Illness at DLV 2014

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This posting is from: Vera Delmar
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> I was sick as a dog myself the week after Diva. Stomach flu kind of
> thing. I had to go to the doctor. He said just to take it easy and

I was sick for a week after Diva. Don't know what it was attributed to
but just a general malaise. I thought it was the flu coming on and
figured the flu shot I got back in October was putting up some good
resistance in my my body to letting it blow into a full case of the
illness.

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(This posting was entered by Vera Delmar, an external user of MyDLV.)

[annie]

>> I was sick as a dog myself the week after Diva. Stomach flu kind of
>> thing. I had to go to the doctor. He said just to take it easy and

> I was sick for a week after Diva. Don't know what it was attributed to
> but just a general malaise.

I remember several people, myself included, during DLV (and now after), complaining of various symptoms. I know we had at least one person miss the final dinner due to illness. We had a few people cancel various activities due to illness.

On Friday of DLV week I came down with what I assumed was a common cold. Sniffles and mild sore throat. More annoying than debilitating. I blamed it on Michelle J. who had more or less the same. At the final evening I remember telling a couple of people to not get too close since I had it, only to have them say to not worry that they had it too. This cleared up by Saturday afternoon.

However, that weekend I came down with what was definitely some kind of lower GI bug. Again this was more annoying than anything else, but it lasted the better part of the next week. Only GI symptoms, no aches, fatigue, no flu-like symptoms, etc. This eventually cleared up about as quickly as it came on.

This is the first time over all of the years that I was aware of so many people reporting symptoms, mostly toward the end of the event and shortly after. Having so many reports, and one very tragic outcome, concerns me. I searched the various LV news outlets for any information on outbreaks, but nothing was recent.

[Michelle V]

Mine was worse. Couldn't keep anything down and pounding head ache. Doc said it was probably virus and would go away in a few days. It did. Thankfully.



annie wrote :
> >> I was sick as a dog myself the week after Diva. Stomach flu kind of
> >> thing. I had to go to the doctor. He said just to take it easy and
>
> > I was sick for a week after Diva. Don't know what it was attributed to
> > but just a general malaise.
>
> I remember several people, myself included, during DLV (and now after), complaining
> of various symptoms. I know we had at least one person miss the final dinner due to
> illness. We had a few people cancel various activities due to illness.
>
> On Friday of DLV week I came down with what I assumed was a common cold. Sniffles and
> mild sore throat. More annoying than debilitating. I blamed it on Michelle J. who had
> more or less the same. At the final evening I remember telling a couple of people
> to not get too close since I had it, only to have them say to not worry that they had
> it too. This cleared up by Saturday afternoon.
>
> However, that weekend I came down with what was definitely some kind of lower GI bug.
> Again this was more annoying than anything else, but it lasted the better part of the
> next week. Only GI symptoms, no aches, fatigue, no flu-like symptoms, etc. This
> eventually cleared up about as quickly as it came on.
>
> This is the first time over all of the years that I was aware of so many people
> reporting symptoms, mostly toward the end of the event and shortly after. Having so
> many reports, and one very tragic outcome, concerns me. I searched the various LV
> news outlets for any information on outbreaks, but nothing was recent.

[nicoletv]

Well, add me to the list. I got home late Saturday night. On Sunday, I was trying to catch up on something for work that had to go out on Monday. We ordered a pizza around 9 PM and by 11, I was puking and crapping my guts out (sorry about the graphic description) for the next several hours. At first, blamed it on the pizza but then realized it was more than that.

I was told there was also a nasty stomach bug going around here in VA but I think I must have picked it up in LV too. Anyway, I did all the right stuff for dehydration--drank a lot of Gatorade and water and eased back into eating as I could handle it. The stomach part only lasted two days but I felt like I'd been hit by a truck the rest of the week.

But in spite of all that--I had a blast at DLV as always and I miss you all dearly. Please keep in touch.

Hugs,

Nicole Mackenzie

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This posting is from: Veronica Lynn Sevier
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I was sick the first couple of days there and had to cancel the bar
thing on sunday but they still made me pay for not being there even tho
I was sick!

Then I started getting sick again on Friday with flu type of symptoms,
sore throat, runny nose, etc. My sickness lasted for over a week. Like
others the doctor was not much help.

I do know one of the girls started getting sick on Wednesday. She had to
quit early or thursday and wound up missing the whole Friday events and
had to go to the doctor and it lasted for a couple of weeks or so. Not
sure why everyone was getting sick this year?

