The flu

[packerbacker]

I think it's over now as I am feeling 10 times better but at 4:00 Wednesday morning my stomach was really bothering me and I thought it would pass. Well at 8:00 I was in the bathroom heaving my guts out. Then came the worst stomach cramps and intestinal pain. I would much rather have a cold then that garbage. Also I was sweating and really hot then I would get the chills after. Come to find out I visited a buddy of mine last Sunday into Monday up in Marquette in the U.P. Of Michigan. He told me Monday morning he felt sick when I left. I picked it up from him. What is the worst virus you guys have ever had?

[SunsetBengal]

I know that feeling. 24 hr flu bug visited our house a few months ago. Hope you're feeling like yourself, again.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

The worst bug?  That damn 72 hour bullshit I posted about the first of last month!

http://thebengalsboard.com/Thread-Anyone-had-this-stomach-flu

[*Awful Llama*]

(05-25-2017, 12:22 AM)packerbacker Wrote:  What is the worst virus you guys have ever had?

Dance fever

[Tiger Teeth]

(05-25-2017, 07:52 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: Dance fever

I think I had the "Saturday Night" version of that.

[Tiger Teeth]

(05-25-2017, 12:22 AM)packerbacker Wrote: I think it's over now as I am feeling 10 times better but at 4:00 Wednesday morning my stomach was really bothering me and I thought it would pass. Well at 8:00 I was in the bathroom heaving my guts out. Then came the worst stomach cramps and intestinal pain. I would much rather have a cold then that garbage. Also I was sweating and really hot then I would get the chills after. Come to find out I visited a buddy of mine last Sunday into Monday up in Marquette in the U.P. Of Michigan. He told me Monday morning he felt sick when I left. I picked it up from him. What is the worst virus you guys have ever had?

Glad you're feeling better.  At 53, I've been sick so many times, I can't remember which one was the worse.

[Pat5775]

I was hospitalized for 15 days with staph aureus endocarditis this time last year. I started feeling sick on May 13 (Friday the 13th, of course). Woke up in the middle of the night shaking uncontrollably. I didn't feel sick, just the violent tremors. My girlfriend said I felt hot as hell, and was worried far before I was. I went into work the next afternoon feeling pretty lousy and flu-ish, but I was able to get up and get ready without an issue... I lasted about 2 hours. I went home and went right to bed, making peace with the fact that I had influenza for the first time since I was 9 years old. My girlfriend (who lived an hour away from me at the time), stopped by again that night and dropped off some Gatorade and Advil. I really wanted to be alone with my misery, and she understood so she went back home after awhile. I texted a few of my friends and mother saying I was ok but just wanted to be alone and sleep it off... Huge f***ing mistake.

I remember waking Sunday morning still feeling lousy but not exactly worse. I remember texting my boss saying I was still sick and wouldn't make it in that day... And that's all I remember. What follows is all what I was told from a few different people:

My girlfriend got nervous when I didn't respond to her texts or calls that day. She drove to my apartment that afternoon and looked through my bedroom window (I had a ground floor apartment). She saw I was sleeping and sadly went back home. She tried texting and calling all day long but no answer. She came back again that night and saw that I hadn't budged. This time, she took action. For some reason I'll never understand, in my stupor I locked and dead bolted my door (something I've never done, I never locked my door. I lived in a very safe neighborhood), but of course, it was locked tight. She somehow shimmied my bedroom window open and kicked in the screen. She saw I was essentially unconscious, she described me as like that sloppy, drunk unresponsive kid that's at every college party. She immediately called and ambulance and got me the medical care I needed.

For those that don't know, staph aureus endocarditis is a serious staph infection in the heart valves. It is universally fatal if not treated quickly. I was told that being a healthy 27 year-old is what saved me. Endocarditis kills young children and the elderly faster than most doctors reach the diagnosis. The symptoms are so similar to influenza, as are several infectious diseases.

Long story short, after a day or so with doctors thinking I had meningitis (ironically, something my Swedish cousin recently just got over) they found the cause and administered the correct combination of iv antibiotics and I started to come around. I woke up Thursday morning of that week after being hospitalized late Sunday. Three days I was out cold. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I felt way better but like I had a bad hangover, my first thought after wakkng up in the ICU was that I had alcohol poisoning and my stomach pumped haha.

I spent the next couple of weeks in two different hospitals (I was sent to a more advanced infectious disease ward elsewhere). I was finally released (after a huge fight with insurance companies) with a PICC line so I could get my antibiotics at home. A year later I'm pretty much back to normal but still have some eye sight issues, joint pain and a leaky mitral heart valve (not nearly as serious as it sounds).

