NHL players and the "flu"

[Stoner]

Okposo has/had the "flu" according to media reports. That's much better news, of course, than some carryover of his serious medical problem (concussion syndrome, treatment thereof, etc.) from earlier in the year.

 

But what he really has/had is gastroenteritis, called stomach flu by some. It's caused by a virus, too, and is contagious and will probably sweep through the lockerrooms of most teams this season. Athletes can get "flu flu" of course, but you don't come back from that in 24-48 hours. Ask Bruce Smith.

 

Couple questions:

 

1. Why can't they avoid calling it "the flu," something that confuses many people. How many times have we talked about whether players get the flu shot, etc.

 

2. Are there any measures teams can take to prevent its spread?

Edited October 16, 2017 by PASabreFan

[North Buffalo]

Okposo has/had the "flu" according to media reports. That's much better news, of course, than some carryover of his serious medical problem (concussion syndrome, treatment thereof, etc.) from earlier in the year.

 

But what he really has/had is gastroenteritis, called stomach flu by some. It's caused by a virus, too, and is contagious and will probably sweep through the lockerrooms of most teams this season. Athletes can get "flu flu" of course, but you don't come back from that in 24-48 hours. Ask Bruce Smith.

 

Couple questions:

 

1. Why can't they avoid calling it "the flu," something that confuses many people. How many times have we talked about whether players get the flu shot, etc.

 

2. Are there any measures teams can take to prevent its spread?

Wash you fricken hands, clean gloves with anti microbial stuff. Keep your hands away from your face and nose and mouth. Standard precautions and ps dont touch another players stick and wipe yours down before using... who know what equipment managers touch or if they wash their hands after bathroom...

[Wyldnwoody44]

Actually, the influenza virus is much less prevalent than we think. The actual influenza virus is very dangerous and can cause issues with the very young/old/pregnant,and that's what immunizations are targeted towards, back before immunizations, influenza was deadly and was a killer, the vaccinations help prevent this now, however it doesn't prevent us from getting one of the other hundreds of viruses, that mimick actual influenza. There is everything from the rhinovirus (cold) to Coronavirus in kids (GI typically) to the countless number of viral illnesses that simply make you feel like crap.

 

Working in a hospital/school and fields like that (I assume a locker room) obviously the chances of catching the are higher, and as north buffalo points out, hand washing and things similar are the #1 way of preventing spread.

 

As for the being called "the flu" I think that's just what society calls it now, patients that come in with bronchitis say they have the flu, even if the flu swab was negative, I don't expect the whole county to be docs or medically trained, but we have a legit education issue in the country when 90 percent of patients don't know the difference between a bacteria and a virus.

 

So yeah, flu sucks, if you get influenza A or B then you're in for a rough week, GI bug may be flu or may be one of countless other microbes, and most likely I expect teammates to catch it.

[Brawndo]

Actually, the influenza virus is much less prevalent than we think. The actual influenza virus is very dangerous and can cause issues with the very young/old/pregnant,and that's what immunizations are targeted towards, back before immunizations, influenza was deadly and was a killer, the vaccinations help prevent this now, however it doesn't prevent us from getting one of the other hundreds of viruses, that mimick actual influenza. There is everything from the rhinovirus (cold) to Coronavirus in kids (GI typically) to the countless number of viral illnesses that simply make you feel like crap.

Working in a hospital/school and fields like that (I assume a locker room) obviously the chances of catching the are higher, and as north buffalo points out, hand washing and things similar are the #1 way of preventing spread.

As for the being called "the flu" I think that's just what society calls it now, patients that come in with bronchitis say they have the flu, even if the flu swab was negative, I don't expect the whole county to be docs or medically trained, but we have a legit education issue in the country when 90 percent of patients don't know the difference between a bacteria and a virus.

So yeah, flu sucks, if you get influenza A or B then you're in for a rough week, GI bug may be flu or may be one of countless other microbes, and most likely I expect teammates to catch it.

What he said

[shrader]

Okposo has/had the "flu" according to media reports. That's much better news, of course, than some carryover of his serious medical problem (concussion syndrome, treatment thereof, etc.) from earlier in the year.

 

But what he really has/had is gastroenteritis, called stomach flu by some. It's caused by a virus, too, and is contagious and will probably sweep through the lockerrooms of most teams this season. Athletes can get "flu flu" of course, but you don't come back from that in 24-48 hours. Ask Bruce Smith.

 

Couple questions:

 

1. Why can't they avoid calling it "the flu," something that confuses many people. How many times have we talked about whether players get the flu shot, etc.

