My son has the swine flu

[trishy]

he is 14, and very very sick. he also has asthma. he has had a high fever since friday. headache, extremely sore throat, cough, etc etc... i toook him to the dr and they immediately said swine flu. he was tested for strep [which came back negative]. so basically there is nothing that will make him better but time. i just feel like he''s been sick so long... and im worried. this has REALLY taken a lot out of him. its just wreakin havoc on his system. everyday instead of seeming better, it just seems worse. at this point, im having a hard time keeping him hydrated.

everyone keeps asking how did he get it? and where did he get it? and i dont know the answer to that question. it came so out of nowhere. fortunately, he is still making me smile, with his hilarious sense of humor, which keeps the worry factor in check. i feel like as long as when he wakes up he is still himself, its still ok. albeit a weaker, tired version, but still engaging. he sleeps so much. i just want his fever to break and to start feeling better already. *sighs* he is taller than me, and stronger too.... but he is still my baby. if i could take this on for him i would in a heartbeat. it reminds me so much of when he had meningitis. he was in the hospital for a week with that episode. anyhow, just needed to vent... so thanks...

 

[nclrgirl]

Oh no. I''m so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with your family and your son for a quick recovery.

 

[packrat]

Oh Trishy, I''m sorry for your son being sick, and for you too-not being able to "fix" it when our kids are sick is the worst! We were put on Tamiflu last year when JD ended up w/influenza A-is that something that could help speed up recovery for your son or no?

Lots of dust for a fast recovery coming your way!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Poor kid. I hope he gets better soon.

Have they given him anything? You might want to try giving him some immune boosting supplements to help [MaxGXL, NitroFX, etc].

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} and dust for you son.

 

[Beacon]

I am so sorry to hear your son is ill. That is frightening. I am sure he will be fine soon and recover. I am praying that he will be well. I really feel how hard this is for you and hope for the very best.

{{{hug}}}

Mary

 

[Kaleigh]

I sm sending strongest healing prayers his way, I know how scary this is, but he will be fine!!! My son''s school was shut down late spring for this, and was scraed for my son as he has severe asthma. All the kids that had it, recovered fully. HUGS to you Trishy. I know how you feel.

 

[Circe]

I am so, so sorry that your son is suffering, and that you are suffering with him. I had a student, a grown man in his thirties, whose whole faimly contracted the swine flu last spring (him. his wife, and their two young kids), and they all came through it just fine: according to him, the most important thing was getting enough liquids. I will be thinking of you and hoping for the best for you.

 

[VRBeauty]

Trishy -- I''d be worried too. You and your son will be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[D&T]

So sorry that your son is sick with this. I hope he gets better soon. My thoughts and prayers with you

 

[swingirl]

Sorry to hear your son is sick. Hopefully he''ll be done with it all by the time school starts. Healing dust is headed your way!

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I am sorry he is sick. It is going around. I saw a few cases last week (with positive tests), and I can tell you it is weird to have so many sick kids in the summer. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

For the people asking you questions tell them he got it the same way people get the regular flu or the common cold.

 

[Allison D.]

I''m praying hard for your son''s speedy recovery and for strength to your family until he''s well again.

 

[puffy]

so sorry that he is sick. i hope he will recover from this soon. it''s great though that he is still making you laugh.

 

[Haven]

I''m so sorry your son is sick.

Many of my students had swine flu last year, as did their siblings and parents. Everyone pulled through just fine!

 

[SeaStar]

Hi Trishy, did they swab him and it come back positive for influenza A/H1N1 or are they just assuming by the looks of him? I just left my full time position in pediatrics/maternity and we saw several cases of pedi H1N1 just like you''re describing. It presents so scarily and affects the cohort you''re describing with pre-existing respiratory and immunological conditions. It hits hard but they bounce back. It sounds like your son was already battling a flare up of some sort when he got hit with he swine. If you feel his co dition is deteriorating take him to the hospital. They can give him a fluid boost and a neb and monitor him. That''s all the treatment for this virus is really, just support until it passes. Have you tried Pedialyte pops? They''re soothing and not much sugar so they won''t burn his throat. have him try to drink 3 oz of fluid an hour whatever way possible. How high is the fever? Are you piggybacking his Tylenol and Motrin? Cepacol lozenges work really well and the numbing effect lasts a long time. You should see a turnaround by Thursday. I never had a kidddo stay in the hospital for h1n1 longer than 4 days and only one went to icu for closer monitoring. It''s basically the flu with a scarier name.

 

[Sharon101]

Im in Australia. Most of the flu going around is swine flu around here according to doctors.

My suggestion is to watch your son like a hawk. If he seems to be getting worse go to the hospital. It sometimes needs to be managed by different medications. eg an adult friend of ours had to have steroids to help with the deep (phnemonia like) cough. Even though its a virus, sometimes you need antibiotics because it turns into an infection as well. If you feel like you are concerned do not ignore your concerns. Better to be too cautious and an overreacting Mum than to take a risk that it will get worse and out of control.

Even get another opinion because you would be surprised at the range of treatments from doctor to doctor.

FWIW, my daughter is only alive today because I took her to the hospital a second time after they sent me home the first time saying she had a virus and there was nothing anyone could do. My own pediatric specialist growled at me for making a fuss over her temperature as it was to be expected according to him. Well, ended up she had severe phnomonia and it took 2 years plus for her to fully recover. At the time I remember feeling silly for taking her back to the hospital but it ended up saving her life!

You must always follow your instincts. One of the biggest things to look out for is a change in personality of the child. If a child becomes limp or over tired take them right bavk to a doctor imo.

Good luck with your son, unfortunately he has caught a pretty nastey flu, but he will get over it with lots of tlc.

 

[trishy]

Date: 8/12/2009 1:16:04 AM
Author: SeaStar
Hi Trishy, did they swab him and it come back positive for influenza A/H1N1 or are they just assuming by the looks of him? I just left my full time position in pediatrics/maternity and we saw several cases of pedi H1N1 just like you''re describing. It presents so scarily and affects the cohort you''re describing with pre-existing respiratory and immunological conditions. It hits hard but they bounce back. It sounds like your son was already battling a flare up of some sort when he got hit with he swine. If you feel his co dition is deteriorating take him to the hospital. They can give him a fluid boost and a neb and monitor him. That''s all the treatment for this virus is really, just support until it passes. Have you tried Pedialyte pops? They''re soothing and not much sugar so they won''t burn his throat. have him try to drink 3 oz of fluid an hour whatever way possible. How high is the fever? Are you piggybacking his Tylenol and Motrin? Cepacol lozenges work really well and the numbing effect lasts a long time. You should see a turnaround by Thursday. I never had a kidddo stay in the hospital for h1n1 longer than 4 days and only one went to icu for closer monitoring. It''s basically the flu with a scarier name.

im actually a respiratory therapist, but i have had the summer off [so i know i didnt bring this home with me]... yeah he was swabbed. so far his asthma has been kept at bay. im pretty agressive with it. also i''ve been fortunate that... he still has a huge appetite. as long as he has tylenol and motrin onboard he is eating and drinking everything with no problems. his fever has been at 101 -102, but drops to 99 with meds. its still bothersome tho, that with all the eating and drinking he manages to accomplish, he still gets darker and darker urine. but im constantly on him to drink more. thursday just cant come quick enough for me. whenever it comes to my son, i lose all common sense, as far as, all my years of medical background. when its him, i just become a mom, and all the experience with the 100''S of other kids/people i''ve treated goes right out the door. lol. what can i say?he''s my baby.

sorry about the typing. my keyboard is broken....

thanks for the info and concern... anything is appreciated

 

[trishy]

Date: 8/12/2009 1:22:53 AM
Author: Sharon101
Im in Australia. Most of the flu going around is swine flu around here according to doctors.

My suggestion is to watch your son like a hawk. If he seems to be getting worse go to the hospital. It sometimes needs to be managed by different medications. eg an adult friend of ours had to have steroids to help with the deep (phnemonia like) cough. Even though its a virus, sometimes you need antibiotics because it turns into an infection as well. If you feel like you are concerned do not ignore your concerns. Better to be too cautious and an overreacting Mum than to take a risk that it will get worse and out of control.

Even get another opinion because you would be surprised at the range of treatments from doctor to doctor.

FWIW, my daughter is only alive today because I took her to the hospital a second time after they sent me home the first time saying she had a virus and there was nothing anyone could do. My own pediatric specialist growled at me for making a fuss over her temperature as it was to be expected according to him. Well, ended up she had severe phnomonia and it took 2 years plus for her to fully recover. At the time I remember feeling silly for taking her back to the hospital but it ended up saving her life!

You must always follow your instincts. One of the biggest things to look out for is a change in personality of the child. If a child becomes limp or over tired take them right bavk to a doctor imo.

Good luck with your son, unfortunately he has caught a pretty nastey flu, but he will get over it with lots of tlc.

thanks... i couldnt agree more... with his pure exhaustion, i''ve been worried. but he hasnt been listless at all. he"s been making us all laugh like crazy. saying stuff like, "i''ve got the swine... maybe if i put on an eye patch and limp around people will give me presents for going through such trauma" and he"s been telling all his friends... "swine flu is the same as regular flu except, you grow a pigtail out your butt"
LOL
he''s been ok, its just been hard knowing he''s in pain. but the second that slows down and he gets listless, its back to the hospital we go.
moms know best

GOOD FOR YOU with your daughter!!! thank god

i just want this to be over

 

[trishy]

thank you so much for all your loving replies!!! the prayers and positive energy to his quick recovery mean the world to me.
i love this forum... i really do!! you are all wonderful

 

[SeaStar]

How concentrated is his urine? Medium yellow, amber, or tea colored? How are his lung sounds? Dry cough or loose? Productive? If so what color? Is he getting nebs at home? Great job on the antipyretics. If his temp drops any lower I''d leave his body alone to sweat it out. Has he been on any solumedrol or prednisone lately? Any reason to believe his body would have trouble fighting this?

 

[SeaStar]

Also, ask his pediatrician and grab some Zicam for him unless he has an allergy or contraindicated. Some of our docs have been prescribing it instead stating it''s more effective than Tamiflu and can be used at any point post exposure. It''s pretty effective for symptom management.

 

[cindygenit]

>>

So sorry to hear about this. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[trishy]

Date: 8/12/2009 2:38:11 AM
Author: SeaStar
How concentrated is his urine? Medium yellow, amber, or tea colored? How are his lung sounds? Dry cough or loose? Productive? If so what color? Is he getting nebs at home? Great job on the antipyretics. If his temp drops any lower I''d leave his body alone to sweat it out. Has he been on any solumedrol or prednisone lately? Any reason to believe his body would have trouble fighting this?

its a med to dark yellow, it was amber this morning. it scared him, so he brought me in to show me. i''ve seen tea colored and we arent there... after this morning i"ve been pushing the fluids, so its gotten better and lightened up. we"ll see in the morning again tho.

his lungs sound good. again, first thing when he wakes up he has a productive cough, but swallows cuz he cant get it past his tonsils, his throat is so sore he wont hawk it up... but the cough has really been nonprod dry the rest of the day. its morre like a post nasal drip kinda cough. and i do have a neb at home for him.

no steroids.. none since last year. i definatlY think he can fight it.

all through the day he''s doing pretty good, its either late at night or early morning, when it gets worse. the mornings are rough. he''s very very feverish, the meds have wore off, he''s just miserable, looks and feels terrible. its hard to watch. i wish they"d give him the tamiflu or some other magic pill to make it go away faster. but, he''ll get through it.the reason i can say this with confidence is cuz his appetite has been awesome. he will eat anything and everything i make him, and clean his plate/bowl... usually when he is sick like this, he has no appetite. that is the only reason i feel like his body can take this nasty bug. if he wasnt eating and drinking, he"d be in the hospital... thank goodness for his appetite!!! he''s a really good eater.

he keeps asking for a $6 burger from a fast food commercial. so he''s having actual cravings. unfortunatly for him. im too concerned with giving him the healthiest of healthy right now. so he is gettin moms home cooked meals.

 

[trishy]

Date: 8/12/2009 2:48:15 AM
Author: SeaStar
Also, ask his pediatrician and grab some Zicam for him unless he has an allergy or contraindicated. Some of our docs have been prescribing it instead stating it''s more effective than Tamiflu and can be used at any point post exposure. It''s pretty effective for symptom management.

the dr didnt even give tamiflu... she thought it would be ok to let his body fight through it. i just think 7 days is such a long time to have such high fevers. his poor muscles. i just feel bad for him. its so hard watching him be like this. im being a wimp about it. but i do know he''ll be fine...

i just want it to go away now

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 8/12/2009 3:16:19 AM
Author: trishy

Date: 8/12/2009 2:48:15 AM

Author: SeaStar

Also, ask his pediatrician and grab some Zicam for him unless he has an allergy or contraindicated. Some of our docs have been prescribing it instead stating it's more effective than Tamiflu and can be used at any point post exposure. It's pretty effective for symptom management.

