Usually NOT a worrier at all, but recent events makes me fear the flu!

[ma23peas]

In our area, we've heard of a few cases here and there, schools even closed for a week last winter due to 3 cases....however, just the past two weeks I have run into 5 different families that have been hit by the swine flu....most tragic is a 49 year old mom who used to homeschool with our group who felt bad last week, in one day she died....no report yet to confirm if she had flu....but she was very healthy, very active and as far as I know had no underlying illness....will I start wearing a mask? I'm not sure...has anyone else seen an increase in reports over just the past 3 weeks since school has started back up??

 

Tara

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I see you live in Alabama. My sister lives in north AL and she's seeing the same thing. She has known several families hit with the swine flu since school started in mid-August.

 

In Ohio, I have only heard about it on the news. My dd's college has sent us a notice saying they have a few cases on campus, and I have seen on the news that a few other local universities are starting to see some cases, but I have not run into any cases personally like my sister has in AL.

 

~

Leanna

[Peela]

Oh, make no mistake, it will be everywhere soon and they will likely not bother closing schools or anything within a few weeks.

At the beginning of our winter back in June we had school closures and many newspaper articles. Now, nothing. Plenty of flu, but its not news anymore and its too widespread to bother closing schools. They do ask if you have symptoms, to please stay home, but that's it.

[ma23peas]

Leanna, I'm probably your sister's neighbor!! We live just outside Huntsville...it really has exploded here in the past 3 weeks..my 10 year old has had a terrible year healthwise which has compromised her immune system...so this really concerns me, but we can't stay home..I'm just more concerned than usual since learning of that dear mom's passing....she left two boys....it just hits home and you want to protect what you can..

ara

[fshinkevich]

I am also a non-worrier, this one has had me on edge since I first heard of it. I cannot say why, it's just a feeling I have, but I have learned to listen to my instincts. If I overreact for no reason, big deal, but if I act like it's nothing and it is...I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your homeschool friend, her family will be in my thoughts.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Leanna, I'm probably your sister's neighbor!! We live just outside Huntsville...it really has exploded here in the past 3 weeks..my 10 year old has had a terrible year healthwise which has compromised her immune system...so this really concerns me, but we can't stay home..I'm just more concerned than usual since learning of that dear mom's passing....she left two boys....it just hits home and you want to protect what you can..

ara

 

Tara,

You probably are her neighbor! She lives in Madison and she's very concerned too. Hearing of that mom's death is very sobering. I will be praying that all of you stay healthy.

 

Blessings,

Leanna

[Mommyof4ks]

Yes, 1/2 of the kids in one area middle school were out last week (2nd week of school) due to flu like symptoms which is unheard of in this area this early in the school year. Lots of our friends have been sick in the last couple of weeks. We are not really changing our lives at this point, but my immune compromised son is wearing a N-95 mask at stores for now.

[1bassoon]

We're down here just south of B'ham -

 

My friend is down with it, but she said it's the mildest flu she's ever had. Her 17 yo daughter has it, and so far son & husband are symptom free.

 

That's all I can report!

[cillakat]

We're down here just south of B'ham -

 

My friend is down with it, but she said it's the mildest flu she's ever had. Her 17 yo daughter has it, and so far son & husband are symptom free.

 

That's all I can report!

 

 

Varies so much. Emory has two 30 yo's on ventilators right now. My 10 yo's 30 yo teacher is in the hospital. My 39 yo dear friend should be in the hospital.

 

I felt slightly ill with ubermild symptoms (as in 'barely noticeable') and went in for tamiflu as I'm at high risk for pneumonia (i've had it 9 times...). I feel great.....teensy weensy symptoms for 4 days....I was 99% fine the whole time, now I'm back at 100%

 

But for those that get really ill, it's really bad.

 

K

[1bassoon]

So how do you know if you're going to be one of the ones that gets it really bad? It is baffling to me - and probably to the medical establishment, as well.

[cillakat]

So how do you know if you're going to be one of the ones that gets it really bad? It is baffling to me - and probably to the medical establishment, as well.

 

 

Not so much.....

