Here come the bug!

[maxiesmom]

Ugh! A family member is on their way home, and they have been exposed to the flu. They were on a road trip with a friend, and the friend became horribly ill last night. Now my family member is on their way home early.

The good news is they ended up sleeping in separate rooms. But I'm sure family member (fm) was already exposed and it was too little too late. Besides having them throw everything they have with them directly into the wash, what else can I do to try to limit the germs getting around the house? We've already though about having them call their doctor to see if tamiflu would make sense for them.

Ideas? I work with the public so I'm already paranoid about catching the flu. I have asthma so anything like that can escalate quickly for me.

 

[Marchand63]

get some surgical masks from drugstore. Purel alot & Lysol everything they touch But even that won't guarantee

 

[Christine]

Well, a person who has the flu is contagious about one day before their symptoms begin. So your family member may be harboring the virus without symptoms at this point.

Recent studies have shown that coughing and sneezing aren't the sole culprits of spread; just mere exhalation from the infected person can put some of the particles in the air.

My advice would be to keep a good distance from this person for the 4 day incubation period. Don't get close in their face, stay across the room if you can.

Get a tub of Clorox wipes and sanitize common hard surfaces several times a day: TV remote, doorknobs, refrigerator handles, etc.

With good precautions you can probably avoid it. Anytime I've gotten sick, I honestly never know how I got it. When any of my family members are sick, I get extra vigilant and, except for one case of Noravirus when my kids were very young, I've never caught another thing from them.

 

[rlk]

My oldest son got the flu a week before Christmas. I came down with it exactly six days later, but my husband and other son never got sick. We live in a two bedroom apartment and my sons share a room. We tried to be diligent about washing hands and sanitizing.

 

[Southernmiss]

Start elderberry syrup/tablets and keep liquids up for the household.

Have fm take a shower as soon as they get home-wash off any germs before they're spread around.

Disinfectant, disinfectant, disinfectant.

 

[Southernmiss]

Duplicate

 

[Christine]

My oldest son got the flu a week before Christmas. I came down with it exactly six days later, but my husband and other son never got sick. We live in a two bedroom apartment and my sons share a room. We tried to be diligent about washing hands and sanitizing.

Do you think you were doing the most one-on-one, close proximity caring for your son?

 

[mom2rtk]

Try not to freak. My daughter had a stomach bug just a couple hours after coming home from a basketball game at school with a friend. The friend was in the car with her there and back. I got it from my daughter, but the friend never did.

The one thing I would do though is prepare. We hadn't had sickness in the house like that in a long time, and I was out of carpet cleaner, Lysol spray, scrubbing bubbles, all the stuff I needed later that night. Also buy some crackers, Sprite, bananas and whatever else a sick person might need. Maybe all the preparations will jinx you into not needing them!

 

[SaintsManiac]

2 people have come down with it at work. Other than wiping door handles and various other surfaces at the office there's really nothing to be done. My daughter got it a year ago and I stayed home and took care of her and never got it.

It's really a crapshoot I think.

 

[WorldWacky]

They were just saying on the news that if you are taking care of someone with the flu that getting a prescription for Tamiflu as a preventative measure is actually a very good idea. So you may not be off base having your family member talk to the dr. about getting some.
I just can’t get over the amount of seemingly healthy people dying from this strain! I know people fall victim to the flu every year, but this year it seems particularly nasty. There was a news clip about a 37 yr. old mother who was caring for her husband and children who had the flu. 24 hrs later she was in the ICU and she ended up dying from it. Also highlighted was a 10 yr old boy who got a high fever on a Monday and died on Tuesday. No signs of illness prior to that. It’s just unbelievable and so very sad.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We live in a smallish apartment. I got the flu last year. I was diagnosed with Flu A. None of us ever get the flu shot. No one caught my flu. A month later my son was diagnosed with flu B. No one caught that either. It’s the one and only time any of us had the flu and I’m 35, SO 34 and my kids are 17 and 11. My SO slept in bed with me every night too. Even with my 103 fever.

We all washed our hands a lot. Sprayed Lysol on the door knobs, remotes and other surfaces. I washed all of the sheets every other day until symptoms were gone. Those would be my tips. Especially hand washing and Lysol.

 

[rlk]

Do you think you were doing the most one-on-one, close proximity caring for your son?

Yes! I am sure that's why I got sick.

 

[Christine]

They were just saying on the news that if you are taking care of someone with the flu that getting a prescription for Tamiflu as a preventative measure is actually a very good idea. So you may not be off base having your family member talk to the dr. about getting some.
I just can’t get over the amount of seemingly healthy people dying from this strain! I know people fall victim to the flu every year, but this year it seems particularly nasty. There was a news clip about a 37 yr. old mother who was caring for her husband and children who had the flu. 24 hrs later she was in the ICU and she ended up dying from it. Also highlighted was a 10 yr old boy who got a high fever on a Monday and died on Tuesday. No signs of illness prior to that. It’s just unbelievable and so very sad.

Not to minimize what you are saying but I don't know if the deaths are any different than what we experience with every flu season. I guess what I'm trying to say is that deaths are usually a percentage of the total number of people getting the flu. So if the death rate is 5%, then if 100 people get the flu than there may be 5 deaths. If 200 people get it, 10 deaths. This season, the number of all people getting the flu is very high, higher than most season and approaching the 2015-2016 flu. So, it stands to reason that the death toll is higher also. I'm not sure that the actual percentage per population is higher though. I guess it remains to be seen if these particular strains are more deadly or just more infectious. Keep in mind that during the 2009 (I think) H1N1 outbreak, about 250 children died so that was a much worse season. Although we are not done yet...

I'm not trying to refute anything but more trying to keep myself from freaking out so I try to put these types of things in perspective for myself.

 

[Christine]

Yes! I am sure that's why I sick.

Probably. I think the key here with the flu is proximity and staying away from the person (not ever possible with a child). It sounds like the OP's situation, fortunately, involves an adult that she can try to stay away from. No hugs, kisses, close conversation, sitting on the couch together, etc. Keep your distance OP.

 

[maxiesmom]

Is it ok to spray Lysol on a computer mouse and keyboard? We share a desktop, and that is a huge worry. Though I have parked a large bottle of hand sanitizer right next to the keyboard, hopefully it will remind me to not touch my face!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Is it ok to spray Lysol on a computer mouse and keyboard? We share a desktop, and that is a huge worry. Though I have parked a large bottle of hand sanitizer right next to the keyboard, hopefully it will remind me to not touch my face!

I spray it or use Lysol wipes.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Tamiflu is very hard to get in our area right now. I doubt they'd prescribe it as a preventative when there are people who actually need it.

 

[Christine]

Is it ok to spray Lysol on a computer mouse and keyboard? We share a desktop, and that is a huge worry. Though I have parked a large bottle of hand sanitizer right next to the keyboard, hopefully it will remind me to not touch my face!

I did read that Lysol is good for keyboards and the mouse. I have actually been using the wipes because that's all I have. Not ideal.

 

[Christine]

Tamiflu is very hard to get in our area right now. I doubt they'd prescribe it as a preventative when there are people who actually need it.

I agree. If the OP's family member is not high risk, they may not be able to get it.

 

[Christine]

OP, just curious...did your family member get a flu shot? If so, there might be some protection there.