My girlfriend and I are still together and recently moved to Texas

[packerbacker]

(05-28-2017, 11:22 AM)Pat5775 Wrote: I was hospitalized for 15 days with staph aureus endocarditis this time last year. I started feeling sick on May 13 (Friday the 13th, of course). Woke up in the middle of the night shaking uncontrollably. I didn't feel sick, just the violent tremors. My girlfriend said I felt hot as hell, and was worried far before I was. I went into work the next afternoon feeling pretty lousy and flu-ish, but I was able to get up and get ready without an issue... I lasted about 2 hours. I went home and went right to bed, making peace with the fact that I had influenza for the first time since I was 9 years old. My girlfriend (who lived an hour away from me at the time), stopped by again that night and dropped off some Gatorade and Advil. I really wanted to be alone with my misery, and she understood so she went back home after awhile. I texted a few of my friends and mother saying I was ok but just wanted to be alone and sleep it off... Huge f***ing mistake.

I remember waking Sunday morning still feeling lousy but not exactly worse. I remember texting my boss saying I was still sick and wouldn't make it in that day... And that's all I remember. What follows is all what I was told from a few different people:

My girlfriend got nervous when I didn't respond to her texts or calls that day. She drove to my apartment that afternoon and looked through my bedroom window (I had a ground floor apartment). She saw I was sleeping and sadly went back home. She tried texting and calling all day long but no answer. She came back again that night and saw that I hadn't budged. This time, she took action. For some reason I'll never understand, in my stupor I locked and dead bolted my door (something I've never done, I never locked my door. I lived in a very safe neighborhood), but of course, it was locked tight. She somehow shimmied my bedroom window open and kicked in the screen. She saw I was essentially unconscious, she described me as like that sloppy, drunk unresponsive kid that's at every college party. She immediately called and ambulance and got me the medical care I needed.

For those that don't know, staph aureus endocarditis is a serious staph infection in the heart valves. It is universally fatal if not treated quickly. I was told that being a healthy 27 year-old is what saved me. Endocarditis kills young children and the elderly faster than most doctors reach the diagnosis. The symptoms are so similar to influenza, as are several infectious diseases.

Long story short, after a day or so with doctors thinking I had meningitis (ironically, something my Swedish cousin recently just got over) they found the cause and administered the correct combination of iv antibiotics and I started to come around. I woke up Thursday morning of that week after being hospitalized late Sunday. Three days I was out cold. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I felt way better but like I had a bad hangover, my first thought after wakkng up in the ICU was that I had alcohol poisoning and my stomach pumped haha.

I spent the next couple of weeks in two different hospitals (I was sent to a more advanced infectious disease ward elsewhere). I was finally released (after a huge fight with insurance companies) with a PICC line so I could get my antibiotics at home. A year later I'm pretty much back to normal but still have some eye sight issues, joint pain and a leaky mitral heart valve (not nearly as serious as it sounds).

My girlfriend and I are still together and recently moved to Texas

Very happy your ok buddy. Wow that must have been scary.

[HarleyDog]

(05-28-2017, 11:22 AM)Pat5775 Wrote: I was hospitalized for 15 days with staph aureus endocarditis this time last year. I started feeling sick on May 13 (Friday the 13th, of course). Woke up in the middle of the night shaking uncontrollably. I didn't feel sick, just the violent tremors. My girlfriend said I felt hot as hell, and was worried far before I was. I went into work the next afternoon feeling pretty lousy and flu-ish, but I was able to get up and get ready without an issue... I lasted about 2 hours. I went home and went right to bed, making peace with the fact that I had influenza for the first time since I was 9 years old. My girlfriend (who lived an hour away from me at the time), stopped by again that night and dropped off some Gatorade and Advil. I really wanted to be alone with my misery, and she understood so she went back home after awhile. I texted a few of my friends and mother saying I was ok but just wanted to be alone and sleep it off... Huge f***ing mistake.

I remember waking Sunday morning still feeling lousy but not exactly worse. I remember texting my boss saying I was still sick and wouldn't make it in that day... And that's all I remember. What follows is all what I was told from a few different people:

My girlfriend got nervous when I didn't respond to her texts or calls that day. She drove to my apartment that afternoon and looked through my bedroom window (I had a ground floor apartment). She saw I was sleeping and sadly went back home. She tried texting and calling all day long but no answer. She came back again that night and saw that I hadn't budged. This time, she took action. For some reason I'll never understand, in my stupor I locked and dead bolted my door (something I've never done, I never locked my door. I lived in a very safe neighborhood), but of course, it was locked tight. She somehow shimmied my bedroom window open and kicked in the screen. She saw I was essentially unconscious, she described me as like that sloppy, drunk unresponsive kid that's at every college party. She immediately called and ambulance and got me the medical care I needed.

For those that don't know, staph aureus endocarditis is a serious staph infection in the heart valves. It is universally fatal if not treated quickly. I was told that being a healthy 27 year-old is what saved me. Endocarditis kills young children and the elderly faster than most doctors reach the diagnosis. The symptoms are so similar to influenza, as are several infectious diseases.

