Conference moira::parenting_v3

    
    Don't know if it's the same bug...but my son is just recovering
    from a bout with the flu that was accompanied by 4 days of 
    fever (up to 105 at one time!).   His pedi also said it was a
    flu going around that had from 5-6 days of high temps (guess
    we got lucky only having 4 :-) !)   He didn't sleep excessively
    and didn't have diarrhea, in fact he wasn't too bad when the
    Tylenol kept the fever down ... just a little whiny ... so maybe
    it isn't the same strain of bug?!?
    
    Carol

    Re: last few...
    
    Our daycare center advised me that they sent a toddler home on Monday
    with a temp of 103+, and said it was due to a virus going around. Now
    I'm not a medical expert, but I would think that a 'virus' was
    something totally different from a 'bug' or a 'flu', so I don't know if
    this can relate to the prevoius replies. When I pick Nick up tonight,
    I'll  ask for more info...maybe they just used the term 'virus' in lieu
    of 'flu' or 'bug'.
    
    Freddie
    
    (P.S. I fully expect Nick to start showing these symptoms by Friday, 
    since we've planned our first ski-trip of the year for this weekend...:^)

    
    Could be wrong but I thought the flu was caused by a virus.
    Certainly my son's pedi was using the terms interchangeably in
    this case.    

    Carol,
    
    I've always been under the same assumption as you - that the flu is a
    virus.  But about the one that .0 has mentioned...  Yes, I've heard
    of many of the same symptoms in other children, only I've heard it
    can last anywhere from 2 to 14 days.  I had it (well, still do
    actually) but I only have bodyaches, a fever that comes and goes,
    and a constant, dull headache.  I think my daughter had it last week,
    but since she had just had shots at the pedi's, I assumed the fever
    was a result of that.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    All 3 of my sitter's kids had this bug last week - periodic spiking
    temps, diarrhea, and sometimes a cough. It is apparently making the
    rounds, at least in central Mass.  Ryan thus far has had the temp off
    and on, but no other symptoms.
    

    Yup ... there are some nasty bugs going around this winter.
    
    influenza is the name of a group of virus strains that are basically
    of the same family.  Just as colds are also another group of viruses.
    Normally, once you have been infected by a viral infection you are
    immune to repeat infections ... but the flu and cold viruses are
    particularly good at mutating.  Each mutation causes subtly different
    symptoms from classic 'flu as we knew it.  UNfortunately, the terms
    do get bandied about ... germ, bug and so on.  Basically there are
    three infectious organisms the body fights ... bacteria (strep, staph
    for example), viruses (influenza, rubella etc) and spores (Candida
    yeast).  The non-technical 'bug' or germ can really refer to any of
    these!
    
    My older two daughters have been complaining of headaches for a couple
    days and have had spiky fevers as previously described, but no
    diahhorea ...  The diahhorea could well be a function of the fever
    rather than the bug itself.
    
    You may have heard of the child that died in her father's arms as
    a result of the 'flu ... that was here in Ottawa.  There has been
    one more since.  In one case, the child had a heart problem, and in
    the other, the child's immune system was "run down".  I understand that
    the bug currently running around is related to these incidents.
    
    The general concensus from the Doctors was that there was no cause for
    alarm, becasue there were specific reasons for the deaths, but for
    this, like other viral infections, the best treatment is to keep the fever 
    controlled but not force it all the way down to normal ... (elevated fever 
    is one of the body's mecahnisms for destroying infections ... except when 
    it gets too high!), to keep the child relatively quiet ... (no hectic 
    physical activity) , well fed, well watered and well rested so to
    keep the immune system as healthy as possible.
    
    Stuart
    So, look after them as best you can.
    
    Stuart
    
    

    My daycare's 3 year old has had a fever for three days - 103 or
    so.  Sometimes he's coughing but that's it.  And I was just informed
    of this TODAY, after bringing Eric in Tuesday and again this morning.
    
    Hope we don't get it.
    
