this horrible coughing & fever fluey virus - someone please tell me it won't last forever..

[geekgrrl]

I've had it since Tuesday now and am soooo fed up. I've still got a high temp and seem to either sweat buckets (sorry TMI) or freeze. Dh's got over it quickly and the kids just had an irritating cough.
I'm so fed up. It's also brough my asthma back and I feel like someone's sitting on my chest all night long.
Sorry, just needed to moan.

Hi! Hope not, he's always been small for his age and a pretty poor eater but since he started school in Sept he's been piling it on, eating really well and started to fill out a bit! He's just gone back to square one now!

The GP gave DS2 some antibiotics to be on the safe side. Typically DS's temperature, which has barely been below 38 degrees in two days, was 36.8 in the doctors office (!) but think doctor was quite surprised a his 'droopy' appearance as he is usually so hyper when he sees him, even tho is is obviously always ill to some degree otherwise he wouldn't be seeing him! He fell asleep having his chest listened to, sitting in his wheelchair!

He also said that if we are having too much trouble controlling his temperature, to take him to hospital in view of the two fits he has last year (he is on epilepsy meds.) The fits were not febrile related but the GP said a fever could still affect him like this even though he is five.

He is alseep on the floor on a cushion covered in a quilt. I so hope he wakes up feeling better - I hate my kids being ill - it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach all the time. And the poor little guy missed an afternoon at a playcentre (his favourite thing ever!) with Fio and her kids. I took the other 2. DS would have loved it

So last night we had the never ending cough
Just now was thinking, dd is being so snuggly, might just pop the thermometer in her ear
39.1
eeks
she is nurofened now and says her head aches... Am keeping her very close, she is on my lap and says she wants to sleep in mummy and daddys bed... bless

Having real trouble controlling his temp but really don't want to take him to hospital.. he hates it there and his SN makes him really high maintenance. Managed to get it down to 37.8 by wiping him with luke warm flannel. He is dosed up on both calpol and brufen and cant have any more of either for hours.

I hate this

Perhaps the antibiotics will kick in (if there is any actual bacetial infection to treat) and he will be somewhat better by morning.

Sorry to bore you all on this thread. I feel so worried when DS2 is ill. And the other kids are being obnoxious and DH just being bloody annoying and not understanding why I am concerned

It's not faaaaaair I've just just got off my ABs from 3 weeks of horrible lymphangitis.... and now I've got this! I had a temp for three weeks dammit what did I do to deserve another high temp for god knows how long?!

Feckerty fecking FECK!

I understand your concern SJ. Fortunately my dd seems better (though not yet well) today. She has eaten three meals, not fallen asleep midway through the afternoon, and not had any sort of temperature all day. Hopefully we are on the up and you will be soon too.

joyfully, mine have stopped coughing now (hooray) only to be replaced by vomiting (aaarrgghh) - they both threw up all last night but fingers crossed, there is no more to come and they've both eaten today and seem to have more colour in their cheeks!

I really hope this is the last we see of it!

I'm sending get better vibes to you all.

Thanks LM. Glad your DD is on the mend (fingers crossed.) DS is currently enjoying a lovely restful sleep (like he hasn't done in nights) and feels nice and cool. He fell asleep on beanbag downstairs (unheard of!) but before he dropped off I got a temp reading of 36.4!!! I felt like dancing round the room!! He has not had any more brufen or calpol. I am sort of hoping that tonight was the 'peak' (he has been so poorly today).

Also managed to squeeze in 3 doses of antibiotics since he saw doc at mid day. Maybe this is working? Perhaps he had developed a secondary infection.

I reeeeeeeealy hope all your little ones.. not to mention you MNers who are suffering personally!... are on the mend soon.

SJ x

How many of you have the in-your-ear therometers that take only a second? They don't have to be those big chunky £70 ones anymore either do they?

