do you go to see a doctor for a flu?

[SarahKate]

This is such a personal decision and no one can really tell you if you should take your child to the doctor's office. Only you as the parent can look at your child and feel like they need to be seen.

I had to go to the doctor earlier this week because I suspected an ear infection. If I thought it would just go away, I would have definitely skipped it! I had to wait in the waiting room for an hour, listen to the coughing and hacking (and most people there NOT wearing masks), then wait in the exam room for another hour (all the while hearing others in exam rooms coughing some more) to have the doctor see me for 4 minutes and confirm my ear was infected.

As for flu-like symptoms, the Tamiflu can help you w/ the symptoms but I think you have to get to a doctor as soon as you start having them. If you or your child has had the symptoms for a few days, I don't think it does much for them.

If your child is having severe symptoms, extremely high temps (which runs the risk of them having a febrile seizure), signs of dehydration, then definitely they should be seen. But if it's controlled pretty well with fever reducers and the child is kept well hydrated, it's probably best to let nature take its course!

 

[OceanAnnie]

I agree it's a personal decision. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer either. The secondary infections with H1N1 seems to be particularly dangerous, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from seeing a doctor for the flu. It can be a very hard call. I know one little boy that is hospitalized with pneumonia as an off shoot of H1N1.

 

[tink576]

Okay-here's my input & I'm an ER nurse.

If you can not control your fever or maintain hydration due to vomiting, then yes, you should go.

I agree...I rarely go to the doctor when I get the flu. I've only gone twice where I've gotten successful help. I went to ER once a while back because I lost over 12 lbs in 12 hours and I couldn't stop the vomiting, they gave me drugs to stop the vomiting and IV fluids. I also went to the doctor last flu season and they gave me a shot to stop the vomiting.

The interesting thing is, I just got a notice saying that until further notice the clinic I go to (which is open from 10-4) is saving all the appointment spots from 1-4 for flu people. If you have another problem you can only be seen in the morning.

 

[mamalle]

everyone is different when it comes to this topic. I too am a ER nurse and back in the day- I would let it runs it coarse BUT after watching both my kids in Feb sick 8 days straight with Influenza A and fevers of 105 alternating with motrin and tylenol only to get it down to 101- I would of opted for the tamiflu when offered but I didnt.. hindsight is a wonderful thing.. cutting down the days they were sick would of been great. I didnt think back than they would of been so sick for so long and they are healthy kids- no issues what so ever. Lots of school missed and lots of makeup work- dd cannot miss that much school this year at all sad to say. ds ended up with a secondary sinus infection and on antibiotics after all was said and done..

dd caught something last friday and I marched her right in to the doctor's office with a headache, sore throat and low grade fever. No swabs taken and I was told she was a healthy kid and so sorry no tamiflu for her. She was at the urgent care not 24 hours later with fever of 102, vomiting, headache and chest congestion. (no congestion up top either day- it went straight to her lungs) she was immediately put on antibiotics for bronchitis and were told to watch her closely because if it didnt turn around with in a day or two- we had a problem. It scared us that it moved so quick. So to each is own I say. I would hate to have child with H1N1 pneumonia on a ventilator for 4 months and thinking that I should of been more aggressive in the beginning. Its becoming a worrisome epidemic and the death toll in children is rising so I do take it serious..

 

[ajh88]

I did go to the Dr. for the flu. I'm pretty sturdy and don't typically run to the doctor for much, but when my fever hit 103 and I could barely move out of bed, I decided I should see the doc. I had gotten the seasonal flu vaccine (about a month ago). The nasal swab was positive in the office and I got a course of Tamiflu. The most common side effects of Tamiflu are GI (upset stomach, nausea) - I've been eating with mine and haven't had any problems so far.

I have to be fever-free for 24 hours (without the help of Tylenol/Motrin) to go back to work. I took my first Tamiflu yesterday afternoon at 4 pm. As of 7 pm last night, my temp was normal and I haven't taken another Tylenol since then (and it hasn't spiked back up). I'm still tired and I have a little bit of a cough, but at least I'll be able to do my homework this weekend and go back to work on Monday. There is no way I could be down for a week and away from work and school for that long.

