He was 21 and fit. He tried to push through the flu — and it killed him.

[LoveNDino]

He was 21 and fit. He tried to push through the flu — and it killed him.

Kyler Baughman seemed to be the face of fitness.

 

The aspiring personal trainer filled his Facebook page with photos of himself riding motorbikes and lifting weights. The 21-year-old once posted an image of a kettlebell with a skeleton, reading: “CrossFit, hard to kill.”

 

So when he came down with the flu, his mother said, he possibly assumed he simply needed rest.

 

“I think he thought, ‘I just got the flu; I’ll be all right,’ ” his mother, Beverly Baughman, told NBC affiliate WPXI.

 

But days after Christmas, Kyler Baughman was worse — coughing and running a fever, his family told the station.

 

They said he went to a nearby hospital, in western Pennsylvania — and, from there, was flown to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh.

 

Soon after, on Dec. 28, he died of “organ failure due to septic shock caused by influenza,” his mother told WPXI.

 

Kyler Baughman, from Latrobe, had gone home for the holidays with “a snotty nose,” his mother recalled in an interview earlier this week with WPXI.

 

“We saw him the 23rd for our family Christmas get-together and we noticed he wasn’t feeling well,” Beverly Baughman told the news station.

 

The day after Christmas, Kyler Baughman went back to work — he earned a living as a mover at a local furniture store and as an unloader at Walmart, according to his social media accounts.

 

But he could not make it through the day.

 

Olivia Marcanio, who was identified by WPXI as Baughman's fiancee, declined to comment to The Washington Post, but told the station that Kyler “just laid down and went about his day, and that was the day he was coughing and said his chest hurt. He had a mild cough.”

 

Now — not even two weeks after his death — his mother said: “It doesn’t seem real.”

 

Each year, as many as 650,000 people die from respiratory illnesses related to influenza — an increase from the previous decade, when that number was 250,000 to 500,000, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

 

“These figures indicate the high burden of influenza and its substantial social and economic cost to the world,” Peter Salama, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said last month. “They highlight the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics, as well as preparedness for pandemics.”

 

However, according to the CDC, “most people who get influenza will recover in several days to less than two weeks.” Complications range from sinus and other infections to pneumonia and organ failure.

 

The CDC reported that 6 percent of deaths in the United States during the week of Nov. 5 resulted from complications from pneumonia and influenza.

 

Kyler Baughman's family told WPXI that they do not believe he got a flu shot this year.

 

Then, when he got sick, “I just think he ignored it and thought it’d go away like most people,” his mother told the station.

 

According to his obituary, he enjoyed “motocross, reading, and going to the gym.”

 

That’s one reason his family wants to send this message to others: Listen to your body.

 

“Try and know your body. Don’t let things go,” Kyler Baughman’s father, Todd, told WPXI through tears. “Whenever you have a fever for multiple days, don’t let it go, get it taken care of.”

[+ sync]

How tragically sad. It's also scary for me. I contracted the flu just before Christmas. I'm feeling much better now, but I'm in my third week of recovery. Reading about this young man's death from the flu has given me survivor's guilt.

[TruthBTold]

This season is supposed to be particularly virulent. I heard a report that the flu shot that was dispensed this season was not as effective as it normally is. So take care of yourself.

[rvwnsd]

This season is supposed to be particularly virulent. I heard a report that the flu shot that was dispensed this season was not as effective as it normally is. So take care of yourself.

I also heard that despite the flu shot being less effective, those who got it and contract the flu will have a milder case of the flu.

[jjkrkwood]

Since getting flu shots over the last few years, my bouts with illness have been almost non-existent, and I was the person who was sick yearly, and often before getting them.

[+ Pensant]

Fortunately, I haven’t had the flu since 1993 and I’ve gotten the flu shot the last 2 years.

[TruthBTold]

I was not advising not to get a flu shot. I got it. I was just saying that it was reported that this year's shot was less effective against the flu going around this year. But that is the chance we take every year. A flu shot is created in advance trying to anticipate what particular strain will actually show up. It may or may not be on target. I guess this year it was not.