 

2. Are there any measures teams can take to prevent its spread?

 

If it really is a GI issue, I imagine it's much less embarrassing for the player to call it the flu.  No one from any walk in life ever wants to be associated with those symptoms.

[That Aud Smell]

Okposo has/had the "flu" according to media reports. That's much better news, of course, than some carryover of his serious medical problem (concussion syndrome, treatment thereof, etc.) from earlier in the year.

 

But what he really has/had is gastroenteritis, called stomach flu by some. It's caused by a virus, too, and is contagious and will probably sweep through the lockerrooms of most teams this season. Athletes can get "flu flu" of course, but you don't come back from that in 24-48 hours. Ask Bruce Smith.

 

Couple questions:

 

1. Why can't they avoid calling it "the flu," something that confuses many people. How many times have we talked about whether players get the flu shot, etc.

 

2. Are there any measures teams can take to prevent its spread?

 

Hey - it's our annual attempt to disambiguate those 24-48 hour GI bugs from influenza!

 

There are some fairly lengthy articles out there explaining how and why these confusing usages arose (and stuck). 

[Patty16]

Okposo has/had the "flu" according to media reports. That's much better news, of course, than some carryover of his serious medical problem (concussion syndrome, treatment thereof, etc.) from earlier in the year.

 

But what he really has/had is gastroenteritis, called stomach flu by some. It's caused by a virus, too, and is contagious and will probably sweep through the lockerrooms of most teams this season. Athletes can get "flu flu" of course, but you don't come back from that in 24-48 hours. Ask Bruce Smith.

 

Couple questions:

 

1. Why can't they avoid calling it "the flu," something that confuses many people. How many times have we talked about whether players get the flu shot, etc.

 

2. Are there any measures teams can take to prevent its spread?

a few things:

stomach flu isnt contagious the way traditional flu is, and will likely not spread through locker rooms. That's the dreaded flu flu, which spreads via respiratory system primarily. 

Stomach almost always comes from ingesting some food/drink item that is already infected, and unless the team is sharing utensils they dont need to worry. Washing hands etc does little to prevent this kind of flu vs flu flu. 

 

There is a 24 hour flu bug and that can hit you hard and although your symptoms will wane after 24 hours, you will be drained for a few days after. 

 

A negative flu test, A or B, does not mean you don't have the flu. It's used primarily as a rapid screening tool only on account of the extremely high false negatives in certain situations. 

 

 

[That Aud Smell]

a few things:

stomach flu isnt contagious the way traditional flu is, and will likely not spread through locker rooms. That's the dreaded flu flu, which spreads via respiratory system primarily. 

Stomach almost always comes from ingesting some food/drink item that is already infected, and unless the team is sharing utensils they dont need to worry. Washing hands etc does little to prevent this kind of flu vs flu flu. 

 

There is a 24 hour flu bug and that can hit you hard and although your symptoms will wane after 24 hours, you will be drained for a few days after. 

 

A negative flu test, A or B, does not mean you don't have the flu. It's used primarily as a rapid screening tool only on account of the extremely high false negatives in certain situations. 

 

 

 

Huh? I've always understood that standard GI bugs are quite contagious.

[bob_sauve28]

This whole topic just makes me sick 

[Eleven]

a few things:

stomach flu isnt contagious the way traditional flu is, and will likely not spread through locker rooms. That's the dreaded flu flu, which spreads via respiratory system primarily. 

Stomach almost always comes from ingesting some food/drink item that is already infected, and unless the team is sharing utensils they dont need to worry. Washing hands etc does little to prevent this kind of flu vs flu flu. 

 

There is a 24 hour flu bug and that can hit you hard and although your symptoms will wane after 24 hours, you will be drained for a few days after. 

 

A negative flu test, A or B, does not mean you don't have the flu. It's used primarily as a rapid screening tool only on account of the extremely high false negatives in certain situations. 

 

 

 

What if a lot of them are eating the same thing, like at a training table?

[That Aud Smell]

What if a lot of them are eating the same thing, like at a training table?

 

In that event, the timing and number of players affected would tend to be different.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Is it sad that after 13 years of medical training and close to a decade working (Give or take) that the viral bug/flu issue is super boring clinically and while I enjoy banter over it, I'd much rather real with more serious stuff..... Is that the sign of a sociopath ;)

[Eleven]

Is it sad that after 13 years of medical training and close to a decade working (Give or take) that the viral bug/flu issue is super boring clinically and while I enjoy banter over it, I'd much rather real with more serious stuff..... Is that the sign of a sociopath ;)

 

No.  I don't like bantering over traffic tickets.