They did make me wear a mask while I was in the office and the nurse practitioner I saw wore a mask also. They said they aren't doing preventative Tamiflu anymore though - or they are only doing it in very specific situations (I asked in regards to DD8).

So, I guess I would say that in this current year, I would go to the doctor with the flu, although in years past I have NOT gone and have let it run its course. Both ways have worked for me - I just decided not to risk it being something more serious (several co-workers have had bronchitis, so I wanted to rule that out too).

 

[englishteacha]

I don't usually go to the doctor for a flu. I get a lot of bugs and germs as a teacher. If I have a high fever or am vomiting a lot I might call the doctor's office. Our doctor is part of a Health Center so there's almost always someone there, and there's someone 24 hours on call. It's been a godsend to be able to call and talk about what's wrong. Only twice have they told me I needed to come in. The other times they've given me some sound advice and I felt better mentally for having talked to someone about my concerns.

 

[mnrose]

Tamiflu will only work if it is administered in the first 48 hours. Most people can fight off a flu with the sensible advise already mentioned. Fluids, rest, and taking care of yourself is about all you can do. If you are seriously dehydrated, of course you will need an iv, but in most cases stay home. Don't swamp the emergency room, if you do not have special needs.

Here they will not prescribe Tamiflu (where there are shortages) EXCEPT for people who have some pre-existing health condition, such as asthma. I called my doctor when my son got influenza like symptoms, and was told not to bother bringing him in because (a) they would not prescribe Tamiflu, and (b) no reason to expose him to other sicknesses. I was told to bring him in if his fever could not be controlled by OTC meds, OR if had trouble breathing.

 

[johnGorski]

Yes wife and I went to the Dr. twice with our battle with the H1N1.
Good thing we did both of our second trip I had a sinus infection wife had ear infection. We had to get antibiotics for these infections. Dr. said he is seeing many cases where the H1N1 is causing secondary infections such as ear infections, sinus infections. Plus it is advisable to go in and have your Dr. listen to your lungs, expecially when you are experiancing 102,103 plus temps

 

[turkeymama]

I do and I also take my kids. My son had H1N1 at the beginning of this school year and I took him in at the first sign of fever. He rarely gets ill so the fever, although low-grade at first, was a big red flag for me. Keep in mind, this was back in September so there was no Tamiflu shortage. The pediatrician prescribed it for both of my kids and my doc called in a scrip for me as well.

On another note, my son did have nausea with the flu. Either the fever or the Tamiflu caused vomiting, but giving him Emetrol 5 minutes before I gave him his medicine helped lots.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Normally I wouldn't go or take my kids. DS was sent home on Monday with a fever of 103 from school. I finally got him into the Dr. Wednesday who did the rapid flu test and he tested positive for flu. Not 100% sure if he had seasonal flu or H1N1, but she was pretty sure he had H1N1 based on his symptoms and the fact that 97% of the cases in the office that she practices with have been H1N1. I immediately called my Dr. because I am a high risk patient due to underlying health issues since birth. She prescribed a preventative dose of Tamiflu and I'm on day 3. Yesterday I forgot to eat when I took it so my tummy was a little unhappy with it, but thus far I've noticed no side effects. We're pretty sure our DD also contracted it because she was running a high fever on Thursday. We called the Dr. and she said keep an eye on it.

The cases of H1N1 around here have been very mild. My son only felt bad for about 18 hrs. By Tuesday afternoon even though he was still running a fever between 100-101, he was playing and becoming bored out of his mind. Definitely not the typical crawl and stay in bed seasonal flu symptoms.

Both of our kids are fine now.

 

[mmaikisch]

I just took my 8 yr old dd to the er yesterday morning b/c of her symptoms and b/c she had a fever of 104.1 that wouldn't break with motrin or tylenol and after a cool bath, only brought it down to 102.7. Her fever continued to go up after that, so I decided to bring her. They diagnosed her with h1n1, and prescribed tamiflu. I was also a little nervous b/c I have an 8 week old at home and I was afraid she would contract it. Within a few hours of taking the tamiflu, her fever started to come down, and she began to feel better, so I'm really glad I took her. She hasn't had any side effects from the tamiflu which is great =)

 

[allyphoe]

Just curious what the side effects were for preventative Tamiflu?

