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waiting. coughing. sneezing.
By heather | October 13, 2009
With all the talk of flu this and flu that paranoia, I think I’ve become a little jaded to the discussion. News programs tell me I should fear the flu, but really I think we’re overstating it, just like shark attacks a few summers ago. I didn’t really care, until I got a phone call from daycare that one of the kids had been sent home and was confirmed to have: dun dun DUN – swine flu.
Today I would like to re-affirm my belief that there is very little useful information on television and state that parents who take their kids to Chuck E Cheese are morons.
Maybe I should have been paying better attention, because now that my kids have been EXPOSED to H one n1, I cannot find answers to any of the questions that are racing through my brain.
For example, can I take a blunt object to parents who send thier kids to daycare sick? (Recall my trauma from the summer also known as the BIGGEST MISTAKE I’VE MADE SO FAR…and yeah. It’s them. Of course it’s them, who else would it be?)
And once we’re exposed, is there like, a morning after pill or something that we can use to head it off? And if not, why the hell not?
Why can’t my kid get tested for it before a fever develops? Wouldn’t it be better to start treating it early, instead of sitting around waiting for him to get sicker and sicer then turn blue?
Why do we have to have the flu 4 days before Alex’s birthday, when not only did we score much coveted tickets to see the Imagination Movers live in concert which were NOT CHEAP, but we have grandparents visiting and plans to go to the pumpkin farm and bake a fancy cake all of which will not be the same if we have to do it another weekend?
Dang it, Doctor Lady on the Today show who’s name I can’t ever remember – DON’T TELL ME TO WASH MY FREAKING HANDS - IT’S TOO LATE FOR THAT!
Emily Kate and I so far are doing just fine. I think because she had a flu version at the end of August, and I had the same miserable-ness Labor Day weekend. If that was it, it sucked. And if it wasn’t it, well then that is really unfair. Poor Alex though, is just…gooey. Drippy sneezes, icky coughs, stuffy nose…
But seriously, time is a wastin’ here – it is 48 hours to the Movers concert, 62 hours to grandparent arrival and 3 days to birthday. Not to mention that work is so busy right now that I’m close to panic attack mode most days and CANNOT FATHOM how I will take off the time required to nurse a sick kid back to health, which is leading to all kinds of fun fights with Brett over whose job is more important.
When I picked up Emily Kate today I was discussing with Miss S how kids who go to a small daycare with only 3 other kids get exposed to this flu and the conversation went something like this:
me: I wonder where he would have picked it up? I can see if he was at regular school or daycare at the gym or something but…
her: I think they take him to…whispers… Chuck E Cheese (shudders)!
me: Wow they are even bigger morons than I thought.
So yeah. We’re sitting around. Waiting.
Topics: Alex, parenting | 2 Comments »
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October 20th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
WARNING: Public Health Geek cannot resist temptation of talking flu!!!
Did they actually test Alex? And, if so, I’m assuming they did a rapid test. In general, rapid tests are good for specificity (correctly identifying those who don’t have the flu as negative), but NOT very good at sensitivity (correctly identifying those who have the flu as positive). In other words, if the test came back positive, it’s likely that it’s correct. (If it came back negative and he still had symptoms, then it would be a more suspicious result.)
Tamiflu is often prescribed both to “treat” flu and “prevent” it — BUT, the symptoms of the medicine is WORSE than the actual flu. So much so that the CDC does NOT recommend that doctor’s prescribe it.
If Alex has a stuffy head and cough, I’d be seriously doubtful of the flu, particularly H1N1. The hallmark of this one is high fever and vomiting. (Just like most flu.) Cough and stuffy sounds like a cold or sinus issue. I think the “official” report is that just about ANY symptom is the flu, which is one of the reasons schools are calling ANY symptom “flu” and sending kids home. There is so much of that going on that it makes the issue look like it’s blown out of proportion.
The flu IS serious and vaccination is incredibly important. No overstating it. We all have been and will be exposed to it, period. The only real defense we have is vaccination and good hygiene. Once you get it? The best defense is to keep yourself from spreading it. Even if you’ve had it, still talk to your doc about vaccination. You CAN get it again.
We shed flu before we begin having symptoms, which is why kids pick up everything so easily and quickly. Even the most vigilant parents can’t keep a kid immune.
But I’m with you: why does it always have to happen at the WORST times??? (I’m really relating here, too… we were sick for several months here… it took a long time to kick whatever bug we got back in August. I’m STILL having symptoms.)
I hope he feels better soon and no one else succumbs to illness!!!
October 26th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Oh, no!!! I really hope it’s just a cold!
I’ve been doing mucho independent internet sw1ne flu research myself, and I have to say that I tend to agree with Cold Spaghetti. Keep your fingers crossed, and I hope everyone is all better in time for all the festivities!
rimarama’s last blog post..A Fairytale