Are you sick? Respiratory infections up across Texoma

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Posted: 5:48 PM Jan 8, 2009
Last Updated: 5:48 PM Jan 8, 2009
Reporter: KXII-TV Staff
Email Address: firstnews@kxii.com

21 comments

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DENISON, Tex. ― You may have noticed several people out sick at your workplace. It's not uncommon this time of year. Cold and flu season is well underway in Texoma.

Doctors at Texoma Medical Center say they have recently seen an increase in people seeking treatment for respiratory infections, and the cause might surprise you― all those holiday get-togethers.

Doctors say that's because people travel from all over the country to be with loved ones during the holidays, and while they are spreading the holiday cheer, they are also spreading germs you may not have encountered in our area.

“During this time of year you have people indoors, and we just had the Christmas holidays where everyone got together to share cheer and good times, but they also shared germs," family practitioner Dr. Duke Carlson at Texoma Medical Center says.

The best way to prevent coming down with a respiratory infection or any other sickness is to wash your hands thoroughly and stay home if you are sick to avoid spreading germs.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: wanting to know Location: Texoma on Apr 25, 2009 at 08:44 PM
If you have had symptons of the "swine flu" and treated at Urgent Care for 3 weeks where do you go to find out if that is what you had? Is anyone tracking it in our local area?

Posted by: Gloria Location: Lone Grove on Mar 6, 2009 at 10:07 PM
The emergency room is full of people waiting. There is a virus going around and I have two grandchildren that have been sick with it . One of the children is much better but the other is still very sick, he can't keep anything down. He is really hurting and we have tried everything we know to do. He is on medication and it doesn't seem to help. Does anyone out there have any home remedies for this virus? He hasn't been able to eat for at least 3 days. He tries to eat but he can't keep it down. My daughter made another trip to Ardmore to the ER but it was so packed she knew it would be hours before he could be seen.

Posted by: Nobama on Jan 12, 2009 at 03:18 PM
Ralph, just wait. Changes are coming to the health care system. "For our own good" ........

Posted by: Ralph Location: Denison on Jan 12, 2009 at 10:28 AM
I have no personal experience with the Canadian health care system, so I choose not to talk about it based on what I have heard from others. However, I do have experience with the U.S. "system". Not too long ago I called my PCP (Primary Care Physician), our systems term for "my doctor", for an appointment re: some injuries I had incurred in a fall. I was given an appointment for almost 4 weeks later. I guess you could say I got to choose my PCP. He was one of three in the area that are part of my employer paid (in part) health ins. plan. I could have gone to another doctor, but of course would have had to pay more out of pocket, especially if the doctor I chose was not in my network (that stable of doctors my healthcare plan chooses to designate worthy of a contract, or doctors who believe my healtcare plans policy holders are worthy of their services). Our "system" may be the best, but it needs improvement.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 11, 2009 at 10:41 PM
"Me", I am the anonymous poster from earlier (too lazy to write my name) and no I am not the same person as "healthcare employee" and vice versa. And "healthcare employee" probably sees a LOT of self-diagnosing hypochondriacs, the kind who assume that every time they have a cold, it's really the flu, and everytime they have the flu it's really pneumonia!!

Posted by: CanadaBorderYankee Location: Texas on Jan 10, 2009 at 08:22 PM
Okay..here's another reason why we don't need universal health care. Mary, if your mom lived in Canada, waiting for Monday would be a blessing...in Canada she would be told to wait about 3 months. Not only that the gov't would tell her what Dr. she would see, (you don't pick your own dr.) Best thing, if you have a cold, cough into your elbow bend, don't ask for antibiotics, only go to the Dr. if you are extremely ill, and please, if you belong to a health club, don't go "SWEAT IT OUT" all you are going to do is get the rest of us sick.

Posted by: scooter Location: ardmore on Jan 10, 2009 at 05:47 PM
yes washing hands will work but if you work in a sick building with black mold on ceiling tiles you wonder everytime you get sick during the winter and spring if the building is causing it.

Posted by: Parent of a sick Child Location: somewhere on Jan 9, 2009 at 09:26 PM
We have been in the hospital since the middle of the week and today is Friday. Kxii is right about the virus. Everyone needs to pray for the people that has this.

Posted by: Me Location: Here on Jan 9, 2009 at 06:56 PM
Wow healthcare employee you are in the wrong business. If you could read she did say her mother was exposed to pneumonia so it stands to reason if she has the same symptoms that he had then there is a pretty good chance it may be pneumonia. Either you are just bitter and burned out or maybe you're really the anonymous person who posted earlier and the latter would be my guess.

Posted by: healthcare employee Location: youdontknowjackaboutviruses on Jan 9, 2009 at 05:25 PM
Mary- I'm sorry your mother is ill, but how do you know she has pneumonia. You yourself said that's what doctors are for, and lambasted someone else for their guess. And since you know about viruses, let's see some of your research papers, work, virology studies, etc...........by all means, take your mother to a Doc-in-the-box if you have to. Or worse come to worst, one of the local "sit and wait forever waiting to get into a room much less be seen" hospital ERs.

