what are first h1n1 symptoms?

[BikeBookBread]

How fast is the onset, with those of you with experience? I have most of the symptoms -- started feeling poorly last night. Now have headache, minor fever, chills, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue. Could also be just a cold or bug, but here in Almost Mexico, AZ where it is pretty much widespread, I'm just assuming this is it. Should I even go to the doctor? Seems like it might double-expose the girls to possible infection.

 

DH is TDY (on an air force biz trip), girls are merrily cutting at the kitchen counter, and I'm dreading the next few days. Glad I have some DVDs.

[ElizabethB]

It's probably best to stay at home unless you get the severe symptoms:

 

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

 

Fast breathing or trouble breathing

Bluish or gray skin color

Not drinking enough fluids

Severe or persistent vomiting

Not waking up or not interacting

Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

 

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

 

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

Sudden dizziness

Confusion

Severe or persistent vomiting

Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

 

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/qa.htm'>http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm'>http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/qa.htm'>http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

 

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/

[BikeBookBread]

Thanks...I think in the back of my mind I knew that.

 

So far we've gotten ZERO hsing done, unless you count yesterday's "field trip" to see "Ponyo" at the movie theater and then having Japanese food at the mall food court as Japanese Cultural Studies.

 

I felt fine yesterday afternoon, went to bed feeling badly, and woke up feeling awful. Getting sick is lame, especially when it's 103 outside.

[ElizabethB]

I felt fine yesterday afternoon, went to bed feeling badly, and woke up feeling awful. Getting sick is lame, especially when it's 103 outside.

:grouphug:

 

Not fun, I agree.

[momofkhm]

that it first presents as sore throat and headache. Then comes the fever (if there is one), but it's a low fever 99-100.

 

((hugs)) as dh is out of town. That would be awful!

[gingersmom]

I would see if someone could watch my kids and head out to the doctor.

 

I have gotten walking pneumonia and the doctor wanted to put me in the hospital.

 

All because I decided it was no big deal, I was probably not that sick.

 

With all that is going around I would err on the side of caution.

 

I have taken my kids many times to doctors visits and I have them wait outside (with me checking on them) until it is time to go in. And when I let the staff know my situation they usually are most accommodating.

[amy g.]

My daughter had a confirmed case this summer.

 

Before she was diagnosed, I woke up in the middle of the night with chest pain, Muscle pain, and a convulsive dry cough.

 

The next morning, Dh took Dd to the emergency room, and since I'm pregnant, I had Tamiflu before noon that first day.

 

My son was also sick that week. He never had a fever either. He had extreme exhaustion, head ache and joint pain. He also got the Tamiflu right away, so I don't know if he would have developed a fever without it.

[HiddenJewel]

Some questions to consider.

 

Do you have underlying health issues?

 

Unless you are going to go on an anti-viral drug, what would a trip to the doctor at this point accomplish?

 

Do you go to the doctor if you suspect you have the regular seasonal flu?

[BikeBookBread]

DD5 has gotten sick now - vomiting, headache, sore throat, coughing. She is now finally sleeping (on the bathroom floor; that's what she likes to do when she's sick; I think she likes the coolness of the room).

 

I never got full-blown sick, just felt yucky yucky yucky. Tired, chills, headache, sore throat and slight fever today.

 

Now I'm pretty sure the flu fairy has officially visited us.

[cillakat]

share as needed/interested. All information is mine and from evidence based sources. I didn't have time to cite......so do with it what you will.

 

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AV...ZGd3a2N3&hl=en

 

Virtually all flulike illnesses currently presenting are H1N1. It's possible that 50% of cases are presenting without a fever and very likely many more. This makes meaningless, the recommendations to "stay home from school or work until fever free for 24 hours" as many with the flu will never have had a fever. Children are unknowingly being sent to school with H1N1; adults with H1N1 will continue to go to work not realizing that they are spreading the flu.

 

Contagion is a factor from 24h prior to onset of symptoms and for 7-10 days after *onset of symptoms*.

 

It's wonderful that most people are reporting being sick for 1.5-2 days. Yay! For those at risk for respiratory complications though (including our pregnant friends and family members) it doesn't matter that 'most' are sick for 1-2 days. For them, this is not a typical flu so please stay home if you have any symptoms. Please keep your child home if they have any symptoms. If one is sick, keep them all home.

 

What can you do to prevent or treat the flu?

 

Consider:

•Anti-Virals if you think you have the flu [CDC recommendation not mine] Keep in mind that there is a 50-90% false negtive rate on the rapid flu tests. Yes, you read that right. Just b/c you have a negative rapid flu test absolutely positively does not mean you are home free.

 

Effective treatment:

 

•Anti-Viral Medication started within 24h (less helpful but still helpful if started later....though drug resistant cases are emerging)

 

•High Dose Vitamin D3 therapy aka Stoss Therapy. (reduces cytokines) Stoss Therapy is 1,000 IU D per one lb body weight per day

FOR THREE DAYS,

then back to normal dosing: 1,000 IU per 25 lbs body weight. Stoss therapy is not appropriate for those with kidney disease. Take sufficient calcium and magnesium while taking vitamin D.

Likely Helpful adjuncts effective treatment - will reduce and/or moderate cytokines or act as ACE inhibitors:

 

•Aspirin,

Adults only;

never children or adolescents

(reduces cytokines).

 

•Green tea (ACE inhibitor, reduces cytokines). Consider drinking

 

daily and/or gargling with it.

