Flu symptoms duration

Flu Symptoms | Duration | Remedies

Flu symptoms duration

Generally speaking, there will be little doubt that you have the flu as opposed to a bad cold. I have had the flu several times in my life and unlike a common cold, it hits you like a ton of bricks. There will be no mistaking it.

 

Flu Symptoms

Many flu symptoms are similar to that of a cold, but MUCH MORE SEVERE.

One of the biggest telltale signs that you have the flu is not only the list of symptoms below, but this: The symptoms will come on quickly and in a big way…

When I’ve had the flu, from the time that I began to feel “off” until when I knew that something was really wrong, was just a matter of hours.

You won’t know when you’ve come in contact with the flu virus. It will enter your respiratory tract, bind to cells there, and will begin replicating itself. Over and over. One to four days after contact it will enter the bloodstream. Then you’ll know it!

Fever

One difference from the common cold is FEVER. The flu will spike a high fever. Flu fever temperatures may range from 100 to 103 degrees F.

Body Aches

The body aches will knock you off your feet. Everything will ‘hurt’. The aches and pains are typically worse in the back and legs.

Fatigue

You will become very weak. In fact you may not even feel like you can get up at all. It can get that bad… You may be stuck in your bed for days.

Chills

It may seem odd to be shivering while running a fever. Your body raises its internal thermostat (fever) to fight off the virus. In so doing, you feel colder because your body’s temperature ‘set point’ went up. The shivering is a reactionary effort to stay warm.

Other Flu Symptoms

Additional Flu symptoms will likely include headache, loss of appetite, dry cough, sore throat, and a runny/stuffy nose.

 

How Long Will The Flu Last?

The major symptoms of the flu will last 5 to 7 days.

I missed a whole week of work once during the 2009 flu pandemic. I felt pretty bad for almost a entire month afterwards! Just a little better every day. It was awful.

That said, the flu will keep you in bed for days or longer. Some strains apparently worse than others.

The biggest problem aside from your own miserable discomfort is that you’re so weak. You will not want to get up for anything.

You won’t be hungry. However it will be very very important to drink liquids. Dehydration can become a real issue.

A little preparedness will go a long way, so it’s a good idea to have some cans of soup in your inventory! And other things as listed in the following section:

 

Flu Remedies & Preparedness

Like I said, you won’t be hungry. That’s okay, your body can live without food for a long time. With that said, as you do begin to slowly recover it will be important to eat as soon as you can. This will quicken your energy recovery.

Hydrate!

You may not be thirsty either. But it will be important to force yourself to drink liquids! Keep bottled water by the bedside. Consider the following (or similar) electrolyte,

Vitalyte Electrolyte Powder

Pedialyte Electrolyte Powder

Related: Are You Dehydrated?

Reduce the Fever

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen (Advil) or the generics thereof.

Aspirin is also effective for treating fever in adults. DO NOT give aspirin to a child unless your child’s doctor tells you to.

DayQuil | NyQuil

Sore throat, fever, congestion.

This stuff works for me! It will help you feel a little less miserable. The NyQuil definitely helps with sleeping too.

Vicks NyQuil and DayQuil SEVERE

 

Time & Rest

Unfortunately it will just take time for your immune system to fight it off. Pretty much all you can do is moderate the symptoms as best you can.

Next time, work more at prevention and avoidance!

Related: Cold Remedies List – Do These Really Work?

 
STATISTICS
Worldwide, the flu results in 291,000 to 646,000 deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

FLU Avoidance

I have thankfully not had the flu in many years! Why? That experience in 2009 was so bad, I never wanted to go through it again! It motivated me to be extra cautious and increase my situational awareness of others around me who may appear sick during flu season. Stay away!

It also helped that I moved to a rural region. Much less general exposure to people. Although no guarantee! People still get the flu where I live. I still need to take precautions.

You get the flu through your eyes, nose, or mouth.

You can get the flu standing within 6 feet of an infected person.

A cough, sneeze, or even talking will potentially expel the flu virus to a nearby bystander. Can you say, “at work”?

The flu is a risk wherever people are congregating. Work. Shopping. Places of worship. Etc.

Touching a infected surface.
Wash your hands a lot! And/or use this…

93 Comments

  1. We now take a shot of elderberry syrup daily. DH and myself have yet to get the flu. We have had two people in the house contract the flu this winter already, and it usually goes through the whole house. I know the season is not over yet, but I am impressed with the results so far. I believe its called Nature’s Flu Shot.

    1. “ditto” on the elderberry syrup!!! Last year only a mild head cold. This year, the same, mild head cold. No flu shots last yr or this yr.

