Do not get this flu

A very bad strain hit our region this past season and took the lives of the young and old alike. No matter if you where healthy or not. The flu jab can only leason the effects of the virus not make you ammune to its effects.

I haven't had the jab for many years, but will have it this year just in case as It's certain it will mutate again.

I hope you make a speedy recover and back on your feet soon.

Some folks rush early to get the flu shot around late summer, early fall (September) as soon the vaccine is available. I wait usually late October. Never had the flu since. Getting it early decreases your protection from the flu. IMO, don’t rush getting the flu shot at least until late October. 

Got my jab in early Nov, courtesy of VA, and this thing hit a week before Christmas and is still hanging on.  Evil this time around.

News the other night said it mutated, and the jab is only about 10% effective.

Just getting over the flu spread by a coworker that gave it to us a week before Christmas. Counting my Army years, I've gotten the flu shot every year for the last thirty years. I've gotten the flu on several occasions; normally when I changed duty stations in the Dec-Jan time frame. Which makes sense when you change regions and end up getting a different strain than what you were innoculated for.

Any way, I can count on one hand how many times I got the flu since college. I'll keep getting my annual shots.

Thankfully it's not in the stomach or intestinal tract. This is just all the other fun stuff. Bad headache, fever, chills, body aches. You know when you're laying in bed and dreading getting up to go to the bathroom. That's been it pretty much. 

At least the semi-bright light at the far end of the tunnel is you can still get out of bed to head that way.

That hit my house hard in March.  My eight yr old brought it home from school, then gave it to me, and eventually hubby got it.  It was the worst 3 weeks of my life.  Hope you feel better soon.  Far as I'm concerned the flu shot is useless.  I got it last yr, and a few months later I had the flu anyway. 

I had it a week or so before Christmas.... Then on Dec.23 my wife caught it..... and gave it back to me ! We both spent Christmas in bed, barely moving. Today is the first day that I have felt better, but still coughing a bit.

My wife is still near the toilet...... cursing my name !

I dont get sick very often... but this one knocked me down.... kicked me in the head..... and then stole my wallet !

If only those who felt the flu coming on would stay home from work, school, malls, and off the streets, I suspect many less people would get the flu.  Big problem is most employers do not sympathize with this, and employees feel threatened to show up or else, half dead or not!

Cadet Chuck

If only those who felt the flu coming on would stay home from work, school, malls, and off the streets, I suspect many less people would get the flu.  Big problem is most employers do not sympathize with this, and employees feel threatened to show up or else, half dead or not!

 

Cadet Chuck

If only those who felt the flu coming on would stay home from work, school, malls, and off the streets, I suspect many less people would get the flu.  Big problem is most employers do not sympathize with this, and employees feel threatened to show up or else, half dead or not!

That's only the half of it !

The poor guy's that work at McDonald's cant take a day off. They wouldnt be able to pay the rent! So they go to work sick and "Infect " the rest of us.

Regardless of what was going on with your coworker Rob, that really sux that a case of the flu is going to cost him his job it sounds like. That's a real dilemma. Drag himself out of bed and go to work feeling like death or stay home knowing what the consequences will be. 

On the upside, this is a great way to drop a few pounds. I've eaten essentially nothing since Christmas. 

We have a union job. We get two paid weeks off (10 days). Three weeks off after 5 years. We get three personal days (actually 24 hours that can be broken up). There are about 12-15 paid holidays. So you don't have to work about 30 some odd days a year.

Then there is an attendence "step" system. If you miss a minimum of 10 individual days, you can be fired. But you have to pass four different steps to be terminated. Your first unexcused absence results in a verbal warning. Your second unexcused absence results in a written notice and you reach the first step. A couple more points (unexcused absences) and you hit the next step. The third step results in a week suspension. Two more points and you get terminated, but are normally allowed to continue to work until the union appeals the decision and fights for your job. Most will end up missing a day while their appeal is ongoing and get terminated.

I've never been through the step process since I haven't missed a day in over 5 years. I know that they can't skip steps and you can't be sent to the next step until you have been formally notified of hitting your current step. So while it is 2 points per step, you could actually miss many more days between steps. I could miss a week of work, and upon return only be at step one. A lot of people game the system because they know they can miss many days in a row but will be bumped back to the next step.

He's one of those guys who games the system. He's also a poor worker that does a bad job.

That strain hit North Texas pretty hard.  A school district not to far from us closed for two days to stop it spreading through the district. 

Rob Gronovius

We have a union job. We get two paid weeks off (10 days). Three weeks off after 5 years. We get three personal days (actually 24 hours that can be broken up). There are about 12-15 paid holidays. So you don't have to work about 30 some odd days a year.

