So has anyone on this board had swine flu or has anyone living in your house had it?

[mazakaal]

Did you go on Tamiflu? If it was a child that had it, did you put them on Tamiflu?

 

My dd just came in complaining of a cough and sore throat. I'm going to keep an eye for other symptoms. I'm not sure if I even want to call the dr. Last I heard they were telling (by phone) all people with swine flu symptoms to go on Tamiflu, but there can be dangerous side effects for children.

 

Praying this is nothing.

[JudyJudyJudy]

No one in my home has had it, but I suspect that my 14yo nephew did. His temp hit right around 106° F, but he was never tested for swine flu, and, thus, was never diagnosed with it. He was not given Tamiflu, and I'm glad that he wasn't. There is already a Tamiflu-resistant swine flu as a result of the overuse of Tamiflu.

 

I hope your daughter doesn't have anything serious.

[JudyJudyJudy]

Here is another article about drug resistance:

 

Flu Drug Misuse Could Result in Drug Resistance

[Melissa in Australia]

we have had 3 people with the flue in our house. we didn't go to the doctor. they are no longer testing for swine flue here ( AUSTRALIA) and have told people that if you have the flue, it is probably swine flue.

. they were really ill for about 1 week, and very weak/ run down for about 3 weeks after. the rest of us didn't get it at all.

[tex-mex]

No one in my home has had it, but I suspect that my 14yo nephew did. His temp hit right around 106° F, but he was never tested for swine flu, and, thus, was never diagnosed with it. He was not given Tamiflu, and I'm glad that he wasn't. There is already a Tamiflu-resistant swine flu as a result of the overuse of Tamiflu.

 

I hope your daughter doesn't have anything serious.

 

This past May I had a horrible flu/strep like throat that lasted for 5 weeks. The doc said it wasn't strep. Oh, it was miserable... never in my life had a flu like that with TERRIBLE throat pain, body ache, chest pain/congestion, chills and fever. I was so tired. If that WAS Swine Flu... egad... I'd never wish that upon anyone. Hubby was worried as I have diabetes and a rare genetic disease that a bug like that could put me in the hospital. Ugh. Took forever to get back to normal. Never took anything for it -- except lots of fluids, washed my hands while sick, quarantined my drinking cup, stayed away from other family members, and got lots of rest.

Edited August 26, 2009 by tex-mex

[angeinnz]

Yes all my children had it, all 5 of them, they were really sick for about a week and then quite tired and coughed for about 3 weeks after that. Only my oldest daughter was given tamiflu as she has a lung condition, but my boys didn't get any and were fine.

[JudyJudyJudy]

This past May I had a horrible flu/strep like throat that lasted for 5 weeks. The doc said it wasn't strep. Oh, it was miserable... never in my life had a flu like that with TERRIBLE throat pain, body ache, chest pain/congestion, chills and fever. I was so tired. If that WAS Swine Flu... egad... I'd never wish that upon anyone. Hubby was worried as I have diabetes and a rare genetic disease that a bug like that could put me in the hospital. Ugh. Took forever to get back to normal. Never took anything for it -- except lots of fluids, washed my hands while sick, quarantined my drinking cup, stayed away from other family members, and got lots of rest.

My nephew had something very similar several weeks ago and is still very tired. School started a week and a half ago, and he returned to school, but each day he is coming home and taking a nap, which is very unlike him. Unfortunately, he was given antibiotics despite having a normal WBC (the doctors in her area give out antibiotics like candy); my sister originally wasn't going to give them to him, but she gave in and did, but, not surprisingly, she says that they didn't do anything for him.

[MomLovesClassics]

We had something here that was pretty bad, it lasted for about a week. We didn't go to the dr, but used our home remedies that did work. My oldest son did go to the dr, he ended up having flu and walking pneumonia. They no longer test for swine flu just flu. It hit him pretty hard and pretty fast. We had took influenzium weekly for about a month, and then monthly. That seemed to help us not get it as bad as my oldest son who no longer lives at home and thinks mom must have lost her marbles. I can not guarantee we had it as we did not get tested for it. We have been carrying han sanatizing cleansing wipes for months and use them everytime we get out of the store. We also wipe the car down, and our door knobs at home. We haven't had a cold or flu in years. My six year old has never had a cold or flu until that. We usually don't catch stuff so I was suprised. I hope we don't get it again.

