LizzyBee Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 My youngest sister lives in Texas and has influenza type A. She'll know in a week whether it's the swine flu. Guess where she works? In a school! She's not only been at her school while sick, but she went to a different school yesterday and today to administer the TAKS test. I asked her if they're going to shut down the schools, and she said they might - the decision hasn't been made yet. This morning, her principal was telling her to go to the doctor and get checked out so they can close the school. He's really dedicated to education, huh? :glare: The reason she went to school is because she had tonsillitus and has had a round of antibiotics, so she didn't realize she'd caught the flu on top of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Oh man! I hope it continues with the trend of being mild and that she is well very soon. I think the schools are under a LOT of pressure right now, and I'm sure it would be a load off just to close. Sending get well wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 With all due respect, I'm sure the principal wanted your sister to do the responsible thing: find out asap if she has the flu. If she does have it, he does need to close the school(s) as soon as possible to try to halt the further spread of the illness. He sounds like a wise man to me. I hope your sister feels better. RIa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 My youngest sister lives in Texas and has influenza type A. She'll know in a week whether it's the swine flu. Guess where she works? In a school! She's not only been at her school while sick, but she went to a different school yesterday and today to administer the TAKS test. I asked her if they're going to shut down the schools, and she said they might - the decision hasn't been made yet. This morning, her principal was telling her to go to the doctor and get checked out so they can close the school. He's really dedicated to education, huh? :glare: The reason she went to school is because she had tonsillitus and has had a round of antibiotics, so she didn't realize she'd caught the flu on top of that. Wait. My neighbors' 4 kids have the flu. She told me Wed night she was going to go to the dr Thurs AM to have them tested. Thurs night she told me it was "Type A, so we know it's not Swine Flu." That fast. And A, not H1. So...are you saying she's wrong & they might really have H1? Not that we're headed over there to share drinks or anything, just makes a...psychological difference? Although my 2yo did jump out of the stroller & run to meet them in their yard on...Tues? Earlier in the week when they were still symptomatic but not to the dr yet. (My mom doesn't use the buckles on *anything.* :glare:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 Wait. My neighbors' 4 kids have the flu. She told me Wed night she was going to go to the dr Thurs AM to have them tested. Thurs night she told me it was "Type A, so we know it's not Swine Flu." That fast. And A, not H1. So...are you saying she's wrong & they might really have H1? Not that we're headed over there to share drinks or anything, just makes a...psychological difference? Although my 2yo did jump out of the stroller & run to meet them in their yard on...Tues? Earlier in the week when they were still symptomatic but not to the dr yet. (My mom doesn't use the buckles on *anything.* :glare:) Well, all I know is that my sister's dr said Type A and they'd know in a week if it's swine flu; and I read somewhere either on this board or in a news article that the swine flu is a Type A flu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy in IL Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 H1 is a type of influenza A. Unless the doctors found the subtype for your neighbor's children, it could be H1. I hope that no matter what type of flu it is they are better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Type A is a broader category. H1N1 falls in that category, but it takes a while to get the typing results back. So, sorry, but it could be H1N1. I don't think they'd have the results on that if she just went yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 H1 is a type A. I don't think they can find out that fast. I think once it is tested as "A" then they send it on for testing as to whether it is H1N1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 With all due respect, I'm sure the principal wanted your sister to do the responsible thing: find out asap if she has the flu. If she does have it, he does need to close the school(s) as soon as possible to try to halt the further spread of the illness. He sounds like a wise man to me. I hope your sister feels better. RIa The way she described the conversation, he just wants some extra time off. However, I do understand the need to keep this contained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshinkevich Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 My friends dad tested positive for Type A, so they sent it off to CDC, where it came back positive for swine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 I hope my post isn't causing anyone undue stress. I should have thought about that before I posted. In spite of having the flu, my sister went to school, went to the doctor, picked up her prescription, and was doing laundry when I talked to her. So if it is the swine flu, it seems relatively mild as far as the flu goes. Of course, I know for people who are in the high risk categories, it is more worrisome and hopefully there will be a vaccine soon. I saw in the news yesterday that the drug companies are trying a technique that will allow them to have the vaccine ready in 10-12 weeks rather than 4-6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Wait. My neighbors' 4 kids have the flu. She told me Wed night she was going to go to the dr Thurs AM to have them tested. Thurs night she told me it was "Type A, so we know it's not Swine Flu." That fast. And A, not H1. So...are you saying she's wrong & they might really have H1? Not that we're headed over there to share drinks or anything, just makes a...psychological difference? Although my 2yo did jump out of the stroller & run to meet them in their yard on...Tues? Earlier in the week when they were still symptomatic but not to the dr yet. (My mom doesn't use the buckles on *anything.