last April ... so it's about 18 months old. Do you think the medication itself is still safe to take?

Other things I have tried so far....

- Hot toddies this afternoon.
- Decaf tea with lemon & honey (and now I'm out of lemon).
- Neti pot (since there is also some sinus crap going on).
- Ran hot water into a plugged sink with a towel over my head and the sink and breathed the steam for 10 minutes.
- Mucinex (guaifenesin).
- Cough drops.
- Willing myself to stop coughing.

Most thing (except the last) have been soothing but I'm still coughing like crazy and can't rest. What to do?

Tomorrow I plan to go to the pharmacy to see if I can get something better, though I think the best I'll do is get some "original" NyQuil so I can be knocked unconscious at night.

Infant: H1N1 flu vaccine now or wait for preservative-free version

NortonDC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:15:16 -0800

Is it worth delaying H1N1 swine flu vaccination for an 8-month-old infant to get the preservative-free version? As for me, shoot me up, whatever, go nuts. But I wonder about the wee one and the higher concentration of thimerosal she would get due to her tiny mass and two shots to my one. Is it worth delaying until we can be sure we're getting the preservative free version? What are the facts and numbers driving the answer?

I understand there's no established link for autism. I get that. But mercury is still best avoided when feasible, so does the current pandemic change the definition of "feasible"?

NaturalNews-type scaremongering will be disregarded, so don't bother with that. Thanks.

A different type of dirty house.....

wannabehippie — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:19:13 -0800

I left the house last Wednesday afternoon for a week. My roommate was hospitalized for H1N1 on Friday. I am returning to our home tonight. What precautions should I take to sanitize the place/protect myself ? My roommate called me on last Thursday night to tell me he was sick and suspected it was H1N1. He was hospitalized on Friday and released last night to recuperate at his parents' house. Our place has been empty (and without heat) since Friday afternoon.

My roommate stuck to his bedroom and our shared living space of kitchen, bathroom, and living room. How likely is it that I can be infected at this point? I plan on spraying disinfectant as well as wiping all shared surfaces (door knobs, stair banisters, house phone, counters) with disposable disinfecting wipes. I have made an appointment with my doctor for Friday, but what can I do in the mean time to prevent anything?

Most comforting things in the world

mthomps00 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:25:08 -0800

What are the best ways to comfort someone with a bad cold/flu? My boyfriend's been ailing with a miserable flu for the past couple days. He's got constant body aches, a hacky dry cough, occasional fever, and dizziness. We've got him on lots of medication, and last night I made him a good lentil/garlic/curry/tomato stew.

He'll get better in a few days, but in the meantime, what's the absolute most comforting thing I can do for him? I'm thinking less in terms of medicines and remedies and more in terms of pure wondrous comfort - foods, drinks, lullabies, you-name-it.

H1N1 vaccinations in the SF Bay Area

gnutron — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:19:59 -0800

Do you know where my wife and I can get H1N1 vaccinations in the SF Bay Area BEFORE October 31st? Preferably in the East Bay. We have a 3 month old baby at home, so we will definitely be getting vaccinated. For reasons that don't need to be discussed here, we'd like to get vaccinated before November starts.

I've called Walgreens and our doctor's office and they don't expect to receive the vaccine for another 2 weeks at least. Do you know anywhere that's giving H1N1 vaccines to the public now?

No soup for you!

FunkyHelix — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:48:19 -0800

I have a question about childrens' flu vaccines and insurance. I have two kids, one I gave birth to and one I have shared custody with his mother. My birth son is under my husband's insurance. My other one is under the NJ Family Care provided for kids without medical insurance (my husband's insurance refuses to cover him because it's shared custody and his mother has no insurance herself.)

This weekend my husband took the boys to the pediatrician for required school vaccines, one of which was the standard flu vaccine. My birth son's appointment was first and my husband was told there was no available flu vaccines. He said okay and went to reschedule the older one's appointment since he needed that too.