[keptwoman]

we have had 3 people with the flue in our house. we didn't go to the doctor. they are no longer testing for swine flue here ( AUSTRALIA) and have told people that if you have the flue, it is probably swine flue.

. they were really ill for about 1 week, and very weak/ run down for about 3 weeks after. the rest of us didn't get it at all.

Same here. Except that one child was really ill for about 1 day and one was ill for a couple of days. I was ill for about 3-4 days and then quite run down for a while. We didn't go to the doctor and even if we had I wouldn't have taken Tamiflu.

[Dooley]

A neighbor girl here had swine flu - she was given Tamiflu. Her mom said she was SICK, sick, sick for a few days, but seemed to bounce back quickly. Wash your hands a lot, was the doctors recommendation.

[gingersmom]

My niece had and it no one else in the family got it (or my mother who spent several days with them).

 

I am not sure if she was given Tamiflu or not. By the time the test results came back she was already on her way to recovery.

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm not sure if we had it or not. We were in Mexico before the swine flu scare and a week after we came home, two of my kids got sick. Cough, aching, HIGH fevers (105 in a 13 yo!), etc. We went to the doctor after about 5 days of it and he suspected flu, but didn't test since it wouldn't have changed the way he treated it.

 

My doc won't prescribe Tamiflu for kids because of the side effects.

 

I pray your dd feels better soon!

[mom2a&z]

Back in July, my dd came home from summer camp with the flu. She was coughing, aching, and running a high fever. Took her to the dr. who told us they were no longer testing for swine flu, but to assume that if you had flu symptoms, it was swine flu.

 

The whole family went on Tamiflu. No one else got sick, and my dd was better within a few days. Looking back, I'm convinced that giving my dd Tamiflu was the right thing to do, but I'm not sure if giving the rest of the family the drug was necessary.

 

Both of my children had been given Tamiflu a couple of years ago for the garden variety flu and neither of them experienced any side effects.

[mchel210]

Well...my husband and I had kissed a lot last night...then about 25 minutes later he says he isnt feeling good. He took his temp and he was 103!! I could Kill him!! I am so upset that he didnt tell me he was feeling bad. UGHHHH....:ohmy:

 

Now he is in bed, sore and still has 103+ fever.

 

I am wondering how long before I get it now. I am going to clean this morning as much as I can.

 

My kids are sneezing a lot and one has a slight cough...but that is it for now. I am sore as can be but I worked out 2 days ago and I think that is why. Yesterday I could hardly walk up the stairs...:blush: My 6 yo is notorious for getting croup and ending up in the hospital every time she is sick. I have a really bad feeling this week. We need lots of prayers.

 

My hubby is a cop and is exposed to the world and two of my kids are in PS. They had their open house friday. I imagine that is where it came from.

[Peela]

The main flu here is swine flu as Melissa said, and for most people its no worse, and often better, than the normal flu. Many kids who are getting it arent getting very sick at all.

I wouldn't touch Tamiflu under the circumstances of this swine flu.

[fivetails]

We might have had it ~ but it was before it broke in the news. Sometime in late March? Early April? Something like that.. I can't even remember what month, isn't that sad? :tongue_smilie: Anyway - it flu-like, but seemed diff than the seasonal flu thing.. then again, we've only ever had that in our house once... I was sick for a few days, temp/achey & sore throat (the kind of sore that makes you talk funny, like 'around' your words), but no real cough. Daughter got it next & it knocked her down for a week solid. Again, temp/very achey & sore throat, but also headache & bit of a cough for her. (Came on super fast for her too - fine at 5pm, 102 temp by a bit past 6ish or so)....she ran over 100 every day for a week ~ she never does that.

