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Not to freak you out or anything, but I heard on the news that if you get the flu at this time of year, you have H1N1. The "regular" season flu season doesn't start until January.

I'm a young adult cancer patient and author of a guidebook to living with cancer in your 20s and 30s (http://everythingchangesbook.com/). I write about this issue a lot. To others, I must look like a neurotic freak, but with my shoddy immune system, smart precautions are a must.

* I have a bottle of purell by the door. Anyone who comes in the house has to use it. (You can put it in a nice liquid soap dispenser to make it look more attractive.)

* Disposable towels for drying hands in the bathroom. (Horrible for the environment, but I only do it when I have guests over.)

* Don't snack, eat a meal, or touch your face without first washing your hands. Yes, even in your house.

* Wash hands frequently in warm water and soap for 20 seconds using a lot of friction.

* Put a spray bottle top into a bottle of alcohol and go to town spraying doorknobs, the phone, and keyboards. Fewer nasty chemicals than Lysol and smell evaporates quickly.

Wiping things down:
It is a good habit to do this anyway. In addition to handles, doorknobs, and light switches, I wipe the computer keyboard and mouse and the remote. If there is anything I am going to do when ill, it is watch tv.

I don't think that's quite right, eiw. The flu season peaks around January, but it stretches from October to as late as May.

I lay down the law with my family.... when you come home, immediately take off your shoes and wash your hands. I carry disinfectants to wipe down the shopping cart handle and wipes for my hands in my car. I also avoid public hand railings, door knobs, and elevator buttons as much as possible.

I am an obsessive germ-phobe all year long to the point where I annoy people. Yet I still manage to get sick at least once a year, usually twice or even three times. I'm convinced it's because I have to ride the crowded NYC subway during rush hour every day and inhale airborne germs. Either that or I've ruined my immune system with all the compulsive antiseptic wiping.

Wash your hands. Often. And never touch your face (which I find really difficult).

One thing that people forget is the phone. I wipe down my phone at work and and home at least once a day. Clorox wipes are a godsend. I also wipe down my keyboard at work. Does anyone know anything that is safe to disinfect a laptop keyboard? I'm afraid to use wipes because I don't want the moisture to get into the computer.

Thorndale - I totally understand the purell by the door, a good friend of mine had cancer about a year ago, and she did the same thing. One thing that she did that was nice was to have a bottle of lotion by the purell. It dries your hands out so much, especially during the winter, and if people aren't prepared to use it, it may make their hands uncomfortable until they can get home. Not necessary, but a nice gesture if you can.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Over 99% of all subtyped influenza A viruses being reported to CDC were 2009 influenza A (H1N1) viruses." In other words, if you had the flu, there's a pretty darn good chance it was in fact H1N1, unless you had a blood test that says otherwise.

The main thing I see being overlooked is coughing... so many people don't cover their mouths when they cough. They'll wash their hands, use disinfectant... and then cough without covering their mouths! Ugh.

I have heard that not touching your face is probably the most effective thing people can do, too.

My work issued every employee (all 4,000 of us) a personal bottle of hand sanitizer. It came in this long, tubular container with a spray top and lid so it would fit in any purse. Very considerate of them, I thought.

harlie is correct. viruses don't have a season. they find a host, they divide. it's simple.

these are great suggestions. it's always hard to stay away from loved ones when you're feeling yucky but it pays off to get your health back!

i think everyone's going to hate me when i say this... but i never use hand sanitizer, i wash my hands after the bathroom but not 24/7, i touch my face...

i've had the flu 2 times in my life.

if you're a healthy adult, i really think there's something to be said about just letting your body do your fighting and not killing every little germ around you so the strong ones take you out of commission.

i NEVER get flu shots... who knows if that's helped or hurt me... but i have a fab track record.

i've had sick co-workers and a sick live-in boyfriend... i think everyone needs to relax a little bit and let your bodies do what they're meant to do. i know that there's new strains all the time so your body never is "immune", but it will at least have prior knowledge.

down for the count with the flu now too, and i even got my regular flu shot this year... so likely h1n1. the boyfriend has been super-paranoid about not getting it too so we've been sleeping in separate rooms, washing sheets and towels often, and i've been scrubbing my hands every time i pass a sink. may i suggest separate hand towels if you currently share?

everyone at work has been coming in sick... and i'm sure i caught this at the office. you can hear people hacking down the hall and blowing their noses. so may i add... DO NOT go to work while you're still contagious. err on the side of caution. unless something absolutely horrible will happen if you don't show up, stay home - you'll be increasing productivity in the long run, because fewer folk will fall ill!

@tdubb2008, actually, the flu does have a season. They recently found that normal flu doesn't do well in moist weather and that's why the "flu season" is primarily the winter months when it's cold and dry. H1N1 is different, though, which is part of why public health officials are so worried about it.

