Influenza.

[rivka]

Alex has been sick since Friday night. She's been running a fever and complaining of a headache, pains in her arms and legs, and a sore throat. Flu, in other words. We've kept her home, dosed her up with ibuprofen, and let her watch videos until her brain leaks out her ears.

When the fourth day of fever dawned, I made an appointment with her pediatrician. His reception staff made both of us put on masks (even though I don't have any symptoms) and hustled us into an exam room, bypassing the waiting room. They ordered us to keep the masks on in the exam room too.

When the pediatrician came in, I gave him a rundown of her symptoms and course and then said, "It seems like the flu; I just want to make sure it isn't the flu plus something else."

I thought he was going to cry with relief. Apparently every other parent whose kid has these symptoms has come in totally panicking about the Flupocalypse. He treated me to a perfectly unnecessary disquisition on flu prevention, treatment, and policy.

I asked him about typing the virus, just so we can make an educated decision about whether to have her vaccinated later for whichever kind she doesn't have. He said that the test has lousy specificity so there isn't any point. Based on what's going around, he thinks it's H1N1 and that she'll feel better tonight or tomorrow. If she's not better by the end of the week, I'm supposed to call back.

The incubation period for H1N1 isn't clear, but I'm hoping the rest of us missed out. We all feel more or less okay.

Comments

[naomikritzer]

Both my girls had a flu-like virus back in June. Neither Ed nor I caught it from them. The ped said that very few parents seemed to be catching it, and she thought it was because H1N1 had gone around when we were kids. I looked this up, surprised, because the media had been going on and on about how it went around in the 1950s, and I sure as heck was not around back in the 1950s.

The last time H1N1 went around was 1977-78; it wasn't counted as a pandemic because ONLY children got it. It was called the Russian Flu.

We are still going to go ahead and get the vaccine, because it might have been something else, but we will wait until those in more urgent need have had the chance to get it.

We did take Molly in during her illness, because she got dramatically worse three days in, and we were concerned about a secondary infection (or strep). She ran a fever for eight days. Kiera was sick for a much shorter time (and then came down with strep two days after Molly got over whatever it was she had) (it was the most awesome way EVER to start a summer vacation! sigh).

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor kids. I hope we're not in for eight days of fever.

I have no choice about getting vaccinated myself, because I work with people who are immunocompromised. I got my seasonal flu shot yesterday and was informed that they'd be coming for me again when the H1N1 shot comes in.

We probably won't get the kids vaccinated, though. We usually skip the flu shot, and our pediatrician isn't especially enthusiastic about it.

[naomikritzer]

Well, you're absolutely in a group who ought to be vaccinated, given the populations you work with; that makes sense. Are you supposed to get the nasal spray or are you supposed to wait for the shot? I've heard that the nasal spray is a bad idea if you'll be around immunocompromised people, but I've heard this from People On the Internet, which is not exactly what you'd call a reliable source.

I always get the seasonal flu shot for myself and the kids, not because we're in a high risk group but because having the flu sucks so thoroughly.

FWIW, Kiera was better in three days. This had Ed convinced it couldn't possibly be H1N1, but when she was in for the strep swab her ped said some kids had very mild cases.

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

According to NPR yesterday, the nasal spray is a weakened live virus, ergo not so good for the immunocompromised.

[redbird]

That makes the "up to age 24" cut-off for age as a risk factor make more sense. (I know, it's empirical, but I like having ideas about why facts are what they are.)

I'm scheduled for a seasonal flu shot next week (I have a history of flu sometimes turning to bronchitis, and that once becoming pneumonia while I wasn't looking, so it seems prudent) but may well leave it at that, unless my employer offers H1N1 as well.