 

Hubby got sick for a couple days, not much. Son was sick for a day. Yep, a day. Said his throat felt funny (he doesn't feel 'pain' the same as other people) and ran a temp off and on that day and then... nothing. Gone. That's typical for him though ~ he never ever gets badly sick and rarely even gets a little sick.... I think his exposure to germs has a lot to do with that --- he's blind, which means his hands are on EVERYTHING. He's also autistic and has some behaviours that involve rubbing things on his face & mouthing objects. No doubt, his body has taken in a lot more germs over the years than ours have and that's prolly contributed to his kick-arse immune system.

 

Anyway ~ like I said, it was before this hit the news... but, I live in a town with a VERY high amount of comings & goings, people flying in here from all over the world for work, people going down to Mexico all the time for a short vacation, and so on. Wouldn't be surprised in the least if that's what it was before it was reported as such.

 

I do wish we could get some sort of test to see if that's what it was ~ but someone told me that after 15 days, they can't detect anything as to whether you had it... it's been 4 months or more, so..

[ThelmaLou]

My ds (14) picked up swine flu (confirmed) at Boy Scout camp. His only symptoms were cough and fever, but it was really very mild. My 10 year old came down with it a couple days later, and it was even milder, then my 2yo ds and I both had a slight fever for a day. In it's current form, for most people, it's more mild than the regular seasonal flu.

 

The Dr. wanted to start my son on Tamiflu right away, but I declined. I took it a few years ago when I got the flu, and it literally made me feel crazy out of my mind. I knew something wasn't right, so I poked around online for more info. Just do a search for Tamiflu psychosis and you'll find a bunch. The camp staff warned the Boy Scout leaders to be on the lookout for campers exhibiting strange behavioral symptoms after starting Tamiflu. Some kids were given it immediately, even without having any symptoms. Those were the kids who tend toward asthma and other breathing disorders, for whom flu *might* be more dangerous. I'm thankful my son wasn't in that crowd. I will never give my kids prescription flu medications. In my mind, the benefits don't outweigh the risks.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

We might have had it ~ but it was before it broke in the news.

 

I've wondered the same thing. We had a really strange virus go around our homeschool group in late March. I think every single family had at least one family member who had it. The symptoms were fever, terrible headache, body aches, and tummy cramps (but no other tummy symptoms). A lot of people in the Asheville area were sick with it too...heard stories from hubby and a friend who is an M.D. Our group's "patient zero" did get tested for flu and it came back as Type A. Would that test have determined if it was a novel virus like H1N1?

 

We live in an area with a large Mexican population, so it's entirely possible that someone brought it to the area.

[fivetails]

We might have had it ~ but it was before it broke in the news.

 

I've wondered the same thing. We had a really strange virus go around our homeschool group in late March. I think every single family had at least one family member who had it. The symptoms were fever, terrible headache, body aches, and tummy cramps (but no other tummy symptoms). A lot of people in the Asheville area were sick with it too...heard stories from hubby and a friend who is an M.D. Our group's "patient zero" did get tested for flu and it came back as Type A. Would that test have determined if it was a novel virus like H1N1?

 

We live in an area with a large Mexican population, so it's entirely possible that someone brought it to the area.

 

I forgot to mention the sore stomach/pukey feelings that dd12 also had with it... the rest of us didn't feel that - unless ds10 did, can't always tell because of how he reacts/interprets pains.

 

Yeah - and I remember dd12's choir director commenting that there was "a nasty bug going around" because some of the other girls/families were sick as well...:001_huh:

 

We don't have a "large Mexican population", but we have TONNES of people coming in and going out constantly, it's the nature of the work here.. and *many* people went to Mexico on their March/Spring break...

[Old Dominion Heather]

I've taken Tamiflu, my kids have taken Tamiflu...

 

I'd take it again, no problem. No weird symptoms here, except faster recovery from the flu.

[Impish]

Tazzie was incredibly sick for a bit, and it knocked Princess flat too, although hers was a cpl of days, compared to his week+.

