H1N1 - need quick advice please

[DeChRi]

My 10 yo had what Drs said was H1N1 this past week. (fever, throat, headache, bodyaches, stomach)

Today my throat is getting progressively sore, body aching, headache coming and feel horrid. All last week I loaded on Vit D, garlic, etc, etc. Seems I am still getting what she had.

So my question....I am 8 weeks pregnant and know that Extra Vit C is not recommending in first trimester. If I have no history of mc, how much can I take to help combat this? Any other suggestions? My OB is pushing Tamilfu.

[sostinkinhappy]

My two boys are on Tamiflu right now & I am beginning to show symptoms. I am 7 weeks 4 days so I look forward to seeing what others might say...

[Sri Radha]

At 8 weeks I would ride it out. The serious complications for pregnant women seem to be later on in pregnancy. Keep an eye on your temperature and I would take Tylenol if it gets to be 101 degrees. Stay hydrated.

What it boils down to is you have to do what you are comfortable with. Do you have other health conditions that could make the fu worse, like asthma? If you feel Tamiflu is best for your situation then maybe you should take it. Feel better.

[DeChRi]

Originally Posted by Sri Radha

At 8 weeks I would ride it out. The serious complications for pregnant women seem to be later on in pregnancy. Keep an eye on your temperature and I would take Tylenol if it gets to be 101 degrees. Stay hydrated.

What it boils down to is you have to do what you are comfortable with. Do you have other health conditions that could make the fu worse, like asthma? If you feel Tamiflu is best for your situation then maybe you should take it. Feel better.

Thanks. No other health conditions....generally in great health, still running several times/week and weight training. I would hope that between that, my general good health/diet and the immune boosting supps I have been taking, that this would run it's course.

Of course as each hour goes on and I feel worse and worse, my logic and decision making is getting woozy...lol.

[pianojazzgirl]

I am 8wks pg too and feel comfortable taking vit C, esp when sick. I have read some sources that I trust that say that vit C causing MC is a myth. (To put it into context I have had 2 MCs in the past, and still don't worry at all about taking vit C during the first tri when sick). Can you call your HCP and ask their opinion about vit C?

Also, check out the homeopathic flu remedy which is safe for pg women. I always forget how to spell it. oscillo...something. I bet a google search would show what it is right away. You can usually even get it at your local pharmacy. I imagine if you had someone who could drive out to the pharmacy for you the pharmacist would be able to point it out.

As for whether to take Tamiflu - if it were me I would ride it out. I don't feel comfortable with taking Tamiflu during pg (and would be cautious about it even if not pg). I would rest at home, take home remedies, try to stave off any high fever (higher than 102 F) and if I started having any trouble breathing or even started getting a deep chesty cough I would go in to be checked out right away.

Hope it passes quickly and relatively painlessly mama.

[quiverfull]

my midwife suggested elderberry syrup, which is suggested for fighting flu/cold stuff... it builds the immune system, and can help ease the symptoms. I don't believe there are any problems with taking it in early pregnancy. The one I got has echinacea, zinc, 100 mg of C (pretty small dose) as well http://www.naturesway.com/?pid=6974. But you can get the syrup with just the elderberry. http://www.naturesway.com/?pid=6974

Hope you feel better soon!

Holly

[Pookietooth]

There is that homeopathic remedy for the flu -- osillococcinum (sp?) -- which should be fine during pregnancy.

[KoalaMommy]

You should be fine to step up the vitamin C to 1,000 mg, it's above 1,000mg that MC is a risk. And being sick depletes your body, so at that level for a few days you should be fine. But I would split it up into 2 doses of 500mg just to be on the safe side because 1,000 mg doses is how you start to bring on your period when it's late.

I second the homeopathic flu remedy, I took it and it helped a lot. Honestly, the swine flu wasn't that bad for us. My OB wouldn't give my tamiflu and I'm kind of glad. Elderberry is also good. I did use conventional meds too because my cough was really bad and I wanted to keep that at bay.

[justmandy]

I highly recomend the elderberry. I had the flu last week and was well in 3 days (considerably better in 18 hours).

My midwife checked with an herbalist and everyone said it was safe. It helped with my cough as well.

With tamiflu, you do not build an immunity to the flu so you could get it again.

I got Sambucol at Walgreens, probably not the highest quality homeopathic brand out there but it was Sunday and our health food store was closed. It works wonderfully. I've given it to my kids as well.

[DeChRi]

thanks all. may i say that while h1n1 is no worse than the regular flu....the flu sucks. and being pregnant, every time i cough i get muscle cramps (like round ligament pain) on the side of my abdomen that make me double over. my fever was 100 this morning but is back down to almost normal. i did just take a half dose of tylenol in hope to make the incredibly horrid body aches go away. it's like my skin even hurts. this reminds me of labor...cant get comfortable, nothing feels good to me, cant escape it...this is the part where I ask for the epidural but dont really mean it, lol.

thanks for the suggestions and letting me vent.

[justmandy]

You have no idea how much that helps me! Last week when I had the flu I thought "If I can't do this, how and I going to get through birth?" It's good to know I'm not alone with that feeling.

Get better mama, I'm so sorry you're going through this.

[Juvysen]

Oh, man, I had a puking bug half way through my pregnancy w/Ds (just puking and intestinal issues, no other symptoms, really) and it was HORRIBLE. I remember lying on the ground in the middle of the night thinking "ughhhhh... this is worse than labor...." because, while labor isn't easy, at least it comes and goes (the contractions, anyway, usually - on a minute off a minute...) and you get a baby at the end... and you KNOW there's a definite end to it.

Definitely prefer labor to illness...

[DeChRi]

It's so true, lol. I told DH...get me some tylenol!!! He was like, whatever, you are anti tylenol and all...ride out the fever...blah blah blah. I was like, I DONT CARE WHAT I THINK, GET ME THE DAMN TYLENOL. Lol. When you feel THAT bad, rational thinking really does go out the window.

[treemom2]

research elderberry/echinacea and cytokine storm in relation to the swine flu. . .usually these are good, but they can possibly cause major problems with this flu. . .please, please, please research!

[at_the_hip]

Some homeopaths are suggesting Nux Vomica 30c or 200c as a homeopathic remedy for this flu. I can tell you that we have had to take it several times this season and never had anything full blown despite having been exposed. So if you happen to have a homeopathic kit around or a whole foods nearby, it is worth a try. I also wouldn't hesitate to take Tylenol...the fever is more dangerous in the first trimester than the tylenol IMO...
kind regards and be well,

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by at_the_hip

Some homeopaths are suggesting Nux Vomica 30c or 200c as a homeopathic remedy for this flu. I can tell you that we have had to take it several times this season and never had anything full blown despite having been exposed. So if you happen to have a homeopathic kit around or a whole foods nearby, it is worth a try. I also wouldn't hesitate to take Tylenol...the fever is more dangerous in the first trimester than the tylenol IMO...
kind regards and be well,

There's some suggestion that tylenol (or other NSAIDs) are involved in the "worse" cases of H1N1. I'd strongly consider other methods of keeping the fever down before I went with those.

There was also a study recently suggesting that NSAIDs (like tylenol, ibuprofen, etc) can mute immune response to vaccines... which suggests possibly mute "regular" immune responses, too, you know? You want your body to be able to fight...

[at_the_hip]

Originally Posted by Juvysen

There's some suggestion that tylenol (or other NSAIDs) are involved in the "worse" cases of H1N1. I'd strongly consider other methods of keeping the fever down before I went with those.

There was also a study recently suggesting that NSAIDs (like tylenol, ibuprofen, etc) can mute immune response to vaccines... which suggests possibly mute "regular" immune responses, too, you know? You want your body to be able to fight...

I believe that wholeheartedly...but does that apply to a first trimester pregnancy? I believe to have mc in the past from maternal fever so I am nervous about that. Any advice or thoughts or studies here would be appreciated!

[at_the_hip]

There was also a study recently suggesting that NSAIDs (like tylenol, ibuprofen, etc) can mute immune response to vaccines... which suggests possibly mute "regular" immune responses, too, you know? You want your body to be able to fight...

Oh and the other thing was that as far as I knew, Tylenol is not a NSAID...ibuprofen, naproxen and other anti-inflammatories are the NSAID's I thought? So did the studies apply to tylenol or simply speak of NSAID's? I did know that ibuprofen/NSAIDs could increase risk of secondary infection.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by at_the_hip

Oh and the other thing was that as far as I knew, Tylenol is not a NSAID...ibuprofen, naproxen and other anti-inflammatories are the NSAID's I thought? So did the studies apply to tylenol or simply speak of NSAID's? I did know that ibuprofen/NSAIDs could increase risk of secondary infection.

Ooh, good point. I think it was tylenol specific.

My midwife suggested other methods of fever reduction when I was in my first trimester. Cool bath, homeopathics...

ETA... I think she also said that fever issues were only before 10 weeks or something (not the full first tri) and after that not to worry until the fever was over 102, and then to use "natural" fever reducers before trying otc ones.

[Juvysen]

re: tylenol and vaccine effectiveness: http://mothering.com/discussions/sho....php?t=1147764

re: NSAIDs and H1N1 http://archive.constantcontact.com/f...758254596.html

I got both these links from the October H1N1 vax thread in the vax forum, FYI