 

the biggies are underlying respiratory issue (ie already ill with another respiratory issue...asthma....copd etc)

overweight

pregnant (esp third trimester)

diabetic

 

•some are having a normal 'bad' flu

•some are so mildly sick that they are certain they DONT have the flu, but then test positive

•most of the cold/croupy sounding stuff going around right now is really H1N1

•at least half have no fever

•some only have gastrointestinal symptoms which is very atypical for seasonal influenza

•my symptoms were so incredibly mild....but I went in anyway for tamiflu as I'm v high risk for respiratory complications (hx of complicated pneumonia)....got tamiflu, had no fever, doc didn't want to give it to me but I was persistent:)

[Photo Ninja]

most of the cold/croupy sounding stuff going around right now is really H1N1

•at least half have no fever

 

We have all had what seems to be a bad cold/virus. I can't remember when our entire family has passed an illness around and had us all ill, so whatever we have had is very contagious. None of us has felt ill enough to go to the doctor, and none of us have registered a fever, although we all felt like we had one. I have had it for 2 weeks and am starting to feel more normal - almost have energy back, but mine settled into an ear infection. Dh has a bad cough still. My dc are pretty much all better now after about one week.

 

The question is, have we had a mild H1N1, or some other bug going around? If we have had it, then there would be no need to get the vaccine (which we are wary about getting anyway). I just wonder. With such a variance in the symptoms, it would difficult to tell the difference.

 

But how do we know? I suppose we won't ever really know.

[cillakat]

most of the cold/croupy sounding stuff going around right now is really H1N1

•at least half have no fever

 

We have all had what seems to be a bad cold/virus. I can't remember when our entire family has passed an illness around and had us all ill, so whatever we have had is very contagious. None of us has felt ill enough to go to the doctor, and none of us have registered a fever, although we all felt like we had one.

 

No fever here either *but felt like I had one*. Strangest feeling.

 

I'd bet my last dollar that you've had H1N1.

 

Katherine

[Heather in Neverland]

What's weird for me is that I AM a big worrier but I don't worry too much about the swine flu and I am not sure why. It might be because we live in southeast asia and they are HYPER about it...people wearing masks wherever you go, it's in the papers every day, shutting down schools left and right, etc. Maybe compared to everyone here I have a more laid-back attitude? We have a cough going through our family right now. No other symptoms. Just a cough. I thought with no fever we are OK. Maybe not?

[Joker]

I didn't think I was worried that much about the swine flu, but... this afternoon we spent a few hours in the ER and I was very uncomfortable. There were people everywhere in masks and they looked soooo sick. I told my dd's to sit and not touch anything. I am suddenly nervous about the upcoming flu season and will probably take extra precautions.

[chiguirre]

I think we've had it too, but the symptoms were so mild it didn't occur to me that it could be h1n1 until I saw the thread on it yesterday. I thought I had a mild summer cold which dh picked up. Dd just had a stuffy nose for 2 days and ds2 had a very brief bout of feeling feverish (with no fever!), threw up once and woke up the next morning feeling fine. Ds1 didn't act sick at all, but he has to feel pretty bad or have more visible symptoms for me to know he's sick. The kids were over it in 2 days (one day getting sick and one day getting better). Dh and I had mild cold symptoms for about a week each.

 

On the down side, since it didn't occur to me that it could be h1n1 we've been out and about, only staying home for the day that ds2 didn't feel well. Nobody else was ever sick enough to miss work or school or not run our normal errands. If I'd seen a warning that symptoms could be so mild, I wouldn't have gone out on unnecessary errands. I'm not sure what we would have done with dh taking sick days or ds1 missing school. Ds1 never had any of the criteria on the list for missing school and dh has never stayed home sick for a mild cold. Maybe it's better that I didn't know it could be h1n1.

 

I do think that if you are vulnerable, you should take serious precautions because there will be lots of people who don't realize they have h1n1. They're just not that sick and don't associate what they have with what's on the news, KWIM.

[cillakat]

ds2 had a very brief bout of feeling feverish (with no fever!),

 

 

I had that too. So did my 7 yo. Because she kept telling me, "I feel like I have a fever" I checked her temp multiple times.....nary a fever in sight. But now I know exactly what she was describing.

