I'm at a small-ish university where there has been an "outbreak" of swine flu. Not that many people have it- but I can more than a handful of cases, just off the top of my head.
My housemate is super sick right now- extremely achy body, coughing, runny nose, nautious, etc. Flu symptoms. I asked her politely if she would get tested, and she refuses.
What should I do? Am I overreacting?
Ekk! Find another place to stay for a few nights! And tell her she's the reason!
Scary! Yeah try and find a place to go for a bit if you can. I live in a really small community and its spreading a lot around here as well. They have closed down some of the elementry schools within the area. I have been nervous to come to work since I know people are prone (at this office) to still come to work even though sick.
I dont think you are overreacting. No one wants to get sick!
She just informed me that she also has a fever.
It's just so inconsiderate! The university medical building is maybe a 5 minute walk away.
I might stay at a motel for a few night if she doesn't get better, although I really can't afford it.
your not over reacting swine flu can be very serious , i think she is very selfish if she wont get tested could you have a word with one of the lecturers ? they may be able to speak to her
If you think your roomate is sick, then find another place to stay.
But, why should she go get tested? They can offer her meds that *might* help her get over it a little quicker, but it is not going to keep you from catching it.
Well what happens if she does get tested and she does have it? Will the university quarantine her? Send her home to her parents for a few days? Maybe she is too weak to walk?
Is there a resident assistant or a housing manager you can talk to? Perhaps they can put you in temporary housing for a couple of nights instead of her.
To be quite honest, the best thing for her to do would be to stay in bed and for you to HELP her ie. make sure she has enough apririn and nurofen to take the fever down, and if she needs more food in the house, be kind enough to run and get it for her.
That's the advice that our university gave us.
Some of us cannot MOVE to go home, let alone pay for it.
I'd say ditching her is just childish. And yes, you are over reacting. It would be more dangerous for your flat mate if she was left alone and developed complications, no?
Where I am, only people who are hospitalized with flu symptoms are being tested - there are too many people ill, and testing centers are overwhelmed with samples. As someone else has said, there isn't a whole lot to do for someone who is sick with the flu. Now, if she's dangerously ill, she should go to the hospital for treatment.
If you can find another place to sleep for a few nights, it probably can't hurt. However, to be honest, you've probably already been exposed. If you aren't already, make sure to wash your hands frequently, and try to avoid touching your face. She's probably not moving around much to contaminate things (other than the faucet and bathroom door, I'd guess), but be diligent - if she's been handling the remote, wipe it off with an alcohol-based cleaner, and ask her to keep her tissues confined in a trash can. At this point, hygiene is probably your best friend.
You didn't say if you got your swine flu shot. I don't know if it's too late to get it because you may have been exposed, if that's what she's got. It wouldn't hurt to ask at your medical office.
Get a couple of pump bottles of hand sanitizer and some wipes and wipe surfaces and clean your hands, and have her do the same.
My son is @ MIT. They quit testing people after the initial batch of tests all came back H1N1. They ask sick students to stay in bed, get someone to bring them meals, don't come to the clinic unless they have a fever over 102 for two days, and don't come back to class until they have had no fever for 24 hours. Roommates of sick students are encouraged to find another place to stay for a couple of days.
I work at a lab where we do testing for H1N1 so let me give you some advice.
Getting tested for it is POINTLESS at this stage. It does NOT change the way the flu is treated. Who cares what kind of flu you have? You treat it the same way: fluids, rest, ibuprofen.
As kriklaf said, testing is soon going to stop. We're completely overwhelmed with samples. No more testing at our facility (as of the 23rd I believe) unless the patient is hospitalized with life-threatening complications.
Secondly: IT'S THE FLU. STOP FREAKING OUT. An otherwise healthy person is not going to get the flu and drop dead the next day. You feel like crap for a week or so and then you're fine. They're predicting less deaths from this type of flu than occur EVERY YEAR for the "regular flu."
Sorry if I seemed snarky, but I am REALLY sick of everyone panicking about this. I am on the phone half the day with people answering questions about it.
My entire family has had the "swine flu" and we have all survived. My oldest son brought it back from college and infected us all. Everyone is fine and healthy. Don't buy into the hype...
