anyone else developing sense of panic over getting DC the H1N1 vaccine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to all you cooler heads. I was all panicked about getting me and my family vaccinated, but now you have shown me the errors of my ways. How could I be so stupid as to emotionally react to the five-year old on the news in an induced coma on a ventilator or the perfectly healthy 38-year old triathelete that succumbed to the swine flu. And thanks to the statistician of the group that has established that you are at much greater risk to succumbing to the swine flu if you stand in line for the vaccination than you would be if you waited for your Dr. to kindly call you up and offer to give it to you in the comfort of your own home.

Please keep thinking this way and stay away from those mass vaccination clinics so my family and I can get vaccinated before the shit really hits the fan.

Easy there. People were just trying to be helpful. If you want to be stressed about this, of course you can and should. But nobody called you stupid, and there's no excuse for being obnoxious, especially towards others who were trying to offer comfort.

[Anonymous]

PP, I agree with you, she is so rude!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:all flu in the area is h1n1 not seasonal. I was in line in moco this morning. yes, i felt distressed, but not panicked. That's why I was up at 5am. Anyone under 10 needs two doses, so I'll do it again.

Keep checking the websites for all the local health departments. There will be more vaccine and more clinics.

The first sentence in this is not true at all. Doctors are ASSUMING this bc of the rapid spread since no one has immunity - but there are still ppl getting the regular flu as well. This is just another reason why I think it should be tested and documented.

THANK YOU. I wish that person would stop posting (like a parrot) that ALL FLU IS H1N1, not seasonal flu. That information is not accurate at all. The CDC reports are not posted each and every time someone is tested, nor do all places report the same way. The info they are posting IS NOT 100% up to date and current. As of today I now know four people who have the seasonal flu.

[Anonymous]

I think it is only human nature to want things that you feel are in short supply.

Even if you weren't sure you wanted the H1N1 vaccine for your kids two weeks ago, suddlnly reading all these personal reports of people getting in line for the vax and waiting or being turned away or whatever, has the effect of making people start thinking, "I better get mine, too, while the getting's good".

It really is only human nature.

However, I woud keep everything in perspective. H1N1 swine flu arrived in the DC area back in May/June. There were plenty of cases over the summer, in summer camps and daycares. There have been more and more in September and the past few weeks of October, as kids went back to school. Daycares, nursery schools, schools and colleges all have been reporting having large outbreaks of it. And no one was vaccinated with it, because there was no vaccine. You probably didn't feel panicked then, because you weren't reading news reports of "There's no vaccine! There's been a delay!" And you probably just sent your child off to school or daycare or birthday parties and didn't worry too much about him or her being unvaccinated for Swine Flu, right?

So the past week or so, there have been some vaccine clinics. Don't let news reports and personal anecdotes about scarcity change anything about the way you feel. However you felt for the past month should be the way you feel now. If your child comes home with flu like symptoms, you will do what you would have done three weeks ago. Monitor, contact his or her doctor, etc., get Tamiflu if at high risk or severe symptoms. As soon as the vaccine is available to you, go ahead and get it -- that's only prudent -- but really, the fact that some vaccine is now available should change your overall perception of risk. (Although I understand if it does! Like I said -- human nature.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

THANK YOU. I wish that person would stop posting (like a parrot) that ALL FLU IS H1N1, not seasonal flu. That information is not accurate at all. The CDC reports are not posted each and every time someone is tested, nor do all places report the same way. The info they are posting IS NOT 100% up to date and current. As of today I now know four people who have the seasonal flu.

Bullshit. This is what is happening: There's not enough Tamiflu for everyone who wants it. Doctors aren't supposed to prescribe it, if you aren't in a high risk condition or having severe symptoms. So to make life easy for themselves (which I don't blame them) they aren't going out of their way to explain to people that a positive FLu A test right now is very likely Swine Flu. In fact, some are actually saying, "I'm testing you for flu. This isn't for swine flu though, it is just for Flu A." When it comes back positive patients are under the assumption that, the test WASN'T for swine flu. It was flor "flu A". So they think it is seasonal flu.

Which they have NO WAY of knowing from an office test.

[Anonymous]

of course, since it is still too early for regular flu season, keep thinking your friends have the regular flu. Go ahead. How do you know?

The 1919 Spanish flu was mild until the fall, when it mutated quickly to kill or make seriously ill a good percentage of the population - the young part of the population. Go ahead, keep thinking the h1n1 flu will be mild. I hope it is. For you and your kids sake. Responsible parenting means you are at least thinking about it.The 1968 pandemic turned out to be a mild pandemic. The 1976 swine flu outbreak never became a pandemic. Let's just hope this is all bluster over nothing. But how are you so sure?

The good news is that, if this is anything like 2004, when the seasonal flu vaccine was delayed, there will be an oversupply of the h1n1 vaccine at some point. Let's just hope it is before anything really bad happens.

[Anonymous]

Some of the posters are an excellent reason for OP to panic, namely the last one.