But the doctor said no that there was a flu vaccine for him because he was NJ Family Care. That she wasn't giving the vaccine to kids with insurance, just the ones on state insurance.

Can she do that? Is it legal to do that?

Comfort foods for the sick around the world?

illenion — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:03:29 -0800

What are different cultures' versions of comfort foods that are prepared for people who are sick and feeling under the weather? The dishes I know from firsthand experience are American chicken noodle soup, Japanese okayu (rice porridge), and Italian pasta in bianco (pasta, parmesan, olive oil). I'm curious about what other sick folks around the world are eating.

Days of swine and roses

zadcat — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:39:01 -0800

Odds are that the flu I've had since Friday is H1N1: a Canadian government tracking site says that 97% of diagnosed cases of flu here right now are H1N1. Does this increase or decrease my need for an H1N1 shot when they become available?

mystery diagnosis

WeekendJen — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:04:45 -0800

Did the hospital save my blood samples and could they be retested? Would swine flu cause a positive test for regular flu? In March I was in the hospital for 7 days with an undiagnosed virus. In April the swine flu was identified and the county I reside in had the highest # of infections in my state and my town's schools closed for 2 days due to student infections. While in the hospital I tested negative for regular flu, but was not tested for swine flu becuase it was not a known issue yet. So if I had swine flu, would my regular flu test have come back positive? If not, is there any chance the hospital would have saved any of my exorbitant amount of blood samples and could those samples be retested? If I gave a new sample, would that test positive for swine flu fighting blood particles (or, um, whatever fights viruses) now that I am recovered?

Thanks for any help!

What can I do to help my immune system fight against colds/flu since Zicam is no longer available?

spacelux — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:47:08 -0800

What can I do to help my immune system fight against colds/flu since Zicam is no longer available? I have successfully used Zicam nose swabs for many years to ward off bugs, and now that it's no longer available, are there any other alternatives that actually work?

Google searches for alternatives lead me to using Sage, which isn't the same thing at all...

Anybody have a stomach flu horror story? How long did it last?

burlsube — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:40:39 -0800

Does any one have stomach flu (gastroenteritis) horror stories? I am going day 5 and I have never heard of anyone having it longer than 2 days.

Anosmia - is it forever?

terrierhead — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:06:14 -0800

Getting over a lousy cold/flu, can breathe again but can't smell anything. Is this permanent? I'm a 37 y/o female who until recently had an extremely good olfactory ability. My toddler twins brought home the superflu from their daycare last week. After more than a week of illness the whole family's on the mend. I ended up with an ear infection and am being treated with antibiotics.

Two days ago, I noticed that although my stuffy nose was clearing up, I still couldn't smell anything. A sip of wine tasted like acetone, and my toddlers' dirty diapers, which I usually identify from afar by their odor, became imperceptible by scent. My nose is still running today but I'm breathing through it just fine. And I can't smell a thing.

I've looked up information on anosmia (loss of sense of smell) and found that colds and flu can cause this to happen - but from a stuffy nose, which I don't have. I called my doctor's office and the nurse their told me not to worry, but I was still stuffy this morning and am not now. I called a local ask-a-nurse hotline and they freaked the hell out.

I'd like to refrain from freaking for a bit but also would like more information. Has anyone heard of this happening and then going away? Or should I start selling off my perfume collection? (I was a BPAL collector before the kids came along.)

Guinea Pig Flu

IanMorr — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:16:31 -0800

Our 13 month old has been invited to participate in a clinical trial to see how the swine flu virus and the regular flu virus react in small children. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any more insight into this process? I'm guessing it's not a trial in the traditional 'let's see what happens' sense. They've already tested on adults and I realize there's a need for testing on kids, I'm just, in a purely selfish way, worried about it being my kid.

I'm also assuming that this is the swine flu vaccine. There aren't a couple out there that they're testing, right?

We've a very short time frame to make a decision and although we've asked these same questions of the folks administering the trial they don't have a very quick turnaround on getting the answers for us.

For what it's worth we fully intended to get the kid both vaccines if and when they were available.