<p>D2’s doctor said she needed to come in when her cough couldn’t be controlled by OTC medication (so if that is the case for your son, that is another reason to get him in to the doc). As you have probably seen on other threads, an x-ray (taken as a precaution by the doc, as she was not sure), revealed pneumonia. If he has an uncontrollable cough, that would be something to add to the list as a reason not to wait the prescribed number of days for him to be seen.</p>
<p>Just an aside, the pediatrician’s office made D2 wear a mask as soon as she came in the door. She was mortified… but the office folks and I were insistent about it, so she did it. And then we had to wait in a room separate from most of the other patients. They are quite serious about not spreading this, which is why they don’t want everyone in the office unless there appear to be complications. They can’t do anything about H1N1 anyway (the CDC has recommended that they not give out anti-virals out unless you have an underlying condition, and you need to get those in the first 24 hours anyway). Our pediatrician would not prescribe them, and I did call the first day D2 was sick.</p>
<p>Morning report: Went all night without much coughing, probably because we overdosed him on asthma meds yesterday! It was worth the jittery legs. Temp still 101.5, with meds. Powerade was a great suggestion, that went over well. He is much more outwardly miserable rather than just lethargic so that is probably a good sign.</p>
<p>Biohelpmom…
you mention your son has asthma… there is a very interesting article in our Portland Press Herald today about why swine flu strikes young, healthy people… original article came from LA Times…so I am including the link to the article from the Times…</p>
<p>the net is that a proffesor of preventative medicine from NJ Medical School in Newark, Dr. Peter Wenger, thinks that a more vigorous immune system (we are all much healthier today than in 1918 or prior pandemic timeframes) is mounting stronger challenges to this flu virus. When a body overreacts it can release too many infection-fighting proteins call cytokines which result in “cytokine storms” that can then cause severe inflammation that overwhelms the lungs and respiratory tracts. In extreme cases, the reaction can be fatal. Underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease are of concern when H1N1 strikes these individuals. While there may be some natural immunity built up in older folks from the Spanish Flu of 1918… no one should have immunity to this flu virus that has come from pigs. This inconsistency, no one should be immune, is part of what is leading to the thoughts of an overactive immune system being the real culprit in looking at the fatal cases. </p>
<p>We have friends here in town whose athlete son was the first case of H1N1 at his school…and his symptoms were soooo marked, barely able to breathe and as a result, almost unable to walk, carry his backpack, things that any normal healthy athlete can do…that he was admitted to the hospital overnight. Then isolated on campus until he went 24 hours without fever. I think this article is right on with helping identify a group of folks who might be more at risk…so, I would read it, print it and call the doctor’s office to discuss specifics on helping your son’s immune system calm down… </p>
<p>Ok I don’t know what kind of medicine you’re giving him but I had the flu too. I took ammoxicillin (sp?) every 8 hours for 2 days and now I’m almost fine…no fever, no runny nose, no chills, the only symptom I have now is sore throat…</p>
<p>Maineparent- that was very interesting! Thanks for sharing. My son certainly meets all of those criteria- young athlete, strong, healthy, never gets sick. Luckily he seems to be in an upward trend now- temp down to 99.5, sitting up in bed watching TV. Yesterday was a little scary though. And now, would people like to weigh in on when I should send him back to school? Definitely after he’s been fever free for 24 hours, maybe another day after that to make him stronger? The school will be very accomodating about catching upon work etc, he is a great student and luckily this is not his main sports season.</p>
<p>So according the the article Mafool posted, Tamiflu is still effective for swine flu although they are concerned that might change if the virus changes. Since they can identify swine flu, it’s worth getting swabbed and treating with Tamifu if it is Swine Flu – or so it seems to me. Am I missing something?</p>
<p>tomjonesistheman, Amoxicillen is an antibiotic. It will not affect the course of H1N1, which is viral. It will, however, treat some complications that can occur (eg, bacterial pneumonia). So if Amoxicillen is what you took, it was not a factor in getting over H1N1. If it was prescribed by a doctor, you should have taken the entire course (whole bottle) as prescribed, otherwise you run the risk of helping create an antibiotic resistant strain of whatever you were taking it for…</p>
<p>Mimk6, regarding Tamiflu, most of the H1N1 bugs can be slowed/limited by it (they have seen a few cases that are resistent, but not many). However, the Center for Disease Control has advised that Tamiflu should only be used to treat patients that are at high risk of complications – which includes pregnant women, children under 5, and people with chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease. D2’s doctor followed that advice, and would not prescribe even when I asked (I did not push very hard, as I have an appreciation for the fact there there is not enough Tamiflu to treat the entire population, and I knew of the CDC’s recommendation).</p>
<p>Also, most doctors will not even swab you for the test any more. There are so many cases that they are not bothering for a variety of reasons (backups in getting results due to the high number of cases, just adds to the cost of medical care, and brings you into the doctors office with the added risk of infecting healthcare workers and patients there for other things).</p>
<p>So unless you are in a high risk category or experiencing a complication, leave the swabbing and Tamiflu for those who truly are at high risk. Employers and schools are being quite lenient right now about absenteeism/making up work, etc. (D2 and I are both grateful, since we have just recovered).</p>
<p>I would keep him home for a few more days, even a week, if he could afford it. He’ll probably be weak after fighting off this flu, you don’t want him to catch a secondary infection, like pneumonia.</p>
<p>Warning: Not being sure exactly how the ant-virals work, this is speculation. There may also be a reluctance to prescribe tamiflu and other ant-virals because of a concern that widespread use could actually cause or accelerate the emergence of tamiflu-resistant strains.</p>
<p>Well, after a day of no meds and almost normal temps, the fever is back up to 102.8- but hardly any coughing- just lots of misery. I think I’ll call in the morning to see if he should be looked at.</p>
<p>Biohelpmom,
I am a nurse practitioner. I think your child needs to be seen right away. If he has H1N1, being an asthmatic makes him a candidate for Tamiflu. However, I am concerned that he might have bacterial pneumonia, which is VERY dangerous. If he has bacterial pneumonia he needs an antibiotic. Either way, he needs to be evaluated as soon as possible. Fevers of 104 are not common in adolescents and warrent an examination. Best of luck. Let us know how he makes out.</p>
<p>Update: the kid bounced out of bed this morning, normal temp, and attacked the refrigerator. So I guess the pediatrician was right all along when they said to wait until Sunday. This was a scary virus though. Next time, I will ask for Tamiflu in the fist 24 hours.</p>
<p>When my D was little my mom used to tell me not to worry, “kids are made of rubber”…and clearly your son is still made of “rubber” bouncing right back. It IS scary when our kids get sick.</p>