    Donna
    

Our whole family had it, but not too badly.   I had diarrhea, we all
had headaches and temperatures of about 102 or thereabouts, the boys
weren't interested in food, and I slept all weekend.  It wasn't too 
comfortable but we've lived through worse.

At one point just before Christmas, half my son's first-grade class
was out sick and we got a note from the principal saying we should
feel free to keep our kids home if we were worried about them getting
sick.  We didn't come down with it until after the holidays, thank
goodness.  

My doctor said it's the illness they used to call "grippe" -- a viral
disease similar to influenza but not caused by a virus of the influenza
family.  I said my stomach couldn't tell the difference and he agreed...

--bonnie

    We all had some kind of stomach "bug" about 2 weeks ago: nausea, "the
    runs" and vomitting.  Fortunately, fevers were minimal and it was
    (thankfully) very short-lived (about 24 hours).  
    
    But we were miserable while it lasted...
    
    LZP
    

Re: .6

The story of the child who got flu and died in his fathers arms was
given as happening in southern New Hampshire in MENNOTES note 543.  I wonder
if we have the makings of an urban legend here (though I don't doubt that
the incident happened SOMEWHERE.)

				Steve

Add Cory to the list.  Daycare sent him home yesterday because of a fever.
He spiked a fever around 11:00 p.m. of 104.5.  He's also had a bit of a cough
a runny nose and poor appetite.

The doctor said to keep him quiet, plenty of fluids, food when he wants it.
Tylenol didn't seem to be helping him last night so we used Pediaprofin.  
Though I suspect it upset his stomach because he was waking every hour or
two crying.  For a while, I thought I was going to spend the entire night
sitting in the rocking chair with him.

Here's to a quick recovery !

- Terry

Us, too (we're in southern New Hampshire).  David came down with it a week
ago, and is now pretty much over it, Gregor came down with it on Sunday and
is still sleeping *lots* and eating very little, and I got it on Tuesday.
I wish I'd had it first so that I'd have known better how the kids felt
when they were first sick.  My symptoms started with a headache, progressed
into fever and all-over achiness, and now are down to mild nausea, lack of
energy, and lack of appetite.  The kids' symptoms were basically the same,
but seemed to last quite a bit longer.  But then I'm not all better yet...

The order we got it in is kind of strange, because the only place David's
been without me recently is to the grocery store (no, he doesn't go by
himself - Daddy takes him).  So I blame that for the germs.

							cheryl

    
    Spencer had it for about 9 days, and Tanner (5 mos) had it for about 6.
    Spencer had an off and on fever for 4 days, vomitting for 2 days,
    absolutly NO appetite for about a week, conjestion.  After 4 days we 
    went to the
    drs, and they said his throat was very red and sore.  tested him for
    strep, but it came back negative.  Poor kid, I was trying to give him
    things to eat for an upset tummy (toast, saltines etc.) when I found
    out his throat was sore, i switched foods to pudding, jello, applesauce
    etc, and he ate a little more.  He was very winey, no energy, tired,
    basically a wet dishrag for about a week.  Tylenol seemed to help. 
    Tanner ended up with a double ear infection and conjunctivitus (sp?) 
    
    Finally, everybody in my house is not sick - we've been going through
    this sickness stuff the entire month of Jan!  I was starting to worry
    about the amount of work my husband and I have missed.  Other people I
    have talked to, they have been going through the same bug, flu, virus,
    whatever also.
    
    

    This is a strange one, alright! My son had a high fever of 103 for
    three days. It finally went away. I mean completely down for a half
    a day then went back up to 100. He's got stomach cramps and diarrea
    but no vomiting.
    
    The nurse at his kindergarden told me that there are a record number of
    students out in Bellingham, Ma. She said parents are sending there kids
    back too soon because it's a long 2 week virus.
    
    Poor kids. I'd rather be sick myself. He's white as a ghost and just
    sleeps. He is a great natured 5 year old. Doesn't ask for much, takes
    his medicine like a champ and tolerates his sister harassing him from
    his bedside.
    