      Many years ago, I went to work at 9am and by the time I got home I could hardly function. All of Ken’s above symptoms were mine also. I remember falling into the bed shaking and aching. I texted my DH, “I’m sick” and I was. Took nearly two months to “feel good” again. It was awful.

      Elderberry Syrup!! :)

      1. Double ditto on the elderberry syrup! I buy the Sambucol brand, but plan on making my own soon. Also, we find that ingesting activated charcoal tablets with lots of water helps a lot to neutralize the flu toxins in the body and makes the aches go away. At the first sign of flu-like symptoms, the elderberry syrup and activated charcoal become the dynamic duo in our home!

    2. Quad Ditto on elderberry, only I use the tablets from the Sambucol brand. Also, homemade chicken soup. Put in a couple of diced up garlic cloves, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a chestnut sized piece or larger of ginger root, diced up. Wow! What a cold and flu fighter. Works for me.

    1. Gulo
      Have you ever check into what they push into those shot they give you for the FLU??

      One year they put the Lyme disease in it to help build the bodies immune system against it, but did not notify those that received it. Guess what, those who have had Lyme’s are susceptible to come down with it again, it may be dormant in the body but not dead. FYI

      1. Gulo;
        Really? Are you like 8 years old; is that how you discuss something you disagree with?
        Do you have solid information that Lyme was “never” induced in the Flu Shot? If not, how do you know it wasn’t? Speculation? Trust in the Medical and .gov agencies?
        Why don’t you go back over to SHTF-plan whereas you can insult as much as you wish.
        Go away.

        1. Come on people, be rational. If you believe there’s an argument to be made, make it. Back it up if you can. No name calling please. Thicker skins may be required. There’s no requirement to go away if comments are within the boundaries of our comment policy (just saying).

          Some topics are passionate with people. Just the way it is and always has been.

        2. Ken J
          I did the research after hearing it on a Coast to Coast show by a licensed physician, or I would not have bothered mentioning it as a fact.

          ACDH who has had Lyme disease came down again after receiving the shot. It was about week later that the doctor spoke on the show & we hoped against hope that he did not come down with it again. Unfortunately he did, and had to go through the antibiotic regiment all over again.

          I was not being snarky to Gulo. He was coming across that those who contract the flu, it’s their fault for not taking the shot. Instead of realizing not everyone can have it nor do they wish to take it do adverse reactions.

          My youngest sister has no choice in getting the shot. She works in the medical field an everyone that receives their shots in her department(&other depts.)will come down ill some times within hours to a couple of days after receiving it.

      2. Well, all I can say is that I’ve been taking elderberry syrup for almost 30 years and in all that time I’ve never had the flu. Not even once! I am also absolutely OCD about hand washing. I take insulin shots and a heart med everyday so I don’t have anything against doctors or big pharma. However, I see no reason to mess around with something that obviously works. Elderberry syrup works!

    2. Gulo;
      Never had nor will get a Flu Shot (well maybe when very young in public school).
      I will say I do not remember having the “Flu” in the recent 30-40 years. AND very seldom even a cold.
      If you take a hard look at the stats on the flu shots, more people come down with the slight case after the shot…. NO thank you.
      As far as the number that die from the Flu, it’s interesting to note that most die from the weakened body than from actual Flu.
      Try clean living, staying healthy, eating right, and being aware of your surroundings (sick people) more than another shot and a medical cure for illnesses.
      The Pharm’s make $BILLIONS on keeping people healthy with their “Pills/Shots”.

      1. NRP
        Same here, I never had a flu shot and never remember having the flu. A few colds, but there does not seem to be much you can do about it, except avoid sick people.

      2. Also, official statistics say the flu shot was EFFECTIVE 13% of the time last year. Is that a good thing? I know many health care workers who will not ever get it. The government makes these vaccines using animal and other peoples’ dna. Do you want that in your body? No wonder the diseases of the world — cancers and auto-immune diseases — are so prevalent.

    3. Gulo, I made a point to get a flu shot because I worked with elderly many years ago. I got sick within a day and have never been so sick in all my life. Since that experience, I have not gotten the shot and have been healthier. I have had flu twice in the many years in between and neither case was remotely close to the bad flu I got that year.

      I now use elderberry syrup, colloidal silver, and oil of oregano.

  2. ive done some serious digging on what stuff works in case something happened where there was NO kind of medical help anyplace

    i have found that real ginger root has some AMAZING qualities

    it not only is good for settling upset stomachs but it its good for boosting the immune system and a whole host of other stuff

    i drink it all the time

    1. Kevin
      I agree, ginger is AMAZING, but so is Vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, and Elderberry. Just to name a few.