 

My GP didn't bother checking for swine flu. Said it wouldn't be treated any differently than regular flu, so what's the point?

 

I'm hoping it WAS Swine Flu. That way, we might have some resistance to it if it swoops through again.

[Hillary in KS]

No one I know has had it.

 

Well, that's sort of not true. My 6 yo nephew supposedly had it. But they never did a blood test, so I am not sure how they know it was swine flu and not something else.

[Mommyof4ks]

My youngest ds took tamiflu for the flu because he is immune compromised, and the only side effect was being symptom free within hours. :D He was 3 at the time. If only I would have known it was the flu when I had it so I could have skipped the 'my head is going to explode' feeling (the er doc thought I had meningitis because of my head pain).

 

Tamiflu is not being prescribed around here unless there is an underlying health condition or a person is really sick as far as I understand it.

[The Governess]

This past May I had a horrible flu/strep like throat that lasted for 5 weeks. The doc said it wasn't strep. Oh, it was miserable... never in my life had a flu like that with TERRIBLE throat pain, body ache, chest pain/congestion, chills and fever. I was so tired. If that WAS Swine Flu... egad... I'd never wish that upon anyone.

 

I had the same thing earlier this year, but it was in February/late March. My throat - no, my entire mouth - hurt terribly. It took two trips to the doctor, being tested for strep, being misdiagnosed with a sinus infection, and then taking flonase for a couple weeks before I finally felt better. The whole thing went on for over a month. The doctor even had me tested for mono because every gland in my body had swelled up. I wonder if it was the flu? Dh got it and stayed home from work for a week, which he NEVER does.

 

Does anyone know if there is any way to test to see if you have already had the swine flu and are already immune to it?

[mazakaal]

Thanks for all the responses. I don't think it's swine flu. She hasn't developed a fever - just has a sore throat, cough, and headache. I gave her some Tylenol and she perked up for a couple of hours. Now she's back on the couch with a severe headache and the covers over her head. I'll keep an eye on her temperature and keep her hydrated.

[Mountain View Academy]

My little one was given tamiflu because he's under 4. My 8 yr old has respitory problems so he to was on tamiflu. Both were better in 4 days.

 

I was very sick for 1 1/2 weeks and didn't feel good until 3 weeks later and didn't have tamiflu.

 

I vote for tamiflu!

[fshinkevich]

A few months ago 4 out of my 5 kids got very ill. However my oldest daughter, my husband, and I only got mild symptoms like runny nose and some discomfort. No fever or anything.

 

So I'm hoping that maybe at least some of my family had it and has built up some immunities but its odd that we wouldn't have all gotten it.

 

I must say, if it was swine, it was ANYTHING but mild. I had ER bags packed ready to take my 2 yo in. They all got insanely high fevers (my youngest was having hallucinations), vomiting and diarrhea, obviously in major pain, and the cough lasted for at least 2 months.

 

Also I had one friend whose whole family got it and their 2 year old did have to go stay in the hospital for 3 days because she developed pneumonia.

[Pip]

2 of my girls were diagnosed with Influenza A in July. While we didn't hear the results, I am hearing that the drs. here are now assuming that Influenza A cases now are Swine Flu. The dr. also assumed I had a mild case although I was not tested.

 

We all were on Tamiflu. Honestly, in a rational moment, I may not have put the whole family on it. I know that there are some concerns. However, while I was not worried about the eventual outcome, my girls were miserable and I just wanted them to get some relief. The fever and headaches were awful to watch. It broke my heart, even though I know they were not sicker than with any other case of the flu.

[jensway]

Keep a watch on your daughters temperature. My DS was sick in July. His started with a really bad headache on Wednesday, Thursday he had a cough that would not stop and sore throat. Friday morning he woke with a fever of 101. I took him to doctor--suspecting maybe strep throat. Culture was positive. Put him on antibiotics.

 

By Sunday he had fever of 104 and stomach cramping along with diarrhea. Spoke with doctor Monday morning, she said that it sounded like he had now the flu in addition to the strep throat. She did not have me bring him in but suspected that he had the swine flu.