[That Aud Smell]

No.  I don't like bantering over traffic tickets.

 

Worthy of discussion: Would you rather go (as a non-lawyer) to contest a traffic ticket in a rural, busy justice court (say, the Town of Ellicott) or get a case of the runs for a day?

[Wyldnwoody44]

Worthy of discussion: Would you rather go (as a non-lawyer) to contest a traffic ticket in a rural, busy justice court (say, the Town of Ellicott) or get a case of the runs for a day?

They're both gonna be $hitty outcomes, so I'll take the runs

[MattPie]

Which is the one Kareen Abdul Jabbar had where eggs were coming out of his mouth?

Edited October 16, 2017 by MattPie

[Stoner]

Huh? I've always understood that standard GI bugs are quite contagious.

I thought so too. Big chunks (sorry) of NHL teams come down with it every year, it seems.

As for the being called "the flu" I think that's just what society calls it now, patients that come in with bronchitis say they have the flu, even if the flu swab was negative, I don't expect the whole county to be docs or medically trained, but we have a legit education issue in the country when 90 percent of patients don't know the difference between a bacteria and a virus.

Don't we have a serious issue of antibacterial resistance because a lot of docs don't know the difference as well? Or maybe they just give their patients what they want?

[North Buffalo]

I thought so too. Big chunks (sorry) of NHL teams come down with it every year, it seems.

Don't we have a serious issue of antibacterial resistance because a lot of docs don't know the difference as well? Or maybe they just give their patients what they want?

Its because people would rather ingest the shiite they touch than consistently wash their hand with soap and water and cough or sneeze into their elbow so to not to spread their germs.

[Weave]

I can't believe, with every point being as important that it is, that teams haven't taken proactive steps to prevent this stuff from sweeping through lockerrooms.

Edited October 16, 2017 by We've

[Stoner]

I can't believe, with every point being as important that it is, that teams haven't taken proactive steps to prevent this stuff from sweeping through lockerrooms.

This is the point I was trying to get around to.

[Eleven]

Worthy of discussion: Would you rather go (as a non-lawyer) to contest a traffic ticket in a rural, busy justice court (say, the Town of Ellicott) or get a case of the runs for a day?

 

Runs.

Edited October 17, 2017 by Eleven

[TheAud]

I can't believe, with every point being as important that it is, that teams haven't taken proactive steps to prevent this stuff from sweeping through lockerrooms.

Maybe they have. Is the prevalence of this issue more or less frequent on NHL teams than a control group with similar risk factors? 

[Weave]

Maybe they have. Is the prevalence of this issue more or less frequent on NHL teams than a control group with similar risk factors?

Does that sort of thing roar through your workplace, infecting most of the emoyees over the course of a couple of weeks every winter?

 

Colds I understand. Widespread "stomach flu" seems rather preventable.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Don't we have a serious issue of antibacterial resistance because a lot of docs don't know the difference as well? Or maybe they just give their patients what they want?

Unfortunately, we live in an instant gratification society, so Mr XY or Ms XX (see what I did there) comes in with the sniffles and gets amoxicilin or cipro or whatever, and this keeps happening until it doesn't work. Most health care workers know the basic difference, but if the patient takes a day off of work or has to spend time in a waiting room, they better be walking away with something to feel their time justified, the days of giving sound medical logic are gone (the occasional patient comes in and says "you're the doc, what you say I'll do") but that's rare. I have taken to writing a lot of Flonase and Singulair and prednisone and Zofran and etc to help with symptoms, that way I'm not adding to problem but still keeping patients happy, it's a fine balance these days, almost like a game.... Makes doing this job kinda suck more than it should.

[TheAud]

Does that sort of thing roar through your workplace, infecting most of the emoyees over the course of a couple of weeks every winter?

 

Colds I understand. Widespread "stomach flu" seems rather preventable.

It does not. However I don't eat with, fly on planes with, ride on buses with, sweat and physically bang up against, nor shower and change clothes with, any of my co-workers (except my wife :flirt: ).  So I don't think my office is a good control group to compare vs. an NHL team.  

 

My recollection of fraternity (or dorm) living back in college however is that stomach bugs generally worked their way through the population pretty much every year. Or maybe that was alcohol poisoning? But anyway, my point is that I have no idea what NHL teams do or don't do to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, I just think that without some data and frame of reference this is sort of a fruitless discussion because their situation in terms of physical proximity is not really comparable to our every day experience. Maybe the army would be a better comparison. They certainly have a strong culture and rigorous practices trying to keep the soldiers from harmful bacteria and viruses before they worry about bullets and bombs.  

Edited October 17, 2017 by Sakman