I was just released from the hospital after going to emergency totally dehydrated.  I really want to urge everyone to get a flu shot this season (check with your doctor first, of course), and make it soon!  If it is the flu I had - and the docs seem to think so - the 4 days of shaking chills and fevers I spiked, left me unable to eat, and although I sipped water every waking moment, I just couldn't take in enough to keep myself hydrated. When I was finally sick enough to realize that although the fevers had stopped, I was still practically incoherent and weak with dehydration (I also had some abdominal pain), I called SBC and was advised to use Propel also, maybe some sugar-free pops, so I could also replace some salts, etc., Then Randy called me and advised me to go to the ER for IV hydration. In my dehydrated state of mind, I replied I would wait another day. My family hustled me to the ER, where I was supposed to be!  Happily, I went to Scottsdale Healthcare North, where SBC resides. Those doctors went over me with a fine tooth comb. In the ER they discovered that my potassium was dangerously low (I had not eaten or taken supplements in a few days), and I ended up spending a couple of days more at the hospital, where I was IV'd, poked, prodded, tested, and evaluated with great care and concern, by the skilled professionals who had performed my bypass and cared for me after the surgery, fullly cognizant of all post surgery issues.  I am so grateful for the comprehensive care I received.  I am sure that I would have been well-cared for in any hospital I arrived at, but it was so reassuring to know that my surgery was not, in any way, an "unknown" or unusual complicating issue. I have some prescriptions to take, and then some follow-up tests, and am being watched carefully still, by infectious disease docs and by SBC docs.  I have to admit that one of the worst problems with dehydration is that the more dehydrated you get, the stupider you get. I really couldn't even think straight - so I was not making good healthcare decisions, i.e., call the doctor sooner, go to the ER, etc.  So - my advice, born of a really awful few days' experience, is - if your doctor thinks it is right for you, get the flu shot.(I had one before I left the hospital). Stay Hydrated. Call your doctor if you have any questions, and Be well!

Saw this in the Republic today... 1,000 free flu shots to be given in 3 hours for drill

Sarah Muench The Arizona Republic Oct. 11, 2007 12:00 PM

Chandler health officials are asking residents to roll down their car windows and roll up their sleeves for an emergency terrorism drill that will test the efficiency of mass drive-through vaccinations. The first drill of it's kind at Chandler Regional Medical Center will involve 100 hospital personnel administering flu vaccines to adults through car windows, said Kimberly Day, a spokeswoman for Chandler Regional Medical Center. The incentive for patients: free flu vaccines. The goal for health officials: give 1,000 shots in three hours to simulate the need for a mass vaccination in the event of a bio-terrorism attack or naturally-caused outbreak. "Every city state and county government has an emergency operations plan," said said Kerry Cassens, a registered nurse with occupational health with the city. "This is a partnership with Chandler Regional and the city to test our ability to respond should there be a need for mass vaccination." The Oct. 27 flu drill will follow the largest ever nationwide terrorism drill based at Chandler's Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort next week, but the "drive-flu" event is separate from the federal authorities' drill, Cassens said. The first 1,000 people to enter the vaccine drill will receive free flu vaccines, officials said. Participants age 18 and up can pull into a six-lane drive-through, open the car door or window and fill out a consent form while waiting in line, Cassens said. Then they'll drive up to a nurse and receive a shot in the arm. "We encourage people to come out because we want to be tested to the max," Cassens said. "We want this to be a test of our ability to give 1,000 immunizations." The drill will utilize four city paramedics certified for vaccinations and the rest will be hospital personnel, Cassens said. At a previous walk-through version of the drill, participants' average waiting time was five minutes, Cassens said. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center held a smaller version of the clinic last year where they vaccinated 278 people. A flu shot for an uninsured patient normally costs $30 to $40, Day said. Each year, about 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from the flu nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Flu season generally runs November through March. The free "Drive Flu" clinic will be held Oct. 27 from 8 to 11 a.m. for adults, or until all flu shots are dispensed at Chandler Regional Medical Center, 475 S. Dobson Road. Enter from Dobson Road at Fairview Drive. Details: (480) 728-5640

NO WAY! I got a shot a few years ago and I was sicker then a dog for over 3 weeks! I dont buy into many vaccines.  If Im gonna get the flu Im gonna do it without the shot. More doctors r advising not to take the shot. Mine is.