      1. Let us not forget fresh chicken broth. Must use the skin as that is where the anti viral is. Works and taste good. Add some garlic, onion and such.

        1. Mrs. USMCBG;
          Chicken Soup,
          WITH the skin cooked in, than removed, is the First line of defense against a cold….
          Still have my grandmothers recipe.
          YUMMMMMM.

  3. Taking a cue from my government, I’ve declared my homestead a “Flu Free Zone”. Sale or possession of semi or full auto flu virus is prohibited, as are high capacity flu virus carriers. Full background checks on those receiving and/or transferring ownership of flu virus, and of course, a 30 day cooling off period. No transfer of flu virus allowed without approval of local sheriff. Registration of all flu virus holders. Problem solved.

    1. Dennis;
      I’m curious, How did you address the “Bump-Stock-Flu” issues that are popping up across the country?

  4. – My employer requires me to take the flu shot annually.Either that or wear a mask constantly, all day every day. I generally come down with a mild case every year, but this year began taking commercial Sambucol gummies just after I began showing symptoms. DW and I both cleared after about three days of minimal symptoms, after I convinced her to start them as well. She had taken the shot while at a doctor’s visit. Seems like we will continue to take them next year, but probably begin a bit sooner.
    – Papa S.

    1. Yes, isn’t is amazing that our employers thru our government require these shots and if you do not, they make it hard, punitive, and humiliating (masks) for you. At 13% effective last year, there is somethimg else brewing in those vaccines.

  5. I have the Flu now, its awful but getting over it. Glad I had off this week or I would have missed work.

    I had a fever of 103.4 and I run a normal temp of 97.6. I run a degree cooler because I’m cool.

    Had a temp over 100 for 3 days it finally dropped under 100°

    Rest
    Tylenol
    Gatorade
    Gargle with 80 proof alcohol and swallow

    This is only for adults evidently.

    1. I also run a degree ‘cool’ – which makes for disagreements with Mrs.J regarding the thermostat setting ;)

      Your current experience with the flu brings back nasty memories. Not fun!

      1. Ken, I can relate to that. I stayed up in the bedroom most of the time except when I’d go to eat. The Mrs. would be down stairs with the ceiling fan running full speed in summer mode and I’d shut it off. I’d say baby its cold outside and she would say, but I’m hot. Then I would say yes you are. She would then stop arguing. LOL See how cool…..😀

    2. Defcon
      You need the Elderberry recipe for such illness. If you would like Michele’s recipe she gave to a group on an old blog back in 2012-13 will type it for you.

        1. You think others would like as well? Can not have too many recipes!!!

  6. Had many vaccinations over the years. Measles, Polio. Can’t remember for surethe number, but somewhere around 8 on the same day during basic training, for every disease known to exist in Viet Nam. One was for Black Plague that they made you do 10 push-ups immediately after the injection to hasten dispersal of the vaccine. About one out of twenty recruits had adverse reactions to that one, complete with convulsions.

    I got a mild case of the flu both times I received a flu vaccination early on in my police career (department mandated). They made it optional later on, probably because of man hours lost because of this side effect of the early serums. I’ve received several flu shots since retirement, with no adverse effects.

    I’ve only had one bad case of the flu in my life, years ago. My fever peaked and I got the chills, shivering uncontrollably. Against conventional wisdom, I stood under a shower, as hot as I could stand it for as long as I could stand it. My fever broke about an hour after I did this, and all symptoms were gone the next morning. I don’t recommend this, but it worked for me. Of course, I was much younger, and in otherwise great health and vigor. Fever is the body’s natural defense against viruses and bacteria. Maybe my foolish (?) act of increasing my core temperature was the impetus needed to finish off the virus.

  7. I have the flu,
    AND
    I got the flu shot about 3 months ago.
    Id say it doesnt work
    Same with my significant other, she is getting over it and had the shot a few weeks before me.

    1. Tommyboy, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I guess that’s a true statement because you become immune to that version of the flu.

  8. I had to sign a paper at the doctors office this year documenting my refusal to take a shingles or flu vaccine. Wow. I had my first flu vaccine in ’76 in the Navy, everyone came down with it to some extent. Anecdotally, my Trophy Bride had the first flu shot of her life in her early 50’s. It triggered her dormant auto immune disease RA. This according to her RA specialist.

    1. Anonymous, hmmmm I wonder if my horrendous flu shot reaction is what triggered my RA. I didn’t have issues before that.

