<p>My poor freshman d is sick with the flu (so much for the shot), and I feel almost as miserable as she sounded just now. She’s coping, but I wish there was something I could do. </p>
<p>This is going to sound silly, but have any of you been able to send your long-distance kids stuff like chicken soup, gatorade, or popsicles on short notice? She would love any of these, but the weather where she lives is not conducive to going out this weekend, and she’s hesitant to ask her friends to venture out for her unless they’re already planning to do errands. I’ve looked online for local restaurants that deliver, but that’s pretty much limited to pizza and Chinese food (I tried to talk her into hot and sour soup. but she doesn’t like it). </p>
<p>Any ideas, or is this just one of those major drawbacks to sending your kid halfway across the country? Are there any especially good care package-type websites or online grocery delivery services you can tell me about? Thanks for any help you can give -</p>
<p>What part of the country are you talking about for your kiddo?? That may be key factor - especially this weekend - and if she is in the Northeast LOL - blizzard warnings here…</p>
<p>My kiddo is also sick and in the mountains in the south - away from school and away from home - so I know the feeling :(</p>
<p>I’d suggest yellowpages.com or the school’s website to see what stores are available in the area. It wouldn’t cost much to call a business directly to see what services they offer to local students…</p>
<p>Why not Fedex a box out to her? It’ll make you and her feel better. You could send gatorade, chicken soup cans [or lipton cup of soup if she doesn’t have a stove], crackers, maybe cereal–something lightly sweetened can be a good snack to eat dry if you don’t feel like milk, hard candy, cough drops etc.; obviously i wouldn’t send anything perishable. She probably won’t receive it until like 10 am Monday if you send it this weekend but the flu runs its course and you feel awful for a while so its not like she’s going to want to trudge out for food anytime soon.</p>
<p>Does your D’s dining service have a plan to feed ill students? Many schools provide special meals appropriate for students who are sick, including delivery to the student’s dorm room or pickup by a friend.</p>
<p>I think it’s mostly the parent who <em>needs</em> the nursing in this situation ;). If it’s any comfort, frazzled, I’ve experienced DS being sick both 40 minutes away (at his Katrina host school) and 1600 miles away (back at Tulane). Kind of the same each time. I knew I <em>could</em> go up there and bring him home in the first instance, but it really wasn’t appropriate.</p>
<p>I try and cope by IMing “how’s it going”, “feeling any better today?”… “try this…” type messages and sending cyber-TLC. I think they feel the mom-TLC coming through.</p>
<p>At DS’ host school, there is a local bakery (linked on the school’s website) which actually delivers right to the student’s dorm room. I didn’t use it when he was sick, but rather for an exam-time care package, but they did have Gatorade etc. He really liked having something come right to his room with a nice card.</p>
<p>Oh, thank you all so much! I’m not quite so nerved up this AM, though I haven’t spoken to my d yet. She was so miserable last night! It made me think of all the times I would just sit with her or one of her sisters on the couch when they were sick - I know I wasn’t doing anything curative, but it certainly made me feel necessary. I’m going to look into all the suggestions posted above, especially the one about Dining Services for sick students. That’s a great idea (something her school should have, if it doesn’t).</p>
<p>She’s in Nashville, which was supposed to get snow, but that apparently fizzled. However, yesterday was cold and rainy, and she just didn’t feel up to going out to get supplies. Thank you, acinva, for the link to Campus Wok - that’s just the kind of thing I was thinking about last night. I’ll also probably Fedex something to her today, even if she’s likely to be feeling better once it arrives (and I hope she is!).</p>
<p>Thanks again, all, for taking the time to help.</p>
<p>Tell her to take a hot shower, she’ll really improve if she overcomes her tiredness and rolls out of bed. I know it’s hard. I’m battling a cold right now.</p>
<p>You can also call the RA and let her know you’re worried. Some RAs have that caring side, too. When my son was sick (strep last year), his RA organized someone to go get his favorite clam chowder from the Legal Seafood two blocks away…</p>
<p>When my kids went off to school, I took a phonebook home from the city their college was located in. I was able to get one from the hotel; the from desk girls were happy to provide one! If you can’t get one free, you can order one from the phone company. This has helped us on so many occasions-finding the closest drug store, looking for a cleaners that would clean a suit that day, cake delivery for birthdays, storage units for the summer, etc… I know we all tend to use the internet to find things, but many companies/stores are not on the internet.</p>
