Swine Flu can anyone calm me down? - Page 2

[beanma]

Oh, wanted to add Rainbow Light makes some super yummy gummy vitamin D3s. The kids is 400IU and orange. The adult is 1000IU and lemon. They're both like gumdrops.

[carfreemama]

beanma, I have those gummy d3s and dd loves them, but if I read people right she should be getting 2000 mcg a day; so that's 5 gummies a day. She would love that. I also have the quick-dissolve SISU brand vitamin D, so maybe a combination? Also, what about the balance with vitamin A someone talked about? How do you get that right? Would a whole-foods multivitamin, supplemented by extra D3, work it all out?

Okay, I guess I'm not backing off.

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

beanma, I have those gummy d3s and dd loves them, but if I read people right she should be getting 2000 mcg a day; so that's 5 gummies a day. She would love that. I also have the quick-dissolve SISU brand vitamin D, so maybe a combination? Also, what about the balance with vitamin A someone talked about? How do you get that right? Would a whole-foods multivitamin, supplemented by extra D3, work it all out?

Okay, I guess I'm not backing off.

FCLO will supply A and D blue ice brand is best

[FrannieP]

Originally Posted by SpiralWoman

My experience: we have H1N1 in the house right now. It seems very mild, minimal cough/congestion. Temp was up to 103 briefly yesterday and now back down to 100. 6 kids went home form DS's class in 2 days (Mon/Tues), so we went to the Dr to have a swab & see what it was. She offered tamiflu but also said it has as many side effects of upset stomach, etc so we skipped it. I had a temp of 99 on Mon then nothing more.

My understanding of the danger of this is that as compared to seasonal flu, more people will get it, because it is novel. So, a certain # of people will have complications, a certain number of people will die, just like from seasonal flu. Trouble being that if a much higher percentage have it, it will strain Drs offices and hospitals much more than a normal flu season, possibly making it harder to get care for complications if needed.

My 2 cents: Now that I see how mild it is (so far knock on wood!) I am glad we are getting it early. Our school started Aug 3rd, even a week or so before most around here, and our state is a month or so before many others, so I would guess we are ahead of the curve.

Thanks alot for sharing this here.
I'm really glad that you're having such a mild case in your household!
May I ask, are you giving anything in particular or just letting it run it's course?
Good luck you guys!
fp

[carfreemama]

Okay, mom61508, I'm ready to order. Which FCLO do you recommend? Dd doesn't like anything with spice, but there are several to choose from like "mediterranean" or "antioxidant free." Which is your favourite? And why fermented? Can I mix it with anything (it would have to be pretty enticing) to make dd take it? How does it taste? Thanks!

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

Okay, mom61508, I'm ready to order. Which FCLO do you recommend? Dd doesn't like anything with spice, but there are several to choose from like "mediterranean" or "antioxidant free." Which is your favourite? And why fermented? Can I mix it with anything (it would have to be pretty enticing) to make dd take it? How does it taste? Thanks!

We have the cinnamon flavor. From what I understand the fermented is better for you. I don't have the time at the moment to find it but I know there's tons of info in the traditional foods forum. I know they have a chocolate flavor too.

I put some in a little juice on a spoon for DD. OJ covers the taste the best i believe.

I find the flavor rather mild but it just depends on your palate

[carfreemama]

Okay, off to the TF forum. Chocolate might just do the trick, although it's on the cytokine-storm no-no list. Thanks for all your help!

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by mbravebird

This article explains cytokine storms and H1N1, and how to support your immune system without supporting the cytokine storm:
http://www.the-health-gazette.com/he...ral-antivirals

AVOID kimchi Bummer

[SpiralWoman]

Originally Posted by FrannieP

Thanks alot for sharing this here.
I'm really glad that you're having such a mild case in your household!
May I ask, are you giving anything in particular or just letting it run it's course?
Good luck you guys!
fp

He hasn't needed anything. I haven't needed to surpress his temp (normally I only do if it is over 103+ longer than I feel comfortable with). I have given him chewable c when he feels like it. I have pushed fluids (juice and sprite), even if he only took a few sips every few hours. He had no appetite, so I just kept offering a few crackers, grapes, etc.
Glad I read the no-no list in the cytokine(sp?) storm article, bcz sometimes I do give childrens echinacea, but he never seemed to need it.
Today his temp is nearly normal & I think he'll be back in school tomorrow, which is good cause I need a rest!