  9. The flu.,..
    Yuck
    I have avoided the flu shot for years,
    But this year it got me. Not so much the flu, but an upper respiratory. Knocked me out for a four day weekend.
    My fault….I let myself get ran down and tired and not upping my C intake prior.

    Oil of oregano, white pine needle tea.

    Some recommended over the counter meds, even for diabetics, I have had an allergic reaction to.
    Reactive Itchy hands and feet. Hives Drives my crazy.

    Stay well

    Keep your flu shots, Gulo….

  10. On a brighter note, eating once a day for the last 3 days and coughing and running a fever, I lost 10 lbs.
    The flu weight loss program. 😎

  11. As for the flu shot, we’ll, many thousands die from the flu every year, how many die every year from the flu shot? Ya that’s what I thought… I’m 60 and I’ll throw my odds with getting the shot…

    1. TheGhostofBelleStarr;
      Would it not be interesting to know how many people got the Flu Shot than contracted the Flu and died from the Flu as compaired to how many do not get a Flu Shot and do not die from the Flu ????
      Just Thinking.

      1. NRP, even more interesting how many people avoid- and or reduce/prevet flu severity by using..natural antivairals… elderberry, colloidal silver,sweetgum tincture( tamiflu),oregano, garlic etc…

    2. Belle if THEY know how many die THEY will never tell the public. I posted a story last week about the young girl that died, age 7 or so. She had the vaccine and did not qualify for the Tamiflu. She was over 2 and under 65.

    3. Ghost, actually, we have several elderly at the rest home that get this shot each year because their doctors insist they have it, immediately fall ill, and die. Well, they end up in the hospital first, and then they die from complications.

      It may work well for some, but for many, the 13 percent chance that it helps them may not be worth the higher risk of getting the shot. Many of them already have a compromised immune system.

      Many people who got the shingles shot still came down with bad cases of shingles.

      We are the guinea pigs for these inoculations.

  12. Remember getting vaccinated at school when you were a kid? They just lined us all up, and shot everybody with the same gun.

    1. – Livin’ in the Woods –
      I have given several thousands of injections with those guns. I can remember giving over 7000 personally one weekend while preparing troops to deploy overseas. Unlike a needle and syringe, the only thing that breaks the skin with the guns is a tiny jet of filtered air and the sterile contents of the vaccine bottle.
      The problem with the guns is the individuals getting the shot tens up and jump at the sound of the gun going off. It’s easy to tell when this happens, they’re the ones with the blood running down the arm from a cut and the loss of most of the vaccine they supposedly got.
      It does take a little bit more training to give the injections with the gun; what we generally did was grasp the individual on both arms, and shake him a bit. After the startle, they would relax and look around to see what was going on. Shoot them when they looked around, because then they were relaxed and would not jump.
      – Papa S.

  13. Thirty years ago I got the flu for the first time. Absolutely flattened me. Very high fever had me in a delirium for two days in a country with poor public health care. Luckily a nearby friend was a nurse and got me through the worst of it. Since my work brought me into contact with lots of people, often in the developing world, I got flu shots every year since. Only had influenza once since then. Late in a season where a new subtype cropped up that was not covered in that year’s vaccine formulation. Works for me. YMMV

    Keep Calm and Prep On

  14. AC,
    I have an Uncle that got bitten by ticks,and contracted Lyme.. within 10 days w he went back to Dr for follow up… Dr then gave flu shot and reoccurance of Lyme and concurrent Flu was the result.of course he ahd bronchitis and pneumonia to follow that.He was sick for about 2 full months.. This happened about 5-6 years ago.

    Each person needs to look at the ingredient list of each vaccine they recieve.Look at the ingredients, and look at every side effects. , consider does the good outweigh the bad effects for them and their health. Those who have nerve disorders SHOULD know that some vaccines will induce a percentage of people who have severe symptoms… epstein barr,..includes paralysis of even respiratory muscles in severe cases.

