lovinglife Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We have what seems to be the virus from Hades at our house. It appears to be influenza, but despite three separate dr. visits they haven't swabbed to confirm. It strikes with high fevers, headache, stomach ache, chills, aches, runny nose and cough. Then it progresses into worsening cough/croup and sticks around for days and days. DD, who was the first to get it last Thursday, is on day 9 of fever (there was a one day break this week). Oldest ds seems to have escaped with a very mild version but it is hitting everyone else like a ton of bricks. Has anyone else experienced a virus this vicious before? We thought everyone would be well by Christmas, but it looks like that won't happen! And when someone has had a fever that long, when do you worry about secondary infections etc.? This is crazy stuff. Wondering if it's regional or what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I am really surprised, shocked even, that they haven't tested for flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My one year old got something nasty - fever, hacking cough, puking, everything. She has a low WBC count too so we're having to watch her really closely to make sure her fever doesn't get too high. Hope she gets over it quickly, she was barely able to sleep last night. Hope your family recovers quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinglife Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 I am really surprised, shocked even, that they haven't tested for flu. Me too! I can't decide whether the doctors are idiots, or they think we are idiots. After 11 years of raising children I don't run into the dr. for every little thing. They said DD probably has the flu on day 5, but didn't swab her and I've brought two siblings in who developed symptoms later (youngest ds is only two and has asthma so I'm careful with him) to see about getting tamiflu and they didn't test and refused to consider treatment. I usually like our doctors but I'm pretty annoyed at the moment. I spent half the night watching my asthmatics labored breathing and wondering if it was going to get worse. Fiona, I hope your daughter recovers quickly! The WBC issue would make things more scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Why no flu test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 You have asthmatics in the house AND the doctor didn't test for flu OR offer tamiflu? I would be absolutely furious, WOW. Do you see a pulmonologist? Do you have a pulse ox reader? Can you see a different doctor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinglife Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 I don't know- wondering if it's a thing here. Or if instead of ASKING about it you are supposed to beg and bribe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I have heard there are tamiflu shortages. Just wondering if the doc maybe figured a flu test wouldn't matter if he couldn't offer a tamiflu rx that could be filled. Just guessing on that - seems crazy to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Locally they are no longer bothering to test for flu. They are saying if it looks like flu, assume it is. Also the doc (he was from Mayo) said they no longer recommend giving Tamiflu to healthy people. He said that at best it knocks a day off the disease and they are starting to worry that the flu virus will mutate to become Tamiflu resistant because of overuse. That sounds awful. I hope you feel better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My youngest had something like that a couple of weeks ago. A fever for almost a week, aches, so much congestion, so much tiredness, so much coughing. It kept him out of school for an entire two weeks when he's rarely missed a day for illness. It was nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Sounds totally like the flu to me! Get well soon! :grouphug: Any fever over 5-6 days here has been the flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 My nieces and nephews have a flu-like virus (they actually tested negative for flu). Fever for 5-7 days, hacking coughs, fatigue, aches, congestion. No fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinglife Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Locally they are no longer bothering to test for flu. They are saying if it looks like flu, assume it is. Also the doc (he was from Mayo) said they no longer recommend giving Tamiflu to healthy people. He said that at best it knocks a day off the disease and they are starting to worry that the flu virus will mutate to become Tamiflu resistant because of overuse. That sounds awful. I hope you feel better soon. That makes sense- I think the Dr. said something similar, DH took the children so I heard secondhand. He said they won't prescribe it unless you are on your deathbed, but I was surprised they didn't do something for my asthmatic. I'm hoping we can ride it out uneventfully. Poor little guy was breathing quickly and grunting last night. We don't see a pulmonologist, just a ped. and don't have a pulse ox machine, but I do sometimes use an old fashioned stethoscope to keep an eye on chest sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We've had Congestion from Hades, turned Triple Double Ear Infections and multiple rounds of antibiotics. Hope y'all are on the up and up soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinglife Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Two more random things- I hate 'liking' the posts where you share your sick experiences, but I appreciate you sharing and hope you find health soon as well! And we all got our flu shots this year- of all the bum luck. I'll get them next year again, but knowing all too well that they are not foolproof ( ; And this came 1 week after 2 dd's were diagnosed with strep. They have missed SO MUCH school, I'm wishing we were still homeschooling ( : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 (edited) . Edited November 19, 2015 by Love Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 That makes sense- I think the Dr. said something similar, DH took the children so I heard secondhand. He said they won't prescribe it unless you are on your deathbed, but I was surprised they didn't do something for my asthmatic. I'm hoping we can ride it out uneventfully. Poor little guy was breathing quickly and grunting last night. We don't see a pulmonologist, just a ped. and don't have a pulse ox machine, but I do sometimes use an old fashioned stethoscope to keep an eye on chest sounds. That is surprising. Poor guy. :( I have one with asthma, too. I hope tonight is a better one for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 That makes sense- I think the Dr. said something similar, DH took the children so I heard secondhand. He said they won't prescribe it unless you are on your deathbed, but I was surprised they didn't do something for my asthmatic. I'm hoping we can ride it out uneventfully. Poor little guy was breathing quickly and grunting last night. We don't see a pulmonologist, just a ped. and don't have a pulse ox machine, but I do sometimes use an old fashioned stethoscope to keep an eye on chest sounds. The quote function is being wonky. Trying to edit from my phone. I have one similar to this, they are only around $20-25. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004BJT9OE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419020605&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We all have "it" too. Our ped did not swab for flu. He said there's flu & a non-flu thing going around. Tx is the same: supportive care at home. He actually said the flu is the better of the two this time around. It's less severe than usual & not lasting as long as the non-flu variant. He said go home, go to bed, make sure to eat, drink & rest. You'll know in a couple of days if it is flu or not. If it's flu you'll all be getting a little better within 3ish days. If it's not flu, it'll linger longer. It was really sudden onset, fever, cough cough cough, congestion, aches, pains, fatigue. Really just the whole 9 yards :(. ETA one of mine gets croupy with every respiratory illness. We're watching him closely. The squeakiness & voice changes stress me out b/c I know what they can become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We have had it. I started with a cough day after Thanksgiving that 24 hours later turned into fever/chills/exhaustion and worsening cough. Fever lasted about 3 days, exhaustion about a week, cough is still there periodically. I called the doctor over the first weekend and he said it wasn't flu because it would have started with the fever rather than the cough. My husband and daughter came down with it the following Tuesday, but they didn't get the fever/chills portion, they got more congestion than I did. My daughter ended up with acute lymphadenitis (infected lymph glands under the jaw) from it and is on antibiotics, which is helping a lot. We're finally getting back to being able to be social. It was bad enough that my husband was out of work Wed-Fri of that week, then worked from home on the next Monday, only made it half a day at the office on Tuesday---totally knocked all of us flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We have something rather nasty going through our house too. I'm on day five with only mild improvement, and coughing so hard I've just about strained myself. Fevers, nausea, chills, congestion, horrible aches and chills have hit all of us except dh. I have lost 7 lbs this week just because of this thing. We haven't been to the doctor because there are SO many things hitting our area right now, I am afraid of picking up something else while we are already down. Lots of tea, rest and mucinex here. I hope your family starts feeling better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 We've had the stomach bug from Hades. It lasted close to a week and caused an intense amount of pain. Now we all have a small cold, but not the flu, not yet. I'm dreading it. It seems like we get it every year for Christmas. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 We have been tested for flu and it came back negative. I am on my second week of missing almost a full week of work. My kids and husband are all sickly, too. I had been excited abut Christmas, but not any more. I just want to be well enough to not cough every few minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 We have something nasty. Fever, sore throat, cough, exhaustion. It has moved through the whole family, which is rare for us. I finally got it today and I have more of a head cold with it than the others did. It has really hung on, too. We don't get sick often and usually bounce back quickly but this one really got us down. We haven't been to doc because dh is out of work and our insurance doesn't cover sick visits. I did wonder if it was the flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 We are recovering from the stomach bug from hades. It started with one dd & within a few hours the rest of us had it. It came fast & furious. I have never been so sick! It's been 2 days & we can hardly eat & can only take little sips of liquid. The flu/non flu sounds awful! I hope we avoid that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I spent half the night watching my asthmatics labored breathing and wondering if it was going to get worse. WTHeck? Sorry, I have asthma. Yes, I think the doctors are idiots. Time for a new doctor. I'm really angry for you and your poor sick kiddos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stansclan89 Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Mine started Monday night. I have had 3 days of constant fever, then today it was on and off--mostly off. All the other symptoms you guys have listed also except the stomach bug thing. How much longer am I going to have no energy? I'm not quite done Christmas shopping. I did go out today and buy milk and frozen stuff the kids could make for themselves in the microwave. I had absolutely no energy and was practically laying on the cart, but we needed something to eat. (Dh is out of town) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 Egads! Y'all are making me nervous. With 10 kids we will surely get it this winter. Hope everyone is feeling better very soon :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 We are finally over the fevers ~ thank goodness. Fatigue & cough linger, sore throat kicked in. I don't know about y'all's communities but ours is literally a cesspool of virus right now. It is unbelievable. There is an incredible amount of sickness out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Did you get flu shots? I am wondering how well it protects this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Did you get flu shots? I am wondering how well it protects this year. I'm too lazy right now to confirm this, but my DH said that the shots this year don't match the virus that's going around. You know how it works, right? They try their best to anticipate which flu strain will be out in the winter and make the vaccines based on their educated guesses. Well, this year they guessed wrong. There are strains out there that the flu shot won't protect you against. But I only know that from listening to my DH talk about an article he read, so it could be all wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I am so sorry for all of you dealing with illness. Take care of yourselves. I hope you all get well soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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