H1N1 WARNING:I got the vaccine 4 weeks ago and I was just diagnosed with H1N1!!

[serene_46]

I work at a health care facility and recieved the regular flu vaccine about 6 weeks ago and the H1N1 about 4 weeks ago. I was exposed to someone who had the H1N1 flu and notified my supervisor immediately (Monday Afterernoon). The current protocol for situations like this is to monitor temperature and if additional symptoms (headache, sniffles, achiness) come on, the nose swab is done to determine if the person is positive. I woke up this morning feeling stuffy in the head, no fever and coughed 1 time. I went to the ER and had to convince the ER doc to swab me: He stated it would be highly unlikely that I had H1N1 since I was vaccinated and my throat, lungs and ears were clear and I had no temperature. SURPRISE: Test came back positive and I am now on quarentine for a week. I feel fine, but started Tamiflu and am now lining up many projects to keep me busy over the next week.

Fair Warning: this flu can sneak up on you, be aware of the slightest symptoms.

Brenda in Indiana

 

[Liann]

I wonder if the fact that you got the vaccine is why you aren't really getting sick?

 

[fit_fairy]

I wonder if the fact that you got the vaccine is why you aren't really getting sick?

Exactly or it could be a false positive. I would never go to the ER for something like that for fear that I would catch something else

 

[hiitdogs]

Interesting! Just because your nasal swab came back positive doesn't mean that you were infected though. People can carry the virus in their nasal passage and never get sick, vaccinated or not.

My kids had H1N1 and I never got it, I wasn't vaccinated. I am sure if a doctor had done the nasal swab on me they would have found H1N1 as well. I didn't want take up the time of doctors in the ER who need to care for really sick patients or even a general practitioner, these guys are pretty busy these days with the mass hysteria about H1N1.

 

[serene_46]

I went at 6AM this morning... not a soul around in the ER and went right to triage since I was an employee of the hospital. It is possible I contracted it because I recieved the vaccine, but interesting how symptoms came up about 48 hours after exposure to a known H1N1 positive person.

Our infection control protocol dictated my actions - getting triaged in the ER- and now that I am positive (falsely or not) I am now home on Tamiflu because I work with immunosuppresed patients ( Radiation Therapist) I also recieved the injectable version - no live virus- because of the patient population I see everyday.

I by no means wanted to seem hysterical just wanted to put that out there that the vaccine may not have protected me.... I will post updates as I go through this and hear from our infection control team

Brenda in Indiana

 

[hiitdogs]

But how could you contract it from the vaccine? I thought the injection is the dead virus, I always thought you can only get it from the live virus - if at all?

I wasn't talking about you. I just commented that there is a mass hysteria in my area and the doctor's offices are overrun by people who are not even sick which is why I didn't go despite of having been exposed to H1N1 with my kids.

 

[fit_fairy]

If you got the injectable vaccine you can not get it from that. You can from the mist.

I can not believe your work dictates that you use the ER for such things. That is not what ERs are made for. Something like that belongs in urgent care or primary care. And it would not have hurt to wait a few hours. No wonder health care costs are so high.

 

[Beavs]

I wasn't talking about you. I just commented that there is a mass hysteria in my area and the doctor's offices are overrun by people who are not even sick which is why I didn't go despite of having been exposed to H1N1 with my kids.

When my mom went to the ER in late October the ER was so full that they were actually starting give medical attention to people in the waiting room and were just about ready to turn people away. It is unfortunate that for a variety of reasons people use the ER as their primary care.

 

[ElaineP]

Where I work we are informed to go to the ER for things such as:sore throat or needle sticks or other aliments that may be contagious. They have to fill out certain documentation and our insurance is not billed.

It is more than just a nasal swab. They are inserting the swab way,way into the nasal cavity. You feel like it is coming out your toes.

It also takes I believe 8 days for the vaccine to work. They are unsure of the incubation time of the virus.(possibley 1-7 days) But you could have been exposed before your vaccine took affect.

Yes, your symptoms should be less becasue you now have antibodies to fight it off.

Carola maybe you didnt' get the virus when your kids did because you where exposed to it in the 70s.

 

[Liann]

Carola maybe you didnt' get the virus when your kids did because you where exposed to it in the 70s.

Are you suggesting Carola is old enough to have been alive in the 70's?

Elaine - I don't think anyone was suggesting that people shouldn't go to the ER for an H1N1 test. Just that if your only symptom is a stuffy nose, you might want to wait. They just didn't want everyone to think they should run to the ER for the slightest symptom. Brenda's situation is "unique" in that she is a health care worker.

 

[serene_46]

But how could you contract it from the vaccine? I thought the injection is the dead virus, I always thought you can only get it from the live virus - if at all?

I wasn't talking about you. I just commented that there is a mass hysteria in my area and the doctor's offices are overrun by people who are not even sick which is why I didn't go despite of having been exposed to H1N1 with my kids.

Exactly my point..... I was stating I seem to have contracted the virus after being vaccinated and exposed someone who has a mild case. My symptoms are mild.. stuffy head, headache, but the swab was positive and my work sent me home in hopes I didn't infect anyone else in the course of my job. I am vigilant about handwashing between patients and wiping down equipment after each use since I deal with very sick people. I would much rather err on the side of public safety then cause someone to get ill from this

Brenda

 

[hiitdogs]

Are you suggesting Carola is old enough to have been alive in the 70's?

LOL!! I hate to admit it but I was actually alive (though very young) but I didn't live in the US in the 70s No exposure to swine flu.

We are exposed to a whole bunch of viruses on a daily basis. Exposure does not automatically equal infection. In general our bodies are pretty capable of dealing with these things.

I love your wheelchair smilie Liann! It so looks like me

 

[kathryn]

Are you suggesting Carola is old enough to have been alive in the 70's?

From someone who WAS alive in the 70's, I take offense at being equated with a wheelchair bound old coot!

 

[Liann]

From someone who WAS alive in the 70's, I take offense at being equated with a wheelchair bound old coot!

We were all alive in the 70's Kathryn! It was a joke cuz' I know when Carola was born.

 

[fit_fairy]

Where I work we are informed to go to the ER for things such as:sore throat or needle sticks or other aliments that may be contagious. They have to fill out certain documentation and our insurance is not billed.

That's still misuse of the ER. ERs were made for Emergencies not sore throats and contagious ailments. That's what primary care doctors and immediate care centers are for.

 

[Beavs]

From someone who WAS alive in the 70's

Does that mean you are no longer alive now? We better give you some more chia gel you old coot

 

[shelsmaha]

Fit Fairy I think from the original post Brenda works at the hospital that she visited the ER at. This makes perfect sense since she could not be doing radiation at said hospital if she was carrying around the H1N1 virus!! I certainly wouldn't want her around my child that had luekemia or the likes!!!!!

 

[ElaineP]

Hospitals have to keep track of emploees who are infected with infectious diseases. What better way than the ER at said hospital for off shifts. Our hospital has an infectious disease nurse, but she can not be there 24/7,so the ER is the next best thing. One other thing, an infectious disease nurse may not want to do a nasal swab, so they need a DR. to do it.

 

[pixiesis]

Fit Fairy I think from the original post Brenda works at the hospital that she visited the ER at. This makes perfect sense since she could not be doing radiation at said hospital if she was carrying around the H1N1 virus!! I certainly wouldn't want her around my child that had luekemia or the likes!!!!!

This was my thought too. I wonder if it's common practice for sick hospital employees to use the ER? I know that health care workers in the military report to sick call at the hospital, I think they go to the ER too. Also, Fit Fairy says "ERs were made for Emergencies not sore throats and contagious ailments." I agree with the "sore throat" part, but aren't contagious ailments sometimes also emergencies?

I guess the ER's purpose for the general public is not the same as for health care workers. Anyone want to clarify this for us?

 

[elliemom]

This is exactly what makes me furious about this forum anymore. Not so much what is said but the tone of it.

I have worked in the hospital for many years, the last 15 were in the ER. In OUR state if you are an employee you MUST report to the ER if you have been exposed to a communicable disease.

If someone bit you, you need to go to the ER to be tested for HIV, Hep B etc. That is for 2 reasons. 1) to make sure that you don't already have it and B) that if you develop it, we know where it came from. Otherwise you may have Hep B and accuse the hospital or patient of giving it to you. Also in the case of HIV, you can take prophylactic meds if you are exposed. But we need to know that immediately.

It is also the way that the INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTORS keep track of who is carrying what and if there is a need for intervention. Like a sudden spike in MRSA or C diff. Is someone carrying it and is unaware or are the patients coming in with it???

While I totally agree that the ER is NOT the place to go for colds, sore throats etc, we do not have urgent care centers and therefore the ER is used as a clinic. Terrible waste of resources yes. But if you call your primary doc they DIRECT you there because they too must cover thier butts.

If I were the OP I would have been very offended by people telling me how to do my job. I would lose my job if I did NOT report to the ER. In my state Workers Comp and the state make the rules, not the general public.

Why can't we ask people's situations before we jump down their throats and tell them what WE would have done instead?? Why so judgemental of everyone and everything without knowing any or all of the facts???

Reminds me of an old song from the 70's "Wht Can't we be friends"??