    Kate

    At first, I thought 8-year old Nicole had the bug described in here. 
    However, her fever wouldn't break, so off to the doctor we went today.
    
    She has pneumonia(sp?).
    
    Bob

This is getting dangerous.  Back to the doctor today.  Strep throat and
pneumonia.  If there isn't any improvement tomorrow, she gets admitted to the
hospital.

Bob

    Well, my son Shane (6 months old) came down with it too.  He started
    getting sick on Saturday.  After dinner he vomitted, I took his
    temp. and it was 100.2.  On Sunday morning he vomitted again after 
    breakfast, but was fine the rest of the day until after dinner when he 
    vomitted again and his fever went up to 102.  I called his doctor and she
    wasn't in so I spoke with another doctor and told him that in addition
    to his vomitting and fever, he had a bad cough and labored breathing
    that he had had for two weeks (he had his 6 month check up last week
    and his doctor told me he had a cold).  The doctor said he may have
    pneumonia and to bring him in (boy did that scare me).  He didn't have 
    pneumonia (thank God) but was diagnosed with a double ear infection,
    an upper respiratory infection and the flu.
    
    All he does is sleep all day and has no appetite.  The poor little
    guy, I hate to see him suffer and not be able to tell me what's
    wrong.
    
    Lori B.

	Bob,

	My thoughts and prayers are with you.  There is nothing 	
	worse than taking your child to the doctor with what seems 
	like a garden variety illness and being told it is something 
	worse.  With us it was appendicitis...

	Let us know how she is - I hope she can stay home.

	Norma

    Well, either the shot she got yesterday helped a lot or her immune
    system is finally starting to win the battle.  She felt good enough
    today to ask to watch TV.
    
    Bob

Bob,

A speedy recovery to you and your daughter!  I'm glad she is feeling better
and hope she improves dramatically!

     Carol

    re: .17
    
    Just to let everyone know, this virus is pretty serious for the
    real little ones.  My son ended up being admitted to the hospital
    on Thursday evening for dehydration.  His dehydration was so bad
    that his veins collapsed and they couldn't get an I.V. into him.
    Fortunately, he decided that he'd take a bottle (after not taking
    any liquids for almost 24 hours) and he got better quick and was
    able to go home the next day, but there were two other children
    in the hospital with the same thing, one of them a two month old.
    This baby had an I.V. put into his head because it was the only
    place they could find a vein that hadn't collapsed.  His mother
    told me that he had also had a spinal because his white blood count
    was high (my son also had the blood tests done to rule out meningitis).
    So, if any of you have kids that are sick with this virus, DO NOT
    subject them to other children.  This virus is extremely contagious
    and can be pretty dangerous if not treated properly.
    
    Lori B.

Thanks for everyones kind words of support.  Nicole is fine now.  She even
made it back to school in time for the Valentines Day party.  The only thing
we have done is hold her out of P.E. and recess for a week at the suggestion
of the pedi.

I'm pretty much back to normal too.  My vision has just about cleared up.

Bob

    This bug has been running around my group the last week or two.  It
    seems to hit the adults first with the severe headache, general
    achiness and fever.  the headache seems to last for several days.
    
    I guess I should consider us lucky, for us it was Chicken Pox on
    Valentine week, it hit 13 or the 17 kids at the daycare center at once,
    then with less than a week in between AJ started talking very nasal, we
    stopped by the pedi's office last Saturday and the rapid-strep test was
    positive.  No fever no real definite symptoms, just a "mother's sixth
    sense" kicking in that something wasn't quite right.  Glad we had it
    checked.  
    
    The other thing my pedi warned of is to watch for a long period of
    sluggishness, lack of appetite and maybe a fever.  Seems
    Mono(neucleosis) is becoming real common in pre and early school age
    kids.  She said it's more common now in this bracket than the
    teenagers.
    
    I just can't wait for spring, when I can finally open up all the
    windows and blow out the winter germs from the house!!
    
    Lyn