<p>Is there not fever in the first few days of H1N1? I am on second day of mild sore throat and general crappy feeling, no other symptoms and NO fever. I am trying to decide if this is likely to get worse tomorrow, the first UM football game, or hopefully I am on the mend. I don’t know.</p>
<p>TwistedxKiss:, The H1N1 flu virus is unusual in that many people have it and are very sick but don’t have a fever. I can’t post the article but you can google and find many references.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13fever.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13fever.html</a></p>
<p>UW-Madison started classes last week and has a nice info page sent to staff and students as well as available on their website- I had sent the listed supplies son would need if sick, nothing more I can do. The policy and information given to students was nice- very clear and complete without being too wordy, including some things that may seem obvious but are likely to be missed (clean the remote…).</p>
<p>I am a RN and work in the school system in Atlanta. The only way to test for H1N1 is through a blood test. The test takes 48-72 hours for results and costs $500. The CDC has recommended that only people admitted to the hospital due to severe symptoms be tested. The nasal swab you get in the MD office only tells you if it is a Flu Strain (not the type of flu). At this point type of flu is a mute point. August is not typical flu season…if you have flu like symptoms, go ahead and assume you have the H1N1 Virus. Treatment is the same as the seasonal flu (which will hit in January-February)…rest, fluids, fever reducing medication and more rest. Stay away from the MD office and ER’s if you are not having complications. The offices and ER’s are swamped here in ATL. Both my college son and my HS son have had it this past week and now DH has it. College son only had fever for 24 hours and was feeling well in 48 hours. DH has been sick as a dog for 4 days. I’ve been around it since school opened 4 weeks ago and have yet to get it.</p>
<p>The Southeast has been hit really hard. I suspect by mid-October we (the ATL area) will be seeing only a few cases. Which is good because then we have to gear up for Seasonal Flu (Which by the way kills alot more people than the Swine Flu has). Don’t forget to get your seasonal flu shot.</p>
<p>My sore throat was gone in two days, I’ve had no symptoms today at all. So I am hoping that means it was just some kind of weird bug that was going around.</p>
<p>^^you in all probability just had a mild case of H1N1.</p>
<p>And Tamiflu is worthless-the hospital docs don’t even order it</p>
<p>Sorry, schlagowsky, the Tamiflu is NOT worthless. It helps a lot of people as does Relenza. Both have to be given within 48 hours of the start of symptoms to be effective and many people wait longer to contact their doctor. </p>
<p>It is really, really important for anyone pregnant to get on Tamiflu within this time frame if they start having flu symptoms. Mortality for pregnant women is significant with this flu. </p>
<p>Please also know that minorities are hospitalized at a much higher rate – and that about 30% of cases do not present with fever (ie, you can have this flu and not have a higher temperature). Most cases ARE resolving in a few days – but a student that starts to get better and then relapses absolutely should be evaluated by a doctor. A viral infection can zap the immune system and some people are then whalloped by a bacterial pneumonia that can be fatal. </p>
<p>This is going to be a challenging fall. The mild virus of H1N1 can change to something nastier at any time. Please don’t be nonchalant about this flu.</p>
<p>So if I get sick again, even if it’s mild, I should go to the doctor? Or if it just gets bad I should go? My understanding is that I only have two doctor visits a year so I am hesitant to go before I need to.</p>
<p>2 people have confirmed cases at my school thus far.</p>
<p>Edit - They were mild cases if that matters.</p>
<p>So if I get sick again, even if it’s mild, I should go to the doctor?</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>If you get sick again, should you go to the doctor? I think you need to know a LOT more about influenza and your medical history to know what’s best. </p>
<p>Flu hits some groups harder: Minorities, native peoples, asthmatics, diabetics, anyone with immunosuppression issues (like some one being treated for cancer, or has lupus). The obese also. Any heart or lung issues need to be considered. </p>
<p>This flu HAS killed people with no previous health concerns. Anyone who quits peeing or cries without producing tears is severely dehydrated. </p>
<p>You really, really have to gather lots of information and understand your options. Is there a flu help line in your city so you could call and talk to someone about your symptoms? If you are a student, then the campus health center should be open to you. </p>
<p>You don’t want to use up medical care for a teeny throat tickle – and you do want to take influenza seriously. What tips things one way or the other are the details.</p>
<p>I’m going to post some links:</p>
<p>Swine flu worse than seasonal infection
More healthy people being struck down
Ella Lee
Sep 05, 2009 </p>
<p>Swine flu is more dangerous than seasonal flu because about 30 per cent of those who develop severe complications have had no underlying diseases, a leading microbiologist said yesterday. SNIP</p>
<p>The study showed that many of the patients who became seriously ill had a low fever in the early stages of infection. The median time between the onset of illness and when the patients sought treatment at hospital was about five days. Their conditions deteriorated rapidly and they were place on ventilators a median of seven days after manifesting symptoms. The four patients who died did so a median of 10 days after the onset of infection. </p>
<p>“When those patients suffered breathing difficulties, their lungs were already severely damaged and Tamiflu was no longer effective on them,” Yuen said. </p>
<p>He advised doctors to use Tamiflu more promptly, especially for high-risk patients including young children, elderly people and those with chronic diseases. </p>
<p>South China Morning Post /Sept. 5, 2009 as posted at:
[PANDEMIC</a> FLU INFORMATION FORUM :: View topic - News September 6, 2009](<a href=“http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewtopic.php?t=3630]PANDEMIC”>http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewtopic.php?t=3630)</p>
<p>Pregnant women concerned after swine flu deaths
[Pregnant</a> women concerned after swine flu deaths | marionstar.com | The Marion Star](<a href=“http://www.marionstar.com/article/20090906/NEWS01/909060316/-1/newsfront2]Pregnant”>http://www.marionstar.com/article/20090906/NEWS01/909060316/-1/newsfront2)
September 6, 2009 </p>
<p>The swine flu deaths of two women in Ohio who had just given birth have raised concerns among pregnant women. </p>
<p>A 20-year-old woman in Franklin County died of swine flu Thursday a week after delivering a healthy baby girl. An 18-year-old Cuyahoga County woman died in June from swine flu shortly after giving birth. </p>
<p>Area obstetricians said they were flooded with calls Friday from pregnant women inquiring about a swine flu vaccine, which is expected to be available sometime in October.</p>
<p>Hmm. I have asthma but am otherwise relatively healthy, so I will call my specialist and ask him what he thinks and will go to student health if I get sick again. My allergies here are wreaking havoc on me so that, plus asthma, plus a cough from any kind of flu would probably be a very uncomfortable situation.</p>
<p>Olymom, thanks for the very informative posts.</p>
<p>You’re welcome! Some more bits to consider:</p>
<p>There are many flu remedies out there. Research anything you take or have your kids take. Some stuff is snake oil. </p>
<p>Also watch out for Tylenol/acetiminophen overdosing. You don’t want to take a cough syrup with acetiminophen along with a couple of Tylenol along with some Theraflu (which also has acetiminophen in it). At this point you may be triple dosing and that can create severe liver damage. Little kids have died from being given two or three products that summed up to “too much.” No booze with Tylenol either (including wine). </p>
<p>Research Vitamin D3 to see if it is appropriate for you. </p>
<p>Flu hits differently than a cold. One minute you are fine and then, whammo, you feel like death warmed over. It is a good idea to have a stocked pantry and medicine cabinet so you don’t have to drag yourself to the store (infecting others as you go). I sent a care package to DS (enough to treat several friends as well). </p>
<p>Don’t have a “failure of imagination.” If flu does hit nationwide in September and October, all sorts of things will slow. Things like an electrical outage due to a storm will take longer to resolve because linemen will be out sick and there won’t be linemen from the next county to slide over and pick up the slack. Think about your situation and have critical medicines, pet needs, property needs in hand so that a slow month of services won’t be a mess for you. (Sort of like giant hurricane prepping). You’ll be all set for winter storms! </p>
<p>It is my fervent hope that this flu season will be mild – but things can change and rapidly. Please prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Cliched but helpful!</p>
<p>We visited three DC colleges this weekend. We saw some posters at all of them, but only Georgetown had also put handsanitizers at every single door to a building.</p>
<p>OlyMom–</p>
<p>What did you include in the H1N1 care package to your D?</p>
<p>Your info has been so helpful. Thanks.</p>
<p>Actually I have been following flu for several years (we used to keep chickens and I started out being interested in “bird” flu). Our DS is a junior, so my first kit was three years ago. I am NOT a doctor or a nurse or a nutritionist. I am a mom who has read a great deal – so please, please, please confer with a medical professional as to what is correct for your family. This is simply a report on what we did.
We started out with: </p>
<p>Thermometer, ibuprofen, tylenol (can alternate the two pain relievers), Vitamins, Emetril (nausea reducer), cucucermin capsules (tumeric – a natural anti-viral), green tea bags, Benedryl, and Mucinex (both address mucus). Notepad and pencil (for recording temps). NO ASPIRIN for teens or early twenties (this includes no peptobismal) because of Reyes syndrome. Broth packets. </p>
<p>Later I sent a great deal of Vitamin D3 and a box of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s) for any emergency in which dining service is not available. I requested he have bottled water on hand but I don’t know if that happened. (ordered from MRE Depot and delivered to campus)</p>
<p>I have (repeatedly) spoken about the need to have at least a little cash on hand – but that message didn’t really resonate until the wallet was lost on a Friday . . . </p>
<p>DS would say I sent enough to serve the dorm floor. IMHO we can go through a lot of goods in four or five days of being ill. One teeny pill packet of two Tylenol won’t cut it. </p>
<p>I have elderberry syrup on hand for DH and I – it passed my research for us. But it works by raising the cytokine levels – something you do NOT want happening in a young person (cytokiene storm is when the body drowns in its own fluids) so that was NOT in the kit I mailed to campus. </p>
<p>I did go to the local health food store and a terrific salesman pressed two products on me. I paid . . .too much and got home and started reading about the products. Total hooey.
Fortunately they let me exchange for some straight vitamins. Again, research and speak to a professional to make sure YOUR situation is addressed.</p>