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Swine Flu and Black Friday


bfaddict1977

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ok...all the people that i know that have had it says its better than having the regular flu? So whats the big deal? People die every year from the reg flu and other viruses so why is this any different? I just dont see what the big fuss is about? Wash your hands,and watch when u rub your eyes.nose,mouth etc. & U will be fine!;) I keep Germ-x on me at all times And i havnt had anykind of flu or stomach virus in 6 years nither has my son or hubby! The worst sick we get is about 1 cold a year...Just keep clean!!! :D
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Ok heres one for you len mullen, what if I worked retail, oh say Target, Walmart or Toys R Us and I was pregnant. Would you want me to quit my job because of the fear of H1N1?

A better example would be that your husband hadn't worked in thirteen years, you were pregnant with your seventh child in four years, and your boss would fire you if you refused to work on Black Friday. The OP was talking about shopping not feeding her kids and I was talking about reducing the risk of infection not fear of H1N1.

 

Stacy, the original question was...

I'm just wondering if you all think the swine flu epidemic will scare out a lot of shoppers this year? I definitely plan on going out. I'm just a bit scared being pregnant and all that some moron will be carrying the virus and still go out and spread it. What is everyone else's thoughts?

My thoughts were, and are, that it would be a bad idea for a pregnant woman to stand in line close to strangers for hours on end in the cold during flu season. Never mind that these strangers have been known to trample people on occasion.

 

I was a little flip with the OP because 1) she characterized someone carrying the virus who would go shopping on BF as a moron, and 2) she implied that other people should stay home so that standing line would be safer for her baby. I don't think that someone who shops with the sniffles is a moron. I do think that 'at risk' populations should do whatever they can to minimize risk -- especially when the risk is to a third party.

 

My sister thinks she should be able to walk through the combat zone in Boston at three o'clock in the morning naked waving hundred dollar bills. I agree with her but don't think it would be a good idea. Same here. I think pregnant women should be able to drag their toddlers through the stores on BF, but I don't think it's a good idea.

 

Be safe.

Edited by len_mullen
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Len Mullen... What combat zone in Boston are you talking about? Fenway Park after a Red Sox loss? I will agree with the naked and waving money thing and there are some rough areas of Dorchester, Roxbury and others, but I would not consider them a "combat zone". I have walked through all of Boston, night and day, with no problems.
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I wasn't trying to start a debate here. I was simply asking a question. I will definitely be carrying hand sanitizer but I am NOT a "moron" and I also do not believe I should be quaratined to my house for being healthy but pg and wanting to shop on bf. It's NOT a disease to be pg. Sorry if I've ruffled people's feathers. Half the fun of bf is being out and shopping.
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I don't think you have ruffled anyones feathers, don't even worry about it. The next person who has some ridiculous reason as to why I shouldn't do x,y and z I am going to tell " Please pray for my fetuses" and move on. Gah. With so much to worry about in this world a pregnant stranger should be at the bottom of people's lists.
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Len Mullen... What combat zone in Boston are you talking about? Fenway Park after a Red Sox loss? I will agree with the naked and waving money thing and there are some rough areas of Dorchester, Roxbury and others, but I would not consider them a "combat zone". I have walked through all of Boston, night and day, with no problems.

It's been cleaned up. Used to be where Chinatown and the Theater District met. I think it was mostly on Washington Street. If you were dining or drinking in Jacob Wirth's, you might see call girls out one window and a family going to a play out the other. Video history here.

 

My youngest sister routinely did things that, to me, escaped the bounds of common sense. When I encouraged her to think about the consequences of the proposed action, she would defiantly insist that she had a right to do anything she wanted and that if she wanted to walk through the combat zone naked waving hundred dollar bills, it was her right to do so (which, of course, it wasn't). I would routinely respond that just because it was her right didn't make it a good idea.

Edited by len_mullen
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The next person who has some ridiculous reason as to why I shouldn't do x,y and z I am going to tell " Please pray for my fetuses" and move on.

She *did* ask. I guess I should have assured her that there was no risk and that she was heroic for venturing out in her condition. Let me fix my first post. Edited by len_mullen
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My advice was sound. It comes from my doctor. And he is qualified. I cannot take the vaccine for medical reasons and the suggestions I posted were his recommendations for someone who hasn't had the vaccine. He also noted that the practices were sound for all since there are many flu viruses and you can get one even having been vaccinated.

 

Do what you want with it.

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I don't think it will change anything. As for protecting ourselves. If you're going to go out Christmas shopping at some point during the season then you're going to run the same risk as you will on BF.

 

The only thing it might effect, is if a certain store has a widespread outbreak amongst employees that weekend. That could mean for much longer lines if they are down staff by 25-50%. However, I don't know how many stores will encounter a widespread outbreak that particular weekend. I'm sure at least 1 in this big country will, but I don't think we'll see it simutanously at all of them that weekend.

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Len Mullen... What combat zone in Boston are you talking about? Fenway Park after a Red Sox loss? I will agree with the naked and waving money thing and there are some rough areas of Dorchester, Roxbury and others, but I would not consider them a "combat zone". I have walked through all of Boston, night and day, with no problems.

THE combat zone. there is only one. We had tons of fun there.... if you knew the right people...

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It concerns me a bit. A couple of years ago at Easter Time my husband and I went to Walmart to get a couple of video games and I was price matching. I gave the guy my ad to get the price match and he handed it back to me. Afterward I heard him say to a co-worker that his wife and baby were home sick with the flu. Sure enough I ended up with the worst flu the next day. So we are taking our chances on getting out there with people who are are not smart enough to stay home when they are sick or have been exposed!!!
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sastolfi i think the flu has a 7 day incubation period....looks like you were more likely just doomed to get the flu that year. :(

 

i know i am getting it, my kids will get it, i know this, i have accepted it. the swine flu has made it into my son's clasroom now and we are all without flu shots, sooooo now its just a waiting game! ;)

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My 11 year old dd and 8 year old ds had positive results for swine flu last week. They are still home but only because the school won't take them back. Ds is high risk so he did a round of Tamiflu and is bouncing off the walls, wanting to go back to school. Dd was a little sicker, but is coming around now-no fevers for either one for days.

 

I also now have it. Started Tamiflu yesterday and am taking it easy at home. I had pneumonia last year over Christmas and it was MUCH worse than this. I think getting it early before it mutates is better in the long run..it will only be harder to treat then. H1N1 responds nicely to Tamiflu at this point.

 

Also, my kids were the first two confirmed cases of swine flu at their school. However, they have not been anywhere but school and home so obviously there are some people running around untreated. Nothing we can do about it. Just have to weigh risks and rewards, I guess.

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Whew! Lots of strong feelings about this topic!!!:eek:

 

I am just sharing a couple of thoughts:

 

If pregnant, are the alcohol based hand sanitizers a good idea to use heavily? I had heard - and this could be totally wrong - that you do absorb some alcohol from it? So if you are using it ALOT in a short period of time - could that be similar to having more than the "allowed" glass of wine that most doctors say is okay for pg women?

 

I had been told by a friend that using peppermint oil, diluted in water, is an alternative to the hand sanitizers since peppermint is a natural disinfectant.

 

However, another poster mentioned that only alcohol based sanitizers would do any good against flu like germs?

 

ACK! All so confusing! That is really the thing with H1N1 this year - all the information and misinformation and rumor. It makes it really hard to know whats what!

 

I am going to be at about 31 weeks when Black Friday rolls around this year and I personally have made plans to try more online shopping this year. More because of the 3rd trimester exhaustion I'm expecting than anything else.

 

I am considering going to our Meier this year - a couple of hours after BF prices start - because every year the store on our side of town is EMPTY at that point. The first rush has gone through and there are usually plenty of doorbusters left to be had.

 

We're talking walk up to a register with no wait kind of deal - which is so nice! That is the kind of thing I would totally be able to handle that day.

 

Waiting in long lines in the cold - not for me this year! But maybe I'm just a wimp! :cheesy:

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My story is similar to misstakens. My DS 10 and DD 7 are both being treated for this wonderful sickness. My son has been labeled the carrier and wears a mask (Dr.'s orders). Both children are on Tamiflu, Robitussin, Tylenol, and Ibuprofen. My husband and I were prescribed Tamiflu as a preventative. Tamiflu is expensive even with good insurance (which we have through my husbands union). I spent $135 yesterday on Prescription and OTC meds for us. This flu is scary and hits the pocketbook. I say if the risk in your area is high (I personally know of 7 and have heard of others in our town of only 3000) the money you spend fighting this flu will be more than what you save of BF. That $135 only covers the meds and not the 3 doctor visits! I have already missed 4 days of work caring for my kids and I am sure there will be more. Seeing as we get 3 sick days a year, I'm losing more money there. Its just not worth it! Something to keep in mind!! Edited by GinaInIL
added info
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I am a nurse. The majority of the patients we have to admit with the flu have other health problems already. This is just another thing that the media has blown out of proportion

I heard same thing from someone I know who's a nurse in the ER. H1N1 is no different than the regular flu and that no more people die from it than any other flu and those who do usually have other health issues. People hear of one death and panic, but they don't tell you how many people get it and are completely fine.

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According to Popular Science...

Seasonal flu tends to be genetically similar from year to year, which means that over time, people develop some immunity to it. Novel H1N1, however, is genetically unique; its genes call for proteins with different amino-acid configurations than standard flu. So most of us don’t have immunity to it. Strangely, some people over 60 have antibodies against the virus, perhaps because they encountered something similar when they were young.

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I am not by any means an expert. The info I shared was what the doctor told us. My son is recovering from H1N1, he is doing well but was treated very early with Tamiflu. I wouldn't take for granted that this is just "any" flu. It is running rampant in our area and is not affecting everyone the same way, some mildly and some more severe. The flu came very quickly and hit very hard. My son came home sick on Friday with a fever, and complaining his legs hurt. By Saturday morning he could barely walk and felt like he couldn't breathe. I do believe it is out there and very hard to avoid. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my .02, it was just that, my opinion.
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