    A point 1% chance of severe disability to result is one out of 1000. It WiLL affect that many people If it is YOUR child, Your grandma, YOU? and remember you can not sue the vaccine industry they have immunity. It takes many years to go thru vaccine court.The cost of the disability will be borne for years by your family… the loss of your income, the cost of labor to provide for every need, and the cost of lawyers to attempt to get a standard of care for those disabled. Some will say.. If I die, I die and means some one else did not suffer from it… not necessarily. so. answer these questions..who pays for the research t.o develop and market vaccines? testing on flu vaccines wich mutate from year to year,…NOT possible…all is estimates paid for by the developer. Look at what happens to scentist who do not agree with their findings.
    Consider how that will affect your family IF you are That point1%… I believe where the rubber meets the road is if that one person is YOU, Or Your CHILD, and their life is affected for the remainder of their life…Is it worth it?
    To introduce a viral they have to give it a bacteria to “ride” on… Each producer of vaccines chooses a different bacterium…
    . Lyme, is only one of many being used….Lyme goes and hides in the body until immunity is compromised and baceria finds a chance to flourish it will flare and symptoms will need to be treated to stop symptoms. Symptoms can be from many different bodily symptoms. heart, kidney, brain abcesses CAN occur and some people have full body aches, and arthritis symptoms. I take oil of oregano in cycles and it controlls my Lyme symptoms most of the time.My flares are not as frequent with oregano..There are a few things that kill the highly resistant bacteria.Those things also kill off good bacteria….ie..anti infectives must be followed with probiotics to restore gastric flora.

    Lyme was believed to be caused by one bacterium for many years, More research is being done and there are several bacteria that are involved in the spread and resistance of the Lyme to full healing. Infections of .Spirochetes are very difficult to treat. Syphilis is one disease caused by a spirochete.

    Some Physicans groups are finding that symptoms that were separated as fibromyalgia is same as Lyme….that it responds to the same treatments and is actually undiagnosed Lyme. Testing for Lyme was unreliable for many years.I was one of the lucky ones who got treatment within months because of an associated infection….the problem I have had was in follow up. After being diagnosed because of the ringed bite and arthritis symptoms that responded to appropriate antibiotic, another Arrogant Physican told me I “did not have Lyme” .He attacked the other Drs reputation as a mis- diagnosis.. because I was “in the city” . It “is a country/forest disease”. I told him I was “living in the country, we had deer running thru the yard.”

  15. I have always thought it strange that me and my 2 school-aged kids do NOT get the flu vaccine, my DH does because of work requirements, and my grandmother (age 86) always does as well…results?? My DH and grandmother get the flu almost every year and me and the kids don’t! Even after being in the same house while I took care of him!! Makes a person wonder….

  16. I haven’t had the flu vaccine in decades and have never had the flu that is described as “killer flu”. I’m in the conservative camp.

  17. Just Sayin’;
    Did you not recently post a date and location whereas you gave your recipe for elderberry syrup on a Saturday ‘free-for-all?
    I cant seem to find it.
    Help!!!

    1. this is the one I use. think I got it here? tho not for sure
      Elderberry Syrup yield 1 quart
      Ingredients:
      2/3 c dried black elderberries
      3 1/2 c water
      2 Tbs fresh or dried ginger root
      1 tsp cinnamon powder
      1/2 tsp cloves or clove powder
      1 c raw honey
      Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (DO NOT add honey yet)
      Bring to boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for 45 min to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half.
      Remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled.
      Mash the berries carefully using a spoon.
      Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
      DISCARD THE ELDERBERRIES. DO NOT EAT THEM.
      Let the liquid cool to lukewarm. Add the one cup of raw honey and stir well.
      Store in mason jar in refridg. Shake well before using.

      I take 1 Tbs daily begining in Sept and on thru the flu season.

      other dosages:
      kids – 1/2 to 1 tsp daily
      adults – 1/2 Tbs to 1 Tbs daily
      if flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hrs instead of once a day until symptoms are gone.

      DISCLAIMER–I am not a doctor. Take the above suggestions at your own risk. Consult your own doctor for advise – I did.

      1. grandee;
        Thank you
        Something I’m strongly thinking about adding to my regimen.

  18. Breitbart is reporting that the 8 year old immigrant boy who died while in I.C.E custody, died of the flu. Any bets on whether he had received a flu vaccination prior to leaving Guatemala or during the trip across Mexico? My bet is that he did not.

    Any guesses as to why we are having an uptick in diseases that have long been considered eradicated in the U.S.? Could it possibly be due to the fact that we’ve had such an influx of folks entering the country from places that have no vaccination programs?

    Why has the CDC not declared a health emergency to stem the influx of disease from third world countries?

    When my Irish ancestors entered America, legally, at Ellis Island, everyone was examined by health care professionals for any symptoms and quarantined if any were detected. Was considered common sense precautions back then.