Original Post by golfman46:
My entire family has had the "swine flu" and we have all survived. My oldest son brought it back from college and infected us all. Everyone is fine and healthy. Don't buy into the hype...
but how it effects one person isnt how it effects another
no, Helen. i agree with the anti-hypers. it is the flu and statistically the typical seasonal flu is equally as dangerous as the H1N1 strain. causing such histeria is not helpful.
i also think it can hardly be called 'selfish' that your roomie wont get tested... she's got the flu! i would imagine she hardly wants to leave her bed to go the bathroom let alone go outside and go to a health centre!
whether you run away from the infection zone is up to you - but if she had normal flu - what would you do?
the main problem with the h1n1 strain is its affecting people in the prime ages and the majority of the hospitalizations are happening among women aged 25-35. A small study came from a hospital in one of my provinces from the spring group and 63% of the ill were from this age group. Usually the seasonal flu hits the elderly harder but this one has caught us off guard from the norm.
I would just take the necessary precautions at this point b/c you have already been in close contact with your roommate.
Id just be careful around her, like make sure you all wash your hands after handling things shes been in contact with and clean dished in very hot water etc but really I wouldnt panic to much.
I know swine flu has been very serious for some people and has killed some but there have also been loads of people who have had it and are ok. I know quite a few people who have had it and yeah they felt terrible for a while just as you would if you were sick but they are totally fine now. So I wouldnt panic to much, just be careful.
should someone extremely underweight be at a high risk of they got swine flu?? would it cause more harm to the body or higher mortality possibility???
As spuckine1 said Swine flu can be very dangerous and is hitting younger people harder than the seasonal flu. Swine flu, and any flu and can lead to complicatons if she has underlying health problems. She should see a doctor for her own well-being (weather its H1N1 or seasonal flu)~
Yes, chances are they'll tell her to rest and take plenty of fluids but they may want to run some other tests. Tamiflu can be prescribed if she already has the flu--it's too late for the vaccine. But not too late for you to get it (the vaccine, not Tamiflu--if you take Tamiflu and you don't have the flu, then get it, Tamiflu will be ineffective).
You've already been exposed to her so I don't know how much good spending money on a motel would be. Wash your hands LOTS, avoid touching your eyes/nose/mouth as much as possible, help her out (and try to convince her to see a doctor for her own well-being!!!), and see the doctor if you come down with any symptoms at all! The fever is the tell-tale sign of the flu (seasonal or H1N1).
Original Post by fruit_lvr:
should someone extremely underweight be at a high risk of they got swine flu?? would it cause more harm to the body or higher mortality possibility???
The flu tends to take away appetite (or even make people nauseated), and dehydration is always a concern. I'd imagine that in an already underweight individual, this could be very serious. If you're extremely underweight and are worried that you have the flu, call your doctor. They may have advice for you that differs from the advice to the general population.
You've gotten two threads of advice: you are not overreacting and you are overreacting. That about covers it when it comes to swine flu.
No one goes out of their way to get the flu -- any flu. Thing is, everyone has known since June that there is no way to isolate or quarantine anyone -- that's why it's Pandemic Level 5.
The vaccine is just coming out now and there is a sense that much of it will be too late to staunch the existing tide of the second wave.
The media is there to generate anxiety because that creates ratings which generates advertising dollars. Do not rely on the media for useful information, especially on swine flu.
So, let's assume for the OP that her roommate has swine flu. Given that her roommate would have been contagious a full day before any symptoms appeared, and the OP is not sick at the point of posting, is already a good sign for the OP.
Is there anything that can be done from this point forward to avoid getting your roommate's flu?
Excellent studies of the China swine flu quarantines in the Spring indicate that it is airborne spit particles when talking (not even so much coughing as most people do cover their mouths when they cough) for more than five minutes in normal conversation proximity (closeness) to each other that greatly increases the chance of catching the flu.
Tend to your roommate -- get her fluids and nourishment. You can wear a mask if you want, but merely by standing or sitting a few feet away from her when you talk with each other will lessen the risk. Most important, if your roommate has no one but you to care for her it is extremely important to get her medical attention if she starts to feel better and then takes a sharp dip for the worse again.
Hand washing? meh, jury's generally out on that when it comes to flu transmission (for general hygiene and in a hospital setting there are many other critical reasons to wash hands constantly).
Should you actually get swine flu, then you are liable to feel really horrible and completely survive. And unlike your roommate, you can choose at that point to get medical advice. Remember to call ahead to the clinic and be clear you have flu symptoms.
Take steps that make you feel comfortable, but it does no good to be anxious about things that are ultimately out of all our control -- that simply creates anxiety disorders.
