How long in isolation??

[Bathsheba]

We are in a very fortunate position, we KNOW we have had Swine Flu. I was very ill, and 28 weeks pg, so I was swabbed which is very unusual and it came back positive for Swine Flu - most people are diagnosed based on a series of tick boxes and how much they stick to a criteria of symptoms but they never know for definate.

Anyway, my Dh and 2 DDs have both been ill too, unsurprisingly, so we can say with pretty much 100% confidence that we have all had it - only I am on the anti virals though.

My DDs have been off all their activities for 2 weeks because of the school holidays - we are in Scotland. DD1 is due back at school on Monday. She really now is over it and has been for a couple of days. My DH however has read that SF itself lasts 5-7 days but people who had had it should be isolated for 5 days after that. TBH my DD1 is climbing the walls, as we all are...

She has no symptoms any more - DD2 is still a bit hot and fevered but again, its on its way out with them both. When should we start them back to their activities (DD1 to school and DD2 to playgroup etc).

DH will need to take them - I've had pneumonia as well as SF and being pregnant we are being extra careful.

One day before to seven days after symptoms start. So you are all fine.

Glad to hear you feeling better.

Thanks - her first high temp was last tuesday (as in the 13th) so we are 10 days past that....

Thankls so much

I've seen some reports say that children shed it longer, for up to 10 days. I've also seen guidelines that say 24-48 hours with no fever. Others say that even when fever gone that the coughing can still spread it.

Our school uses the 48 hours with no fever. Thats the one that I'll go with if dd gets it, mostly cos its a nice measurable definition. Your dd1 sounds good to go in if shes been fine for a couple of days. I'd wait with your dd2 for a couple of days of no temp.

Poor you though, it must have been really nightmarish. Out of pure curiosity, did they say whether they thought it was viral pneumonia or bacterial pneumonia? Either way, please look after yourself patiently for a good while yet. No rushing back into real life!

I suspect it was viral pneumonia as every sputum sample I gave (apologies for tmi) came back as "clear" despite the fact that I was clearly very ill and was coughing up mountains of thick dark green stuff.

DD1 went to school today - we kept her away from her tennis lesson after as she was a bit wiped out from school. DD2 didn;t go to playgroup as she still has quite a cough, but its her first ever ballet lesson tomorrow (DH is taking her as I'm resting) and she is certainly going to that -so she'll be back at playgroup tomorrow.

Its 13 days since DD1 first had a temperature and about 11 days since DD2 had, so by every bit of info I've seen they are fine to resume life..

Thans for all your help.

You poor soul I'm glad you are resting, I don't expect you have much choice though. You must have felt truely very unwell.

I bet you are quite glad that at least your dds are resuming life.

I was actually very very unwell - really frightened us all, esp at 28 weeks pregnant.

Very fortunately my DH is off on Dependants leave because of this and he will be here for the rest of the week doing all the school runs and things.

Before I knew it was swine flu I was on the phone a number of times begging to be admitted to hospital but I was refused at every turn - I'm guessing now it was confirmed as swine flu then they were probably right to do so but unfortunately that didn't take into account how incredibly ill I was.

On the bright side, my community Midwife and my HV's were fabulous...!!

The 5 different GPs who gave me 5 different courses of antibiotics, none of which worked, could have put a little bit mroe joined up thinking into place, esp as I was getting worse and worse rather than better.

oh gosh. 5 different courses of antibiotics. You must have been frightened when they weren't working I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I'm glad that you are on this side of it now. Give yourself lots and lots of time to get properly better though.