@JenJen, do you, by chance, work outside a lot? Most of the people I know who rarely get sick do because they aren't breathing lovely office air and sharing surfaces with many, many people. And the flu shot "let[s] your bodies do what they're meant to do" without the chance of nasty little complications like dying. It triggers an immune response exactly like getting sick does, it just can't kill you.

I had my annual checkup today and a woman in the waiting room complained of a bad cold and kept sneezing and coughing. She wasn't given a mask, although posted throughout the room were signs for masks to be worn if you had flu-like symptoms. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get sick...

H1N1 is this year's 'regular' seasonal flu. Luckily so far it seems to be less severe and less lethal than other types.

I am happy to say I've noticed a lot of people coughing and sneezing into their sleeves. First year I've seen it!

my work put together flu kits and handed them out to all employees.

http://stylefyles.tumblr.com/post/233195300/stay-away-you-swine

personally, I thought it was a bit excessive (they included masks and directions on how to wash your hands properly), but I guess it's better to be overly cautious than not.

why has no one brought up supplements?

echinacea & elderberry are gonna be your best friends. so is vitamin c and plenty of water. seriously. and if you do feel a little cold a comin', maybe a sore throat, get some zinc lozenges and suck on as many as you can. they will cut the length of your cold in half. truth!

I wonder if anyone has had any luck with the Airbourne supplements? I got some, but they taste nasty and it seems to me that taking a regular vitamin would likely provide the same protection. In any case, my husband has been slightly sick lately and I'm hoping not to catch it!

msbetsy, Airbourne has worked for me, but I also like echinecea which seems to work better

Good luck everyone out there, and don't get judgmental about people who get the flu. If it has passed you by, it's because you've been lucky. Even the most conscientious people can get it. All it takes is one un-conscientious person to sneeze in your direction.

Hand-washing, linen-changing, face-washing, regular showers, changing sleepwear (NEVER wear clothes worn during the day to bed; you're just bringing whatever got on the surface to a warm, intimate environment where they'll be very, very happy), regular vacuuming, wiping down counters and surfaces of phones and electronics are all very good ideas. I carry Purell in the car as well, and antibacterial wipes in my purse.

And don't be a ninny about getting your flu shots! If you're immune-compromised, don't get the nose anti-viral treatment -- it has live viruses. Flu shots are safe for most everybody and can save your life.

I'm a bit like JenJen. I wash my hands after using the bathroom, before preparing food and eating, but that's about the extent of it. I never use hand sanitizer, I've never had a flu shot... and I'm hardly ever sick. I do have a routine though, that seems to help me stay healthy despite working in a huge office building with an A/C - heating system that just blasts cold/hot air around the nine floors of the building.
I clean my nasal passages every morning and evening with saline solution, I take immuno-fortifying (is that even a word??) essential oils, a daily multi-vitamin and drink freshly squeezed carrot/apple/pear/beetroot juice every morning. When I go to bed in the evening, I put a few drops of Ravintsara on my wrists and sniff that for a few minutes before falling a sleep. I also put some Ravintsara on my chest, rub some tiger balm on the back of my neck and I wear a cotton scarf and a little cotton hat to bed (I have very very short hair, so...)... You guessed it: I live by myself! And no, it's not a sexy look in any way, shape or form, but my cats don't seem to mind and I haven't been sick in years, save for the occasional minor cold once a year, which usually lasts about 3 days.

Oh, I forgot... I also have an essential oil diffuser which I light up as soon as I get home.

I do nothing really to prep for flu. I did get a cool mist humidified thought because the heating in the apartment was making it very dry.

I haven't had a cold in years, I have never had the flu.

I think the real key is that I had my tonsils removed after having a years worth of strep throat infections, they are just a big breeding ground for grossness. That was about a decade ago. I do not think I have ever been sick with something that wasn't menstration related or food related since.

@Tiamat the Red - I'm aware the flu is prevalent in the winter months. But the previous poster used "season" to mean: the only time one can become infected with the disease.

in this case, flu does not a have a season. viruses will find a host and divide at all times of the year. it's possible to get the "regular" flu any time of year.

why do people think they're superhuman and there bodies will "do what they're supposed to do." does that mean die? because that's what will happen-in huge numbers- if we keep riding down this anti-vaccine trajectory.

i feel for parents who have to put their kids in school with these anti-vaccine parents who are selfishly putting everyone at risk.

LittleEdie: Actually H1N1 and the seasonal flu are different strains, so H1N1 is not this year's season flu. That's why most health units are offering the H1N1 vaccine as well as the seasonal flu vaccine a little further down the road.

Although, must agree with the sleeve-sneezing! I've started it this year and have noticed that most other people are too so that's encouraging.