I could use some advice for treating kids with the H1N1?- update 12/16

[LuvOrlando]

So my DD came down with symptoms Thursday night and was diagnosed less that 24 hours later on Friday. Since then I have been sitting in my room with her and it's getting hard. Her fever swings wildly out of control if her Ibuprofen or Tylenol wear off so I am now recording every time and temp on a notepad around the clock so I don't mess up. She won't eat willingly. She's also on Tamiflu, and seems to be tolerating it (so are the rest of us and we're also doing ok on it) but I have no idea if its helping or not. Next to her high fevers she has a cough is my second biggest worry. The coughing has been building up steam and is really kicking up her Asthma so now she is also on the Nebulizer treatments.

We were all vaccinated but she got sick anyway. We are pretty sequestered and I hope it helps. DD10 stays in my room with me 24/7, I move around the house rarely while DS11 and DH stay everywhere else. At the moment it seems as if DD is the only one showing symptoms but I am so afraid I will get sick and be unable to care for her. I'm also afraid of my DS11 getting it. She's sleeping with me so I'll be right there if she needs me in the night

HELP, I am feeling so overwhelmed and utterly inadequate.... anyone have any tips or advice who has gone through this already?

 

[Kae]

Can she take Dylsum Cough Syrup, it is the only thing that help DS & it doesn't taste yucky so that helps. Also we did a lot of lemon ices, freezie pops. Cold cloth on his forehead.

Kae

 

[EthansMom]

So my DD came down with symptoms Thursday night and was diagnosed less that 24 hours later on Friday. Since then I have been sitting in my room with her and it's getting hard. Her fever swings wildly out of control if her Ibuprofen or Tylenol wear off so I am now recording every time and temp on a notepad around the clock so I don't mess up. She won't eat willingly. She's also on Tamiflu, and seems to be tolerating it (so are the rest of us and we're also doing ok on it) but I have no idea if its helping or not. Next to her high fevers she has a cough is my second biggest worry. The coughing has been building up steam and is really kicking up her Asthma so now she is also on the Nebulizer treatments.

We were all vaccinated but she got sick anyway. We are pretty sequestered and I hope it helps. DD10 stays in my room with me 24/7, I move around the house rarely while DS11 and DH stay everywhere else. At the moment it seems as if DD is the only one showing symptoms but I am so afraid I will get sick and be unable to care for her. I'm also afraid of my DS11 getting it. She's sleeping with me so I'll be right there if she needs me in the night

HELP, I am feeling so overwhelmed and utterly inadequate.... anyone have any tips or advice who has gone through this already?

We're in the same club with DS8. He had the shot about 2.5 weeks ago, started with the cough on Friday, and was running a fever by Saturday 4 a.m.

I've been alternating the Motrin and Tylenol, giving him albuterol every 4 hours, and making him as comfortable as possible.

I'm also hoping that no one else in the family ends up getting it, but so far (fingers crossed), DS's flu seems milder than some I've heard of. For him, the boredom seems to be the worst thing.... Thankfully, I had just purchased a new novel for him and I hit the Christmas stash to give him a new video game, so we should be good for a few days.

Around here, the pharmacies are already out of the children's Tamiflu so there's not much sense in taking him to the doctor unless he gets worse although I will call them to check and see if they want me to bring him in tomorrow.

 

[DMickey28]

First ... take a deep breath and try to relax. I know how scary it is. We think my DS had the flu, starting with a fever, last Thursday and the cough is still hanging around now. You are doing everything that you possibly can right now. The best thing to do is keep a close eye on her, which you are. You are being a great Mommy and taking full care of your whole family ... you will get through this, just by being so vigilant right now. It will be ok.

Do not let the Tylenol/Motrin combo 'expire'. Do the proper dosage of each every three hours, alternating between then.

Keep her hydrated. That is probably #1 as well. The fever and any stomach issues are a concern at de-hydrating her. I have not cared at all what DS ate all week, he could have eaten popsicles all day long for all I cared, as long as he didn't get de-hydrated.