    1. Dennis;
      That right there is the problem!!!
      “Was considered common sense precautions back then.”
      We have lost our friggen minds, ALL of our common sense and are so PC it’s killing us (literally) as we lose sight of where this country is heading, where we came from and what we once stood for.
      I have zero problem with Immigration, I will NEVER stand for illegal immigration, or correctly said “Invasion” of our Country.
      You mentioned the ” 8 year old immigrant boy who died while in I.C.E custody, died of the flu.”
      How about all the other deadly disease that is transported here? How about one of the things we all ‘should’ worry about, A Pandemic that could literally murder millions and millions of people. OR maybe a new untreatable strain of Flu………
      Ken mentioned ” 291,000 to 646,000″ deaths a year from the Flu, what if that number times 10, times 20-30-40 from a Pandemic, or even the Flu …………. Any questions… Anyone??

      1. Pandemic is a very logical motivator for being prepared for a number of months.

        You can survive it, IF you remain unexposed. That means holing up in your house until it has swept through.

        A problem with that is people will still go to work (most everyone has to pay their bills) potentially exposing themselves. It will be a judgement call each individual will have to make. Threshold of mortality for given pandemic vs. potential loss of job, and other factors…

        1. Ken;
          Totally agreed, look throughout history, Millions or even Billions have died from Pandemics.
          Heck look at the history of even the Flu (since this is an article on the Flu) Figure your numbers, take the average 468,500 people per year, I’m now 65, so in my lifetime 30,452,500 people have died from the Flu….. 30.5 MILLION people.
          AND that’s just the Flu…. Tis amazing anyone lives 10 years past child-birth.

          UGHHHHHH and we want to keep open borders that anyone can just waltz right in… NICE!!!!
          So how’s that for Doom and Gloom???? hehehehe

        2. Ken,, et al,

          Am I the only one mystified and concerned about this “polio like” disease that has popped up here in the U.S., apparently imported along with the waves of central American illegals? If it’s “polio like”, but not polio, then what the h%!! is it? If it’s not polio, does our polio vaccine prevent infection? I grew up in a time when polio was a crippler and a killer. Had a cousin who survived in an “iron lung” and was left with an atrophied leg. Went to school with fellow students who were crippled for life. Polio became a forgotten disease in the U.S. Is this a mutation that we are not prepared for?
          Will left wing politics sacrifice our children for political correctness. Does anybody give a flying fig tree that engineered biological infections could be sent here in the human incubation chamber of a live “refugee”?

          Makes me want to move into my cave on the back forty, wall up the entrance, and wait for signs of intelligent life.

          Just kidding, sir. I love my government, who watches out for my best interests. Oh, look! There’s a butterfly!!!

        3. Dennis
          You said
          “Will left wing politics sacrifice our children for political correctness. “
          The left and most of the right care nothing about you or i or anyone, they only care about power and are drunk with greed
          There needs to be a decisive cleansing, sad but true and will most certainly be awful but as many see it the only way

        4. Dennis
          Nope you aren’t the only one watching.
          The flood of illegals are bringing in who knows what from where. Different strains of contagious diseases for what we are not prepared for or immune to. The media hype on those sick children is…..
          …..almost comical, keep them quarantined or keep them the he!! out. ( I have no heart….for stupidity)
          But no,
          we are a giving country…… giving in to our own demise,….
          It’s for the votes…. people…..
          Sickening.
          Flu-like symptoms. Staying on topic…..

        5. Dennis,
          Yeah, I caught that in the news also. Very troublesome. Since there is presently a small amount of people being infected, nothing is being done, although I notice that the “professionals’ are “concerned”. As mentioned above, I am reading two books by Stephen Buhner, one is Herbal Antivirals, the other Herbal antibiotics. Good reading, great intro in the antiviral book about the great viral infection pandemics that have happened (polio and the 1918 flu). Vaccines are years away for these new ‘unknown’ viral infections that are springing up. I too have friends that had polio. Frightening to think of, to say the least. my bet is none of our vaccines will prevent this new virus from hurting people. Hence my search for natural antiviral and antibiotic medicines. in a pandemic, we may have to fend for ourselves. keep calm, but make preparations.

      2. The flu viruses mutate and they can barely keep up if at all. Guess work is what goes into the vaccine. When the virus jump from animal to man watch out!!! Most of the deaths in 1918 were young children and young adults who had no immunity.

        1. Mrs. USMCBG;
          I heard once that the “Bird Flu” is only one chromosome from being 100% Airborne and 100% fatal to humans.
          Maybe true, maybe not… Just saying.
          Can you imagine something that’s totally airborne and we have zero defense to it?

          Ken’s 2-3 months of preparedness could be the only thing that could save “some”. Unfortunately, if the Virus last 6-8 months without a host…… enough said.

          For some reason it seems like Mankind is hell bent on self destruction.

        2. Mrs. USMCBG
          Lost a few family members during the 1918 flu, they were drafted and stuck in barrack’s during WW1. Spread like wildfire and the 20 somethings did not survive.

    2. Dennis
      You know that, in our PC culture, your quarantined proposal would be racist.
      Where is the boundary of vaccination for everything that may be of a little discomfort to us privileged people opposed to natural immunity – you know the old saying of “eat a little dirt”.

      My next comment is contrary to all professional advise, I find that a brisk heart pumping workout instead of laying around, has gotten my body heated and fighting sluggish feelings. It is difficult to get up and start but after 20 min. hydration, and a cool down, I feel much better. My chores and regular work is not enough to get my whole body working as well as my elliptical.

  19. For those of you who have had the flu consider it better than any shot as you now have a partial natural immunity. I had the Hong Kong flu in 1969. I was 17. What I remember was how my skin felt. You know very sensitive/tender sort of.
    Seems most of the flus come from China/Asia where close proximity of humans live with birds and swine.

  20. I am still working within the health care field and so I cannot isolate myself from people that are sick. Like Papa Smurf, I must get the flu shot in order to show up for work or wear a mask. I have not taken my annual shot yet.

    I had contracted a bad cold that turned into bronchitis this past month. ( no fever, bad cough, low energy for 48 hrs, 2 days off sick to regain strength and get some sleep.).

    I also agree with ike hansen who posted about getting out and getting some exercise while recovering. There is a fine line between getting some exercise and overdoing it. My job is not sedentary. Do exercise as tolerated.

    When truly sick, your body will not tolerate some foods. When running a fever over 100, the food you take in will bounce right back up. When you have a cold, our diet around this house is chicken soup, saltine crackers or pretzels and Sprite or 7-up. My body cannot tolerate the spicy foods when sick.

    I suspect there is a bit of an epidemic going on right now because the local stores ran out of chicken noodle soups, Sprite and pretzels last week. Stocks of throat lozenges and guafenasin tabs are also down at present time.

    Get well Tommyboy, Having a case of flu while living in a warm weather area truly sucks.

  21. Post Script:

    To Ken regarding pedialyte: You are a grown man. Drink Gatorade! Most adults find they dislike the flavor of pedialyte including children. If you gotta drink a fluid replacement, keep some sugar or honey around to add to the tea, medicinal tea or what ever you may be drinking. Medicinal tea will do no good if the patient does not drink it.

    At least Gatorade tastes OK for most adults. The acidic or bitter flavor within most electrolyte replacements is due to the Potassium within the fluid.

  22. I have just started reading Buhner’s book on Herbal Antivirals. Very in depth description of many viral infections and how they work in the body, including the flu and epidemics, and how the viruses mutate and adapt.(It would have scared the crap out of me, had I not made peace with my own eventual demise years ago). Good book with alternative herbal medicine to fight these infections, since ‘modern medicine’ is one or two steps behind. I agree with everyone on closing our open borders. I am not anti immigration, just want to control who we let in. Personally I believe that a SHTF scenario with disease has a higher percentage of happening than anything else. It will be the hardest to defend against, IMHO. Thought about that as I opened some Christmas cards that came while we were on the Eastern Slope visiting. Each envelope the perfect ‘delivery device’ for infection with a nice swab of potential pathogen on the back envelope flap. lovely. Thank you Grandee for the recipe for the elderberry syrup. ( I have this year’s crop of elderberries being brewed into a sweet wine in the shed, but next year I will be able to mix up a batch of this syrup for the grandkids.) I will be stocking up on ginger, licorice, star anise, cinnamon and cloves for future use also.

    1. Miner, Chinese Star Anise seeds are where Tamiflu comes from! Buy enough and crush the seeds and pods let sit in 190 proof or 80 proof vodka or rum maybe even brandy for at least 1 month or more. You will have tincture lasting years. I am going to look up the book also thanks……….

      1. Mrs. USMCBG,
        Thank you for the recipe. I have been writing all these down on 4 x 6 cards for future reference. We both got flu shots here, but are taking ‘shots’ of Minerjim’s Sweet Elderberry wine each night, so far, no flu. Hoping to boost DWs immune system as she is a two time breast cancer survivor. Can’t think of a better way to do it than natural medicines. Thank you again.

