I feel qualified to answer this question because as this is being posted, I am on Day 4 of this flu. In many ways, it’s like any other flu. There’s a fever, sore throat (that soon develops into a nasty, wet cough) and muscle aches.
After the first two days, it doesn’t feel as severe as it did during those initial 24 hours, but it also doesn’t seem to let up. I had Mono once in high school and this flu reminds me of Mono because I’m tired all the time. If I fold a load of laundry I have to rest afterward. If I write a paragraph I have to rest afterward. This blog post will set me back days!
My son also has H1N1. He was diagnosed on Halloween and the doc said, “No trick-or-treating for him.” Yeah right. I could not do that to the kid. He’s a six-year-old boy. Running around taking handouts of free candy is his idea of heaven. How could I deny him? I didn’t. (That's him in the photo. He was Swine Flu Indiana Jones). I made him wear a mask, had my husband ring the doorbell and collect the candy, and refused to let him near another human being. Did he still have fun? Heck, yes! He got 80 pieces of candy and told me it was the best Halloween ever!
I think the media has spun this illness beyond the bounds of reality. I know adults and children alike have lost their lives from this flu and that others have had some major scares (the children of two friends had fevers reaching 104 degrees. That’s scary!), but is this flu really worse than other strains? Does the fear do us any good?
Perhaps I’ll answer my own question by saying that our public school phoned last week with a recorded message detailing exactly how our children should be washing their hands (warm water and soap – can you imagine?). I had my son listen. Afterwards, he went into the bathroom and followed the recording’s steps. When he emerged, he proclaimed, “Now when I pick my nose my boogies taste like lemon.”
And that’s how he got H1N1! Anyone out there had it? Do you think it’s worth the hype?
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10 comments:
lol....lemon flavored boogies! That's too funny. My friend has it but also caught pneumonia so she's hit hard. I believe my entire office had it over the summer. In June we all had headaches, body aches, sore throat, ear aches, cough, chills and fever. It wasn't as sever as others have had it so maybe we just had the regular flu. Anyhoo, I hope your family feels better. Oh, and I for one think it's just media hype. My doc said more people have died of the regular influenza strain than those from H1N1.
Having been a school nurse for 20 years, I can tell you that the flu is the flu is the flu. People die from the flu every year, no matter what the strain. I held one five year old in my arms all day in my clinic because we couldn't find her parents. Her fever was 105. And I couldn't give her a thing for it. (And man was I sick for the next 2 weeks.) I do not know why this particular flu has drawn so much attention. The flu should draw attention every year because, yes, people die. But most just suffer through the week or so they are down and make some great antibodies. That's why folks my age probably will not get this flu--because it's been around before. But a lot of people don't know that either. I wish that little phone call about washing hands could be made automatically every day at every school in the country. But honestly, kids love to share. And what they share the best are germs.
To answer your question, is it worth the hype? If it makes people wash their hands more often, then yes. But it's not going to stop people from getting the flu. Promise.
My son had it here. He was pretty miserable for 10 days with a fever and cough--but he'd gone into H1N1 with a sinus infection, so his immune system was fairly worn down, I think. It was really...just the flu. Like you mentioned. His did turn into bronchitis, so he had it worse than his friends.
For us? Not really worth the hype. I don't know about other kids--I guess it's an individual thing.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
I just read yesterday that 95% of H1N1 cases are NOT swine flu at all, just flu. In fact, the CDC stopped testing for the swine flu in August. So basically, it is all hype.
Our public school just called to let us know they got a fresh supply of vaccine. Guess we can skip it now!
I'm gambling that I've picked up enough antibodies from those previous appearances of swine flu that I'll be safe.
Do you think the hype is truly about politics? Does it have anything to do with the ones who want universal health coverage? Our news said that the doctors are being told to diagnose all these people who are sick with similar symptons,as swine flu. I chose not to get my kids vaccinated for this because there is so much unknown. By the time most of our school district gets the shot next week it will have peeked.
The thing I've been told makes this flu different, is that it doesn't "die off" like the regular flu, which hits in the winter months. The h1n1 seems to linger year round. Our local pediatricians office doesn't even test for flu anymore, due to it not being a fail safe test. Too many false negatives....
I think the hype about the H1N1 is hype!!!! What it did was hurt the swine industry by the name "swine" flu.
Now if they charged for the shots who got the money? It helped the pharmacuetical companies.
My 6 year granddaughter got it and she only had the runs and a slight fever. After 4 days back to school she went. Now about 2 weeks later she has a sinus infection and bronchitis.
After my granddaughter got over it her mother got it. She said she never had such awful body aches. She had some Tyenol 3 and took that. The nurse said that was a good idea because the coedine would help with the body aches and the chest cough. The tyenol would help the fever. At one point her fever peeked at 105. Now a week later she has sinus infection and strep throat.
Personally, I think they both had a good case of the flu.
And no, I don't get the flu shots....I'm 58 yrs young. I take multivitamins an vitamin C every morning. All I have had the last two years is a cold and not a very bad one at that.
And that is IMHO
A mystery reader,
Carol
P.S. Hi JB...when is the next Supper Club Book coming out?????
That's hilarious! I miss hearing those kinds of comments from my kids who are now in high school. I went ahead and had them vaccinated because the school was doing it during class. We have never gotten a flu vaccine and have remained healthy. (cross fingers) I guess I have fallen victim to all the news hype.
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