I want to get the vaccine, but I am suddenly feeling like it is "now or never" with these clinics. That is pushing me to feel more panic. My doctor said he ordered it and does expect it to come in, but doesn't know when. It is this push for hurrying (all my playgroup is planning on going today and to FFX on Saturday morning) so I now I feel rushed.

[Anonymous]

You should do what the moms from the other thread are doing . . . find the clinics that aren't screening for CDC designated priority groups and get your shots now even if you aren't in a priority group because hey, you are entitled!

[Anonymous]

it doesn't bother you that you might be taking a vaccine from someone who is in a priority group for a reason? a child? Selfish beyond belief. This is what our country is coming to. someone said it earlier, there is no honor anymore.

[Anonymous]

The answer to your title topic is OBVIOUSLY YES. Look at the freaks posting!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

THANK YOU. I wish that person would stop posting (like a parrot) that ALL FLU IS H1N1, not seasonal flu. That information is not accurate at all. The CDC reports are not posted each and every time someone is tested, nor do all places report the same way. The info they are posting IS NOT 100% up to date and current. As of today I now know four people who have the seasonal flu.

Bullshit. This is what is happening: There's not enough Tamiflu for everyone who wants it. Doctors aren't supposed to prescribe it, if you aren't in a high risk condition or having severe symptoms. So to make life easy for themselves (which I don't blame them) they aren't going out of their way to explain to people that a positive FLu A test right now is very likely Swine Flu. In fact, some are actually saying, "I'm testing you for flu. This isn't for swine flu though, it is just for Flu A." When it comes back positive patients are under the assumption that, the test WASN'T for swine flu. It was flor "flu A". So they think it is seasonal flu.

Which they have NO WAY of knowing from an office test.

I was tested at a hospital. I have piece of paper stating I have FLU STRAIN B. Can I fax it to you? I mean, since it is IMPOSSIBLE and the only flu out there is SWINE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

THANK YOU. I wish that person would stop posting (like a parrot) that ALL FLU IS H1N1, not seasonal flu. That information is not accurate at all. The CDC reports are not posted each and every time someone is tested, nor do all places report the same way. The info they are posting IS NOT 100% up to date and current. As of today I now know four people who have the seasonal flu.

Bullshit. This is what is happening: There's not enough Tamiflu for everyone who wants it. Doctors aren't supposed to prescribe it, if you aren't in a high risk condition or having severe symptoms. So to make life easy for themselves (which I don't blame them) they aren't going out of their way to explain to people that a positive FLu A test right now is very likely Swine Flu. In fact, some are actually saying, "I'm testing you for flu. This isn't for swine flu though, it is just for Flu A." When it comes back positive patients are under the assumption that, the test WASN'T for swine flu. It was flor "flu A". So they think it is seasonal flu.

Which they have NO WAY of knowing from an office test.

Incorrect, conspiracy sister.

Doctors are treating Type A as H1N1 because it is time and cost ineffective to send off the H1N1 test, when the only treatment is Tamiflu and it has to be given right away. So that's why they are only doing Type A. And they have to be honest that it is not confirmed H1N1 because you possibly have another subtype and therefore you would need the H1N1 vaccine.

That said, there are other flu types running around. At the moment, they are infrequent. At the moment. But there are other types around.

You really need to get better informed before you write such categorical statements. It does a disservice to others.

[Anonymous]

My son and I have a good old fashioned cold does that count as swine flu?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Incorrect, conspiracy sister.

Doctors are treating Type A as H1N1 because it is time and cost ineffective to send off the H1N1 test, when the only treatment is Tamiflu and it has to be given right away. So that's why they are only doing Type A. And they have to be honest that it is not confirmed H1N1 because you possibly have another subtype and therefore you would need the H1N1 vaccine.

That said, there are other flu types running around. At the moment, they are infrequent. At the moment. But there are other types around.

You really need to get better informed before you write such categorical statements. It does a disservice to others.

Nope -- I'm sure many doctors are correctly telling patients: "You are positive for Flu A which is very likely H1N1. I'm not prescribing Tamiflu because you are not in a high risk category and you are not suffering severe symptoms."

However, there are doctors and nurses who apparently are doing a very bad job of this communication. I speculate it is because they are tired of having to defend why they aren't prescribing Tamiflu or other medication. It is so much easier to just tell patients what is techincally true ( You or your child is positive for Flu A) without going the extra distance and letting them know that means it is, very likely, at this point and time, Swine Flu. Why bother? It'd probably only upset them, it is something new and different.

If you just let patients assume what they have is seasonal flu, they will not want Tamiflu. Most people are OK with not having Tamiflu for seasonal flu, and if it is mild, they really won't care. It's just way easier all around.

So no, I don't buy that 4 of the poster's friend have just tested positive for seasonal flu. Seasonal flu is extremely rare right now. H1N1 is very very frequent right now, and I think the patients are either being misled or are misinterpreting what they are being told.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son and I have a good old fashioned cold does that count as swine flu?

No.