  23. Hello to to every one!
    Flu is dangerous like every other infection. What will be consequences depend generally from health of sick person. Most of death from flu are just complications of basic illness.
    In my country is crime if you don’t take vaccine ordered with law. This has good and bad sides. Some % of children has complications from vaccines but for community is better. Social immunity is much stronger. In past in my country all companys who made vaccines were state owned. So I am pretty sure they made as best as they can. Profit was not important only health of the people. Today, vaccines are made in EU. So I can’t say are they good or not.

    1. Veteran you said the word PROFIT. Capitalism has its good and corrupt side as well. In US they just guess at what strain the flu might be and in the last few years THEY have been wrong!

  24. I hope not to get sick with the flu as I am a baby boomer and it could be hard on me. However I would rather catch the strain of the moment and have some immunity against what is really moving around in nature.

  25. Being reported, Bre Payton, a conservative commentator/contributor on Fox News, has died from, you guessed it, the flu. She was 26 years old. She was diagnosed with swine flu and contracted meningitis, also. No report on her flu shot status.

    1. Dennis
      Sounds like she contracted Meningitis and was diagnosed as having the flu since they have similar symptoms.

    2. Break was a staff writer for the Federalist. Very sorry to hear about her passing.

  26. Scary stuff.
    The World Health Organization says “The influenza virus is constantly evolving and while a future pandemic is a certainty, when and where it will start, and which virus strain it will be, are all unknown.”

    Depending on the source of one’s statistics, the 1918 H1N1 pandemic came with a mortality rate of between 10 and 20 percent.

    The latest pulsating epidemic, H7N9, has been laboratory confirmed in 1567 human influenza cases, resulting in 615 deaths, a confirmed 39% mortality rate, almost all of them in China. H7N9 was first detected in China in 2013, has been almost always transmitted bird to human in live bird markets, and began to make infected birds sick in 2017. Treating poultry with a newly developed vaccine appears to have resulted in a 93% drop in human infection rates. Since October 2017 there have been only three confirmed human cases.

    A few years ago I spent time working in the global infection arena. There was significant concern about H7N9 at the time, but the transmission pattern of the disease and recent success with the poultry vaccine have given infectious disease specialists hope that it may be controlled.

    Influenza viruses are highly variable. The second H1N1 pandemic (2009, genetically different from the 1918 virus) had a mortality rate of around .002 percent in its first year. H1N1 can cause hyperactivity in a young robust immune system. This overproduction of white blood cells can lead to severely compromised lungs in a very short time. So, like its 1918 cousin, most of the deaths were among young healthy people. Usually influenza deaths are concentrated in those under 5, those over 60, and those with compromised immune systems. H1N1 is now circulating as part of the seasonal flu.

    It may be of interest to some that both the effectiveness and benefit of oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) have been called into question. Shikimic acid, a molecule extracted from Chinese star anise using a variety of methods, is synthesized via a very complex series of chemical processes into Tamiflu. Alternates for shikimic acid are also being used.

    1. – On the subject of the 1918 flu; I have a small ghost town about 10 or eleven miles away from where I live. All that is left is a single house (abandoned, but still standing) and the cemetery. there are 83 marked graves, all but three are within a six-month period in 1918.
      – Papa S.

      1. PapaS
        Have a friend that lives in Ne on a big spread, was in his mothers family for many generations, they have a small cemetery out behind the barn, remember looking at the dates when we were staying with them back in the 90s, asked him about a bunch of them that were all from the same year and he said Spanish flu, he said the farm was abandoned for about two decades after they all died, was a great grandfather who burried his whole family then he got sick and died and was found on the floor in the kitchen after he had been dead for quite a while, pretty tragic story actually. Im sure it was repeated all across the plains, got to read the journal the old guy kept, brought tears to my eyes reading about him burying his wife after she died giving birth to their second child and him trying to work the fields and take care of the surviving son, then the joys of a new wife and thriving family to then having to bury his son and his wife and the kids who were still on the farm, still remember his entry,
        ” no man should have to bury his own children and grand children”
        one daughter had left to go to school on the east coast and only survived because of that. Was interesting and at the time i didnt think much about it, only now reading these blogs and comments from folks like you does it all come clear.

  27. DO NOT TAKE IBUPROFEN FOR THIS FLU. I READ RECENTLY, FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE, THAT THE SURVIVAL RATE IS MUCH WORSE WITH IBUPROFEN. AT LEAST LOOK INTO THE ISSUE.

    1. I keep seeing this, and people keep passing it to me. The majority of these people would have been in a hospital setting, and what is a hospital going to give people for pain/inflammation? Ibuprofen. Almost without fail. Just because they have IB in their systems doesn’t mean it’s responsible for anything.

      I accept it as a possibility, and nothing more without a LOT more information.

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