* :glare:) :confused: Either she misunderstood or the doctor is confused. The rapid test the doctor's office uses is only able to determine flu/ no flu. Some just test for A, some for both A and B- it depends on the specific test. If it is positive, they need to run *further* tests to determine if it is human or swine. The doctor's office can't do that, it has to be sent out. If the rapid test is negative, it means the patient doesn't have Influenza A, either swine or human. Caveat- Those rapid tests have widely varying sensitivities. Sensitivity is the percentage of truly sick people the test will pick up. A sensitivity of 100% means that all people that really have illness X test positive on the test for illness X. A sensitivity of 60% means that of all the people who really have illness X, the test will only pick up 60% of them. The other 40% will have a "false negative" test - they really have the disease but the test didn't correctly identify it. There can be lots of false negatives with the test. If a person has risk factors and classic signs, I wouldn't assume the test is correct. It probably isn't. I don't know what the recommendations are related to this issue. The labs are overwhelmed, and probably just want to follow up on positive rapid tests, even though it's well known that they will be missing some people that really do have the illness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I am praying she will be well. My married daughter lives in TX and hasn't left her house for a week and she has 2 little about to drive her crazy!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 :grouphug: Sounds like she is feeling okay and on the mend, but I do hope she doesn't have it. As Perry, mentioned there may be confusion and plenty of invalid test results. Her boss needs to know, but imo she shouldn't have been in the classroom until the test results are in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherryTX Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I don't blame the principal if he needs some time off - I think all the teachers, the rest of the staff and the kids she all get a week off after the TAKS. That is about as bad as having the flu!:glare: Whether someone has swine flu or regular flu, they should really stay home anyway. I understand your sister wanting to keep working - especially during the TAKS. But I hope she is able to stay home to get better - no one wants any kind of flu, swine or not. 2 of my kids just got back from the doctor (the third day I have been there this week for the 9 year old!) so far, no flu, and no strep, thank goodness. But I had to break my 11 year old's heart and told her she has to miss fencing, a birthday party and her weekend visit to her mom's. She is in her room crying right now. It sucks - but overall if people could just take time off when they were sick (I realize that is harder for some than others) than we wouldn't have some much crap spreading around. It makes me want to pull the 11 and 7 year old out and home school them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 :confused:Caveat- Those rapid tests have widely varying sensitivities. Sensitivity is the percentage of truly sick people the test will pick up. A sensitivity of 100% means that all people that really have illness X test positive on the test for illness X. A sensitivity of 60% means that of all the people who really have illness X, the test will only pick up 60% of them. The other 40% will have a "false negative" test - they really have the disease but the test didn't correctly identify it. There can be lots of false negatives with the test. If a person has risk factors and classic signs, I wouldn't assume the test is correct. It probably isn't. I don't know what the recommendations are related to this issue. The labs are overwhelmed, and probably just want to follow up on positive rapid tests, even though it's well known that they will be missing some people that really do have the illness. I can vouch for that! When my ds9 was 4, he had flu type A (and B) H3N2. We had the rapid test done on a Monday when he was just vomiting and it was negative. He woke up Tues morning with a fever of 104.5 and dizzy. Still vomiting. Took him back to the dr (hadn't even been 24 hours since the last test was neg) and his test was positive for both A and B types. They sent it off for further testing and it came back H3N2 Fuijan strain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Wait. My neighbors' 4 kids have the flu. She told me Wed night she was going to go to the dr Thurs AM to have them tested. Thurs night she told me it was "Type A, so we know it's not Swine Flu." That fast. And A, not H1. So...are you saying she's wrong & they might really have H1? Not that we're headed over there to share drinks or anything, just makes a...psychological difference? Although my 2yo did jump out of the stroller & run to meet them in their yard on...Tues? Earlier in the week when they were still symptomatic but not to the dr yet. (My mom doesn't use the buckles on *anything.* :glare:) Ok, I just called her, & I misunderstood. All her kids had all the symptoms, but the dr didn't test any of them until the 3rd time her youngest had to go in to the hospital. :blink: The test (last night) came back neg for all types of flu, but they will send it off for verification. Meanwhile, they don't know what's wrong w/ her, but an antibacterial shot seems to tentatively helped. My poor friend is really exhausted, but it sounds like the drs have been really encouraging & thorough--she said the waiting rm in the ER was standing rm only when she got there, & they took her immediately back to a rm. So at least exposure to more stuff was minimized. But she said that when she left at 10:30, people were overflowing out into the parking lot. She's had kids w/ various issues over the yrs, & she said the ER has *never* been that busy. The drs told her that beyond Swine Flu, the spring viruses this yr are just that strong & that bad. So, um, yeah, I think we're pretty happy here at home after all. I told her I'd get her groceries, if that would help, but I was leaving them on the doorstep. Otherwise, all my favorite hobbies & people are right. here. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 :grouphug: Sounds like she is feeling okay and on the mend, but I do hope she doesn't have it. As Perry, mentioned there may be confusion and plenty of invalid test results. Her boss needs to know, but imo she shouldn't have been in the classroom until the test results are in. She wouldn't have gone to school if she thought she had the flu or was contagious. She thought she was still recuperating from tonsillitus, and since she'd had a round of antibiotics, she didn't think she was contagious. But since she seemed to be getting worse instead of better, she took her co-workers' advice and went back to the doctor. She won't go back to work until the contagious period has passed. She has six kids; she truly does understand the need to be careful with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 In spite of having the flu, my sister went to school, went to the doctor, picked up her prescription, and was doing laundry when I talked to her. So if it is the swine flu, it seems relatively mild as far as the flu goes. I'm glad you posted this, Lizzy. I've heard a lot of people declare that others can't have the flu because they don't feel badly enough. You don't always have to be laid up in bed with the flu. ETA: And I forgot to say I'm sorry about your sister! I hope it doesn't pass to the rest of her family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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