 

Katherine

[StephinAL]

Well, I wasn't worried until I heard about an 11yo boy in Scottsboro that died last week (I live in NE AL, about 30 minutes N of Scottsboro). I didn't hear about that mom though. My husband and daughter work and attend school in Chattanooga, TN and they have confirmed cases at their university and are telling the kids if they are sick not to come to class and their absence won't be counted against them. I don't want to stay home, but the germ phobe in me is trying to surface.

[elegantlion]

I wouldn't be surprised if I just had it as well. I tend to get sick easily and this just felt different than anything I've had in long time. It started as a sore throat and mild cough, only had low grade fever, chills, and exhaustion. I slept for almost an entire week. My dh never got sick, my ds had a cough for a few days and he's better. I'm still getting over it.

 

It's hard to describe put this illness felt different for some reason. And it came on quickly too. Usually I can feel something coming on for a few days.

 

There have been two recent deaths in our state. Both were adult males.

 

ETA: Link to DHH report confirming H1N1 as cause of death.

Edited September 6, 2009 by elegantlion

[Jennifer in MI]

Weird. Dh and I have had colds lately. Runny nose, headache, eyes watering, and a wheezy cough. Just last night I told him I felt like I had a fever, yet didn't. I wonder if it's a mild version. I hope so!! Get it overwith.

 

I am a HUGE worrier. HUGE!! But, I am choosing not to worry about this more than I would any other flu. I'm prepared. We're taking supplements to strengthen our immune system like we do every September. We're eating well. But, I just can't worry about it. If I did, it would take over my life and I just can't go there.

[starwarsmomma]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only worrier.

[LizzyBee]

At Washington State University, they think 2,000 students have it. But so far, no fatalities, just mild flu symptoms for 3-5 days.

[Ibbygirl]

So do they know yet why some people die and others don't? Do the ones who die have the mild forms too? If so what does them in??

[Mommyof4ks]

Hmmm...after reading this thread I wonder if we had it last month. We all had cold symptoms without a fever, but nothing warranting a trip to the doc, not even the immune compromised kiddo or the asthma kiddo. I thought is was a cold or maybe allergies (though allergies in August is unheard of in our family). Two of them slept for 4 hours one afternoon which never happens unless they are sick, but I really thought nothing of it since they were not very sick.

[Mommyof4ks]

So do they know yet why some people die and others don't? Do the ones who die have the mild forms too? If so what does them in??

 

I don't know in general, but the man in our area that died ended up with pneumonia as a secondary infection and did not go to the doctor.

[Ibbygirl]

I don't know in general, but the man in our area that died ended up with pneumonia as a secondary infection and did not go to the doctor.

 

:( That's so sad. That's what I worry about with myself tbh. I never go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. I usually like to wait and see if things clear up first, but the talk of that lady who died in a 24 hour period is jarring. But then how do you know if you have it or not kwim? I mean, isn't going to the doctor if you don't really have it a risk in itself of being around people in the waiting room who probably do??

 

Oh and I'm not asking you directly. hehe More wondering aloud really. Don't feel like you have to answer all of my questions. :D

[fivetails]

but the talk of that lady who died in a 24 hour period is jarring.

 

There's been more than one of those. For some reason, this seems to strike certain people down VERY quickly. Sure, there have been some who lingered on, breathing via ventilators and stuff, for weeks - but there are others who got sick and died within a day or two.

[Heather in AL]

In our area, we've heard of a few cases here and there, schools even closed for a week last winter due to 3 cases....however, just the past two weeks I have run into 5 different families that have been hit by the swine flu....most tragic is a 49 year old mom who used to homeschool with our group who felt bad last week, in one day she died....no report yet to confirm if she had flu....but she was very healthy, very active and as far as I know had no underlying illness....will I start wearing a mask? I'm not sure...has anyone else seen an increase in reports over just the past 3 weeks since school has started back up??