Posted by: Mary Location: Sherman on Jan 9, 2009 at 05:02 PM
Yeah I'm not happy that he just called in something without seeing her and I don't like him either but my Mom does. Maybe he does hand it out like candy but not to her. She hasn't taken an antibiotic in over 4 years now. I know how important it is to be sure to only take an antibiotic when it's sever enough to need one and to finish the whole script even if you feel better in just a few days. It just makes me mad that it’s so hard to see her doctor and then he treats without an appointment with something she's allergic to. I'm glad the pharmacy caught it though. I do try to keep track of all her meds but it's great to know they will take care of stuff like that.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 9, 2009 at 02:41 PM
"Work In Docs Office", your body won't build up an immunity, but the germs will build up an immunity to the antibiotics! Antibiotics do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for "the sniffles"- the cold and flu! And Mary, why is your doc's office calling in an antibiotic if they have not even seen her? Are they handing out antibiotics to anyone with a medical complaint, just to pacify them and shut them up? Remind me not to go to your doc!

Posted by: Anonymous Location: denison on Jan 9, 2009 at 01:57 PM
Mary, Thank goodness the pharmacy caught the allergy. Do doctor's not check the chart? I go to the Medicine Shoppe and the pharmacist there always double checks my allergies, meds I'm on etc.

Posted by: endofthebench Location: sherman on Jan 9, 2009 at 11:44 AM
This is why I keep hand wipes and sanitizers in my car and pockets. Whenever I leave Walmart or any public place, the first thing I do is clean my hands. Shopping carts and fax machines are LOADED with germs!!! Good advice for the caution about magazines in the docs office. I bring my own reading material...

Posted by: Work In Docs Office Location: Lil Town, Oklahoma on Jan 9, 2009 at 10:08 AM
I work in a clinic. We see over 250 patients a day. If you get antibiotics every time you have the sniffles, then your body will never build up an immune system. If you have serious symptoms, then go to the doc. If not, over the counter products work great. Why do people think that a little cough always warrants a doctors visit?? It amazes me. A child has a 99.0 fever and moms go crazy thinking they have the flu! When your child is really sick, you will know it.

Posted by: Mary Location: Sherman on Jan 9, 2009 at 10:08 AM
To Anonymous on Jan 8, 2009 at 08:53 PM For your information I'm pretty sure my Mom has pneumonia. She was exposed to it from my son not too long ago and just incase you don't know that can be very serious in the elderly. Trust me I know all about viruses thanks. I will try one of the urgent care places and hopefully they'll take her ins.. And to top it all off her Dr called just before he left the office last night to tell her he had call her in a script for an antibiotic and the pharmnacy called a bit later....she's allergic to when he called in. Now he's out of the office for today! Plus....anonymous you have no idea what she's got and that's what doctors are for or didn't you know that?

Posted by: provider Location: Denison on Jan 8, 2009 at 10:14 PM
Mary if your mother cannot get into her own doctor go to one of the Urgent Care clinics, that is what they are there for. We have several in the area.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 8, 2009 at 08:53 PM
Mary, what in the world is the doctor suypposed to do for your sick mother? If it a viral respiratory infection (like a cold) there is NOTHING that can be done! Why do people rush to the doctor's office when they have a cold, and demand antibiotics? They do NOTHING for viruses!

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 8, 2009 at 08:05 PM
Don't ever read,touch any magazine, toy in any Doctors waiting area are room. And wash your hands when possible the hand sanitizers work very well. Oh YBY it seems that respiratory infections are not your problem go see a shrink.

Posted by: yby Location: texas on Jan 8, 2009 at 06:38 PM
having problems with respiratory infections ? forget the reasons the doctors say type in chemtrails.com and then for two weeks look up in the sky after reading about chemtrails, thats the real reason, and its being done almost on a daily basis over the gainesville area we have repeatedly had the same problems every time we see the chemtrails,most the time we have to stay in doors after we see them in the sky, and who is behind this our lovely government , dont believe it check it for yourself and look up and see for yourself, get on the web site and do the research for yourself also the drug companies are behind it too for profit through doctors to sell their drugs and they pay doctors lavish money to prescribe you the medication.

Posted by: Mary Location: Sherman on Jan 8, 2009 at 06:10 PM
Yeah my elderly Mom is really sick and her doctor said he can't see her till Monday. That makes me mad. She even told them she is willing to just come up there and sit and wait till they can work her in but they still said no. It's frustrating you know. They gripe when you go to the hospital for this kind of illness but when your own doctor you've had for 20 years won't work you in what are we supposed to do?? I know all doctors aren't like that. My friend called for an appointment Tuesday morning with his doctor and had an appointment that very same day.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 8, 2009 at 06:00 PM
I went to a meeting yesterday where a man with a respiratory infection was also attending, and today I am sick too! (I have not been around anybody else in the entire week prior to that, so I'm assuming I caught it there).

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