the dr didnt even give tamiflu... she thought it would be ok to let his body fight through it. i just think 7 days is such a long time to have such high fevers. his poor muscles. i just feel bad for him. its so hard watching him be like this. im being a wimp about it. but i do know he'll be fine...


i just want it to go away now

I haven't heard of any pediatricians prescribing Zicam, I have not seen any AAP guidelines or CDC guidelines stating it is an effective treatment. At my hospital, Tamiflu is restricted. I have only given it out to a one patient (and the family), and that was because there was a 4 mo sibling in the house (young children are at the highest risk for having complications). It took a lot of work to bypass the red tape to get it. The CDC has been tightening their guidelines on who should be treated as more is learned about this disease. Tamiflu only works if given very early in the disease course, and the development of resistance is a very big concern.

If someone has a co-morbid condition that can be worsened by this illness, I would just monitor like any-other time they are at risk (which is what you are doing). The children with an asthma history seem to be having problems later in the course of the illness, just something to be aware of. I am not trying to scare you, just telling you what I have been observing.

I hope he turns around soon.

 

[trishy]

this was very good to know. thanks.... he does have asthma, but otherwise is a very healthy boy. vry strong and healthy. fortunately his asthma has not played a part in this at all really, just yet. i mentioned it cuz i know it has seemed to cause problems for patients with h1n1. we''ll see how he fairs this morning when he wakes up. i am getting ahead of myself, and i need to take it moment by moment. be aware of the possibilites, but not worry myself to the point of illness for myself. thing is i believe in my heart he''ll be fine. because i wont give it any other choice. the more i learn, the less i worry, so keep the info coming. i appreciate everything. the dust, well wishes, and all the info out there. having not worked all summer, i feel out of the loop. and so far removed from what i usually know. this board has been great

Date: 8/12/2009 4:03:03 AM
Author: LtlFirecracker

Date: 8/12/2009 3:16:19 AM
Author: trishy

Date: 8/12/2009 2:48:15 AM

Author: SeaStar

Also, ask his pediatrician and grab some Zicam for him unless he has an allergy or contraindicated. Some of our docs have been prescribing it instead stating it''s more effective than Tamiflu and can be used at any point post exposure. It''s pretty effective for symptom management.

the dr didnt even give tamiflu... she thought it would be ok to let his body fight through it. i just think 7 days is such a long time to have such high fevers. his poor muscles. i just feel bad for him. its so hard watching him be like this. im being a wimp about it. but i do know he''ll be fine...


i just want it to go away now

I haven''t heard of any pediatricians prescribing Zicam, I have not seen any AAP guidelines or CDC guidelines stating it is an effective treatment. At my hospital, Tamiflu is restricted. I have only given it out to a one patient (and the family), and that was because there was a 4 mo sibling in the house (young children are at the highest risk for having complications). It took a lot of work to bypass the red tape to get it. The CDC has been tightening their guidelines on who should be treated as more is learned about this disease. Tamiflu only works if given very early in the disease course, and the development of resistance is a very big concern.

If someone has a co-morbid condition that can be worsened by this illness, I would just monitor like any-other time they are at risk (which is what you are doing). The children with an asthma history seem to be having problems later in the course of the illness, just something to be aware of. I am not trying to scare you, just telling you what I have been observing.

I hope he turns around soon.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I think you are handling this well. As I said previously, I didn't want to worry you, but I thought I should tell you what I am seeing. You are doing a good job.

I hope he starts to turn the corner today.

 

[SeaStar]

Trishy you are doing all the right things. It''s always scarier when asthma is involved but I want you to know everything you''ve described is very typical of a patient with H1N1. I know his temp is worrisome but it''s actually par for the course. It takes awhile to shake. Keep pushing those fluids. His body is using up all it''s resources to fight this virus. He needs at least 3 oz/100 ml an hour for his age group. also on the Zicam, it''s for symptom management not curative purposes at this point. They also believe if may have an antiviral property specific to swine but there not enough evidence. The pediatrician was explaining it to me one morning but I just came off an overnight and was barely awake. I''ll see if I can dig up any literature on it. I would ask his pediatrician first as I said earlier though. Above all go with your gut. A mother''s instinct is rarely wrong. If you feel he''s not better bring him back to the doctor. It''s always better to be safe. How is he this morning?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I hope your son starts to feel better soon! You are all in my thoughts.

 

[Lilac]

I''m so sorry to hear this - I hope he feels better soon. *dust* for a full and quick recovery!