 

No tamilfu, just supportive care, as with any other flu. He was sick for about 10 days. Coughed for the next couple of weeks.

 

I was his only care giver. We were all vigilant over washing hands, etc. No one else got sick.

[5KidzRUs]

Earlier this year I think it went through my sons small private school. Half the teachers (including my sub-teacher daughter) were home with it and half the children. My twins then got it - it was WICKED - 104+ temp and meds only brought it down to 102 - went doc for a shot and they recovered a few days later. It was strange because there was no congestion but there was a cough.

[mchel210]

Im just curious to how everyone knows they have swine flu if they dont get tested? Phil went to the dr today with flu symptoms. He is a cop, diabetic, and is in contact with tons of people. He has worked a few times in the ER last week...they said they havent heard of very many insurance companies that cover the H1N1 testing....so they will not test for it. OUr insurance said it is not FDA approved so they consider it experimental...and not covered.

 

So...they just told him...most likely he has Swine flu and to take Tamiflu.

 

I just wonder if they are only testing a small population then there must be soooo many more cases.

 

Is it pretty much thought that any flu this year is Swine Flu?

[Susan in TX]

Our family got some sort of virus this summer that I am pretty sure was swine flu. It was really different from anything we have had before. The weirdest thing was the very long incubation period...about 2 weeks. My oldest daughter got it first in the beginning of June and my last child to fall ill has just now recovered. There are 11 of us and everyone got it. The baby, 12yo, 6yo, and myself had a rather mild illness that required no medication. Dh, 20yo, and 14yo developed pneumonia, and 8yo, and 10yo had suspected pneumonia. 18 yo and 16yo got quite sick but did not get pneumonia (were given antibiotics as a precautionary measure).

 

Dh was hit the hardest. He had a fever for a week, then the fever broke and he thought he was getting better but then the cough got really bad. It got to the point that he could hardly breathe. It took him six weeks to totally recover. We have never had anything like this hit us in the summer which is why I am convinced that it was swine flu.

 

Susan in TX

[Pip]

When we first went into the dr. she assumed the girls did not have the flu as they were not seeing any cases at that point. She noted that the ful does not survive well in hot weather, but every summer there seems to be an outbreak of a virus producing flu-like symptoms. She was very surprised that we tested positive. This was just about the time that I started hearing about the outbreak. All those cadets at the Air Force Academy had just gotten sick.

 

I am assuming that since the flu doesn't survive hot weather but the Swine Flu survives it, the dr's are concluding that the only Influenza A anyone would have would be swine flu, but you do need to have the initial culture done. The culture taken to confirm swine flu could not be analyzed at the dr's office and had to go to the health dept.

 

Interestingly, the weekend the girls got sick several people on their swim team got very sick with the same symptoms. Some of them tested positive for the flu, some did not.

[Mom24bz1g]

My very good friend and her family had it a couple months ago. Her son brought it home from school (at the end of the year). He had a low fever. The mom got a low fever but the 10 yr old dd was a bit worse. So after a few days of a higher 102+ fever she took her to the doc. Mainly because her dd had a kidney problem in the past and she wanted to make sure it wasn't that again.

 

All that to say, friend's 4wk old baby who was breastfeeding exclusively ended up with a low fever, like the mom, but it just went away.

 

Oh, when they took 10 dd to doctor they did test and determine it was swine flu. Because it had been more than 3 days Tamiflu wasn't an option.

 

To say friend was surprised was an understatement. Mainly because it was such an easy illness. She wouldn't even have gone to the doc except for the kidney problem.

 

This mom had had the flu vaccine and her kids have all vaccines known to the US. Just FYI.

 

Blessings,

Michele (who is hoping if we get it - it is as easy as it was for my friend)

[Cricket]

I swear we all had it last fall. It was around September or October I think. I've never been that sick in my life. We had horrible, horrible headaches, severe vomiting and diarrhea, awful stomach cramps, high fever. The older two were sick for several days. The younger two had mild cases. I was in bed for about 4 days. Dh stayed in bed for about a week. It was so awful. At least we had it in shifts. Our oldest ds was so great. He fed and took care of the other kids for the two days I was too sick to even lift my head from the pillow. It took dh and I almost a month to recover our strength.

