Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Swine Flu Update (H1N1)

Last Monday, I kept Maggie home from school because she had a fever and had been exposed to swine flu at school. By Wednesday we were all sick. None of us went to the Dr, so I can not say for certain that the illness we all had was definitely H1N1, but the nurse I spoke with at the health department seemed pretty certain it was.

Why didn't we go to the Dr? Well, first of all, the nurse at the health department told me that it was not necessary to go to the Dr unless we experienced complications. And second, I really didn't want to pay $20 each to have the Dr tell us that he was pretty sure it was swine flu and there was nothing he could really do, "but Oh, come back if you get worse" (and pay another $20 each). What about TamiFlu? I am aware that Tamiflu is a medication that can be prescribed that shortens the duration of flu, but I have also been told that it is in short supply. Since none of us have any chronic illnesses, we aren't really candidates for Tamiflu. Why didn't we get tested? The nurse at the Health Department didn't think it was necessary (I asked) & I didn't want to pay for 6 tests plus co-pay at the Dr office just to confirm that YES we are sick.

What were our symptoms?
  • Fever (up to 103 for most of us)
  • Chills
  • Runny nose
  • Sore throat (only the 3 girls)
  • Body Aches (Hubby & I)
  • Headaches (severe for me & Morgan)
  • Diarrhea
  • Belly pain
  • Tiredness (except for the 2 youngest who seem to have normal energy levels)
  • Irritability
  • Minor cough (all 4 kids)
How long did it last?
  • Maggie first showed symptoms September 25th and returned to school yesterday, Oct 6th.
  • Marissa & Melanie started with a fever on September 28th, they are still running fevers today, but their other symptoms are mostly gone.
  • I started running a fever on September 29th and am still dealing with fever, tiredness & sore muscles.
  • Hubby & Morgan both started running a fever the night of September 29th...they returned to work & school today. Hubby still has sore muscles, but is otherwise fully recovered. Morgan seems to be fully recovered.
I think that it has been hyped a bit too much in the news, it has not been pleasant having everyone in the house sick for almost 2 weeks, but none of us developed any complications and hopefully we are now immune to this particular flu strain.

6 comments:

Kristin said...

I definitely think swine flu is exaggerated in the news! While any sickness is annoying and unpleasant, the flu is usually not dangerous. So glad everyone is returning to health!

Unknown said...

I'm glad you are all getting to feel better!

Unknown said...

Glad you are all starting to feel better! I am sure it has been a tough week. I too think it has been hyped too much, I guess as long as there are not complications you just have to ride it out! Hope your coming weekend is better!

Tracey said...

Glad you guys are feeling better. Did you try wet socks? ;)

Katrina said...

Thank you for the update, it's interesting to read the symptoms and how long it lasted. I'm relieved to know everyone is on the mend and you can put these past weeks behind you. Hopefully, this will be the only bout you'll have to deal with!

Unknown said...

Definitely doesn't sound like a walk in the park but it's good to know that it's not nearly as awful as we all expected it to be. I'm still a little nervous about my youngest catching it as he develops pneumonia fairly easily but it's good to know that none of your family ended up in the hospital, that makes me feel a lot better. I hope that this is one strain where if you catch it you can't ever get it again.