How Long Before You Die - Updated

We don't really want to be the flu police. We were tempted to raise alerts from the news from Las Vegas on KTNV-TV connecting obesity and the flu. What it did point up was that we'd have to change our UK suggestions.

What caught our eye was the age and sex of latest death from sin city: "Nancy Simon says she was completely blindsided by her husband's death back in May. She says their family doctor thought it was bronchitis and UMC thought it was pneumonia or a pulmonary embolism..."

"...Only five days after coming down with what initially seemed like a bad cold, Gary Simon died with no preexisting medical conditions other than high blood-pressure..."

"According to Simon, her husband was in fact tested for the H1N1 virus the day before he died. She says the culture later came back as negative. It wasn't until after his autopsy that she learned the truth. "The fact that there are so many false negatives from these tests, you can't settle and say okay, the test came back negative. You have to keep pushing to be retested." She says her husband's death is proof that the healthy aren't immune to the complications that can come with swine flu."

When we saw his photo and found this article on the Associated Press (AP) and reported by the SunTimes and the Examiner we thought we'd investigate: "In Mexico and Canada people who are obese are having a difficult time with the H1N1 swine flu virus, and are having rapidly worsened breathing problems. The death rate for the obese with H1N1 swine flu is higher than other people inflicted with the virus, and the recovery was more difficult. In Mexico and Canada many inflicted with the flu were younger than in a regular flu season. The death rate in Mexican patients is 41% which is much higher than other countries."

The story was also carried by the TwinCities: "It's unclear whether obesity itself causes more complications, but the rate of deaths and hospitalizations among obese people is notably higher, said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, a Minnesota epidemiologist. This trend is surprising because obesity hasn't been a risk factor with previous seasonal influenza, Twin Cities reported."

From Vegas to Minnesota across the border to track down: "A new study suggests many of the Canadians who have died of swine flu or were placed in intensive care during the "first wave" were relatively young, healthy women whose condition deteriorated quickly. While the number of patients studied for the research was small, the lead researcher, Dr. Anand Kumar of St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Man., said the results shocked him." What kept us from making the leap from flu to obesity to death was this statistic: "17 per cent died within 90 days."

Which is fine if you're a part of the 83 per cent who live past the 90 days. We believe every life is sacred and living shouldn't be percentage game. Our solution - new guidelines. We've said in the past that after ten (10) days head to the hospital and demand the shot. We'd like to amend our timeline.

• Select a someone to fight for you now while you're well
• Don't be sick in secret - have someone check on you.
• You've got four (4) days to feel better
• The H1N1 test can be negative and you still have the H1N1 swine flu
• Find a facility that has or will overnight the treatment to you
• Demand appropriate care - Or have your someone do it
• Day five (5) you must be feeling better