Edited January 12, 2018 by TruthBTold

[+ nycman]

Also, the benefits of getting yearly flu shots seem to be additive.

 

That is....getting the flu shot 5 years in a row appears to be more protective

than just getting it once. Although immunity wanes quickly from the vaccination

(several months), it does seem to covey some long lasting protection, especially

in reducing the severity of the flu if you get it.

 

And if you’ve ever had the flu....you know even a little relief....is mighty welcome!

[+ oldNbusted]

My understanding is the best time to get the shot is between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Early enough to fully develop antibodies before peak flu season but not so early it stats to wear off too soon. But if you haven't got it yet, and have no medical reason not to, better late than never.

 

I get mine at a Costco pharmacy, it's extremely convenient since I go regularly and since they already have my insurance for my prescriptions, it's no cost to me.

[+ beethoven]

That's a tragic story about the young man. I'm not a physician, but I wonder if he had an underlying condition that contributed to his demise? When a young, healthy person dies like that, I automatically suspect something like an undiagnosed heart defect or an immune disorder. I wonder if there was an autopsy, and what it revealed?

[+ sniper]

You should get the shot every year and if you've had a lot of them you likely have a certain amount of cross-strain immunity. My brother is a goddamned antivaxxer because he decided that's why his kid is autistic and I just can't speak to him about it any more.

Also people - wear gloves on the subway during the winter - do NOT touch a subway pole with a bare hand. People are slobs.

The other thing I do is wipe down the cardio equipment at the gym before I use it because dipshits are coughing all over the handlebars.

 

Once I started doing those three things the number of times I got sick plummeted.

[+ oldNbusted]

Also people - wear gloves on the subway during the winter - do NOT touch a subway pole with a bare hand. People are slobs.

The other thing I do is wipe down the cardio equipment at the gym before I use it because dipshits are coughing all over the handlebars.

 

 

I believe I read somewhere that the 2,000 times a day thing is a free floating factoid that no one can trace to a real source and when someone actually did some observational study, it turned out to be about once every 15 minutes, but still good advice to reduce contact.

[+ FreshFluff]

You should get the shot every year and if you've had a lot of them you likely have a certain amount of cross-strain immunity. My brother is a goddamned antivaxxer because he decided that's why his kid is autistic and I just can't speak to him about it any more.

Also people - wear gloves on the subway during the winter - do NOT touch a subway pole with a bare hand. People are slobs.

The other thing I do is wipe down the cardio equipment at the gym before I use it because dipshits are coughing all over the handlebars.

 

Is it still worth getting the flu shot now?

 

I try not to touch subway poles ever. I keep my balance as best as best I can and squeeze into small gaps between people on the benches.

[escortrod]

Is it still worth getting the flu shot now?

 

I try not to touch subway poles ever. I keep my balance as best as best I can and squeeze into small gaps between people on the benches.

It's probably safer to carry hand sanitiser than rely on your fellow passengers to help you keep your balance. If you did that to me I think you'd have gotten a sharp elbow to whatever part of your person was at elbow height at the time.

[+ FreshFluff]

It's probably safer to carry hand sanitiser than rely on your fellow passengers to help you keep your balance. If you did that to me I think you'd have gotten a sharp elbow to whatever part of your person was at elbow height at the time.

 

When necessary, I grab the pole rather than fall on someone. I've trained myself to keep my balance over time though. It's doable if you change your stance as the train slows to a stop.

 

It's kind of mean to elbow a little kitten though.

[escortrod]

When necessary, I grab the pole rather than fall on someone. I've trained myself to keep my balance over time though. It's doable if you change your stance as the train slows to a stop.

 

It's kind of mean to elbow a little kitten though.

I can generally keep my balance in that manner too, but unexpected things happen (emergency braking, etc).

 

I wouldn’t elbow a kitten, but a grown man who gets too close on public transport... I’d be tempted.

[+ WilliamM]

Soon after, on Dec. 28, he died of “organ failure due to septic shock caused by influenza,” his mother told WPXI.