 

Tara

 

Hi Tara,

 

Do you have more info on the lady who died? I heard nothing about it, but then I keep missing the news and only get the Sunday paper. I did, however, read about the poor 11yo in Scottsboro. From what I heard from someone who supposedly knows the family (insert grain of salt here), he had NO underlying illness and was the picture of health. This flu scares me.

 

FWIW, I'm in Madison and there was a confirmed case within the first week at one of the elem schools, with 20+ more suspected. I would assume that it's worse now that school has been back in for a few weeks. I *did* hear on the news that one of the schools (Whitesburg) had 135+ kids call in sick with flu-like symptoms sometime last week, I believe. This flu scares me for the only reason that it seems to hit those of us not normally predisposed to illness. I've never had the flu and never had a flu shot, but I'm thinking long and hard about starting to get them this year....

 

My condolences go out to the lady from your hs group and her family. So sad.

[Bev in B'ville]

My son came home from camp this summer with the swine flu (the camp had 128 confirmed cases). The day he came home I got a prescription for him for Tamiflu. While the symptoms were bad for a few days, he recovered nicely. I'd say it was probably a week of symptoms and a week of recovery (lethargy, etc.). Now, had he not been at camp and exhausted, he may have recovered more quickly. My son has allergy induced asthma and while he had a cough that took longer to recover from, it never got too bad.

 

Of course, the flu made its way through my family and with the help of Tamiflu we've all recovered relatively quickly. My husband ended up on antibiotics for an ear infection that wouldn't go away. I highly recommend Tamiflu. It lessens the duration of the flu so while I felt horrible for a couple of days and kept a fever of 103, it could have been worse.

[Ibbygirl]

There's been more than one of those. For some reason, this seems to strike certain people down VERY quickly. Sure, there have been some who lingered on, breathing via ventilators and stuff, for weeks - but there are others who got sick and died within a day or two.

 

That is SO scary!! :eek: But all the ones who died, they got very sick, very fast, no?? I mean, the ones who died didn't have mild symptoms, no?

[Earth Angel_79]

Geez, now I'm wondering if our family also had it. The kids started with fevers early in the week and had runny noses. Not much coughing from them...then dh and I caught "it" (whatever it is) and we've had body aches, lethargy, head and chest congestion. The chest congestion is the worst with reeeeeaally tight croupy coughs. I just figured it was a cold mixed with seasonal allergies, but if I think about it, colds rarely have body aches associated with them (at least not for me). However, influenza doesn't usually have head congestion, right? If it was indeed a flu strain it was much milder than the one we caught a couple years ago. I'd be glad to be done with it!

My heart really goes out to those who have lost someone. Is it the case with normal seasonal influenza that seemingly healthy people can die suddenly too?

[ma23peas]

Hi Tara,

 

Do you have more info on the lady who died? I heard nothing about it, but then I keep missing the news and only get the Sunday paper.

 

Heather, I don't know anything yet, I am taking food to their family on Thursday...I will keep you posted. I think it was so sudden and there was only a mention of her funeral which was Saturday in the paper. We live in Toney...we go to church at Hope Church in Madison..her children homeschooled when we first moved here but are at Westminster now...no one knows yet what happened other than she was really sick and stayed home...her son even stayed home to help care for her.. I'm with Way Home...

 

I know the prayers will help the family immensely! This weekend all three of my children had a bout with runs/stomach upset that lasted 12 hours..could not have been food poisoing because they each had it 24 hours after the last one...luckily Dad and I avoided it...so much going on!

 

Hope everyone stays well!

Tara

[Ibbygirl]

Geez, now I'm wondering if our family also had it. The kids started with fevers early in the week and had runny noses. Not much coughing from them...then dh and I caught "it" (whatever it is) and we've had body aches, lethargy, head and chest congestion. The chest congestion is the worst with reeeeeaally tight croupy coughs. I just figured it was a cold mixed with seasonal allergies, but if I think about it, colds rarely have body aches associated with them (at least not for me). However, influenza doesn't usually have head congestion, right? If it was indeed a flu strain it was much milder than the one we caught a couple years ago. I'd be glad to be done with it!

My heart really goes out to those who have lost someone. Is it the case with normal seasonal influenza that seemingly healthy people can die suddenly too?