I do not know how asthma reacts in general. How does she do with a humidifier? We use a warm mist humidifier with Vicks Vapo-Steam inside it for DS. It helps a lot with his cough and his breathing.

Watch her breathing ... you obviously are very aware of that.

My DS struggled most with the cough aspect of it. He was so full of mucus that any amount of coughing would causing him to start choking, which would cause him to cry, which would increase the mucus, causing him to choke again. It was a vicious cycle that luckily only lasted for about two days before the mucus cleared up and he just has the cough now. I slept in his room those nights so that I could lift him up when he started coughing to help him clear the mucus from his lungs and chest. Honestly, the fever and stomach part did not bother me that much ... it was just like any one of the bazillion viruses he has had in the past. Try and treat each individual symptom and not freak out too much about it being the "SWINE FLU". You know in the back of you mind the situation surrounding it but you are going to be 100 steps ahead of the game already if any complications arise.

I hope that she feels better soon and that the rest of your family stays healthy, including you. If you do start to feel poorly, take care of yourself and you will need to allow the rest of your family to start to help. They will be ok too.



ETA: I just wanted to add that we took DS to the ER on Tuesday night at the height of the coughing/mucus. They are not testing for H1N1 around here anymore. Checked his lungs and gave him the all clear. I am bringing him in tomorrow for a follow-up tomorrow to make sure his lungs are still clear. It's tough for us because we just moved here in the last few weeks and don't have a ped yet. We have one picked and a new patient appointment set up for DS and the new baby but they won't take him in sick before that appointment. Makes no sense to me ... we have to go to urgent care tomorrow for the f/u.

 

[quentina]

So my DD came down with symptoms Thursday night and was diagnosed less that 24 hours later on Friday. Since then I have been sitting in my room with her and it's getting hard. Her fever swings wildly out of control if her Ibuprofen or Tylenol wear off so I am now recording every time and temp on a notepad around the clock so I don't mess up. She won't eat willingly. She's also on Tamiflu, and seems to be tolerating it (so are the rest of us and we're also doing ok on it) but I have no idea if its helping or not. Next to her high fevers she has a cough is my second biggest worry. The coughing has been building up steam and is really kicking up her Asthma so now she is also on the Nebulizer treatments.

We were all vaccinated but she got sick anyway. We are pretty sequestered and I hope it helps. DD10 stays in my room with me 24/7, I move around the house rarely while DS11 and DH stay everywhere else. At the moment it seems as if DD is the only one showing symptoms but I am so afraid I will get sick and be unable to care for her. I'm also afraid of my DS11 getting it. She's sleeping with me so I'll be right there if she needs me in the night

HELP, I am feeling so overwhelmed and utterly inadequate.... anyone have any tips or advice who has gone through this already?

Hard cough/mucas, I would call DR immediatly...especially if she has asthma. We have people in the hospital from work with these symptoms (positive swine)

 

[EthansMom]

Hard cough/mucas, I would call DR immediatly...especially if she has asthma. We have people in the hospital from work with these symptoms (positive swine)

Also, don't give a child with asthma and cough suppressant (such as Delsym). They need to cough to clear their lungs.

Although the Association of Pediatricians frowns upon the use of "cold medecines", I give my children Sudafed and/or Mucinex, as needed to relieve their symptoms. These are the products that work for my children and should be safe when used properly. Sudafed works well to relieve nasal congestion and Mucinex works well to loosen phlegm and congestion.

When DS started complaining about congestion in his throat, this evening, I gave him a dose of children's Musinex. It seemed to help.

 

[themarquis]

my partner and I both have it (suspected) and have been struggling through for days. I'm slightly better than her right now, so I'm trying to nurse her through the worst of it. She had asthma as a teen and pneumonia once in college, so I think it's just hitting her really hard with the mucus and coughing and whatnot.

Here is what we've been doing that seems to have helped her a ton -- use mucinex (or generic version) --@ max dosage as often as the label tells you to. Most cough/cold medicines have stuff in them that won't really do much (and can even be dangerous) but guanefasin (sp?) in mucinex is amazing and REALLY works. It thins the mucus, making it easier to cough up all that mucus. Coughing it up/out is absolutely vital to keep the airway clear and prevent pneumonia (though it sounds/feels gross). Encourage her to cough that stuff out!

Give her tons of water/juice/liquid along with max dosng her w/ children's mucinex. the water also thins those secreations and makes a big difference. If she won't drink enough, give lots of popsicles, jello, crushed ice, etc. she should be peeing constantly -- that way you know you're getting enough liquids in her to thin those secretions.

Other than mucinex and fever reducer, don't bother with any other medications. Cough suppressant is actually somewhat dangerous because it suppresses the urge to cough and clear those airways. Other medications can just make her jittery/sleepy and won't help with her symptoms.

The other thing I just picked up that is working wonders is this thing called a "steam inhaler" I got at walgreens. I think there is a vick's brand and there are some generic brands too (this is a "walgreens brand")). It just heats up some water and you put your head down into it and breathe in that great steam. That will thin stuff in there too because it'll get warm water vapor down in there. It's also very soothing. You can do something similar with a bowl of hot water and a towel, bu this little steam inhaler is even better because it just keeps giving out steam forever and doesn't cool down like a bowl of water. I really recommend a trip to the drugstore to get one of these things -- you can have her use it as much as she wants to keep her airways feeling comfortable, since it's not medicated -- just plain water.

 

[lukenick1]

Your daughter had the H1N1 vaccine and now has confirmed H1N1???

 

[aprilgail2]

Went through this with my daughter a few weeks ago and I had it right before that- I did not eat for 4 days--I just could not even think about food but I did make sure to drink. My daughter had no problem eating and she made sure she drank but she does have asthma. We were seeing the Dr daily to make sure her lungs were doing ok and they had her on the nebulizer every three hours and also running a cool mist humidifier in her room. If she got really bad she had to sit in a steamy bathroom for a bit- actually we BOTH sat in the steamy bathroom as it went to my lungs too but they told me to take Musinex. The funniest thing is that when I was diagnosed first they told me one of the most important things was to make sure that I used my own bathroom and the rest of the household didn't share with me---I said that would work just fine if either of us was willing to go out and pee in the yard since we only have one bathroom LOL....

 

[monkeybug]

So my DD came down with symptoms Thursday night and was diagnosed less that 24 hours later on Friday. Since then I have been sitting in my room with her and it's getting hard. Her fever swings wildly out of control if her Ibuprofen or Tylenol wear off so I am now recording every time and temp on a notepad around the clock so I don't mess up. She won't eat willingly. She's also on Tamiflu, and seems to be tolerating it (so are the rest of us and we're also doing ok on it) but I have no idea if its helping or not. Next to her high fevers she has a cough is my second biggest worry. The coughing has been building up steam and is really kicking up her Asthma so now she is also on the Nebulizer treatments.

We were all vaccinated but she got sick anyway. We are pretty sequestered and I hope it helps. DD10 stays in my room with me 24/7, I move around the house rarely while DS11 and DH stay everywhere else. At the moment it seems as if DD is the only one showing symptoms but I am so afraid I will get sick and be unable to care for her. I'm also afraid of my DS11 getting it. She's sleeping with me so I'll be right there if she needs me in the night

HELP, I am feeling so overwhelmed and utterly inadequate.... anyone have any tips or advice who has gone through this already?

Are you giving her mucinex? It thins the mucus and makes it easier to cough up. Most Dr.'s are telling patients around here (with out underlying issues) to control fever and give sudafed (probably not suitable for a child) and mucinex.

 

[bumbershoot]

Why are you working so hard to make the fever go down? Fever is a usually benign thing, and it's a sign that the body is working. So why give those drugs to stop the body's natural response?

And if you do want it to go down, a cool cloth is very nice. Ice pack. Tepid bath. All lovely things, and if the fever goes up again, at least you're not worried about side effects and all of that. Don't have to worry about too many ice packs.