How much have you paid for them and are they as reliable as the good-old-under-the-armpit-and-forcibly-hold-squirming-child variety? (please)

Oh I was just going to post that SJ when I read your previous post about just managing to get a temp reading from him before he fell asleep.

Dh went out and bought a thermometer that you put to the forehead and it gives a reading in one second. Normally I disapprove of dh's impulse or extravagant buys, but this is brilliant. When dd was really ill and asleep all the time, I could monitor her temp every half and hour without waking her up.

They are really worth it. I think dh paid about £30 - £35 for ours from Boots.

Can't see the one dh bought which I think is even better than the ear one as the forehead is easier to access than the ear, but here is the ear thermometer and it is £30.

Thank you I am going to invest in one! So easy to put it out of your head when the kids are all well.. and calpol is shoved to the back of the cupboard! I dread the winter months since having DS!!

Just bought one... and a pack of 40 filter cover thingies... all for under £20 including special delivery!

Spent the last hour or so googling for the best deal and came across this site selling medical supplies.. they are by far the cheapest!

Should've done this before.. DS works himself in an ever hotter frenzy to escape from me as I restain him for the time it takes to get a reading under his arm (sometimes a few mins!!)

Thanks for your help LM

Wow what a bargain! Clever you, finding it. I would never know how to (or have the patience to) look round the internet for these things, but it has paid off for you.

It will make a huge difference to temperature taking. How is ds today?

He is better thanks LM.. not better as in normal but much better than he was. He is a bit weak and feeble but he is controlling his own temperature quite well again (with calpol etc). Sadly, DD (age 7) now has a temperature! Sigh!

withOUT Calpol i mean
he is on my lap!

Where have all the rest of you gone? Have you all recovered, and your kids too? (Hope so!) Or are you too ill to post??!

DS gone back downhill again. This bug is really stressing me out. I phoned the GP for advice as his temp was back up this morning and he was really not himself at all. GP said come back to the surgery.. so we did.. and they sent us to hospital (day unit) to be looked at by a paeditracian.

Typically DS perked up whilst there and was wheeling his wheechair around the ward banging into bin lids of purpose!! The doctor checked him over.. said she thinks it is still THE viral thing.. but in view of fact that he intitially perked up after starting anti bs, to continue with them and make it a seven day course instead of five.

Foolishly I decided to bath him a short while ago.. (he had a bit of a 'clearout' in two nappies.. he is 5 but wears nappies due to his SN) and was starting to smell a bit ripe, babywipe washes notwithstanding) and his thermostat didn't like it at all.. he went a funny colour and all jittery even though he felt cold. (Not a febrile episode.. but scared me in case he was leading up to one. Not that he ever has.. but DD did after a bath when she had a bath during a viral illness.) Dosed him back up on Brufen and gave him all his other usual meds and he is now dozing on DH's knee while temp stabilises. Then I will put him to bed.

I hate this bug. DD had a temp yesterday but was fine this morning so let her go out with friends to a birthday 'party' thing at cinema.. they are now on way home and rang to say she is under the weather again! Sigh.

Nurses and doc at hosp said this is how this bug operates.. they have a 'better' day.. seem to be improving.. then go downhill again.

How is everyone else and their little ones?

SJ x

Oh SJ, you are really going through the mill with this one, aren't you? I wish I could offer some advice, but I don't know what to say and anyway, you probably got a clearer picture of what to expect from the hopsital staff.

Well, my dd seems pretty much recovered. She last had a daytime sleep on Sunday. I have kept things very quiet Monday and Tuesday and she hasn't done much except watch TV, do some arty stuff, play in the garden (a bit) but her appetite has gradually improved and is now only a bit under normal.

I had to take mine all shopping today (MURDER!) as ds2 had a party this evening and we had to get a present, also presents for ds3 whose birthday it is on Sunday. Also decided to take advantage of having ds1 with me and bought him some clothes. So all in all, a couple of hours of hard shopping. Well, dd ran riot around the shops along with her brothers so I guess she is recovered!

