The cost of the flu

[wonderland]

I was looking at our January 2014 finances, and they seemed way off. Then I remembered that the flu swept through our house in early January, completely knocking us down and out for a week and a half.

Costs:

$30 co pays for each of us to see a doctor to get a tamiflu prescription
close to $300 to fill those prescriptions (which I have since found literature proving it doesn't even work)
$250 ER copay for DD since her heart rate jumped way up after her doctor appt. 
Something like $750 for our portion of the deductible for DD's hospital admission for IV fluids and monitoring.
A week and a half of unpaid sick leave for me. 
$30.00 on pedia sure and pedialyte for the kid
Another $50 on easy, comfort food type stuff for all of us,

It's crazy, and all because someone chose to go out and about while sick with the flu. I know who gave it to us, I wish they were liable for the bills!

Has anyone had a similar experience? It is unreal how quickly all that added up!

[justme]

Know it's not what you asked, but what research did you find about tamiflu?

[Deleted]

Frustrating for us because we get vaccinated at work, but vaccines not very effective this year and people at work getting sick. They think it not the flu and keep coming to work so more get infected. One got tamiflu and she was better in 2 days. I am glad I had days off at end of year so I am missing a lot of the germs.

[Jaguar]

My BIL got it over 3 weeks ago, gave it to my sister, she gave it back to him and now I have it. He's still sick with it some 3+ weeks later. This one is a real bitch to get rid of, that's what I heard.

I got vaccinated way back in October 27, but it's not really helping.

[ners]

I have always heard you are contagious before you are symptomatic. Perhaps who ever gave you the flu did not even realize they were sick.

[sapphire12]

I've read that you are actually contagious the day before you get sick with the flu. If this is true, I inflicted my germs on others unknowingly the day before and/or most of the day when I actually got sick since I didn't show any symptoms until Mon night. I knew definitively I had the flu when I woke up Tues morning. I went to the doctor Wed, I think. I didn't leave the house again until Mon, when I went back to work.

That was in 2003. I haven't had the flu since and I don't get vaccinated. I think there are better ways to prevent the flu. I guess it also helps that the 2003 strain of the flu was bad. It came back around in 2012, I think.

I'm one of those that completely loses an appetite for 3 days with the flu. But, I keep Orange Juice, homemade chicken noodle soup in the freezer and edy's fruit bars in the freezer during the winter, just in case I get sick. I also have ginger ale on hand then, so I need to go buy some. The moral is even if you don't get the flu, odds are that you will get a cold during flu season so be prepared. I will admit that there isn't much difference for me when I have a cold and the flu. I do sleep like a rock for a couple for a couple of days with the flu, so it passes rather quickly.

So, if I go to primary care doc $20 copay and whatever the copay is for the drug prescribed, I'm thinking $10. So I'll say at max $30 - $50. I have sick leave if I have to miss work. I'm a household of one.

[Jaguar]

Jan 1, 2015 15:29:16 GMT -5 ners said:

I have always heard you are contagious before you are symptomatic. Perhaps who ever gave you the flu did not even realize they were sick.

Well it's being passed back and forth between my sister and BIL, so who knows really where I got it from.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

You are a nurse and not vaccinated?  I can't imagine a hospital where you would have been allowed to work without being vaccinated.  I know this year's vaccine was not quite right for the strains that hit, but last year's was spot on.

[Deleted]

We don't do anything special for the flu except it's the only time I'll eat Campell's chicken noodle soup.  My Mom gave it to me as a kid and it's just a psychological "feel better" thing.  No meds, no doctor.  Just lay around and watch movies with my soup.

It's been a long time since anyone here had the flu.  We get the flu shot every year, but not sure how much that has to do with it.

[zibazinski]

It's the wrong shot this year for the strain going around. I just try to avoid people and wash my hands a lot.

[zibazinski]

There is a woman in my group who will freely spread her germs because she can't bear to miss anything.

[swamp]

Jan 1, 2015 15:36:08 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

You are a nurse and not vaccinated?  I can't imagine a hospital where you would have been allowed to work without being vaccinated.  I know this year's vaccine was not quite right for the strains that hit, but last year's was spot on.

Im a volunteer board member and I have to have a flu shot. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jan 1, 2015 15:51:08 GMT -5 swamp said:

Jan 1, 2015 15:36:08 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

You are a nurse and not vaccinated?  I can't imagine a hospital where you would have been allowed to work without being vaccinated.  I know this year's vaccine was not quite right for the strains that hit, but last year's was spot on.

Im a volunteer board member and I have to have a flu shot. 

When I was hospitalized during flu season, I had an orderly that transported me to my room with a mask on.  He had missed the first batch of vaccinations that the hospital gave, and the next round was the following day.  If he didn't show, he'd ave been fired.

When I worked at the medical center, even though I had no patient contact, it was strongly suggested to have one.  For direct healthcare providers, it was mandatory.

[Tiny]

Last year (Nov 2013 thru May 2014) had a couple of different strains going around. The flu shot was a good fit BUT there were a couple of strains it didn't help against. There were some 'pockets' of those other strains. My SIL had the flu shot but still went down for a solid week with one of the other strains. She was sick enough to have the Doctor actually send out her 'samples' for id... and she had one of the not so wide spread versions of it. The rest of her family had flu shots and only one of her sons got kinda sick-ish for a couple of days - most likely with the strain she had (maybe he brought it home from school? but didn't get it bad).


This is one of the reasons the flu is such a menace.

As for the Tamiflu thing - I've read that you need to take it immediately - when you first start getting symptoms for it to be helpful (ie cut a couple days off the 5 to 7 days of being sick). If you've had the symptoms for a couple of days and then start taking it - it doesn't really help much (maybe cuts a day off the 7 days you're gonna be sick).

I suspect Tamiflu is more suited to someone who's immune system isn't going to handle the flu on it's own... or someone who goes down hill really fast right at the start of symptoms.

But, that's just my opinion.

[wonderland]

Jan 1, 2015 15:36:08 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

You are a nurse and not vaccinated?  I can't imagine a hospital where you would have been allowed to work without being vaccinated.  I know this year's vaccine was not quite right for the strains that hit, but last year's was spot on.

I never said I wasn't vaccinated. We get our flu vaccine every year. Last year there was a strain of flu A that wasn't covered by the vaccine,  a lot of people got sick with it in jan/feb. All 3 of us were vaccinated, all 3 of us tested flu positive and we're sick as dogs. DD had it the worst though.

[wonderland]

mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-18/roche-tamiflu-s-effectiveness-unproven-due-to-hidden-data-researchers-say.html

m.bbc.com/news/health-26969811

[Tiny]

I had the flu a couple of Christmas-es ago. I had gotten a flu shot. I got it at a mid December party with my family - none of whom waere showing symptoms. The first person became sick the morning after the party... over the course of 15 days from that party - 3/4ths of the people at that party were knocked out by the flu. I came down with it 9 days after the party - the day before Christmas Eve. I wasn't moving on Christmas day. I remember this because one of my SILs was hosting Christmas and most of the relatives were no-shows because they were either getting sick, sick, or on the 'recovery' side of it. I'm sure I spread it around at work... as I didn't get sick until the end of the day at work... I called in sick the next morning (the day before Christmas eve).

The flu didn't cost me much. I didn't bother to go to the Dr. I already had pain/fever relievers at home, along with some canned broth, misc foods, water and teas. Being sick generally doesn't cost me anything. I don't take much in the way of OTC medications. I got a bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey if I need "night quill" to get to bed - a shot of that right before getting into bed does the job. That's about the only time it gets used (or in an old family cookie recipe) so a bottle lasts a long time.

[giramomma]

Like others, we keep some basics on hand at all times (pain relievers, juice, clear soda, jello, saltines) for when we get sick. We find it's nice to not have to run out at odd times or when we are feeling poorly.

I am also thankful for my insurance. ER visits are $75 if you aren't admitted to the hospital. If you are admitted, the co-pay is waved.

I do not get the flu shot (unless pregnant). Mostly because of the how I react. When it becomes a need due to my age, I'll do it. I don't think I've had the flu, ever, actually.

[Deleted]

The Doctor office nurse told me not contagious until running temperature also said incubation about 2 days from exposure. Did she tell truth?

[quince]

I think the hospital bill is the big thing...an ER visit can certainly skyrocket spending for a time period.

I've been lucky that we don't get too horribly sick in our household.  I also have money in a HSA, so I don't pay too much attention to OOP expenses for medical emergencies. I'll be sad when the HSA is depleted, as I'm not in a HDHP anymore. 

[Jaguar]

I so much as blink when I'm doing medical tests and I get sent to the ER. They all know me by my first name down there. I've got the top specialists, and no one wants to be the one to say we didn't admit her to the ER. It's the fear of my doctors that motivates them.

[wonderland]

Jan 1, 2015 17:00:05 GMT -5 @taliare said:

The Doctor office nurse told me not contagious until running temperature also said incubation about 2 days from exposure. Did she tell truth?

With flu, you shed the virus 24 hours before symptoms start,  and can be contagious up to 7 days later.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2015 16:33:54 GMT -5 Tiny said:

The flu didn't cost me much. I didn't bother to go to the Dr. I already had pain/fever relievers at home, along with some canned broth, misc foods, water and teas. Being sick generally doesn't cost me anything. I don't take much in the way of OTC medications.

Same here; I'm a minimalist when it comes to doctors and medications.  No flu vaccines, either.  My typical version of the flu is miserable but manageable.  Either I'm horribly congested and nothing OTC helps, or I'm throwing up, in which case I'm not going to leave the house to go see a doctor.  I just crawl into bed till it's over.

[Apple]

1998: So sick that I would crawl from my room to the bathroom, and lay on the cold kitchen floor for a rest.  DS had just learned to walk, but thought that I was crawling to "race" him (which is why I remember the year).  I'd had the shot, but it didn't help that year.  Luckily DS did not get sick, only being a year old, and with some issues from being a preemie, it could have been bad.

I don't think I've had it since (just mild winter illnesses), and never want it again.

[nutty]

I have no idea what the heck is going around here but patient zero in my crowd spread that shit to everyone, but not me. Friends are getting bronchitis etc. It intrigues me that I have not gotten ill yet. It started early oct and is still making the rounds.

[whoisjohngalt]

Jan 1, 2015 17:38:20 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

I so much as blink when I'm doing medical tests and I get sent to the ER. They all know me by my first name down there. I've got the top specialists, and no one wants to be the one to say we didn't admit her to the ER. It's the fear of my doctors that motivates them.

How come?

[Anne_in_VA]

I had a bad cold that went into bronchitis. I don't think I had the flu though. I was really lucky so far and did get a flu shot.

[wvugurl26]

That's the only thing about getting the flu that worries me is I have asthma and it's pretty hard for me to shake bronchitis. I had it for three months in 2012 and passed it to my brother twice. I finally got into a doctor who realized my lungs were an absolute mess and put me on steroids and a third round of antibiotics.

I also need the egg free shot and I've had a hard time finding it. I think I finally tracked it down, now I just have to go. They give the regular one for free at work and my whole office goes together. I've done audits in places where I had to wear a mask because I didn't have a flu shot. That was a shitty week. It was after I'd been diagnosed with an egg allergy and before the egg free vaccines were approved.

[Jaguar]

Jan 2, 2015 11:36:38 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

Jan 1, 2015 17:38:20 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

I so much as blink when I'm doing medical tests and I get sent to the ER. They all know me by my first name down there. I've got the top specialists, and no one wants to be the one to say we didn't admit her to the ER. It's the fear of my doctors that motivates them.

How come?

Because I'm a medical/genetic rarity and no one wants to piss off any of my top doctors.

[gooddecisions]

Not to be a big baby, but I am so sick of being sick. I feel like I've been sick since September. I used to never get sick. In the past 4 months, I've had norovirus, pink eye, various colds, various undiagnosed viruses that caused fevers and fatigue, and bronchitis, to name a few. But, I don't go to the doctor for these things- so who knows what else. For the first time in my life, I went to the drugstore and attempted to buy an immune system supplement, but the product rang up as recalled. They couldn't sell it to  me.