 

[AKLBeauty]

H1N1 is very weak against the Tamiflu. Keep giving it to her and she should improve quickly. Keep an eye on the cough but don't worry overmuch, that is a hallmark sign of this flu. My pediatrician had me alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 3hrs. Keep us updated.

 

[AKLBeauty]

Why are you working so hard to make the fever go down? Fever is a usually benign thing, and it's a sign that the body is working. So why give those drugs to stop the body's natural response?

And if you do want it to go down, a cool cloth is very nice. Ice pack. Tepid bath. All lovely things, and if the fever goes up again, at least you're not worried about side effects and all of that. Don't have to worry about too many ice packs.

My pediatrician told me NOT to let the body work to bring down a fever brought about by H1N1. Febrile seizures are common with the high fevers and very unecessary.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Why are you working so hard to make the fever go down? Fever is a usually benign thing, and it's a sign that the body is working. So why give those drugs to stop the body's natural response?

And if you do want it to go down, a cool cloth is very nice. Ice pack. Tepid bath. All lovely things, and if the fever goes up again, at least you're not worried about side effects and all of that. Don't have to worry about too many ice packs.

I'm wondering the same thing. Unless the fever is alarmingly high, or the child is in pain (headache), it is best to let the fever do it's job. Fever is not a bad thing-it is the body fighting the infection.

 

[monkeybug]

I'm wondering the same thing. Unless the fever is alarmingly high, or the child is in pain (headache), it is best to let the fever do it's job. Fever is not a bad thing-it is the body fighting the infection.

Fever can cause seizures and even be fatal. Every Pediatrician I have ever had has a general guideline of when they do/don't want you to treat a fever, in my experience it's usually when over 101. In children especially it is dangerous to wait for a fever to spike "alarmingly" high, as they can spike quickly and medication may not be able to bring it down to a "safe" temp fast enough. I have never, ever heard of a Dr. that would advise a parent to not treat a fever, in fact most say to always treat a fever in children.

 

[princessbride6205]

Here is what we've been doing that seems to have helped her a ton -- use mucinex (or generic version) --@ max dosage as often as the label tells you to. Most cough/cold medicines have stuff in them that won't really do much (and can even be dangerous) but guanefasin (sp?) in mucinex is amazing and REALLY works. It thins the mucus, making it easier to cough up all that mucus. Coughing it up/out is absolutely vital to keep the airway clear and prevent pneumonia (though it sounds/feels gross). Encourage her to cough that stuff out!

Give her tons of water/juice/liquid along with max dosng her w/ children's mucinex. the water also thins those secreations and makes a big difference. If she won't drink enough, give lots of popsicles, jello, crushed ice, etc. she should be peeing constantly -- that way you know you're getting enough liquids in her to thin those secretions.

Other than mucinex and fever reducer, don't bother with any other medications...

Great post! DD and I both had swine flu (suspected) starting a little over a week ago. My DD is only 2 so we didn't do Mucinex. Just did fever reducer when she was 100+ or uncomfortable. Gave her any liquids and foods she was willing to eat. One day all she ate/drank was Gatorade and ice cream. Fluids and rest are the best things you can do. I read one guideline that said 2-3x your normal fluid intake.
DD and I also took steamy showers. This seemed to help both of us. Not just breathing the steam, but it felt very good on the achiness and sensitive skin. (She was so irritable that she didn't want to take the shower - but we picked out bathing suits and got in together.)
We still have stuffy noses, some fatigue, and low appetite. It's lingering for us, but - knock on wood - no severe symptoms.
Hope your DD feels better soon!

 

[NHdisneylover]

DD is just back to school today after being as sick as I have ever seen her with (suspected--they are not testing here) H1N1.