 

Is runny nose a symptom too?? My son has a cold right now with a runny nose and a cough. It seems just like a regular cold to me though. He has no fever and the cough is like how he always has when he has a cold. I would hate to take him to the dr's if he doesn't have the flu and risk being exposed there to kids who do. :(

[chaik76]

Well, I wasn't worried until I heard about an 11yo boy in Scottsboro that died last week (I live in NE AL, about 30 minutes N of Scottsboro). I didn't hear about that mom though. My husband and daughter work and attend school in Chattanooga, TN and they have confirmed cases at their university and are telling the kids if they are sick not to come to class and their absence won't be counted against them. I don't want to stay home, but the germ phobe in me is trying to surface.

The college my dh works at is leaving it up to the professors. They are allowed to count the absences against the kids if they want. How this will work out I have no idea...and I think it's a bad idea. Some of the classes right now have zero absence policies...one absence and you fail. I think kids will end up going to those classes even if they are sick...what a dumb idea!

 

On the other hand, I'm not that worried about our family. We're likely to get it...as I said, my dh is a college professor. But, there's no point worrying what I can't avoid.

[TraceyS/FL]

Is runny nose a symptom too?? My son has a cold right now with a runny nose and a cough. It seems just like a regular cold to me though. He has no fever and the cough is like how he always has when he has a cold. I would hate to take him to the dr's if he doesn't have the flu and risk being exposed there to kids who do. :(

 

That is kinda where i am - the youngest started first and acted like she was getting something for a few days (messes up her eating/sleeping cycle), then she woke up with a sore throat in the middle of the night. That persisted the next day and the runny/stuffy nose started. She isn't really coughing - but has had an off and on fever.

 

The middle one says she is coughing and has the stuffy nose side and off and on fever.

 

Laast night the 13yo said her throat hurt and she's now congested.

 

I'm congested and taking sudafed - and have been that way since last week though.

 

I'm torn on the - is it swine flu, or something else. The kids history says it is probably something else. But the swine flu says it could be it too.

 

I have no clue what to do (see my "what appointments to cancel" thread).

 

I'm just operating under the "it's the swine flu" thinking, and really though, my keeping the kids home isn't any different than before....

[LizzyBee]

Of course' date=' the flu made its way through my family and with the help of Tamiflu we've all recovered relatively quickly. My husband ended up on antibiotics for an ear infection that wouldn't go away. I highly recommend Tamiflu. It lessens the duration of the flu so while I felt horrible for a couple of days and kept a fever of 103, it could have been worse.[/quote']

 

According to the CDC website, swine flu is resistant to Tamiflu, so if we know the flu we have is H1N1, there is no point in taking it. If we tested positive for Type A flu but didn't know which specific type, I'd go ahead and take Tamiflu in case it's not H1N1.

 

Are doctor's offices testing for H1N1 now? Late last spring, my sister tested positive for Type A, but it took 3 weeks to find out it wasn't swine flu. Samples had to be sent to the CDC. But it sounds like people are now finding out quickly whether their flu is swine flu or not.

[Tree House Academy]

According to the CDC website, swine flu is resistant to Tamiflu, so if we know the flu we have is H1N1, there is no point in taking it. If we tested positive for Type A flu but didn't know which specific type, I'd go ahead and take Tamiflu in case it's not H1N1.

 

Are doctor's offices testing for H1N1 now? Late last spring, my sister tested positive for Type A, but it took 3 weeks to find out it wasn't swine flu. Samples had to be sent to the CDC. But it sounds like people are now finding out quickly whether their flu is swine flu or not.

 

To my knowledge, this is not correct. v There are a few resistant cases of H1N1, but overall, tamiflu is still working for the majority of the H1N1 out there.

[The Girls' Mom]

We've had confirmed cases here in the Knoxville/Clinton area too.

 

My thoughts are that it's often presenting as a cold virus type illness the majority of the time, but is highly contagious. In our area we had a few confirmed cases, and then very quickly nearly everyone in our area is sick with this cold virus thing. And I mean nearly EVERYONE within a week or so. You go to the grocery store and the baggers are coughing on your groceries, the butcher is coughing on your meat, the church sounds like a TB ward. Makes me wonder....

