DS spent the night with one of his friends on Saturday night and I just got a call from his mom saying that he has a confirmed case of swine flu. She also said that when she called the school (after school officially let out) to let them know, they told her that there are 3 other confirmed cases in DS' class. Yowzers! I have DS drinking Airborne, drinking OJ, and taking some vitamins. I've also made him wash his hands about a million times. I don't know what else to do.... Oh, I am also keeping him home from football practice, just in case. He seems fine, but I would hate for him to actually have it and spread it all over the city. Anyway, he is typically very healthy, so I am not too worried, but not very excited either...

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Kim

Don't freak out. If he's going to get it he will probably get it soon, within a few days is the most common time. When my son got it he was exposed at a wedding on a Saturday and was not feeling right by Monday night and was for sure sick on Tuesday. Don't let all the hype scare you.

Thanks. I appreciate the personal experience info. That makes me feel a little better.

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Kim

He came down with it on Monday, July 27th. Ran a low grade fever off and on, chills, cough, hoarse voice, sore throat, etc... Over the weekend he developed earaches in both ears so I took him to the doc on Monday, Aug 3rd. He had ear infections in both ears. My other son was getting married that Wednesday (the 5th, weird day, I know!) so I wanted to make sure he was ok. The doc said he wouldn't be contagious anymore so he was fine to be at the wedding. Luckily he felt a lot better on Wednesday. He was even at the rehearsal, which was Sunday, Aug 2, but he just stayed away from people and it was outside. No one got it from him. He's 18 and although it wasn't fun it wasn't that bad. He's been sicker before.

I have a friend I used to work with in a law firm (who still works there) --- she has been VERY sick for 10 days now. High fever, nausea, aches, chills, congestion, ear infection. She has been to the doctor several times and was to go again today. I asked her if it was Swine Flu and she said the doctor has not said it was. He says it's a 'virus'. She is miserable.

Wow. I hope your friend feels better soon.

Thanks again for the info, kathy.

DS woke up feeling just fine this morning, so I am hopeful.

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Kim

Aren't they all a virus???

Yes, they're all a virus. However, there is another virus going around here that is not the flu. DS did not have the flu and was sick for 5 days with upper respiratory symptoms and high fever.

Well, I talked to my friend last night after she got back from the doctor. She's on ANOTHER antibiotic and another round of steroids. She is still really sick. He's still saying 'virus'. I think I'd be seeing another doctor.....

If your friend's doctor is prescribing antibiotics for a virus, I would definitely be switching doctors. Antibiotics don't work on viruses. Just read the post again. Perhaps he changed the antibiotics for the ear infection?

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Kim

I think I would be trying a different doctor too.

That's what I told her --- I'd be going to a different doctor. She's been SO sick. And they just keep giving her antibiotics and steroids. She's had just about every symptom there is. Now she's lost her voice on top of everything else. (We're talking thru email now).

Poor thing. Can't they do a blood test to see if it's viral or bacterial? I think they can. They might help get them on the right track.

My son (13) is home with it now, and as a precaution my boss is having me work from home so I don't bring germs to work. No complaints from me! I think his fever finally broke tonight, after 3 days, so he will be able to go back to school Friday since he has to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning.

Was it as horrible as they make it sound? My son was sick with it but he's been sicker before. What were his symptoms? Fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue and chills?

The H1N1 has hit all the kids schools, and it now has officially hit all the kids too. They started one by one, they decided that was something they all needed to share! Some I wouldn't even have known they were sick, others,especially my special needs child are extremely miserable. I only have the headache and fever, and I tested positive almost 4 days ago, and just now have any symptoms. The thing with all this that has me the most irritated (not with anyone in particular) is that last night we had to go to 7 different pharmacies (sp?) trying to locate more liquid Tami-Flu, and by the end of the night we still couldn't get it. They were calling all over looking too. Had to be special ordered. Dr. and Pharmacist gave the ok, to split what we already have for those that were able to get meds either in the week.

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Nicole

Half of youngest DDs soccer team has it. 7 of 14 are sick. 1 has strep, the rest swine flu. 2 were tested and tested positive for Type A. They aren't doing swine testing around here anymore. The rest were not tested, they had the same symptoms. 1 called the doctor and was told, you can come in and spend the money on the test, but it's going to say flu and the advice is ride it out. They aren't giving Tamiflu here anymore either due to resistance. We just keep washing our hands. Knock on wood, no one is sick here, yet.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

Please do not send your child back to school too soon!! As a teacher, and a parent, I get highly irritated when we get kids sent back to school when they are really still sick. I can name 20 cases of flu in our small school of 100. If a sibling has it, don't send the other children to school if they are showing any symptoms! It is highly contagious!! We have had several cases where a sibling had H1N1, the parents went ahead and sent the sibling to school, although it was obvious they were not feeling well, and it turned out they had H1N1 as well. Some schools have even resorted to taking a child's temperature first thing when they walk in the door, and again 6 hours later, because it became obvious parents were simply giving the child a fever reducer so they could send them to school. A friend of a friend currently has a child in ICU as a result of H1N1 and there are several other children in ICU with the same thing!

