Should I get ds2 tested for swine flu? And how/where?

[Greensleeves]

he's been sent home from school today feeling sick and has since vomited twice

he has a temperature and says his legs "won't let him walk" and his throat hurts

there is swine flu in other local schools although I haven't heard of it at his school yet (he's 4)

should I try and get him tested, or is it pointless?

good decision greeny, but it might be best to take rest of week off and return next week instead
in fact i hope they suggest that

have called in sick for today

am plagued by schenanigans re: ds2 going back to school

phoned his school and explained that he's OK in himself but still coughing

they said they don't know what the best thing to do is, I should ring the doctor and check whether he is likely to still be contagious, as they have parents keeping children off because they are worried about them catching it

so rang doctor - engaged for 25 minutes, then got through to secretary and explained, she said somebody will ring me back

in the meantime dh has taken ds1 to school and will have to come back to find out the verdict on ds2 - which of course he is really chuffed about, because he should be at work

fuckity fucksticks

This is from a CDC page:

"How long can an infected person spread this virus to others?"

"At the current time, CDC believes that this virus has the same properties in terms of spread as seasonal flu viruses. With seasonal flu, studies have shown that people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to 7 days after they get sick. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods. CDC is studying the virus and its capabilities to try to learn more and will provide more information as it becomes available."

and from further down the same page:

"CDC recommends that people with novel H1N1 flu avoid contact with others as much as possible. They should stay home from work or school for 7 days after the onset of illness or until at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer."

I imagine NHS ones say something similar, that just came up first when I googled how long children shed influenza virus for. Anyway if your ds is still coughing then he'll still be spreading the virus now. Maybe even for longer but at least once he stops coughing it'll be harder for him to spread it.

www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

How are you today Greeny? I've had no more D & V thank god, my main problems now are a sore throat, temperature and very wooly head. I have never had an hallucination before, but this morning I watched calmly as the floorboards swallowed up a nappy so I guess I have now been initiated. The feeling in my head is what's bothering me most, and my eyeballs are a nice shade of yellow, so I think I am going to insist on seeing a doctor in the morning

ARE YOU LISTENING TO SQUEAKYWHEEL GREENY? hmmm???

I AM listening, honest

but I rang the school this morning to ask when ds2 should come back and the woman said it was up to me, and to phone my GP for advice

so I phoned my GP (who was on the golf course away during the whole illness and hasn't seen either of us) and he said he though it was very unlikely that we had had swine flu as ds2 had recovered so quickly, it was just a bug

and he said if ds2 hasn't got a temperature he can go back to school whether he is coughing or not

so now I feel like we are fraudulent, we have NOT in fact had swine flu and I am keeping him off school and skiving work illegitimately

I also feel less happy about being off sick and keeping him off school, because clearly we don't have the GP's backing and he thinks we weren't even very ill

[miserable and frustrated]

anyone else know anyone else who has got/had swine flu yet? am really starting to wonder whether I made the whole thing up

I think DD had it at the weekend. Fever, cough, vomit, sore throat, tummy ache. But better within 48 hours.

I think the school I work at has it now too. 7 teachers out today. 15 kids off sick. 4 got sick at school.

It's some kind of bug anyway. Doesn't really matter what sort really though does it. Lot of media-hype. Yes people have died, but people always die from flu it's just it doesn't usually hit the media in waves.

Feeling like you too! Am not sure if we have/had it either. Funnily enough though, DTs were both shouting in their sleep at the weekend (when they had all the syptoms). I just thought it was one of those things.

Seems like the health professionals aren't singing from the same hymn sheet. We have been told chest infections, but I think that was the outcome for my asthmatic DCs of whatever bug they had. They have NEVER had chest infections like that before!

We shall probably never know (unless we all get another illness, get swabbed and confirmed, then we shall know we didn't have it!)

I can't believe the arrogant twunt said "it's just a bug, send him back to school" when he hasn't SEEN either of us for several months

I am really fed up now, I hate being disbelieved

and frankly I still feel like crap, even if it is "just a normal cough"

Im convinced DS had it last week, but noen of the rest of us have had it, so maybe its unlikely as surely one of us would have caught it?

Well I believe you greeny, I can quite believe that your household gets it first of everyone we know, it's absolutely the sort of thing you would get.

[growl]

well we are both going back tomorrow, as on the advice of our GP there is nothing wrong with us

he hasn'r even SEEN us [growl again]

"I can quite believe that your household gets it first of everyone we know, it's absolutely the sort of thing you would get."

Fennel funnily enough similar things have been said in F&Z household

greeny if you don't feel well you should not be going back
you aren't just contagious at beginning of illness
the school would have a fit i would think if they knew you had been diagnosed with swine flu and were coming in

well we have just been undiagnosed by our own GP, he says it can't have been swine flu as ds2 would have been ill for longer

he was really really patronising

and without sounding snippy, the "trust you to get it first" thing isn't helping

whatever I do now will be wrong

well our gp has said that my ds2 and dh have just had it. They did have raging fevers, sore throats, aches etc , but it went very quickly for both of them. ds2 had a temperature full time for aobout 24 hours, and then off and on for a couple of days.

the gp was pretty sure they both had it, and said that some people will get it even more mildly than that.

sorry i didn't mean to upset you

GPs and other health professionals are often wrong, or busy, or irritable. often best ignored. they make snap judgements.

sorry my dear
i can see it isn't funny in this situation
it isn't 'wrong' whatever you do
no-one is judging you and gavelling
you should just make the best decision you can based on advice from SENSIBLE medics ie not your gp, and what is best for you / your family / the staff and children you work with

oh and we were told that ds2 can go back to nursery as soon as he doesn't have any symptoms any more. So he went back today, 5 days after he was ill.

you haven't upset me, my gp has upset me

I just don't see how he can say that without even having seen us

it has robbed me of my sense of legitimacy in being off work and keeping ds2 off school

and I am overreacting and being a drama queen, I know, but that is because I take Very Fucking Badly to not being believed

I don't know what to say to work now, how can I say we had swine flu when my own doctor says we didn't?

Sorry, I am going round in circles and being a prat

Please don't feel bad about this Greeny. Swine flu or not swine flu you've been hit by a really nasty bug. Which legitimated you to stay home, which is what people do when they are very sick. And it looks like you've been (and still are not 100%) very sick.
People got ill before swine flu too!!! (and btw it does sound as if it was swine flu!)
This winter I had "normal" flu and had a high temp for 5 days, and I couldn't leave the bed.

I believe you, too, Greeny. When DD1 fell ill, she was also fobbed off by out-of-hours GP. But I knew, somehow, what it was.

It was only when DS fell ill, a week later, that I waited until Monday (they both fell ill on a Saturday) to see our real, competent GP.

He sent him for testing.

He came himself to test the rest of us on Wednesday after DS had already gotten a positive.

We all had it.

That was 10 days after DD1 had fallen ill.

She still tested positive.

He probably just doesn't know, this GP, how would they know when they are only beginning to work out what swine flu is and how long it might last and how quickly it might spread.

2 days and then recovery sounds fairly swine-flu-ish - from my expertise on this, I read the paper, I watch the news, that's the sort of thing they say.

that was meant ironically, that "expertise" but am writing fast as getting distracted, never mind, am not making sense tonight.