Veronica

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(This posting was entered by Veronica Lynn Sevier, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Gina
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Hi All,

I think the best explanation is that there are some really nasty flues
going around, and with DLV and it's crazy hours, lots of food and
libation, and other things that our aging (I'm sorry more experienced)
bodies are not used to on a regular basis, leads to reduction in the
body's ability to fight off such things.

Veronica obviously arrived with something, (and why should the hostess
have to pay for you just because you were sick?) Las Vegas is a land
where people from many cultures, sanitation levels and habits meet and
there is always plethora of glorious viruses, germs and bacteria that
are looking for new homes. Unfortunately not everything that happens in
Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.

Good seeing as many as I did this year.

Love ya,

Gina

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(This posting was entered by Gina, an external user of MyDLV.)

[Linda]

Well, I must be the lucky one. I had no symptoms before , during or after DLV, and I attended at least 2-3 activities every day and was up late every night. I suppose it's possible that I have developed immunity to whatever it was because I live in Las Vegas. Also, I did not get a flu shot and never do. I am generally very careful to not directly touch things that can transfer germs, such as escalator and stair rails, elevator buttons, etc. (I am not quite as conscientious about this as Howard Hughes, but getting there ) If it's really necessary to touch something such as a brass pole for balance, then I try to remember to not touch my face until after washing my hands. If there is enough interest, I suppose one could check to see if there is a correlation between a particular activity and people who got sick, then take steps to avoid a repeat in the future.

In any case, I am sorry to hear that there were so many negative outcomes from attending DLV. Perhaps the earlier than usual vacation date had something to do with it, as the flu season was still in full force.

[Marisa]

I rarely get sick with a fever,but post- DLV I had a temperature and aches for 4 days with a appetite.Had lots of fun though.

[kandi.dolfen]

RE: Quite a few DLVers reported not feeling well toward the end of the week.
We certainly hope that nobody else had any serious issues.

I reported coming down with the flu-like headcold bug. After over 3 weeks, Im still fighting this thing.
It is unusual for me to get sick at all so this is an unpleasant surprise.

It started as I was driving home on Saturday with a bad mood that I thought was post-DLV sadness.
Sunday my head was congested along with a sore throat. By Tuesday I was too weak to work or do anything other than sleep. I lost my voice by Friday and remained weak. I have lost 4 lbs.

While I feel much improved after 3 weeks, I have some head congestion and a sore voice. There is no evidence of infection or fever so I know I will recover. I have been fighting this thing with Robitussin and aspirin. Just wanted to report this in case anyone else is also fighting this thing and is concerned.

Hope everyone is feeling healthy!
Dionne

[annie]

It sounds like we had a few things going around in our group. The symptoms reported fall into three categories.

1. Common cold. This is what I clearly had on Friday of DLV week and was probably what Michelle J. had. I used Zicam and Michelle used Cold-Eeze, and both resolved quickly. I know that others reported various cold symptoms throughout the week.

2. Gastroenteritis. Several people, myself included, reported symptoms, none of them pleasant, particularly after the event had concluded. Nobody reported any specific treatment, other than letting it run its course. One reported a physician visit, where watchful waiting was advised. Coincidentally I had a pre-scheduled doctor appointment on Tuesday following DLV as a follow-up for a totally non-related issue. I mentioned my lower GI thing to him and likewise, he recommended to "see if it resolves by this weekend", which it did.

3. Symptoms more typical of true Influenza such as fever, malaise, fatigue, all lingering a week or more. I know I did not have the Flu. I've had true Influenza in the past and it's far more severe than a head cold, plus I had a flu shot.

> If there is enough interest, I suppose one could check to see if there is a correlation
> between a particular activity and people who got sick

People were reporting cold-like symptoms all week. Some were probably infected before they arrived. Depending on who you listen to, the incubation period of a common cold can be anywhere from several hours to a few days so it's difficult to pinpoint any single activity. Our larger gatherings are, unfortunately, good chances to be exposed to all kinds of bugs. There are also countless opportunities for exposure in LV from casinos to elevators to bars ...

> then I try to remember to not touch my face until after washing my hands.

If people would be conscientious about simple things such as this, we could probably eliminate a lot of the illness at DLV. I know that many of our people are uneasy in public restrooms so they do not do a thorough hand wash, if at all. We might do such things as to recommend a purse-size hand sanitizer. (I carry this.)

Also there's the common courtesy of avoiding others if you believe you may be septic, or the simple act of telling them not to get too close.

At DLV 2014 I believe we had the most reports of illness during and immediately after of all of our years.