[eclipse]

We're just getting over it in my house. My older kids and dh had very mild cases - head ache, low grade fever, lots of snot and coughing for a couple of days, slight dip in energy and appetite levels. DS2 (almost 4) and I got hit a little harder. I had the worst headache I've ever had that was not a migraine, and I had several days where I wasn't able to do much but lay on the couch and hope my kids didn't kill themselves while I drifted in and out of sleep. Lots of coughing and mucous. I'm about 8 or 9 days out from the onset of symptoms, and I'm still feeling under the weather. All in all, though, it wasn't the worst sick I've ever been. I never felt like I needed to go to the ER or urgent care.

[FrannieP]

Glad I read the no-no list in the cytokine(sp?) storm article, bcz sometimes I do give childrens echinacea, but he never seemed to need it.
Today his temp is nearly normal & I think he'll be back in school tomorrow, which is good cause I need a rest!

Yes, I've been going over the no-no list also:
http://sites.google.com/site/natural...cytokine-storm
Just in case!

I'm really glad it is winding down and ds will be able to go back to school so you can get some rest!
Take care and thanks for posting.

Eclipse,
Thanks to you also for sharing your experience. It really helps to hear from folks whoa re going through this and to hear that it's not as severe as many feared.
Feel better soon!
fp

[MangoMommy]

We've also had it here, got over it about 2 weeks ago. DS6, DD8 and I all got it bad. High fevers, aches, chills, sore throat, cough, headaches, just feeling crappy honestly. The kids did start Tamiflu (which gave 1 diareaha and the other vomited) but their fevers were gone within a day or so. I skipped all meds except Motrin (nursing) and my flu lasted about 2 days longer than the kids. We got sick on Tues and the kids were fine by Fri and I was a few more days. It did leave me feeling wiped out but I also just had a baby so I'm drained from that/sleep deprived.

Honestly it was no different from the regular flu. Just that we never get sick here (been years!) and we caught this one LOL!

Baby never got it, score 1 for nursing! (she nurses every few hours and cosleeps with me, she had every chance to get it KWIM)

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

Okay, so I picked dd up for lunch and asked her (casually, I hope!) if she washed her hands before snack. She said no and I asked why. She said none of the other kids did! I just don't get it. Shouldn't that just be BASIC hygiene? Preferably before and after, so they're not touching their mouths and then all these surfaces. It makes me worry about how seriously they're trying to improve their practices. So what do I do? Dd says there's a bathroom, so I asked her if she could ask to use it before she eats anything. I do not want to come across as the hysterical parent (yet), but she might as well be ingesting all those buggies if she isn't washing her hands before eating. Do I ask the teacher? Or just ask the teacher to make sure she washes her hands?

In the spring when H1N1 had just started rearing it's ugly head I asked my dd (then in Junior Kindergarten) if the teacher had them wash hands before eating. She told me that no, they were not allowed to wash hands! This seemed suspicious to me and I did ask the teacher about it and she said that of course the kids always washed before eating, after using the bathroom and at other times as well. They were being very strict with it in fact. You really don't get much of a good sense of what's going on at school by asking a small child I find...

[carfreemama]

I'm pretty sure dd's story was accurate in this case. I asked her if she washed her hands before snack and she said no. I asked why and she said "none of the other kids did." So today I sent her a wet washcloth with soap along with her snack. She told me she used it, without me asking; but again said "nobody else does." So I asked the principal if they had a handwashing policy and he said no, but assured me he would speak to the teachers. I think they might for lunch, but not for snack before recess. This is what bothers me so much. I KNOW I can't guarantee she won't get sick, but I hate not being able to monitor things like handwashing, keeping fingers out of mouths and away from eyes. I see the kids and they do it all.the.time. She's either going to get this or she's not. It feels like as long as she's in school, it's a losing battle.