She and ds3 are screaming at each other now though - think I had better go and do baths.

Keep in touch. I hope your ds is really better tomorrow. Do you reckon dd is getting it too now?

sleepyjess - nope, ds1 is still ill and its' 3 weeks now. Been to doctors twice but they aren't prepared to give him anything.

I can't tell you how skinny he is as he is barely eating - it's actually scaring me now

well, I've finally got over this virus but it's left me with severe asthma. I had very mild asthma before (hadn't used an inhaler for 2 years) and am now on high-dose oral steroids and strict instructions to ring the emergency doctor if I get a nighttime attack. My peak flow is 240 (usually 600). Am so so so so f*ed off.

3 days now and dd3 has it . she has just cut a tooth also so is very very poorly . she cant breath properly and doesnt want food or bottles. all snotty bless her (8months) other 2 dds are fine and partner but i cant shift it . i feel so run down . hot then cold, achey bunged up and sore throat . now i can feel it all in my nose and eyes its bloody horrible .
hope dd3 gets better soon

GDG would DS drink a build-up drink/milkshake of any kind from chemist? It's horrid when you can SEE them losing weight isn't it!

LM.. thanks for the support.. am hoping DD is fighting it off ok. When she got home with our friends I gave her Calpol and sent her to bed. Half an hour later she reappeared wanting food (she had had 'dinner' at McDonalds at the birthday party but wanted some of what we had had so hopefully that is a good sign.) She is supposed to be going on a school-related trip tomorrow for which she was 'chosen' but will have to ring up early and say she's not up to it. Can't be sending her off on a coach miles away all day and if she is at all under the weather.

DS2 will be missing an SN bowling session we had planned tomorrow too! (He is sleeping very peacefully and I type.. have been sitting up there with him giving him Reiki and his breathing is lovely and deep and slow (as in normal breathing) at the moment.

Half term is a bit of a write off all in all!! So hope they are better (or good enough) for Saturday when we have 40th birthday festivities planned for DH.

I seem to have got a cold now! Bl**dy hope it's not anything much! Geekgrrl that sounds awful! I too am a mild asthmatic.. am groping for brown inhaler as we speak to as to ward off any nasties! Have not been on steroids for asthma for over a decade!! Hope you are over it soon! Could your GP lend you a nebuliser for ventolin?

Wishing you all a restful night.. and a better day tomorrow!!

SJ x

DD definitely has it.. altho in a lesser form than DS I hope. (This is usually the way it goes.) Both have slept all afternoon. For DS in particular.. who I hope is over the worst.. I think this is the best thing and know from this thread that lots of your children have been sleeping and sleeping as they start to recover.

Poor DS.. he has cerebral palsy.. and today, when not alseep, has been quite smiley.. and wanting to get from a - b on occasion.. but can't quite work quite work out why he does not have the energy to crawl, let alone cruise round the furniture. And he can only sit up when using his hands to support him (like he was until the age of 3) so although he wants to have 'carpet picnics', he falls over when he goes to pick up a sandwich, unless someone is sitting behind him supporting him! He seems quite confused about this!

Has played with his trains and roll out keyboard with DD for a while today though. Also wants to spend lots of time repeatedly watching Yo-ho Ahoy! (It's doing my head in! All they say is Yo ho, yo ho... AHOY!!!!')

Hope this is over soon. I feel rough-ish but just feels like a cold (touch wood.) Fell asleep with DS on my lap for an hour earlier! (Course work/study has gone to hell for now.. oh well!)

SJ x
PS DD said to me earlier, as she reclined on the sofa, 'Mummy, please could you pass me an anti-viral tissue.. thank you very much.. )

Don't think I said this.. bur was just reading thro thread and saw people mentioning about this bug seems to 'fluctuate'. The doc and nurses at the hosp yesterday said this is a common feature.. children seem to have an 'up' day.. seem to be recovering.. then the next day, up goes the temperature.. and down goes their wellbeing again! Grim!