My 8 year old "MIGHT" have H1N1 (swine flu)....not sure yet....
By olydove
@olydove (1209)
United States
October 19, 2009 12:34pm CST
Just wanted to let my friends know that my 8 year old has been sick since Thursday-Friday evening. He started with a mild cough on Thursday. I didn't think much of it other than he might have a cold so I just monitored him. Friday he came home from school and his cough was significantly worse but no fever yet. So I have some menthol chest rub (much like Vapo Rub) and I rubbed it on his chest, and put it on the bottom of his feet then put socks on him overnight. I've used this method several times before and it does work.
Saturday morning though he woke up with a slight fever 99.3 so I said ok time for the Children's Tylenol cold and flu (for coughs, fever, aches and pains, runny stuffy noses etc). Through Saturday and Sunday I gave him the Tylenol and it did work great at keeping his fever to a minimum (though it did get up to 101 Saturday evening,) and his cough at bay. Last night I gave him a luke warm bath and let him sleep as much as he could. This morning he woke up and he was burning hot and I had already planned on making him a doctors appointment so I called his doctor and made an appointment for 10:30. While I was on the phone with the doctor he got "hot flash" broke out in a complete sweat and poof is fever was gone within minutes. A few minutes later the doctors office called me back and apparently his doctor was unable to come in today so we're going to be off to the emergency room here in about 10 minutes as soon as hubby is ready to go.
The good news: My little guy is feeling 90% better since he had that hot flash and his cough is almost gone. So it seems like he's over the worst part of it. Either way I thank god that he's alive and doing much better today.
The bad: If it is swine flu I'm keeping him home from school for the rest of this week to make sure he is cured and doesn't pass it on to others.
I'm still praying it's not the H1N1 and it's just a cold because if it is H1N1 and my mother or the lady we work for on the farm Lou gets it they could have much more serious problems, as mother has other health conditions, and Lou is 74 years old with heart conditions. So please do say a little prayer that everything will be ok.
I will update you all when I get back from the ER.
3 people like this
15 responses
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
19 Oct 09
I am so sorry to read this and I am hoping that it is not the Swine Flu, it does not sound like it is but I am so glad that you are taking him to get him checked over as you say you just don't know
My Thoughts are with you and please do let us know what happens and what the outcome is
@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Hi Gabs, thank God it's not the Swine Flu. Doc said since his fever is broke he's over the worst part and it's nothing but up from here. I was very pleased to hear that lol. As long as he keeps eating and drinking fine we'll be ok. His appetite is minimal right now but I am getting him to eat little bits here and there so hopefully we can nip this in the bud.
1 person likes this
@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Thanks hun I do appreciate everyone's support here. You all are so great and I've noticed in many other discussions that there is a wealth of support via friendships here, and it's always good to know there are good people around. Hugs right back to ya
1 person likes this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I hope all is well, and he does not. It sounds as if he is a little better now and hope he continues to get better.
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@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Thanks thoroughrob, everythings ok now we've gotten the all clear for him to go back to school as long as his fever doesn't return so we'll see what happens over the night. I suspect he'll be begging to go back to school in the morning though LOL. Take care my friend.
@babyangie27 (5176)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Praying for you know hun. My little one was having the same type of symptoms except for the hot flash. So she stayed home from school all week last week,I gave her Motrin and it controlled it for the most part and once she had a temperature of 102.
I made an appointment on Saturday and they took her in.
She had to wear a mask over her face just in case but she was diagnosed as having a viral respiratory infection. She only has the cough and no fever since Saturday morning before the appointment. So she went ot school today.
I am hoping your little one has somehting like that and not H1Ni. But do please do keep me updated and hugs hun!
@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Yeap sweets it sounds almost like the same thing my guy has. Thankfully he seems to be over the worst part of it so if things go well he can return to school tomorrow. I waited to take him in because I pretty much knew what they were going to say.. lots of fluids, lots of rest etc.. but I had planned on taking him to our doctors office today. I find it awful weird that the only doctor they had in the office today doesn't treat minors? What's up with that? Oh well at least I now know he doesn't have h1n1 and he got himself a cool copy of his xray to show his friends.
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@babyangie27 (5176)
• United States
19 Oct 09
That is great news hun and I am so glad he is ok.
I just got a note home from my daughter's class and someone in her classroom has the H1N1 virus! I am freaking out to say the least,she just went back to school and now this!
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@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Don't freak out sweets it'll be ok. The good news is the swine flu is not much different from other flu's. It's pretty much the same symptoms and treatment with a different name. However given her medical history and the fact that she just recently got over a virus do keep an eye on her.
Here is a quote from an article I read.
[b]"Although the name 'swine flu' brings up a lot of extra fear and worry, it is important to note that swine flu is just an influenza A H1N1 virus.
