Author Topic: Anyone been to Flu Camp?  (Read 16917 times)

shelivesthedream

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Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« on: July 26, 2015, 10:40:25 AM »
I'm finding it hard to find work at the moment and am thinking of signing up for flu camp: http://www.flucamp.com

Has anyone been to anything like this? My two biggest worries are having the flu (people died of the flu in the olden days! What if it kills me??) and that the medical monitoring might be too much (I'm not great at having blood taken - it's OK mentally but I get dizzy and nearly faint most times - I need to lie down while it's being done).

But it does sound like a great opportunity to sit around "being ill" for a few weeks while watching an entire box set of something tacky, and get paid.

forummm

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2015, 11:50:49 AM »
Very interesting. I might consider this if I were retired. I'd have to learn more about it.

Neustache

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2015, 11:57:36 AM »
I had the flu last year, and I'm not sure I would want to do this even if I got paid for it.  Really rough 2 days, and was drained of energy for weeks.  No thanks. 

I always thought stomach bugs were the worst thing...I was wrong.  Respiratory flu was just terrible. 

woodnut

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2015, 01:19:55 PM »
I'm finding it hard to find work at the moment and am thinking of signing up for flu camp: http://www.flucamp.com

Has anyone been to anything like this? My two biggest worries are having the flu (people died of the flu in the olden days! What if it kills me??) and that the medical monitoring might be too much (I'm not great at having blood taken - it's OK mentally but I get dizzy and nearly faint most times - I need to lie down while it's being done).

But it does sound like a great opportunity to sit around "being ill" for a few weeks while watching an entire box set of something tacky, and get paid.

People still die from the influenza virus today.  Usually the young and old, but not always.  Luckily that did not happen to us.  I'm guessing you aren't a 7 yr old girl, but a couple of years ago my daughter had the flu.  She was vaccinated.  We took her to the doctor because she was wheezing.  Doctor checked her out, confirmed it was influenza, got some tamiflu and sent her home.  In less than 24 hours, things went south pretty fast.  Had we delayed 5 minutes getting her to the hospital she would no longer be with us.  Flight for life helicopter ride, and a few days at Children's Hospital, but she recovered.  We no longer scoff at and fuck around with the flu in our family.  I might sign up for the common cold trial but definitely not the flu.

forummm

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2015, 01:36:52 PM »
In an average year, 30,000 people die from the flu in the US. It's not a joke. And only about 30% of people get their flu shots. The efficacy of the shots varies from year to year (for a variety of reasons, such as whether they can predict the strains that will be most prevalent 6 months into the future). But it could save a lot of lives if people got them.

mustachianteacher

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #5 on: July 26, 2015, 04:14:30 PM »
OMG, I wouldn't do that for even $10,000. I have asthma, and any respiratory ailment like the cold or flu has me coughing for at least 4 weeks. It's awful. I don't sleep, I cough to the point of choking, I can't take a deep breath for weeks, etc. If I had to go through it, I think I'd set my price at $25,000 minimum. For that amount, I suppose I'd do it.

(And in case you're curious, I absolutely get a flu shot every year; I get one as soon as they're available!)
« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 04:16:36 PM by msjd123 »

justajane

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #6 on: July 26, 2015, 08:05:28 PM »
The first time I got the flu, I had a delirious fever for 2+ days. Then I coughed for about six weeks. This was severe, severe bronchitis. The cough was so bad I ended up pulling a muscle in my chest that didn't heal for over a year. This was with no flu shot. I was 23 years old. It was the most sick I had ever been up until that point.

I swore never again and have gotten a flu shot ever since.

The second time I got the flu was this past year, because the flu shot didn't end up being as effective and didn't cover the strain that made the rounds last winter. I am 37. Even with the flu shot (which supposedly made it less severe), I had a very high fever for 24 hours. It topped out at 105. I almost had to go to the ER. Then I coughed for 3 weeks. I ended up getting pnemonia and had to go on antibiotics. I had chest pain for another 3 weeks then was diagnosed with pleurisy of the lungs. It took about 2 months to get back to normal.