 

•High dose vitamin C therapy to bowel tolerance. Use cheap ascorbic acid unless you personally need buffered - avoid time released for this usage.

 

 

Effective Prevention:

 

•Optimal blood levels of D3 (reduces cytokines)

 

 

•50-80 ng/mL is optimal; some say 50-70 ng/mL, some say 55-80 ng/mL - it depends on who's writing and when they wrote it. Anything less than 50 ng/mL=substrate deficiency which is a Very Bad Thing. Our 50-80 ng/mL translates to 150-200 nmoL in any other place in the world

Moderate levels are correlated, by some data, with increased cytokine activity (20-40 ng/mL). We don't want moderate levels or even 'normal' levels. We want optimal levels in the middle of the 'reference range'.

 

 

 

•Remember that because of problems with Quest's test, any D result from them should be divided by 1.3 to get an accurate number.

 

 

 

•Optimal vitamin D levels are your very best defense against influenza, some researchers posit that it may be as or more effective than a vaccine.

 

 

•Green tea (ACE inhibitor, reduces cytokines).

 

Drink it or gargle.

 

•Probiotics. Take daily.

May be helpful adjuncts to effective treatment and/or prevention in addition to above measures:

 

•Black tea (ACE inhibitor, reduces cytokines)

 

•Quercetin (possible ACE inhibitor, reduces cytokines)

 

•Pomegranate (ACE inhibitor)

 

•Proanthocyandin containig foods, supplements (ACE inhibitors): grapeseed extract, pinebark extract (pycnogenol)

 

•Turmeric (reduces cytokines). 1/4 tsp powder can be placed on tongue and swallowed with water

.

 

•Black pepper (reduces cytokines)

 

•Raw crushed garlic (reduces cytokines). For easy dosing, mix with tsp raw honey.

 

•Coconut oil (reduces cytokines)

 

•Echinacea (increases some cytokine activity but overwhelmingly reduces cytokine activity)

Assess carefully:

 

•Elderberry aka Sambucol (known to increase cytokines). I am avoiding.

 

•Astragalus (reduces activity of some cytokines, increases activity of other cytokines). I am avoiding.

 

•Olive oil (may increase cytokines). I will continue to use as needed but will use coconut oil for cooking/baking.

 

•Fish oil (may increase cytokines). I will continue to take significant amounts.

 

•Chocolate (ACE inhibitor but increases cytokines). I will use moderately;p

Cannel on preventing and treating H1N1:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsl...itamin-d.shtml

 

Randomized, placebo controlled trial shows D3 prevents and treats colds and flu:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17352842

[ma23peas]

that it first presents as sore throat and headache. Then comes the fever (if there is one), but it's a low fever 99-100.

 

This has got to be the biggest peeve of mine this year, our 10 year old daughter has had chronic issues following an untreated strep infxn (okay, they treated it, but with STEROIDS!! No one would do a strep test) Since then she's had 11 strep infections, tonsils out, you name it, we've seen every symptom of Post strep rheumatic complications that are in the book (except the nodes) I have had at least THREE specialists tell me to IGNORE the positive streps that it could not significant because her fever was not over 102. SHE NEVER RAN a fever over 100 but her tonsils sure rotted out...we feel as though we have finally turned a corner and you know the last thing given was a penicillin shot...all oral antibiotics failed..even the tough guns...so be warned, there must be some medical symposium offered to practitioners that tells them a fever under 102 is INSIGNIFICANT...I heard it from a pediatric cardiologist at a Children's Hospital, a rheumatologist at Vanderbilt, and the ER doctor at Vanderbilt, oh and the ENT, oh, also two other doctors who refused to even give her a strep test b/c her fever wasn't indicative of an infection, although her throat was killing her....and yes, it was strep. There, peeve out, just be warned that you may hit some of this 'new thinking' amongst health care providers.

 

Tara

[abbeyej]

Ugh, Tara. My ds never has more than a very mild fever with strep either (and often none at all), and he too had complications from untreated strep. (Thankfully, he seems to have outgrown his, but it was awful at the time.) I took him in over and over over the course of two months, and the old pediatrician (definitely not our doctor now) never even thought to do a strep culture because his symptoms were somewhat atypical -- even when his sister came in at the same time with classic strep symptoms and was diagnosed! Eventually, we (not that ped) did figure out what was going on, and got him treatment (including antibiotics), but she fought me every step of the way. I still start shaking when I think about her.

[chiguirre]

Virtually all flulike illnesses currently presenting are H1N1. It's possible that 50% of cases are presenting without a fever and very likely many more. This makes meaningless, the recommendations to "stay home from school or work until fever free for 24 hours" as many with the flu will never have had a fever. Children are unknowingly being sent to school with H1N1; adults with H1N1 will continue to go to work not realizing that they are spreading the flu.

 

Contagion is a factor from 24h prior to onset of symptoms and for 7-10 days after *onset of symptoms*.

 

It's wonderful that most people are reporting being sick for 1.5-2 days. Yay! ]

 

Thanks for the information, Cillakat! I think we may have had a mild bout of H1N1 last week. I didn't think about it at the time because the symptoms were pretty mild and no one got a fever.

[TraceyS/FL]

that it first presents as sore throat and headache. Then comes the fever (if there is one), but it's a low fever 99-100.

 

 

Flip.

 

This would describe my youngest since 5am yesterday.

 

:banghead: