Flu update: Daughters middle school closed Monday. Anyone else?

[BusynMember]

Jeesh. I think 27% of the kids were out so they decided to stop having the kids expose one another to it by shutting down. They wanted to close all week (we already have Thursday and Friday off here in our SD), but the Dept. of Health said they should go back Tuesday and if it's still that bad, shut down Wed. and then it will be a five day weekend. I don't get why they have to go back Tuesday, but, hey, I'm not working for the Dept. of Health.

So any other schools closing? My daughter has developed an ear infection and a respiratory infection too so now she's on antibiotics. She seems a lot better after being on them. Friday she went back to school, but the teachers sent her tot he nurse when she kept falling asleep and coughed too much. She'd been ok in the morning when we left, but got progressively worse as the morning went on. No fever, but they still wanted me to get her so I did. Then I took her to ER because she complained of chest pain. Her doctor told me to take her there. Boy, was it busy...full of people walking around with masks.

My daughter must have said "hi" to five other kids there whom she knew .

Hub is sick too, and when he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. Oh, well. He certainly can't go to work.

 

[Kjs]

chest pain when she would try to breathe? Or when coughing? What did they do?

 

[BusynMember]

Breathng and coughing. She was put on an antibiotic, but that was for her ear infection. However, it seems to have helped both her ear and her chest. This is NOT fun, people

 

[slsh]

Not yet here, but we've got 2 cheer competitions coming up the first 2 weeks in Nov - right now, I think it's very iffy if they're going to take place. The parents are really freaking out around here, especially since there's not an H1N1 shot to be found - our pediatrician hasn't even gotten in it yet, and he never got the regular flu shot because the companies stopped making pediatrician doses so they could switch to H1N1 manufacturing.

We've had a couple of confirmed H1N1 cases in our local elementary school - I think it is just inevitable that there's going to be huge outbreaks. husband and I have had several heated discussions. Fear drives my thinking but husband is being rather logical about it - realistically we cannot stop life as we know it, waiting for this to pass. Flu season goes thru, what? April? May?

I don't know.... I'm trying to be more diligent about getting the kids to eat healthy and filling them up with lots of vitamin C. And *praying* that the shots get here soon!

To make things worse, husband's assistant coach is a nurse at a local hospital. She said that they are filled with kids with- pneumonia, not H1N1-related. Weeburt was coughing up a storm last week (croupy-sounding cough) and husband didn't tell me about the pneumonia because he knew I would flip, but he did insist that Wee get into the pediatrician. Here I thought I was being responsible because he wasn't running a fever (and I was checking him umpteen times a day, poor kid) and I intentionally wasn't making an appointment because I figure hospitals and doctor offices are probably the last place you want to be right now if you don't have to be there - but according to pediatrician, walking pneumonia doesn't necessarily run a fever. Fortunately, Wee just has a URI.

Parenthood is scary sometimes.

 

[donna723]

Our schools here were closed down for several days about a week ago. Not sure if it was H1N1 or just the seasonal flu but there were so many kids and teachers out sick, there was no point in having the schools open to spread it around even more!

 

[GoingNorth]

We've got both seasonal and H1N1 flu running rampant up here. One of the nurses at my psychiatrist's office told me today that they are right up at the absentee cutoff where they will start closing schools.

 

[BusynMember]

We don't have the Swine Flu shots here...anywhere yet. My daughter, son and I got seasonal flu shot (hub says the shot makes him sick). So we are assuming since daughter got flu shot, she has swine, but everyone is assuming that everyone is sick with swine.

My daugher missed her volleyball school party and her first cage basketball tournament. A few girls were out. They had the bare minimum to compete.

 

[smallworld]

The assumption here in the Difficult Child area that is anyone who tests positive for Influenza A via nasal swab (that's how it's being tested by our pediatrician) has H1N1 because it's too early for seasonal flu. Seasonal flu typically peaks later, like in January or February. It's rampant here. Every day I hear of other friends' children who have come down with it. My girls are getting the H1N1 vaccine on Tuesday at our pediatrician's office.

 

[BusynMember]

My daughter tested negative. We were told 25-40% of all of the people who have the flu still come back negative. I don't even know why they bother with it. At any rate, there is no doubt that my daughter did have the flu!

 

[smallworld]

That's true. There are false negatives. But the assumption is that the positives are H1N1, not seasonal flu.

 

[JJJ]

Our schools are still open but they are strongly encouraging parents to keep their kids home if they are even a little sick. We are between 10-15% absent every day this past week. We did have confirmed H1N1 at Tigger's school.

 

[svengandhi]

Youngest boy has been sick on and off all week, he missed Mon, Wed and Friday and is still coughing but does not have a fever.

My daughter up at college listened to me and had the H1N1 shot and the regular shot this past week.

All my boys but one had the regular flu and H and I are still waiting. I will get swine shots for all if available since my pediatrician suggests it.

 

[TPaul]

We have had a child die in our school system last week. The boy was 9 years old and attend on of our grade schools. We have 5 seperate grade schools for different sections of the city.

I currently have the flu, hence why I am not on the boards much. This is only the second time all day that I have been out of bed. And only about 10 min at that. This stuff kicks butt, let me tell you. I was coming down with it on Thursday, but still went to work on my decorating job. As the day went on, the more down hill I went. Hoping beyong measure to be better by Monday. I missed 2 days at the antiques shop, and have not did that since starting there a little over a year ago. The lady who owns the mall, just lost her father this week, and I felt terrible not being able to be there in case she did not feel like being there. She knows that I am sick though, if I did't show up. I keep going with everything else that is a daily challenge, so I know they understand completely.

Hoping all of you fend it off,
tpaul

 

[BusynMember]

TPaul!!! I'm going into "Mom" mode here. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Don't push it. My hub wants to push it too, but it's so not worth it.

Relax, drink fluids, baby yourself. And please get well soon

 

[TPaul]

Thanks mom,
Well, this evening I am finally feeling a bit better. Took 4 days but I think I might survive, not positive, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I got the kids to pick up and straighten. wife got called in to work from 12-6 so I had all five kids all afternoon today and yesterday. They did pretty good though. I slept for most of the day yesterday and they didn't bother me a lot and no major fights to have to break up, LOL LOL! My middle daughter helped me out a lot, running to get this and that for day. Couldn't get much air to help for needed help so when I knocked on a wall she came running. A great big nurse for dad, in a sweet little loving body,

Thought I would read a few post and thanks again,
Tpaul

 

[tiredmommy]

T- Glad you are on the mend!

 

[BusynMember]

TP, glad you're feeling better. I really enjoy your posts. We need ya here. Keep taking care of yourself. It takes a while to feel 100%. And if you get any chest pain, go to the ER!!!