I write all this just to let you know what can happen when you get the flu. Are you the type that gets a lingering cough? If so, I would not recommend doing this. If you are the type that usually bounces back quickly from illness, it might be worth your while. I definitely think this type of thing is valuable, and we need people to take part in these trials. To be honest, if I wasn't so damned miserable when I get the flu, I would enjoy having all three meals brought to me and getting paid for sleeping and relaxing all day. That's the best part about being sick - being able to binge watch shows on Netflix and lay around all day with a cup of tea and comfort food.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2015, 08:08:14 PM by justajane »

Sailor Sam

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #7 on: July 26, 2015, 09:57:22 PM »
No. No. Never. I had the flu fifteen years ago, when I was a strapping 20 year old. Started with a weird cough I couldn't stifle. Fever topped out at 104. I wasn't exactly hallucinating, but I wasn't exactly compos mentis either. I was so hot that I dreamed/hallucinated I was dying in the desert. I cried for my mother.

Secondary ear infection. Secondary sinus infection. Secondary pneumonia. Cough for 6 weeks. No energy. Terrible.

 

dess1313

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2015, 10:11:38 PM »
There are some pretty nasty strains of flu out there.  H1N1 took a huge toll on our province and i worked in our hospital taking care of people with it.  It floored me, and i'm young and healthy.  Worst flu i've had in ages.  Others it didn't but there had been a similar strain around years ago and people were still protected from that.  A lot of older people die every year due to complications from flu or other issues that they had already that complicate the illness.  I see enough bugs at work i'm not going to go purposefully get sick hahaha.

Everyone reacts differently to flu.  Smokers/asthmatics will often have a harder time since they are more prone to problems already.  Anyone with compromised immune systems should NEVER go to something like this and would likely be screened out of participating anyways.  Even after recovering your system has taken a hit, and may be more prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, shingles and other diseases.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #9 on: July 27, 2015, 01:58:54 AM »
I should clarify that they have a pretty intense screening programme - questionnaires and a blood test - and I am currently hale and hearty. It's not put me off but has given me some food for thought. Their website is covered with testimonials from people who brought work in and wrote their dissertations there - sounds unrealistic, but I guess if people are doing that then the strain of flu can't be too bad. I have a few questions to ask them now, though, so thanks all.

mskyle

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #10 on: July 27, 2015, 01:34:36 PM »
Oh man, last time I had the flu I was sick for weeks. It was terrible. £2,000 is a lot of money but ugh, the flu! I was taking a week-long intensive graduate course during the flu (*not* planned), and I got a B+ in it, which I think was mostly pity-based. But then I missed a week of work because I was still so sick.

In my area there are often residential sleep studies - they are recruiting for one right now that can pay up to $7,500 for a full-month stay. You might want to look into something like that - still very unpleasant, but at least you (probably) won't get sick!

I once spent half a day in an MRI tube for something like $100, and I recently applied to be a poop donor, so I am certainly not immune to "get rich as a guinea pig!" thinking.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2015, 01:38:01 PM by mskyle »

Rural

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2015, 08:18:45 PM »
Not even. Came very close to losing my husband to H1N1, and he's as hale and hearty as it's possible to be.

Rezdent

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2015, 08:27:05 PM »
I should clarify that they have a pretty intense screening programme - questionnaires and a blood test - and I am currently hale and hearty. It's not put me off but has given me some food for thought. Their website is covered with testimonials from people who brought work in and wrote their dissertations there - sounds unrealistic, but I guess if people are doing that then the strain of flu can't be too bad. I have a few questions to ask them now, though, so thanks all.

Just curious, is there any possibility that their testimonials were a bit cherry-picked?