 

The upside is, most people seem to only have symptoms comparible to a bad cold. My entire family has had it. My dh has been fighting it for over a week, while I was really sick for about 2 days and then fine. My dd12 developed pneumonia. None of us ran a fever over 100. We've not had any tests to see if it was H1N1.

[Ibbygirl]

That is kinda where i am - the youngest started first and acted like she was getting something for a few days (messes up her eating/sleeping cycle), then she woke up with a sore throat in the middle of the night. That persisted the next day and the runny/stuffy nose started. She isn't really coughing - but has had an off and on fever.

 

The middle one says she is coughing and has the stuffy nose side and off and on fever.

 

Laast night the 13yo said her throat hurt and she's now congested.

 

I'm congested and taking sudafed - and have been that way since last week though.

 

I'm torn on the - is it swine flu, or something else. The kids history says it is probably something else. But the swine flu says it could be it too.

 

I have no clue what to do (see my "what appointments to cancel" thread).

 

I'm just operating under the "it's the swine flu" thinking, and really though, my keeping the kids home isn't any different than before....

 

I know what you mean. It's not so cut and dry as it seems. But even if the kids had a mild form of the swine flu presenting hardly any symptoms, if the symptoms did not worsen and they got well after a time would a trip to the doctor even be necessary?? I mean, if they don't get really sick and only ever have mild symptoms and then get well, do they need to go to the doc to say yes this was swine flu or not it was not? If the kid is well, what can the doctor do for them other than verify what the illness was?

Edited September 7, 2009 by Ibbygirl

[fivetails]

The college my dh works at is leaving it up to the professors. They are allowed to count the absences against the kids if they want. How this will work out I have no idea...and I think it's a bad idea. Some of the classes right now have zero absence policies...one absence and you fail. I think kids will end up going to those classes even if they are sick...what a dumb idea!

 

 

It's the same for many people with their workplaces ~ lots of people will continue going to to work, even sick, because they fear losing their jobs, not being able to pay their rent, stuff like that. Not all employers will give someone a week off with pay.

[TraceyS/FL]

I keep reading that "kids" are carriers up to 3 weeks.

 

That part scares me because my Dad is immuno-compromised, and my grandma is too to an extent. So if the kids have it, that means they probably should NOT be around them for the next 3 weeks... and great grandma is only in town for 4 weeks. At 87 who knows how many more trips she can make out this way.

 

UGH.

 

But we are missing a few key aspects - no one is sleeping a bunch, and DD now says it really hurts to turn her head one direction. But that is it on the aches.

[Tree House Academy]

We've had confirmed cases here in the Knoxville/Clinton area too.

 

My thoughts are that it's often presenting as a cold virus type illness the majority of the time, but is highly contagious. In our area we had a few confirmed cases, and then very quickly nearly everyone in our area is sick with this cold virus thing. And I mean nearly EVERYONE within a week or so. You go to the grocery store and the baggers are coughing on your groceries, the butcher is coughing on your meat, the church sounds like a TB ward. Makes me wonder....

 

The upside is, most people seem to only have symptoms comparible to a bad cold. My entire family has had it. My dh has been fighting it for over a week, while I was really sick for about 2 days and then fine. My dd12 developed pneumonia. None of us ran a fever over 100. We've not had any tests to see if it was H1N1.

 

Yep...my mom is in Alcoa and they closed schools in Blount County early last week because their attendance rate had already dropped by 30%. In my area, the cases of swine flu are still few and far between. There is some in this area, but not the BOOM like there has been in the larger areas. It is getting worse, though.

 

I really think that this mother who died in a matter of hours likely developed bacteria meningitis. Even if she started with the flu, meningitis is one of the complications in rare cases and is one of the only illnesses I know where the person often dies within hours of infection. That is so tragic. That family is in my prayers.

[Bev in B'ville]

According to the CDC website, swine flu is resistant to Tamiflu, so if we know the flu we have is H1N1, there is no point in taking it. If we tested positive for Type A flu but didn't know which specific type, I'd go ahead and take Tamiflu in case it's not H1N1.