Both of us adults had really vivid, unpleasant dreams. Not exactly nightmares, but it was every time you fell asleep, strong enough to wake you up, multiple times a night. Ugh.

I think GI upset (nausea and vomiting) are the common physical side effects, but it didn't bother my stomach at all.

 

[powellrj]

We thought DS had the flu, and weren't going to take him to the doctor. He was getting sicker this weekend so we took him to the med-center. He didn't have the flu, he has mono!!!!

 

[CLR4321]

I do not go to the Dr for the flu or bring my son, and only would if there was an emergency situation (fever over 104 that won't break within 30 mins of taking tylenol or that keeps rising after tylenol is given, severe dehydration, having trouble breathing, seizures, etc). There isn't anything a Dr can do for the flu other than tell you to drink lots of fluids, get some rest, and stay home from work or school until the symptoms are gone. In the case that there are issues that I mentioned above, for example, then yes, they will help you or possibly refer you to go to the ER if needed.

 

[fac]

Our family is now going through a second round of flu
first it was me -> DD11 -> DD9, then yesterday, it went from DD9 -> DD11 and me.

It bugs me was because when DD9 had a fever, I called the pediatrician's office and clearly described the symptoms and what I had done to the nurse practitioner, she asked me to go up anyway and only to tell me something I already knew. In the past when I spoke with doctor, she specifically told me not to go up as there was nothing they could do.

When I went to see my doctor, she didn't even get near me and tried to run as fast as she could. She told me she wanted to test for strep throat, but then she showed an office person on how to swap the throat, the office person would look into the instruction to test the result.

 

["Got Disney"]

My one son is sick right now. 103 fevers that go up and down. He is eating some and able to drink lots and has been drinking. Only coughing a little bit.... It started last night so I will see how he is doing tomorrow and if having trouble with his fevers will call in for Tamiflu....dont need to see the Doc, we have Kaiser and they will just call it into the pharmacy. DS does not want to take the TF because of the side effects with nausea. He does not have that and does not want it.....the nausea that is. But again will decide tomorrow.

 

[Stevania]

I had a child with H1N1 on the vent and almost died. Yes, this changed my whole perspective, I would go to the doctor in a heartbeat now.

 

[phragmipedium]

It really depends on the symptoms and circumstances, I think. If your instinct tells you to go, you should - especially if it's really the first time you've ever experienced the symptoms and aren't sure you're right about what you think it is.

The last time I had the flu three years ago, it lasted a solid week with no signs of letting up. When I could sleep, I woke up soaked with sweat and couldn't really get my fever under control, and had a horrible racking cough. It was the sickest I've ever felt. The ask-a-nurse line offered through my insurance was not very helpful and in fact said I was taking more acetaminophen than I should have been, though the bottle was clear I was not. I was so weak and dehydrated that I burst into tears on the phone with her. Everything I'd read about the flu was that it shouldn't last more than week so when it got to that point, I went to urgent care. They did x-rays and I had pneumonia; with antibiotics I started feeling better very quickly in terms of fever but it took a long, long time to get over the effects of the pneumonia overall. The cough and stuff in my chest in particular - not fun. I needed an inhaler for awhile to lung stuff get back to normal, and I am not asthmatic. So if I had it to do over again, I definitely would have gone in earlier when I was unable to really control the fever and had no improvements after several days.

Right now, I would go in immediately as I'm pregnant and really concerned about H1N1. From what I have heard from those who have had it, it escalates quickly so as soon as I got a high fever and some other symptoms I would go in. I'm not concerned about appearing like I'm overreacting right now; it's just not worth it to me to risk my health or the baby's health at the moment. I received the H1N1 vaccination last Thursday evening but I know it takes some time to be effective, so I'm still being very careful.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Not unless there is a complication. My 13yodd has the flu right now. She is getting better.

I am well versed in pneumonia symptoms and would have her at the doc in a second if I thought she was getting worse.

 

[monkey68]

I went back in July when I had the flu, mainly because I needed a note to get excused from my classes. I knew what I had, since my dad just had H1N1, so I saw the doctor at school, told him I need Tamiflu and a note. I came on the first day of symptoms, so I got my Tamiflu.