I read somewhere that the WHO and or the CDC bundle flu deaths with pneumonia deaths to inflate flu deaths to bolster flu vaccinations.
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
A lot of people that die of the flu actually do die of pneumonia.
The pneumonia comes in as a secondary infection.
But I will not get a flu vaccine ever again.
I teach school and my teens who have had the flu have been very ill this year--out for a week or more.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Lucky to have survived it.
Posted by TrekCoord (Member # 48888) on :
I would like to know cause of death, whether or not the person had been vaccinated, and what was the diagnosis before they died (as many were already in hospitals).
Was "flu" primary or secondary? And if the dx was flu, was a test run to verify or was it just "flu like symptoms"?
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
apparently many here have been elderly and had pre-existing conditions. the pneumonia in some came on after the flu.
people, according to news, don't recognize it as pneumonia but think it's jus the flu and they will get better but they don't.
it was diagnosed as pneumonia.
some, like my sister who has the flu, did get flu shot. she's 73. right now sicker than a dog, confined to home. stupid dr gave her abx and said bronchitis, then several days later she goes back and he's like "oh my..you have the flu. nothing I can do. stay home." idiot .....
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
My clinic offered me a test for the flu but I declined because there was no point in it by the time I got there.
The Dr was pretty certain that I had "Type A" .. the worst one.
He said the days after the flu are the most dangerous, as that is when people think they are OK and the pneumonia sets in.
I was given antibiotics and steroids to prevent the pneumonia. (Pay attention here!) He said if he just gave me a steroid inhaler, it would take a week to work and I could be dead by then.
I went in with (at least) asthma. Now that I'm out of the steroids, the coughing and lung stuff is worse. I still have abx.
I may call my doctor tomorrow to be checked over. Not sure I can get in this week though .. so I may have to return to Urgent Care.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
oh yes my sister is on a steroid plus steroid inhaler.
nobody will listen to me. and she's getting worse.
Posted by MADDOG (Member # 18) on :
I get something that last 21 days each time.
It makes my throat burn,and valve in my throat leak stuff into my lungs.Flangeal thingy.
Terrible exhaustion,and cold chills.
Dizzy.
MADDOG
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
Lymetoo and Maddog I hope you will both get better soon. (and your sister Randibear). I had the flu last year and it was brutal - I felt like I had been hit by a truck before the stuffy head and sore throat began.
I was on a picc line at the time so my LLMD wanted me to go to a walk in clinic and get tested because of my fever. Luckily the cause was the flu - as I was so afraid my fever had been related to my picc line.
They gave my husband and I different doses of Tamaflu, which was supposed to prevent him from getting the flu and shorten the duration for me. It is hard to know if it helped, but I was feeling better within a couple of weeks and my husband didn't get sick.
I am about a week into a nasty croupy cold now and had to go to the Clinic yesterday because I developed a bad case of pink eye. I worry that I might have picked up the flu germ there. They wanted me to get the flu shot, but with my low IGG and already being sick, I declined... I hope that was the right decision. Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
This flu is very scary indeed !
From what I have been reading, almost ALL of the flu death patients, sought out medical treatment within days of feeling ill.
Many tested positive for influenza, sent home, told to take Tylenol, bed rest, and fluids.
Unfortunately, many died within days after seeing a doctor.
Because this is such an aggressive virus, medical staff need to be trained to be aggressive in treatment as well.
So heartbreaking.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- No one is making this connection. It is clear that acetaminophen blocks glutathione. However, as far as I can tell, and in what I think is a terrible mistake: acetaminophen is still handed out like candy for the flu.
This - and magnesium deficiency - could be two extremely important factors that I think should be considered.
Tylenol could be a vital link here - for acetaminophen smothers the cells all through the body with trapped toxins -- it blocks glutathione in the liver and in all body cells. The cells then can't move out the toxins from the flu's CYTOKINE STORM.
It's not (exactly always) the flu itself that kills, it's the cytokine storm. and if the body's glutathione is blocked, the cytokine storm can become deadly.