She did not want to eat either. As someone said earlier--that is really not a big deal; just keep your DD hydrated. If you want to get a few calories in her you can go for juice. Luckily my DD was drinking--she went through about a liter and a half to two liters of OJ a day plus water and hot tea.
She went from dizzy on the first day--to so dizzy she would not get to the bathroom without falling down by Wednesday afternoon and her headahce (which felt like a sinus heache to her) got worse and worse. She was eventually given an antibiotic for a secondary sinus infection--and some sinus meds to boot. Within a couple of hours of that the dizzyness and headache started to improve immensly and by then the fever and cough were subsiding. She does STILL have coughing spasms tough--and the doctor said to expect they could last for another month

On the bright side, neither myself, nor DS10 (whi is also asthmatic) have come down with it yet--so you may be able to contain it to just her.

Good luck--she will be fine I am sure

 

[aprilgail2]

Fever can cause seizures and even be fatal. Every Pediatrician I have ever had has a general guideline of when they do/don't want you to treat a fever, in my experience it's usually when over 101. In children especially it is dangerous to wait for a fever to spike "alarmingly" high, as they can spike quickly and medication may not be able to bring it down to a "safe" temp fast enough. I have never, ever heard of a Dr. that would advise a parent to not treat a fever, in fact most say to always treat a fever in children.

my daughter would go from no fever to 105 in no time, and the seizure came with that. Dr says not to let them go long with a fever and to never use ice packs to bring it down....remember in the old days they would put the people in a bath tub full of ice cubes and they would end up with a seizure!!

 

[Christine]

Hope things are better for you today!

For my son, it was about 3 days of very intense symptoms and then they eased up. Since he has asthma, the cough was very concerning to me also, and there was one day where he felt like his chest was heavy and he was wheezing. Fortunately, it was just the one day and we got it under control with the albuterol. The cough was bad and it lingered for about 10 days but then it abruptly stopped. I don't believe it was an "asthma" cough but just the cough anyone would get with the flu. Of course, I was listening to him carefully to make sure it didn't progress.

The tylenol/Motrin combo worked for him. His fever was close to 103 for 3 days (even with Tamiflu) and we were able to keep it at about 100 degrees with the meds. I wasn't looking for total knockout of the fever, just some relief for him as his body ached and skin was hurting.

 

[sersee05]

Two of my three kids may have had it...I am unsure...My DD12 was down for a good 9 days..although she never had a fever. She was having diarrhea, sore throat, exhausted and it did kick up her asthma. We had to put her on the nebulizer numerous times since she could get more that way than just her regular inhaler.

DD7 came home throwing up with 103 temp. The temp lasted two days . We used a cool rag that she preferred to help with her fever..but she doesn't like to take medicine...so she didn't want anything. I think because her stomach was so upset that didn't help. It didn't get horribly high so the cool rag worked well and we forced her to drink some water . She slept alot. She was better by the fourth day. ..walking around hadn't had a fever and eating normally. The next day she felt terrible again with stomach ache and fever and was sick for 2 1/2 more days and then better again. It was weird.

So the child with asthma faired better than the one who doesn't have it ..weird. DS5 who has horrible asthma was vaccinated and so far so good.

Hang in there...It will get better...it seems quite intense for the first days..but does ease up at some point..just watch for the bounce back fever a lot of them seem to be getting. And if you feel nervous for any reason in regards to the asthma..Call your doctor...HOpefully the nebulizer is keeping the asthma at bay....but if you feel it isn't doing the job or your needing it much faster than normal..call. I have been through this with my DS5..not with swine flu but with colds and other flu...Stay on top of it..don't panic but just really pay attention. It could easily turn into a pneumonia..and if the coughing gets so bad they might need to give her a steroid to help kick it out. Our friend's daughter has asthma and hers turned into a pneumonia but they were able to stay on top of it and kick it on out.

It's so hard when your kids are sick..you would much rather it be you. Like others have said, the not eating isn't a problem..staying hydrated is the main focus...and with large fevers that is something you also have to keep an eye on...I hope your daughter is doing better today and I sure hope you are doing better too. It can be overwhelming feeling that there isn't much you can do. Just keep in touch with your doctor.....