[signingmamma]

OK DD was allright some days ago with some cough and runny nose, I thought it was a regular cold. But she got high fever 40°C (no idea in F) very early in the morning and we took her to the ER, she got the proper testing and she has the swine flu. She stayed in the hospital for the rest of the day and she was just realeased. She's now sleeping peacefully and she seemed fine and content after being realeased...

The deal is that she stayed in the hospital becuase she has asthma, so the doctors wanted to monitor her for the first hours, and now she's fine. I dont understand all the over reactions with it...

[allgirls]

Originally Posted by mbravebird

This article explains cytokine storms and H1N1, and how to support your immune system without supporting the cytokine storm:
http://www.the-health-gazette.com/he...ral-antivirals

It talks about H5N1...does the information still apply?

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

I'm pretty sure dd's story was accurate in this case. I asked her if she washed her hands before snack and she said no. I asked why and she said "none of the other kids did." So today I sent her a wet washcloth with soap along with her snack. She told me she used it, without me asking; but again said "nobody else does." So I asked the principal if they had a handwashing policy and he said no, but assured me he would speak to the teachers. I think they might for lunch, but not for snack before recess. This is what bothers me so much. I KNOW I can't guarantee she won't get sick, but I hate not being able to monitor things like handwashing, keeping fingers out of mouths and away from eyes. I see the kids and they do it all.the.time. She's either going to get this or she's not. It feels like as long as she's in school, it's a losing battle.

Oh wow, that's surprising to me! At both of my dd's schools (she switched to a new school this year) they have talked a lot about "extra precautions", esp handwashing and covering mouths when coughing/sneezing. I'm glad you talked to the principal and I hope he gets things sorted out with the teacher. I don't think you'd be "weird" or anything to keep on top of this and continue to push if your dd's class still doesn't institute better handwashing policies - that's what I would do!

[carfreemama]

The principal told me the public health department sent bottles of hand sanitizer to the school. What if they just decide to use those? I'm assuming it's better than nothing, but I've also heard actual handwashing is far superior. Maybe I should just insist dd washes her hands before she puts anything in her mouth and make sure the teacher knows.

I've even thought about organizing the parents in her class (including me) to volunteer to take shifts cleaning the classroom and supervising/monitoring handwashing. There might be enough parents who could do a couple of hours per week. That might be going over the line for most people, though, I suppose.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

The principal told me the public health department sent bottles of hand sanitizer to the school. What if they just decide to use those? I'm assuming it's better than nothing, but I've also heard actual handwashing is far superior. Maybe I should just insist dd washes her hands before she puts anything in her mouth and make sure the teacher knows.

I've even thought about organizing the parents in her class (including me) to volunteer to take shifts cleaning the classroom and supervising/monitoring handwashing. There might be enough parents who could do a couple of hours per week. That might be going over the line for most people, though, I suppose.

To me it seems like a simple enough thing that kids should be washing hands before eating (as opposed to sanitizer, though that's certainly better than nothing). I would ask to talk to the teacher, tell her your concerns, and request that she starts having the kids wash hands at snack time. Simple enough, IMO. I don't really think it would take volunteer parents to get that done, though you could certainly offer your services. As for whether other parents would volunteer it's hard to say. Of the parents I met at my dd's school last year I would have been very surprised if any of them would be into doing that (or available - seems like most or all of them worked during the day). Of course it never hurts to ask!

[nj's_mom]

Just wanted to add that I believe I had h1n1 virus about a month and a half ago. Runny nose, congestion, sore throat, etc. and then exhaustion, lethargic, headache, then fever. DD, who is now 1 and still nursing, caught it as well. We both were over it within a few days, it sucked (like any flu) while we had it but was pretty mild all in all. (Yay, nursing!) Though we did not go to dr. or ER (why would we?) I am assuming it was h1n1 since August was not flu season, and hoping we have some immunity this fall.