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Original poster

Swine flu.....just had it confirmed....both my kids have it...and its horrible...:(

70 replies

whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 12:42

Horrible....horrible.

Any one else got their kids ill with it?

Just waiting for my DH to get home so I can get the prescribed meds for them.

OP posts:
swedesinsunglasses · 17/07/2009 12:44

When you say confirmed - do you mean confirmed over the phone by giving your symptoms? Or do you mean you have had a proper blood test to determine an H1N1 infection?

swedesinsunglasses · 17/07/2009 12:44

V sorry to hear your children are poorly of course.

swedesinsunglasses · 17/07/2009 12:46

V sorry to hear your children are poorly of course.

Original poster
whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 12:54

Had to go thru a questionnaire with the NHS Direct Nurses first. Then rang the surgery this morning. They then got a GP to ring me back. Went thru it all again. Because all the sudden symptons match he agrees the kids definitely have it.

Temps of up over 40.c
Sickness.
Headaches.
Sore throats.
Aching joints and limbs.
Sweating but cold.
No appetite and complete tiredness.

Horrible to see especially with my youngest who is such a get up and go 5yr old and one I could hardly move this morning because all strength had been sapped.

OP posts:
MollieOolala · 17/07/2009 13:00

Poor dcs. Hope they get well soon.

How do they know it is swine flu and not flu? I thought (from other posts on MN) that a key difference between 'normal' flu and swine flu was that swine flu was accompanied by D&V?

poopscoop · 17/07/2009 13:02

oh poor dc and you too. Will they give the tamiflu to the whole family? Interested in how they are going about the antibiotics.

pooka · 17/07/2009 13:04

But sickness is on her list, so the v of the d&v at least.

At the moment tis not really the season for "normal" seasonal influenza, which tends to kick in later in the year. So by default most diagnoses are going to be of H1N1 rather than seasonal influenza.

pooka · 17/07/2009 13:07

They won't give antibiotics unless there is a secondary bacterial infection. The antivirals (tamiflu/relenza) are prescribed to lessen the effects of the illness, including duration. I would assume that they could just as well be given if it were seasonal flu as for H1N1, but not certain.

Original poster
whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 13:20

DD2 was sick this morn. DD1 has diarrhoea. Also the speed at which they became ill is an important factor in all this....evidentally the swine flu version hits you very quickly and very hard..its not a gradual illness. I have just checked on DD2..she is lying on the sofa. She is bundled up in blankets because she is shivering yet her temp is 39. Her hands and feet are freezing. She has never been this poorly.

OP posts:
Original poster
whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 13:22

To add to the worry of this...the GP told me on the phone this morning where in the town I can actually get the meds...because a lot of pharmacies are running out. In fact the town in which my kids go to school in which houses two schools - one of 350 kids and the other of over 1000 have run out completely of the meds. I can only hope DH will be able to get the meds this aftn.

OP posts:
mumblechum · 17/07/2009 13:22

Oh dear, poor you. Can't your dh come home from work early in the circs?

squeakywheel · 17/07/2009 13:30

Whispy, I've no idea how common cold hands and feet are in flu but they are mentioned here under meningitis as well:

www.patient.co.uk/health/Fever-(High-Temperature)-in-Children.htm

It's going to be so hard to tell sometimes now that everything's going to be assumed to be swine flu, and probably is swine flu. The hand thing might be totally insignificant in itself (in which case I'm really sorry if I've worried you). But maybe ring the GP again if that wasn't happening before, so you can ask them?

Original poster
whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 13:34

DH is on his way home now...he's only a few miles away and is going straight to the Doctors to get the prescriptions and then on to a chemist.

DD2 is ok in herself and quite chatty - I keep checking her for other signs of problems - ie bright lights, rashes etc...and she's ok. We have a heavy thunder storm here at the moment and she's currently sat with her very trendy pink ear defendors on that I bought her for the Fairford Air Show we were supposed to be going to tomorrow! She hates thunder!

OP posts:
listenglisten · 17/07/2009 13:36

So are they giving both children Tamiflu? Is this still given out as a matter of course in suspected sw?

listenglisten · 17/07/2009 13:36

Sorry, meant to say I hope both your dc get better very soon

morningpaper · 17/07/2009 13:38

how awful and stressful for you

good luck getting through the next few days xxx

MaggieBeBold · 17/07/2009 13:39

Are the tamiflu meds only available with a perscription. I'm just wondering about the logistics of it all as I'm a single mother and if I am at home with two sick children, I could ask somebody to go and buy me the medicines if they were over the counter.....

MollieOolala · 17/07/2009 13:40

Sorry whispy, I missed that. Also interesting how quickly it hits compared to normal flu which usually has a bit of a build up first.

Original poster
whispywhisp · 17/07/2009 15:06

Yes both the kids have had tamiflu prescribed. I read in the paper that you will be able to buy it over the internet soon at some point in the future. Anyone can go and get the prescription for you - in fact the GP asked that I get a 'healthy' human being to go and get it and not me - this is why diagnosis is being done over the phone because they don't want us going into surgeries/chemists.

Whether or not tamiflu is being prescribed to 'suspected' cases - I don't know listenglisten....I know if my kids are ill, I would not put a child of 5yrs old thru a blood test to have this illness confirmed that way - the Doctors opinion is good enough for me and bearing in mind that I've just learnt that there are now 5 confirmed cases of swine flu in her small class of 18 kids is enough for me to be convinced she is ill with it....besides which she's not eaten all day, is very lethargic, hot to the touch yet complaining she is cold etc etc - everyone has to follow the guidelines set out by the NHS and that is what I've done - I can do no more than follow my instinct!!

Thanks everyone for your good wishes. Lets hope my two pick up over the weekend. My DH has just got home and is now sat with them giving me a bit of a break! Phew!

OP posts:
Theinvisibleone · 17/07/2009 15:19

My dd was confirmed over the phone on Monday and is still really ill.

Her high temperature lasted 3 days, she is now just tired and listless with a sore throat and tummy ache.

Good luck with the tamiflu, I had to mush hers up in chocolate ice cream.

MaggieBeBold · 17/07/2009 15:21

So if you were diagnosed over the phone, did the healthy person have to pop down to doc's pick up scrip, then go to chemist, then go to your house!?

HOpe your kids are ok soon whispywhisp... I hope they are better before you come down with it yourself!

As I don't have a partner, I dread us getting ill all at the same time, and the logistics of it all. Like swine flu isn't worrying enough.

Bumperslucious · 17/07/2009 16:07

Oh dear, wishing them a speedy recovery.

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/07/2009 16:56

sorry to hear about your dc

my brother also has it

cocolepew · 17/07/2009 17:01

Hope your DC's are better soon, my DD has recovered really quickly from it, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. She became unwell very, very quickly. Unfortunately we were on a flight from JFK at the time. Me and her have both been on tamiflu (which sounds like a female hygene product) since yesterday.

ProfessorPhantomPlopper · 17/07/2009 17:09

Hope they feel better soon.

My parents both have it, they're not too bad with it though luckily.

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