 

I was not in the United States in 2000 when a good friend (in late 20s) almost died from septic shock. So I do not remember how he became so ill.

 

Devestating physical and mentally, but he dealt with it well even in the hospital

[bigvalboy]

 

I believe I read somewhere that the 2,000 times a day thing is a free floating factoid that no one can trace to a real source and when someone actually did some observational study, it turned out to be about once every 15 minutes, but still good advice to reduce contact.

 

Years ago this is in fact what my doctor told me. He said that when you are dressed, the only entrance into the body is on your face, (eyes, ears, nose and mouth) so don't touch your face...except when your hands are sanitized and only when necessary. Drink far more water in the winter than in the summer to stay hydrated and to keep the immune system up, concentrate on more sleep, a healthy diet and drink better liquor...OK, I added the liquor part but you get where I'm going.

Edited January 13, 2018 by bigvalboy

[rvwnsd]

When necessary, I grab the pole rather than fall on someone. I've trained myself to keep my balance over time though. It's doable if you change your stance as the train slows to a stop....

Back when I rode the subway I would hold onto the pole using the cook of my elbow. Like you, I also learned how to maintain my balance.

[+ sniper]

Is it still worth getting the flu shot now?

 

I try not to touch subway poles ever. I keep my balance as best as best I can and squeeze into small gaps between people on the benches.

Yes it's still worth getting the shot. Flu season lasts until April. And again there's evidence you get some cross-strain protection over time.

 

People who say they "got the flu from the shot" are either total wimps or have no idea what the actual flu feels like. I got it exactly once when I was 25 and it was the only time I actually took to my bed because I physically felt too weak to stand up. My eyeballs hurt. I could barely speak into the phone when I called out at work. The real flu is not "just a bad cold." You actually feel like you might die. OR that dying might be preferable to what you are enduring.

[+ FrankR]

You should get the shot every year and if you've had a lot of them you likely have a certain amount of cross-strain immunity. My brother is a goddamned antivaxxer because he decided that's why his kid is autistic and I just can't speak to him about it any more.

Also people - wear gloves on the subway during the winter - do NOT touch a subway pole with a bare hand. People are slobs.

The other thing I do is wipe down the cardio equipment at the gym before I use it because dipshits are coughing all over the handlebars.

 

Once I started doing those three things the number of times I got sick plummeted.

Good advice. I also try to wash my hands frequently. It does seem that the flu shot becomes available earlier in the season nowadays - my local pharmacy offered it to me in August last year! I wait until November, just before Thanksgiving because I heard the flu shot provides strongest protection for 4 to 5 months - so that gets me to April.

[+ quoththeraven]

Someone who is 21 and generally healthy isn't in the group encouraged to get flu vaccines. I'm not saying it wouldn't be covered but that it wouldn't be administered without him asking for it.

[+ sniper]

Actually the CDC now recommends it for everyone ages 6 months and up, with some exceptions for people with contraindications.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldvax.htm

[+ stevenkesslar]

It is probably more correct to say he died of septic shock, not the flu. Alhough is his case the flu was the trigger that led to sepsis.

 

"Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as pneumonia, influenza, or urinary tract infections. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis die. Many who do survive are left with life-changing effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and fatigue, organ dysfunction (organs don’t work properly) and/or amputations."

 

Sepsis and Influenza

 

https://www.sepsis.org/sepsis-and/influenza/

 

Influenza and sepsis: Mayo expert describes warning signs of severe sepsis, septic shock

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/mc-ias011315.php

 

My learning curve on this went way up when I watched my escort friend Bill die in a hospital of septic shock triggered by an infection. I also have a client who has struggled most of his adult life with the results of Crohn's disease , including several close calls with death due to septic shock, and a recent amputation.

 

It's important to know about the flu. But it's probably even more important to know about sepsis.

[TruthBTold]

Generally is it because by the time the infection is caught it has spread to far? Or that there are no antibiotics to cure the infection? I'm stupid as far as these things are concerned.