 

Are doctor's offices testing for H1N1 now? Late last spring, my sister tested positive for Type A, but it took 3 weeks to find out it wasn't swine flu. Samples had to be sent to the CDC. But it sounds like people are now finding out quickly whether their flu is swine flu or not.

 

 

It was the CDC personnl who recommended my son (and all the other sick campers) take Tamiflu. They were very involved in my son's summer camp experience due to the high number of kids who contracted the swine flu.

[Earth Angel_79]

We've had confirmed cases here in the Knoxville/Clinton area too.

 

My thoughts are that it's often presenting as a cold virus type illness the majority of the time, but is highly contagious. In our area we had a few confirmed cases, and then very quickly nearly everyone in our area is sick with this cold virus thing. And I mean nearly EVERYONE within a week or so. You go to the grocery store and the baggers are coughing on your groceries, the butcher is coughing on your meat, the church sounds like a TB ward. Makes me wonder....

 

The upside is, most people seem to only have symptoms comparible to a bad cold. My entire family has had it. My dh has been fighting it for over a week, while I was really sick for about 2 days and then fine. My dd12 developed pneumonia. None of us ran a fever over 100. We've not had any tests to see if it was H1N1.

 

That is how it seems here too -- BAM everyone has this thing (whatever it might be). It is curious.

It does just seem to be equatable to a very bad cold. Hmmmm...

 

As for going to get meds at the Dr. -- I'm generally for staying as far away from those offices as possible. My kids got sick the weekend after we were there (we were there on a Monday, so I'm not sure it would've stuck around that long or not....guess I need to take some classes on germ transmission :lol:). I know that unless you get Tamiflu withing 48-72 hrs it won't do a lick of good anyway. I used to work at a pharmacy and that is what the (very knowledgeable) pharmacist used to always tell customers.

As for runny noses and the flu...I don't think that is typical of the flu. Coughing, body aches, fevers/chills, and lethargy are hallmarks of the flu. Never anything gastrointestinal, but I don't know much about swine flu as I was trying to stay away from the media hype.

[TraceyS/FL]

As for runny noses and the flu...I don't think that is typical of the flu. Coughing, body aches, fevers/chills, and lethargy are hallmarks of the flu. Never anything gastrointestinal, but I don't know much about swine flu as I was trying to stay away from the media hype.

 

It's not typical in it's presentation....

 

From the CDC FAQ:

 

What are the signs and symptoms of this virus in people?

The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Severe illnesses and death has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.

[Earth Angel_79]

It's not typical in it's presentation....

 

From the CDC FAQ:

 

Huh! Sounds like the flu, a cold, and stomach bug all rolled into one! Wonderful....

[funschooler5]

I'm hoping my whole family had this in July, but I'm not sure...we had no cold-like symptoms, just fever and vomiting and/or diahrrea. I know it wasn't food poisoning, because DS was the first one to get it. He was in bed for three days, and normally you have to keep telling him to lay down when he's sick. Then, a week later, my youngest DD got it. A few days after that, DH, oldest DD, and I had it at the same time. DH and I were in bed for three days...we could barely move. We were feverish, exhausted, and couldn't keep any food down.

 

I'm really hoping we had swine flu....it was very bad.

[fivetails]

There's been more than one of those. For some reason, this seems to strike certain people down VERY quickly. Sure, there have been some who lingered on, breathing via ventilators and stuff, for weeks - but there are others who got sick and died within a day or two.

 

That is SO scary!! :eek: But all the ones who died, they got very sick, very fast, no?? I mean, the ones who died didn't have mild symptoms, no?

 

Here's one I read just earlier today...note the timeframe...

 

FAIRBANKS -- Doctors have confirmed a 10-year-old Hunter Elementary School student who died Friday is Alaska's second fatal case of swine flu.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the school district in Fairbanks withheld the child’s name because of medical privacy laws and respect for his family. But health officials said “definitive tests” confirm the presence of swine flu in the boy, whose health declined rapidly after he grew ill Thursday morning until his death at an Anchorage hospital at roughly 10:30 Friday night.