Then there is an attendence "step" system. If you miss a minimum of 10 individual days, you can be fired. But you have to pass four different steps to be terminated. Your first unexcused absence results in a verbal warning. Your second unexcused absence results in a written notice and you reach the first step. A couple more points (unexcused absences) and you hit the next step. The third step results in a week suspension. Two more points and you get terminated, but are normally allowed to continue to work until the union appeals the decision and fights for your job. Most will end up missing a day while their appeal is ongoing and get terminated.

I've never been through the step process since I haven't missed a day in over 5 years. I know that they can't skip steps and you can't be sent to the next step until you have been formally notified of hitting your current step. So while it is 2 points per step, you could actually miss many more days between steps. I could miss a week of work, and upon return only be at step one. A lot of people game the system because they know they can miss many days in a row but will be bumped back to the next step.

He's one of those guys who games the system. He's also a poor worker that does a bad job.

 

Your Union must suck. I know mine is pretty good. We don’t have step violation when it comes to sick time. If you’ve got the time, I see no reason for a violation for taking time off. It’s your time you EARNED.

Yes, the union does suck. The local Fox news station even started investigating complaints. The step system is for unexcused absences and was implemented serveral years ago because of poor attendance. The company has used the carrot trying to get people to come to work. Perfect attendance was rewarded with a check every six months. When that failed, they went to a quarterly award per quarter. Still too many people failed to come to work.

So they went to the stick. I would estimate that many workers miss an additional 30 work days beyond the standard days off per year. The quarterly awards went from substanial monetary rewards to trinkets like logo umbrella, ice scrapers, bags, etc.

Perfect attendance went from an annual jacket to a personalized Yeti mug and steak dinner this year. The HR guy said, "How many jackets does a person need?"

I ended up with three jackets and will get the mug next month.

Daughter who relies on Public transpo came down for the week to stay. Promptly fell ill. I just quarantined her in the back room for two days. She's better and we didn't catch it. I spent most of Sunday morning driving the porcelain bus, but that one's on me...

Rob Gronovius

Yes, the union does suck. The local Fox news station even started investigating complaints. The step system is for unexcused absences and was implemented serveral years ago because of poor attendance. The company has used the carrot trying to get people to come to work. Perfect attendance was rewarded with a check every six months. When that failed, they went to a quarterly award per quarter. Still too many people failed to come to work.

So they went to the stick. I would estimate that many workers miss an additional 30 work days beyond the standard days off per year. The quarterly awards went from substanial monetary rewards to trinkets like logo umbrella, ice scrapers, bags, etc.

Perfect attendance went from an annual jacket to a personalized Yeti mug and steak dinner this year. The HR guy said, "How many jackets does a person need?"

I ended up with three jackets and will get the mug next month.

 

Time to find a better union who will fight for you & your fellow employees’ rights. Sounds like your current union has no backbone to fight for you and your co-workers yet is in bed with your employer. Once you make the demand to change to a better, powerful union, things will go your way and this ridiculous violation steps will disappear. 

skyraider0609

Christmas night I went to bed after feeling a bit off all day. I was exhausted beyond anything normal. The flu hit overnight hard. I haven't had it in ages and this strain I wouldn't wish on anyone. Stay healthy everyone. Don't depend on the flu shot either. I got it and here I am with this. The CDC blew it big time this year as the shot is very ineffective. I hope to be starting to feel better but it's not a 24 hour bug. Just getting up out of bed is an effort. Blarg. 

 

Bakster

I heard that it is a form of the bird flu.

I checked....... none of my chickens are coughing........

littletimmy

 

 

Bakster

I heard that it is a form of the bird flu.

 

I checked....... none of my chickens are coughing........

 

Mine seemed to be affected by this cold, so I thought to prevent them from getting sick, I'd warm them up in the oven at 425 for a few hours.  

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Time to find a better union who will fight for you & your fellow employees’ rights. Sounds like your current union has no backbone to fight for you and your co-workers yet is in bed with your employer. Once you make the demand to change to a better, powerful union, things will go your way and this ridiculous violation steps will disappear. 

 

HR only tends to go after workers who have in the neighborhood of 20+ unexcused absences. Get the flu and bring in doctor's notes (the plant has its own contract medical clinic on site that will do this for you for free) and you're good. You literally have to miss four weeks of work, a month out of the year, in addition to the month worth of days we already get off to get onto HR's radar.

[quote user="skyraider0609"]

Thankfully it's not in the stomach or intestinal tract. /quote]

Influenza is an upper respiratory tract disease. This is why people die. It is never in the stomach or intestinal tract.

Sorry for the rant, but I am a public health professional.

Head ache, body aches, tickle in my throat, chills, and exhausted. Been rolling on for two weeks now and with two long weekends in a row my body said "ok ya got a bug", really do not think it is the flu,( I'm kinda wimpy when I get the sniffles), but I got something AND IT AIN'T FUN.