 

I suppose being in a state that borders Mexico and that we do come into contact with many immigrants, it is likely we had it before it was discovered. I don't know. The first cases in the US were reported in April of this year. I hope, hope that is what we had and that we don't get it again!

[KidsHappen]

It's weird but I don't think I have known a single person that has had the flu in the last nine months and I know a lot of people in several different states. If this is an epidemic how is it that I haven't seen a single case? Not at school, not in the neighborhood, not at any of the various family members' work places, none of my trucker brothers have seen it? Where is it exactly? (And Dear God, this is an honest question, please don't let it come back to haunt me.)

[Michelle in AL]

My dh is a pediatrician and I do his notes for him so I read everything he sees. Here's what he's seeing:

1/3 of kids have strep: fever, sore throat and congestion

1/3 kids have flu: not too sick for the most part. All have fever and most have headache, cough, malaise, fatigue, congestion, sore throat and vomiting.

1/3 have a viral illness that is negative for flu and strep with the same symptoms.

 

There's also a vomiting/diarrhea bug going around.

[NavyWifeandMommy]

It's weird but I don't think I have known a single person that has had the flu in the last nine months and I know a lot of people in several different states. If this is an epidemic how is it that I haven't seen a single case? Not at school, not in the neighborhood, not at any of the various family members' work places, none of my trucker brothers have seen it? Where is it exactly? (And Dear God, this is an honest question, please don't let it come back to haunt me.)

 

The same here. I haven't know anyone with it or even in this town.

[Perry]

My dh is a pediatrician and I do his notes for him so I read everything he sees. Here's what he's seeing:

1/3 of kids have strep: fever, sore throat and congestion

1/3 kids have flu: not too sick for the most part. All have fever and most have headache, cough, malaise, fatigue, congestion, sore throat and vomiting.

1/3 have a viral illness that is negative for flu and strep with the same symptoms.

 

There's also a vomiting/diarrhea bug going around.

 

Chances are good that a fair number of those bolded above actually have flu, since there are so many false negatives. Half, or more, of those with a negative test actually have the flu.

 

This is one reason many people have stopped testing.

[BikeBookBread]

I swear we all had it last fall. It was around September or October I think. I've never been that sick in my life. We had horrible, horrible headaches, severe vomiting and diarrhea, awful stomach cramps, high fever. The older two were sick for several days. The younger two had mild cases. I was in bed for about 4 days. Dh stayed in bed for about a week. It was so awful. At least we had it in shifts. Our oldest ds was so great. He fed and took care of the other kids for the two days I was too sick to even lift my head from the pillow. It took dh and I almost a month to recover our strength.

 

I suppose being in a state that borders Mexico and that we do come into contact with many immigrants, it is likely we had it before it was discovered. I don't know. The first cases in the US were reported in April of this year. I hope, hope that is what we had and that we don't get it again!

 

Looking back, I had a weird, weird bug early spring (I even posted about it here...). I had low-grade fevers off and on for about 3 weeks, horrible headaches, nausea, stomach cramps. Maybe it was a "border bug" too! :lol:

[Cricket]

Looking back, I had a weird, weird bug early spring (I even posted about it here...). I had low-grade fevers off and on for about 3 weeks, horrible headaches, nausea, stomach cramps. Maybe it was a "border bug" too! :lol:

 

See, I think we had it before anyone "discovered" it! Quite a few people in our RV park had it as well.

[BikeBookBread]

See, I think we had it before anyone "discovered" it! Quite a few people in our RV park had it as well.

 

My Base doc said they were seeing a lot of strange bugs that just wouldn't go away -- this was a month or so before the H1N1 hit the news. I started feeling awful in February, and finally recovered in April, but was tired for a while after. I got 3 sinus infections during that time because of lowered resistance, I suppose.