<p>I also agree than the RA should be able to help. I know my daughter’s RA would have made a grocery store run for one of his students.</p>
<p>Frazzled1, here’s sending you a cyber hug, and hoping that your D feels better in record time. I know exactly how you feel. While my D has not gotten the flu, Pennsylvania, where she is attending school now reports a widespread flu outbreak, so she’s not out of the woods yet. I’ve been wondering what the school’s policy is on a large scale campus flu event. How do they make sure sick students have neccessary food and medical care? How do they handle class scheduling and make-up work? </p>
<p>I’ve already warned my D to wash her hands frequently, to carry hand sanitizer, and to refrain from rubbing her eyes and nose with her hands. Of course, many times, the flu is contracted by being in close proximity to a contagious person’s mucous discharge (sneezing or coughing), in which case, frequent handwashing does no good. I guess I just have to pray and keep my fingers crossed—lol.</p>
<p>Frazzled, I live just 20 minutes from Vandy. I will happily take something to your daughter as I imagine it must be just awful knowing your child is sick and you’re not able to be there with them. Having just tested positive for the flu last week, along with my husband and my daughter, I know how miserable it is. Luckily, we all took Tamiflu and feel like new! Please pm me if I can help you. I would be happy to do so. Big hugs to you … you must be as miserable as your dd. </p>
<p>FYI, my doctor told me last week that numerous people have tested positive for the flu and many of them had taken the shot. Sometimes the CDC gets it right and sometimes they don’t. I hope she feels better soon. Did the doctor give her some Tamiflu? DD, DH and I all noticed a huge difference in the way we felt after four doses. Let me know if I can help you!</p>
<p>I second SplashMom on the Tamiflu. My daughter’s flu symptoms were reduced to those of a cold after taking an antiviral last year. It made a huge difference. It needs to be started within two days of the onset.</p>
<p>Thanks again, all - she’s feeling a bit better today, and friends have been taking care of her, supplying her with what she needs to get through. I’m so glad I posted about this, because I feel so much better prepared to cope should this happen again (let’s hope NOT). The phone book idea is fantastic - something I never thought of before, and I’m going to see if one can be sent.</p>
<p>Calling the RA would have been helpful, and I’m sure a good RA wouldn’t have minded. Unfortunately, my d’s is something of a phantom. She’s a grad student who is always either out or locked in her room. Girls on the floor have had to get their repair and maintenance requests tended to via one of the other floor’s RAs - not a good situation if an emergency were to arise.</p>
<p>SplashMom, you’re so nice! I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update-glad she is feeling a bit better. My son was ill a few weeks ago and I didn’t feel ok till I actually saw him. (he came home to help out the HS band director).<br>
I was thinking we need a mom co-op(is that the word) for our kids.</p>
<p>Glad she is feeling better. I would have sat and fretted a lot if it were me; but in truth, if you go back in your mind to when you were first living on your own and got sick, didn’t you just pretty much take care of yourself okay? </p>
<p>I have to confess though that this is one of the things that makes me glad my son is close by. He came down with a vicious cold last week, and was still traveling by train from school 2 days a week to his academic quarter internship in SF; so I went out and bought Odwalla C Monster, a tangerine, some holistic cold tablets, and a protein bar and stuck them in his car at the train station right before his train was due back from the city. I never laid eyes on him, but it felt good knowing that I had done SOMETHING that might help him feel better. He actually said it really helped, especially since he then went straight to baseball practice…he’s all better now and I hope the same for your daughter!!</p>
<p>I was worried for a few days that he too might have flu and was ready to storm the health center for tamiflu…</p>
<p>its a juice- not bad & you know they are at least getting some vitamins
I like emergen-C myself- little packets so you just mix it in water when you need it- not quite so expensive as Odwalla too.</p>
<p>Thinking back to a time when I was really sick- my boyfriend came over and instead of taking care of me- he flirted with my roommate-
( well I didn’t want him to come over anyway- when I am sick- I want to be left alone- although my 15 year old does a really good job of taking care of me- brings me so much tea that I have to plead with her to stop!)</p>
and in the mountains in the south - away from school and away from home - so I know the feeling :(</p>