 

 

Health officials said today they confirmed the boy had swine flu late Saturday night after studying lab specimens at a public health laboratory in Anchorage. Beth Funk, a state epidemiologist, said they’ve also learned another child, of roughly the same age, was recently transferred from Fairbanks to Providence hospital in Anchorage with flu symptoms. That child, however, was “doing well” and, a Providence administrator said, was still being treated there as of Saturday night.

 

 

Deborah Erickson, the state’s acting public health director, said everyone — including state and municipal workers and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium — involved in the boy’s case acted “promptly ... to do everything they could.”

 

 

Alaska is one of six states reporting “widespread influenza activity,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Erickson said she believes that means cases have been reported from various geographic regions of the state.

 

 

The other states reporting “widespread” cases of swine flu are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. It’s unusual, the CDC reported on its Web site Friday, to have such widespread flu activity in August.

 

The Hunter student, healthy before symptoms began last week, was sent home from school Thursday, Funk said. Family members later took him to a private urgent care center for an anti-viral prescription drug and then took him home. But he was admitted to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital shortly after midnight, and his condition “deteriorated rapidly” prior to a flight to Anchorage and unsuccessful treatment there, she said.

 

 

link

[Ibbygirl]

Here's one I read just earlier today...note the timeframe...

 

FAIRBANKS -- Doctors have confirmed a 10-year-old Hunter Elementary School student who died Friday is Alaska's second fatal case of swine flu.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and the school district in Fairbanks withheld the child’s name because of medical privacy laws and respect for his family. But health officials said “definitive tests†confirm the presence of swine flu in the boy, whose health declined rapidly after he grew ill Thursday morning until his death at an Anchorage hospital at roughly 10:30 Friday night.

 

 

Health officials said today they confirmed the boy had swine flu late Saturday night after studying lab specimens at a public health laboratory in Anchorage. Beth Funk, a state epidemiologist, said they’ve also learned another child, of roughly the same age, was recently transferred from Fairbanks to Providence hospital in Anchorage with flu symptoms. That child, however, was “doing well†and, a Providence administrator said, was still being treated there as of Saturday night.

 

 

Deborah Erickson, the state’s acting public health director, said everyone — including state and municipal workers and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium — involved in the boy’s case acted “promptly ... to do everything they could.â€

 

 

Alaska is one of six states reporting “widespread influenza activity,†according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Erickson said she believes that means cases have been reported from various geographic regions of the state.

 

 

The other states reporting “widespread†cases of swine flu are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina. It’s unusual, the CDC reported on its Web site Friday, to have such widespread flu activity in August.

 

The Hunter student, healthy before symptoms began last week, was sent home from school Thursday, Funk said. Family members later took him to a private urgent care center for an anti-viral prescription drug and then took him home. But he was admitted to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital shortly after midnight, and his condition “deteriorated rapidly†prior to a flight to Anchorage and unsuccessful treatment there, she said.

 

 

link

 

 

That is so sad!! That poor boy and his family! I reckon it is safe to say then that the form of the flu that he had didn't respond to the Tamiflu?? I would think that is what they gave him when he was first seen. So sad! This will be a tough fall/winter this year. :(

[fivetails]

and here's another fairly rapid one that happened in my province...

 

The New Zealand man who died in a Calgary hospital Thursday of complications from swine flu likely contracted the illness before he arrived in Canada, Alberta's top doctor said Friday.

"Based on the incubation period that we know runs at two to four days, he would have acquired this shortly before leaving or even possibly on the plane itself but … it's impossible to say," said chief medical officer of health Dr. André Corriveau.

 

 

The man was the father of a competitor at the WorldSkills competition in Calgary. He arrived in Canada on Aug. 28 and became ill shortly afterward.

"The symptoms developed within the following day and then evolved progressively from there to a point where on the second of September the man came to the emergency room and was immediately taken into care," Corriveau said.

The man died in hospital Thursday morning. Swine flu was confirmed through a lab test that afternoon.

 

 

link

 

 

He took sick around the 29/30(They don't say exact) - was hospitalized on Sept 2 and died on Sept 3rd.