I have all the popular diseases

[justaguy]

HIV and H1N1.  Add strep to that.     If it's something people are scared of getting, i seem to have it.  I'm surprised the health department hasn't quarantined me on an island somewhere yet.  I keep thinking "I have AIDS AND swine flu...how appealing I must look on paper!"

I'm actually feeling....oddly.....not sick.  In fact, if I hadn't been feeling slightly off earlier this week, I wouldn't have even gone to the doctor.  My main problem now is boredom.  Been out of work for a few days, sitting around watching daytime TV, and now I'm climbing the walls.

Numbers have been going up since diagnosis, so I feel pretty confident this will just be a blip on the screen, of course, it's also my first illness post-HIV, so it seems much more serious in my head than it would have in years past....but it sounds like they treat us like everyone else. 

I know it's small potatoes compared to pneumonia or any of the real life threatening things we can get.  Just wanted to vent.  Plus I'm bored. 

[justaguy]

PS, I had a theory that my not feeling sick had to do with lower than average CD4 numbers.  Like, my body isn't really able to fight it, so it's not really reacting, whereas a lot of the deaths were healthier people, who's bodies were overreacting.  Seems like I read something like that earlier in the H1N1 epidemic.  Thoughts?

[skeebo1969]

  That's all you got?  Man I thought maybe you had the Bubonic Plague or something....

  I was surprised to hear that most of the deaths that occur from the swine flu are largely occurring in the 18-25 age group and most of these people are seemingly healthy people.  Maybe it does have something to do with the bodies defenses overreacting...  There was a teenager in my area who died from it.  They said it was only 4 days from the onset of his first symptoms till his death in the backseat of his mother's car as they rushed him to the ER.

  I got all my youngins and wife the shot, however my doctor refused to give it to me because I wouldn't get a chest X-ray as he requested.  I think I'll be OK though because I once stayed at a Holiday Inn.

[nixsmail]

not sure how old everyone is but there was a swine flu thing in the 70's i believe and i read somewhere that those of us that were exposed at that time could have extra protection vs the younger crowd that's probably been vaccinated to death but maybe no natural resistance to bugs. just a thought. don't know how true it might be.

[Miss Philicia]

Hope you get better soon, justaguy.  I just got over a bout of H1N1 myself last week -- wasn't fun at all frankly.

[Ann]

My hiv doc reckons the illness I had a couple weeks ago was swine flu. But, he also said I should go ahead and vaccinate in case it wasn't. I'm (just turned) 47, and it was no better or worse than any other flu I've ever had.

Ann

[gaz41]

I'm getting vaccinated on tuesday, they only started vaccinating this week in Germany, does anyone know how long it takes for the vaccine to take effect, I think they are using Pandermix in Germany

[webontheweb]

Vsccines are usually a two to three week period for full blown protection to develop.  It does start to wrok the minute it enters your bloodstream, though.

[hotpuppy]

Justaguy,
  HIV can be dealt with.  H1N1 you will recover from.  Take care of yourself.  Make sure to drink plenty of fluids, watch your temp, and if you live alone *please* arrange for someone to check on you a couple times a day.

  One of my ex-bf's died last month from pneumonia while he had h1n1.  Another friend is in the hospital and lucky to be alive.  Both were reasonably healthy and in their 30s. 

  Hope you get well soon and remember, what does not destroy you only makes you stronger.