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That's nasty. I always hated that too. It's why everything spreads around so quickly. Actually that's not a bad idea to take their temps when they get there if they've been sick.

The first thing on the news today was the 8th death from the swine flu in Alabama.

We just had someone about 30 mins come down with swine flu and die. She was 22 and just graduated college.

My neighbor just called me earlier this evening. Her little boy, age 7, was diagnosed with Swine Flu today. The doctor said he had to have gotten it within the last 24-48 hours. She is supposed to notify the school immediately in the morning. The school called her this afternoon because he was complaining of not feeling well, had a 103 temperature and was aching really bad. She took him immediately to the doctor.

I was at their house Tuesday night. He was fine then and his mom said he was fine when he left for school this morning. It hit all of a sudden.

Yeah, the girls that are sick on my dds soccer team, 3 of them are also on her VB team. They had a game Saturday morning and all of them played (and brought 2 other friends from the soccer team to watch), so they were all fine Saturday morning. By our Sunday 2:15 soccer game, 5 of them were sick with fevers! It's fast! The other 2 were sick by Monday.

There were 2 more deaths in Kansas, bringing the total to 4. However yesterday they reported a 16 year old and a 30 year old, both had other health concerns.

Knock wood, we're still healthy. The girls from the soccer team are almost over it. I think i heard 5 are well and back in school, I think the other 2 are almost better but fever didn't break in time to go back to school today.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

DS is home sick today. Fever, sore throat, cough, just generally feeling bad - taking him to the doctor today at 1:45.

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Kim

I know that those are the normal symptoms of the flu but are there any other symptoms that may give way that it may be swine flu? I just want to know because if my DS starts feeling like this, or some kid at school, I want to know if it is just reg flu or swine flu? Also, is there a vacc for the swine flu or will the reg flu shot work? Thanks!

They are working on or have a swine flu vaccine. Certain groups will be getting priority. The regular flu shot is for different strains. I will get the regular one and not the swine one. There's really not much difference between "regular" influenza and swine flu. You treat the symptoms and watch for any complications. My son (18) ended up with ear infections in both ears. I wouldn't get all hyped up about swine flu if you don't get all hyped up every year when flu season hits. You just have to be vigilent with any influenza for complications.

I'm no expert, but I can tell with all 8 of us having it here, that the symptoms vary, and appear no different then the regular flu. In fact when my first child got sick I wouldn't have taken her to the Dr. if hadn't known she had friends with confirmed cases. In our household, two of the kids are virtually symptom free, a few others have mild symptoms which may have even been passed off for a cold and allergies. Not everyone has a had a fever. The rest have been a bit more hard. My special needs child, as one would assume has gotten hit the hardest and is still struggling. This has flared his asthma and epilepsy. I tested positive days before I had any symptoms, now I'm dealing with a horrible headache, sore throat and fever. I would suggest, if you know of cases, take your child to the dr. just to be safe. Everyone seemed to fine one minute, and within 5 minutes were not feeling well (for those with "symptoms")

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Nicole

We were told at work that the CDC is now saying that with the H1N1 people are still contagious up to 5 days after the fever breaks.

I dont have a link talking about this, but I havent looked. I just know what the doctors are telling us about the info they are getting from updates they receive.

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Sell crazy some place else, we are all stocked up here.

I believe you're right, Darlene. My neighbor's doctor told her not to send her son back to school even after his fever broke. To keep him home I guess all next week.

Also, my rheumagologist told me this week that there was really no need for anyone who was born from '57 back to have the swine flu vaccine because there was the Asian Flu in 1957, which people who were born before that time will have an immunity to the Swine Flu because they're basically the same type of flu.

Thanks mom2twins2, finally a reason to be glad to be older than dirt.

lol Good one! I had read earlier that people born before 1968 were relatively immune but I just make this one too!

Honestly I think the media has made this more of an issue then it needs to be. Does anyone realize how many people die of the flu each year??

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Be careful what you wish for.....

You hit the nail on the head!!! I think this strain made the news because it's hitting younger people so hard.

My daughter was tested and positive for influenza A. They did not do the H1N1 test because they are reserving that for patients that are hospitalized. She did have all the symptoms and her fever came on suddenly. The pediatrician gave her Tami-flu and also gave it to my son because it spreads so easily. The trick to the Tami-flu is to get it started within the first 24 hours of symptoms. She got sick on Wednesday and back at school on Monday.

The school (middle school) has the grades separated and her grade was the first to get it, the next week was the next, etc. I did call the school to tell them she was positive and they said it was the first that they knew about. 90% of all the grades had been out sick and they only gave information stating strep. I was angry especially with the elementary school teachers telling me the exact opposite...it was the flu.

My daughter did ask if she was "going to die" because of the illness. She was not understanding that since she is healthy and we got her started on the Tami-flu so quickly that she would be fine.

Being in the medical field, there is a lot of hype and a lot of nerves being stirred up. There was a post earlier that stated there are so many people that die from the flu each year...this is true! Most of the fatalities from H1N1 have underlying health conditions, weakened immune systems...just do what the OP said, frequent hand washing...the best method to prevent transmission.