A friend recently forwarded me this photo with the message, "To avoid the swine flu, don't do this!"
Funny. Not so funny: I know a couple of people who've had it. When Max had a sore throat and fever the other week, they wouldn't let him back into school without a note confirming that he didn't have swine flu. Our pediatrician isn't doing the test, so we had to take Max to a Quest lab, who managed to mess up the blood draw (ARGH!). Next day, we took him to a walk-in clinic at a local drugstore, where they confirmed he was flu-free.
Any flu you get now is going to be swine flu. In case you're wondering, one friend who had it told me that her symptoms were bad headache, feeling like she was hung over, moderate favor, sniffles, runny nose. Here's a helpful video from the Centers for Disease Control.
Friends have asked me if Max is more susceptible to swine flu. He's not; he may have CP, but he has no immune system issues. I hope none of your kids do, either.
What's the word in your area? Do you know anyone who's had swine flu?
There have been a couple of cases at one of the schools some of my friends go to, but thankfully no one I know yet, and no serious cases here
ReplyDeleteOh yeah....for sure. There was a little boy in Daniel's preschool class that had it. Daniel has a bad immune system so he was out of school the last 3 weeks of the year.. can't chance stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteA 35 yr old police office in our town died from it also.
Scary stuff!
My daughter happened to be in the PICU (for pneumonia and other non-flu-related issues) for 2 1/2 weeks during the height of the swine flu scare. There were a couple of kids that came in and were put in isolation for "flu-like symptoms", but we were assured by staff that they didn't have swine flu.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, about 30,000 people in the U.S. die of regular flu every year. While we should definitely be concerned with protecting our kids from the swine flu virus, plain old ordinary flu is still a much greater threat.
Nope! Nobody we know has gotten it. We're just trying to take the same precautions we would in a typical flu season. I kind of think of it as the latest "pandemic" craze-- it's not really that different from regular flu, and that kills way more people every year than swine flu does. Oh well.
ReplyDelete~Jess
It was all over the place in Boston. We had to disinfect Daniel's hands before and after he left therapy to prevent spreading anything. Quite a few schools were also closed, too.
ReplyDeleteLike Max, Daniel's immune system is fine. If anything, it's far better than fine - knock on wood! But the fact that he has hemi puts him in the "high risk" category with his pediatrician. Since any kind of fever could cause him to have a febrile seizure, he's at the top of the list for treatment if anything happens. I guess that's one benefit of being a stroke survivor.
Swine Flu is definitly going around here!
ReplyDeleteI have some friends who got married recently who found out they had swine flu 48 hours before their wedding.
They are now in the news! They have upcoming dates on The Today Show and Inside Edition...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090619/ap_on_fe_st/odd_swine_flu_wedding
We're lucky in my neck of the woods. No flu, and no one I know has it! Just the odd, garden variety summer colds every so often!
ReplyDeleteLast I knew my state had the highest number of cases and the biggest area is where our childrens hospital is. We took a lot of precautions and Kennedy stayed out of school the last month and no summer school. We also pulled Zach once it hit our town. Then they quit listing where exactly it was. I have had some friends who have had flu like symptoms..but not really sure if they had swine flu. We dont let anyone around us if they have a cold or are sick.
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to tell you about a camp that made me think of you (not that I know you but I read your stories here). I actually found your blog while searching for help on helping students with disabilities because I am a general academics (chemistry) teacher in an inclusion class. Anyway, you intrigued me and I learned more from you than any doctor!
Well, I got off track. I wanted to send you an email, but the link wouldn't work for me. Obviously, I don't know where you're from, but from your weather-related comments, I'm judging somewhere not too far from the northeast. In MA, we have a camp called I Can I Will (and another called Camp Connect for kids with Autism). But I Can I Will is for kids with all different disabilities and this week (my first week volunteering) I have heard many things that remind me of your postings---about making everything accessible for every camper, whether it is swimming, horseback riding, or the ropes course. You talk alot about not leaving kids out, and it just made me think of you. If you are anywhere close to me, I hope maybe one day you'll look at it for Max (they have scholarships--this isn't a ploy to get you to pay or anything!) I just thought of you and I hope you don't find me too intrusive.
Hi, Stephanie! I am glad to know you are reading this blog, and I am so glad you posted this—I never heard of this camp, it sounds absolutely amazing! I love the name; I am making "I Can I Will" my official new motto. And I am running (not walking) to Google it. It's so wonderful that you're volunteering there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad none of us here have caught that damn flu.
It came around but luckily Sean didn't get it. He has a really weal immune system too.
ReplyDelete