That means that it is just another type of flu virus, just like that causes our typical seasonal flu symptoms. The big difference is that the current swine influenza A (H1N1) virus new and most of us don't have any immunity to it. That is what made it so easy for it to become a pandemic virus (have the ability to cause a global outbreak), because it could easily spread from person-to-person."[/b]
Here's the link for that http://pediatrics.about.com/od/swineflu/a/409_symptoms.htm
Also here is some information from the Center for Disease Control.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
The first article there has great information so if you've got a printer handy you might want to print it out or maybe save it in your email or something.
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@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Thanks dawn, well it turns out he doesn't have it thank god. I did find out some interesting facts though I'm going to post in another discussion here shortly with the update. The ER doc was excellent and was straight forward and honest about everything. Turns out he just has what is called "Viral syndrome" where there is no official cause just that it's a virus that has flu like symptoms. He said everything I did through the weekend was perfect for my boy, and that if the fever doesn't return my little on can go back to school tomorrow
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@olydove (1209)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Thanks vincyk. I'm kind of worried about the vaccine yet because I worry that there just hasn't been enough study on it. I don't know whether to get the vaccine or not, and since I don't know for myself I definitely will not get it for my boys.
The thing is I wouldn't put anything into my boys that I won't put into myself. So I have to do a lot of research and reading to try and figure out how safe the vaccine really is or is not before I can make that decision. Thank you so much though for mentioning this and I'm glad to know many were covered in China and kept safe.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
19 Oct 09
i had the opposite of that hot flash that your son had. i was at work one day, almost ready to come home and i started shaking uncontrolably. i was like that for about 20 minutes and my hubby happened to pick me up from work and he immediately took me to a walk in. the doctor said it was not uncommon and it happened because my temperature spiked really quickly. maybe thats what happened to your little guy.
1 person likes this
@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Oh wow that is different. I've heard of fever tremors before but never have experienced them myself. It's a good thing your hubby picked you up because I've had other episodes of shakiness and I know how difficult it can be to manage. I hope you're doing better?
@cbjones (1147)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Sounds like he had a mild version of the flu's I used to get as a kid on a yearly basis. I wish there was talk of a mutated super flu when I was still a young guy. My parents rarely let me stay home, and instead made sure i had enough Hall's drops to help me get through the day. I much rather stay home all week,than go to school when I'm not in the right condition to learn in an effective way.
My teachers should have taken it as an insult really. I know I would be pretty angry to have a bunch of sickly, congested kids in my classes, who are too busy examining their tissues to fully absorb what i'm teaching to them. Not sure what they would be able to do though. Can teachers send you home early, in a cab, with a note that says "he/she needs rest, and would be better off getting it in their bed instead of an uncomfortable desk."
1 person likes this
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I am praying for your son and anyone else who has or might have this sickness. I have been thankful that I now home school my kids as several schools in our area have closed down due to the Swine flu.
@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I commend you for home schooling your kiddos. I have thought about it in the past but I fear I might not be able to provide them with enough of an education like what they can get at the schools. I'm sorry to hear the schools have closed due to an out break but I am also glad they did close them to help control it so it doesn't spread like wild fire. Happy mylotting
@mohan89 (240)
• India
20 Oct 09
hello olydove.
That is very sad to hear. I'll pray to god so that nothing happens to your son/daughter.
While if he really gets affected by swine flu Just make him to live in a hot atmosphere around 32-35 degrees , At this temp most of virus (H1N1) are in active and also body resistance increases
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@jodylee_04530 (1097)
• United States
20 Oct 09
I hope your son is doing okay and that H1N1 is not at your house. I will keep him in my thoughts!
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@SallyAnna (142)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Hi Olydove,
I'm so sorry to hear you son is sick bless his heart. I hope everything is better soon and no one else catches it. A friend of mine has a co-worker that's out because of the H1N1 virus.
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@diddldonna (69)
•
19 Oct 09
I hope he is okay, Please let us know as i am sure like others we will check back to see if he is better. I know the swine flu in the uk is starting to rise again due to the cold weather coming, We haven't been too well lately ourselves and with working with babies in a nursery its just something i need to try and avoid. If any of us gets it in the family, they are being locked up in a room, lol only joking.
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@olydove (1209)
• United States
19 Oct 09
LOL donna funny you mention that because my mother has pretty much locked herself in her room for fear of catching this virus that my son has. Indeed you do need to be extra careful since you work in a nursery. I've always been a firm believer in vitamin C and it does seem to be doing the trick. We have some Vitamin C tablets here I've been taking since I first noticed his cough was getting worse and so far I'm feeling fine. I'm lucky my oldest boy almost never gets sick it seems he has a super immune system but I am keeping and eye on him to just in case. Best of luck to you and enjoy those babies,.. they're so much fun when they're little ( and you can send them back to their parents LOL )
@corrycrystal (1775)
• Malaysia
20 Oct 09
Hi, OlyDove!
It's my first time in participating in your discussions, I believe. I have read in one of your responses that it was not that dreadful flu, thank God for that! I hope your boy's conditions will improve and my prayer goes out to him for a speedy recovery. Take care!
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