Lung infections also become much worse, more likely when the cells in the lungs can't "refresh" and move out the toxins. Pneumonia results in many of flu's fatalities. Again. I think the acetaminophen -- or other Rx / factors that can block glutathione - could be a major risk factor. -
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
jus talked to sister. she's so weak she's practically bedridden. no energy at all. cough is better but no appetite. some diahrrea but she's drinking plenty of fluids.
I'm concerned about those steroid inhaler treatments. do you think they're ok?
she has her third drs appt this week. nurse told her oh everyone we see has flu or something but you've already had it so cmon in.
duh, am I stupid or what? I wouldn't get within a mile of any drs office. jus cancelled a mammo appt. ok I'm paranoid and probably carrying it a little tooo far but hey, if you sneeze I'm the one that gets pneumonia!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- randibear,
For her to be told she "already had the flu" so she could come is in bad advice, IMO. There are different strains and if she is so weak, the effort of getting to the doctor's office can take a toll. The days when one starts to feel better can also be the most dangerous for set-backs. the most care needs to be taken during the recovery time.
It's a toss up, of course, if she needs a doctor to actually hear her lungs. The system is sure not set up for what those who are ill need. I'm all for house visits, actually. For so many reasons. It may be that she would qualify for a home heath nurse (who could listen to her lungs).
Electrolyte replacement is also key, not just water. Bananas, potatoes - for potassium, etc.
Sitting up when possible so that the lungs can get vertical and doing some breathing exercises also important to get stuff moving about.
Someone who has been using steroid inhalers for long term can't just stop. That could be very dangerous. It could be fatal to stop prescribed inhalers - without medical guidance.
Of course there are various options but it's going to take some homework and reading from various medical sources. If your sister might go to an integrative doctor who would consider other choices, that might help.
But just stopping steroid inhaler can be very risky and make breathing so much worse. It can also take many months for steroids to "work out of the body" so to speak, or maybe more of how they affect the immune system can take month to balance out.
Steroids lessen the immune system's ability to function. This is the may issue. They still do help lessen inflammation and that's why they are used because inflammation can be very dangerous. And, mentioned before use of acetaminophen or other things that blocks the body's ability to metabolize toxins (that's what glutathione does) from the flu.
Steroids can save lives in this regard of lessening inflammation (yet cost lives in other ways, too)
However, there are many ways to address inflammation that do not involve steroids.
And there are safe ways to use steroids.
But it's best to know all those ways before an emergency flu hits.
And there are times when steroids are absolutely required in an emergency -- still, there should be methods on board to prevent the ways they can clobber, too, such as proper attention to possible infections so they do not blossom.
It's doubtful that your sister is going to take a few hours to explore this matter and it would take a very good doctor to safely guide her switching methods to control lung issues.
Yet, there are things that she can still do to support her immune function, liver, etc. If you could find the number and location of any holistic / integrative doctors around her, that could be a help.
When it comes down to it, though, she may just not be in the position to switch. It can be very unsettling for some to even consider other options beyond what they've done for years. And, for many, they feel secure with their doctor's advice or the typical ways things are done.
Their comfort with style of treatment chosen matters even if we might think there might be other ways to approach.
Sometimes the best suggestions can be those that affect joy & nutrition -- suggest delicious foods that hold key support such as TURMERIC . . . chicken soup (not from a can, though. There are some good organic frozen BONE BROTHs out there now).
How might you facilitate getting homemade foods to her?
In addition to foods, some activities to lighten up phone conversation as "oh, sure" but then get real and say, "no, really, now, sit up and let's sing "Row, Row Row your boat"
or something like that. I'm serious here but it can be fun and silly, too. -
[ 01-29-2018, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Google: Himalayan Salt Inhaler
Thanks to CarolinPA for introducing this technique to my tool box.
Sea salt therapy for breathing has helped many.
Also keep in mind that a purge of all things fluffy might be of great help to anyone's lungs. Fluffy stuff, especially in the bedroom, can trap all kinds of microbes and dust that make it harder for our lungs.
Even the bath mat should be smooth, not fluffy. A cork bath mat has been great for me for years years now. -
![[Frown]](frown.gif)