Long story short, after a day or so with doctors thinking I had meningitis (ironically, something my Swedish cousin recently just got over) they found the cause and administered the correct combination of iv antibiotics and I started to come around. I woke up Thursday morning of that week after being hospitalized late Sunday. Three days I was out cold. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I felt way better but like I had a bad hangover, my first thought after wakkng up in the ICU was that I had alcohol poisoning and my stomach pumped haha.

I spent the next couple of weeks in two different hospitals (I was sent to a more advanced infectious disease ward elsewhere). I was finally released (after a huge fight with insurance companies) with a PICC line so I could get my antibiotics at home. A year later I'm pretty much back to normal but still have some eye sight issues, joint pain and a leaky mitral heart valve (not nearly as serious as it sounds).

My girlfriend and I are still together and recently moved to Texas

Damn! That's some wicked shit you went through. Glad you made it through. I haven't been sick (knock on wood) for about 6yrs or more. Well, when I came out of surgery for my Carotid Endarterectomy a year ago, I had vicious shakes with uncontrollable teeth chattering and freezing. Well, much like the flu. What was supposed to be a one night stay in the hospital lead to a couple days because they wouldn't release me with a fever. It was just the anesthesia in my lungs that settled which was causing al this BS. Nothing like you. I've been fortunate because honestly, I think I've been too busy to get sick (H.S. teacher told us that once and I always thought he was full of shit). Plus, I'm not a germophobe. I'll eat leftovers that's been in the fridge for several days, food after it's expiration date (within reason), eat a lot of cold food and food out of cans without heating, etc. I will wash my hands after shaking someones hand before I eat, but if working in the yard, on car, petting the dog or whatever, I seldom even think about it.

[Pat5775]

(05-28-2017, 09:08 PM)packerbacker Wrote: Very happy your ok buddy. Wow that must have been scary.

It certainly was a crazy time, I forgot to mention the exact same disease I had killed a good friend of mines brother years ago (he was a very sickly young man who unfortunately never had a particularly healthy life). Apparently staph infections in the heart are more common than most people think. They are commonly caused by open cuts or routine dental work (they have no idea what caused mine and likely never will). It affects people within a matter of hours, presenting itself as simple flu-like symptoms: fever, chills, body aches, headaches. Stuff many people wouldn't think twice about

Lucky for me I was out for the worst of it so I don't remember anything truly horrifying. I missed the initial injections, prodding, catheters, etc. All I experienced was some come-and-go headaches and annoying stomach issues. I was constantly starving but the antibiotics gave me some severe intestinal issues. No nausea, I didn't vomit once (my 18-year no vomit streak is still alive somehow). I could keep everything down but absolutely nothing in   No cramping, pain, nothing. Basically I was desperate to eat but even a few bites of food and bam, away we go... My diet consisted of bananas, applesauce, boost protein shakes, Gatorade and ginger ale. I went from 220 lbs to 169 lbs in the 15 days I was hospitalized. But again, that was the worst of it.

What's really scary is how normal I felt. Even before I fell out of it I didn't really feel that sick. I felt sicker when I had mono and tonsillitis in college. Nothing at all made me think I needed immediate care. Now whenever I get a fever or feel flu-ish I have to go right to the emergency room to get some blood work to make sure I'm not coming down with endocarditis again. I was told it's a requirement for me from now on, and every doctor wished more people would do the same. It's scary stuff, folks. Common Flu-like symptoms can be indicators or several hundred other diseases, many of which are fatal if not immediately treated. Odds are it is just the flu for most healthy people, but prior to May 13, 2016... I was one of those healthy people. I had never been sick in my life. Aside from a couple of viruses and sinus infections when I was young, I was perfectly healthy. Life can really change in the blink of an eye.

[Pat5775]

(05-28-2017, 11:37 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Damn! That's some wicked shit you went through. Glad you made it through. I haven't been sick (knock on wood) for about 6yrs or more. Well, when I came out of surgery for my Carotid Endarterectomy a year ago, I had vicious shakes with uncontrollable teeth chattering and freezing. Well, much like the flu. What was supposed to be a one night stay in the hospital lead to a couple days because they wouldn't release me with a fever. It was just the anesthesia in my lungs that settled which was causing al this BS. Nothing like you. I've been fortunate because honestly, I think I've been too busy to get sick (H.S. teacher told us that once and I always thought he was full of shit). Plus, I'm not a germophobe. I'll eat leftovers that's been in the fridge for several days, food after it's expiration date (within reason), eat a lot of cold food and food out of cans without heating, etc. I will wash my hands after shaking someones hand before I eat, but if working in the yard, on car, petting the dog or whatever, I seldom even think about it.

Yep, I'm the exact same way! I never really get colds or viruses either. It's because we don't shy away from every day germs and that has given us a good, strong immune system. I believe George Carlin had a great (and true) skit about this.