Swine flu. I think I've already had it!

[Dos_Box]

Jane and I were talking last week about a bout of 'illness' we all had to varying degrees a couple of weeks back. I spent 2 days in bed unable to stay awake (quite shocking actually. I had to sleep fully clothed, but was totally unable to stay awake!), and Fenn, my youngest was also laid low. Jane and Rowan, my daughter, were also ill, but with slightly different symptoms but equally nasty feelings. Looking at some of the symptoms being listed online we have a slight suspicion we have 'had it'. Which is nice because it gets it out of the way

Has anyone else here been hit with it yet?

[Haptic]

Jane and I were talking last week about a bout of 'illness' we all had to varying degrees a couple of weeks back. I spent 2 days in bed unable to stay awake (quite shocking actually. I had to sleep fully clothed, but was totally unable to stay awake!), and Fenn, my youngest was also laid low. Jane and Rowan, my daughter, were also ill, but with slightly different symptoms but equally nasty feelings. Looking at some of the symptoms being listed online we have a slight suspicion we have 'had it'. Which is nice because it gets it out of the way

Has anyone else here been hit with it yet?

 

glad your all felling better now bud,

[laserblazer]

I had similar symptoms as well, fortunately I knew the cause was too much cheap red wine followed by more brandy than is good fo you. The nice thing was I knew I was going to feel better as the day progressed.

[tech_guy]

Reckon I had it last week, but mildly. Wife is quite ill with it now. Daughter coughing and spluttering all over the place as well.

[CHR1S]

Think I have a chest infection, no other symptoms tho...

[Ric_]

I felt a bit ropey the other day (coincidentally, the same day it was announced that a kid had symptoms at the school!)... anyway... I put it down to the 1 mile walk home from the pub at silly o'clock in the morning in the driving rain!

[elsiegee40]

We have a feeling our teenage son had it a few weeks back. His temperature was so high that he felt like a hot radiator! He vomited twice and a week later the sore throat and cold symptoms became tonsilitis and an ear infection. Antibiotics cleared up the latter - time and sleep the former.

 

My OH was pretty poorly the following week, but nowhere near as bad as our son. As for me and our daughter, we've both had a spell of a few rough days, but I wouldn't like to say that we'd had it.

[Sylv3r]

We have had a couple of staff here with the symptoms who have been asked to stay at home and only one confirmed student with it.

 

Several of our feeder primary school kids have had it and were not asked to attend the Year 6 evening, but up to now it hasn't really hit us. From what the press are saying if you don't catch it by the end of the year you will have been in the minority. The cases now and generally the mild version but the 'daddy' version isn't too far around the corner.

[elsiegee40]

Students from daughter's (Kent) school are stuck out in China at the moment. According to facebook statuses, they're due for release in the next 24 hours as none of them have succumbed.

[powdarrmonkey]

It's ok, the BBC are here to save the day again! Here's their helpful guide to naming the bit of you that aches most:

 

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46090000/gif/_46090294_swine_flu_body226.gif

 

(context: BBC NEWS | Health | Pandemic flu service to go live)

[PiqueABoo]

Looking at some of the symptoms being listed online we have a slight suspicion we have 'had it'.

 

My 6 yr-old had recently been to what was then a "hotspot", got a sudden proper fever, major lethargy, headache, stomach pain.. wasn't too bad the next couple of days, but then was sick, coughing and had her trademark ear-infection etc. Still on ABs for the latter but was all over after five days.

 

Called the NHS-Direct line within hours of that fever kicking in (very abruptly), ended up being asked to go to an out-of-hours GP at the hospital. "May or may not be swine flu.. blah blah.. takes a week to get results.. only give tamiflu to people with existing health issues, under 5s and over 65s.. keep her at home and give her Calpol".

 

Don't know, maybe it was maybe it wasn't swine flu.

 

Do know there appears to be a post-code lottery at work yet again e.g. someone on our street who works in the NHS elsewhere says in that area, when in doubt they're handing it out to everyone regardless of risk group.

[witch]

The various sites seem to list every symptom known to man - apparently the most obvious one is the VERY high temperature - so if you had that, it is probable that you had swine flu.

 

We had it in our school and the head didn't even advise those with underlying health problems to go home (that would be the asthmatic IT tech, diabetic IT co-ord, child with heart problems, child who has had a stroke etc etc).

The high school stayed open but did advise anyone with problems to stay away.

[PiqueABoo]

the most obvious one is the VERY high temperature

 

It's not that obvious, because that's a symptom of most non-swine flu and other things besides.

 

My daughter was radiating heat from every inch of her body, went up to at least 39.4C (a bit more than Mr Burhams "38C" which interestingly is only 0.2C above the top of the normal range for 3-10yrs) complained of feeling freezing and had the goose-bumps to prove that i.e. a fever.

 

But by the time we saw the Dr., it was about 6 hours from the start, she'd spent a lot of time naked, had two rounds of (max-permitted dose) Calpol and a trip in a car with the air-con on full.. and was just back in normal range again!

 

Was it wasn't it? Pass.

Edited July 20, 2009 by PiqueABoo

[witch]

It's not that obvious, because that's a symptom of most non-swine flu and other things besides.

 

Yes, but in adults there isn't a lot of stuff that puts your temperature up that high and that you are likely to have except flu or swine flu and at the moment, which is it more likely to be? Children are a different matter, their temperature can go way up for quite small reasons.

[Guest richard_s]

Woke up this morning aching all over after spending a restless night due to feeling very hot. I had even gone to bed around 9pm which is most unusual for me as I wasn't feeling great. Have had to go into work as I can't afford the time off so I might as well spread the the "love" to anyone who wants it.

[CHR1S]

Well the good old doctor gave me a course of steiroids for my chest infection, which is also a treatement for flu ... so I think he is covering all his bases

[PiqueABoo]

flu or swine flu and at the moment, which is it more likely to be?

 

Probably swine flu, but all the figures I've seen thrown about have been about confirmed cases and I haven't seen anything about negative results for people's flu like symptoms (or how good that test is in the first place e.g. false negatives, positives)

 

Interestingly the "influenza consultation rate" bell curve is at it's peak for the 5-14 yr olds and gets less with age i.e. flu symptoms appear to be hitting under 25 yr olds at 5 times the rate.

 

And pressure just turned up in the Lancet on not discounting schools closures: "'prolonged' closures could reduce the scale of the outbreak by 13-17% and at the pandemic's peak shutting schools could bring down the number of cases by 38-45%.

 

[That's media quoting, so those stats may not have carried over sufficient context form the Lancet paper]

Edited July 21, 2009 by PiqueABoo
flue!