BlueHouse

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #13 on: July 27, 2015, 08:36:39 PM »
I would consider it if I'd never had a bad flu before. But I have. For most sickness and injury, your body and mind have a way of dealing with pain by forgetting about it. But not flu. I had it 25 years ago and I remember wishing I were dead. I had a very nasty food poisoning once, and it didn't come close to being as bad as that flu was. Severe muscle pain, high temp, headache, chest ache. Every part of my body hurt. Even my hair hurt.
I've been too scared to get a flu shot, but I think I'll start this year.

Neustache

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2015, 06:13:31 AM »
Yeah, after last year we are all getting flu shots.  We always get them for my asthmatic son, but this year the whole family will get them.  Granted, the flu shot didn't prevent him from getting it last year (not the right strain) but we'll try the shot this year.


shelivesthedream

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #15 on: July 28, 2015, 08:05:59 AM »
I should clarify that they have a pretty intense screening programme - questionnaires and a blood test - and I am currently hale and hearty. It's not put me off but has given me some food for thought. Their website is covered with testimonials from people who brought work in and wrote their dissertations there - sounds unrealistic, but I guess if people are doing that then the strain of flu can't be too bad. I have a few questions to ask them now, though, so thanks all.

Just curious, is there any possibility that their testimonials were a bit cherry-picked?

Yes, obviously they were. But what I meant was that if anyone is well enough to do actual work, then I can hopefully assume I'll be well enough to watch back-to-back Game of Thrones. They are actually testing flu medication - they don't just give you the flu! They also pick different strains to test.

I guess I've never really had the flu myself, so I don't know how bad it is, but thanks to your answers I've got some informed questions to ask them about the volunteer experience and how they conduct the tests. Thanks all!

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2015, 12:36:18 PM »
Never. I'm asthmatic and the flu can put me out of commission for months.

If (big if) you decide to do this ask detailed questions about who pays for the cost of follow up treatment (pneumonia, chronic cough, painkillers from torn rib muscles from coughing, etc.). I'd also ask about income replacement in case you're unable to go back to work after the camp because you're still sick. I'd also want extra money for things like grocery delivery, OTC meds, cleaning person, etc. Those are all extra costs I incur each time I get the flu.

Basically, I think their rate is too low.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #17 on: July 29, 2015, 06:24:19 AM »
Basically, I think their rate is too low.

To some of us, £3000 is a lot of money. I'd have to be off work for more than two months to justifiably start claiming income replacement. Also, I'm English - all medical care is free, even if I'm hospitalised.

OK, I wish I'd never even asked this question. All I wanted to know was if anyone had experience of being a paid guinea pig, not for your individual experience of how bad the flu was. It's the flu - of course it's bad! I'm not asking your opinion on if I should do it, just trying to get some information to help me decide. Clearly I am planning on researching it before I sign up  (I'm not stupid!) - this is part of my research. But let's just draw a line under this and pretend it never happened, and if I die of the flu then y'all can say "I told you so".

</bad mood>

ETA: By the way, obviously they screen you for previous/current medical conditions. I don't even know if I qualify. They're not going to give the flu to someone with asthma. That would be stupid.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2015, 06:26:25 AM by shelivesthedream »

GuitarStv

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #18 on: July 29, 2015, 07:14:16 AM »
Meh.  It can suck being sick, but doesn't sound particularly risky to me.  I'd probably give it a shot.

Rosy

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Re: Anyone been to Flu Camp?
« Reply #19 on: July 29, 2015, 07:45:00 AM »
My brother in Germany has participated in several medical studies. He lives close to a pharma testing facility and it does pay exceedingly well.
He has not had any truly ill effects, but several of them were not pleasant, especially the ones that paid well.

I've only done a couple of product studies in the US, pay sucked and the last one I practically fainted - made it thru, collected my $125 and never volunteered for another. If I had fainted, it would have disqualified me for payment!

... and yup, I'd draw the line at a flu camp - I'll not bore you with my experience, because obviously that is not what you wanted to hear/know.

My advice, stay on their list and participate in one of their other studies. Let us know what you decide, if you are accepted and of course how it all went down for you:) GOOD LUCK!