Did She Have the Swine Flu

Since she is on the up and up, there is no issue here. Hospitals aren't doing anything much for swine flu medically speaking. There isn't much to be done unless symptoms worsen. They aren't giving anitbiotics for it. (I was just talking about it with my husband and he's and M.D.). There are people who go to the Dr. for most anything and those who don't. I can tell you coming from a medical family that 95% of people who go to the Dr. for cold and flu didn't need to do so.

If her fever is gone I wouldn't worry. Swine is more of a respiratory (in the lungs) type of flu. Just sounds like she had an every-day run of the mill virus. 104 isn't bad in a 9 yr old. Most doctors now recommend letting the fever do it's job, thus no Tylenol, etc.... The high fever is the body's way of killing the virus. No doctors visit necessary.

Here's the link to the CDC's website on the swine symptoms, etc....:http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

Listen, I don't take my kid to the doctor every time she gets a fever, either. I think the hysteria these days is causing people to rush to the doctor for every sniffle, and thereby spreading MORE germs because the kids catch something ELSE when they are waiting four hours in line to see the doctor. IF she has goopy stuff coming out of her and she gets another fever, then OK, she might need antibiotics. Let her little body recover as much as it can and be sure to give her lots of fluids, rest, etc.

The Swine Flu is usually a very mild flu, it just has a "scary" name. The media has hyped it up in order to sell useless, basically untested vaccines. As far as antibiotics, they do absolutely nothing for flu or colds, since those are viruses and antibiotics treat bacterial infections. Usually flu doesn't involve nasal congestion, but it does usually involve a cough. If the nasal secretions are dark green, or if she is coughing up dark green mucus, then this could indicate a bacterial infection, however, if her temperature is normal now, chances are she just had a virus and is getting over it. I agree that her mom should have taken her to see a doctor in order to do a culture to determine if this was bacterial or viral, to see if antibiotics were needed. In any case, I wouldn't worry now since she is better and there is nothing that can be done. We never get fl;u shots and never get the flu here. The key is keeping the immune system strong. Probably the most important way is to make sure vitamin D levels are up. Most people are deficient, and the kind they put in dairy is not absobed by the body. Vitamin D3 is inexpensive and easy to get. I would take 5,000 iu twice a day and increase it to 15,000 during peak flu season. Forget those useless, potentially dangerous shots!

Mom's know best...give her mom a break! Like everyone else is saying, not everything is the flu!

Sounds like you have more of an issue with her mother and you are trying to make an issue out of something here that is a non-issue. If the daughter had fever for one day, it's gone now, and hasn't come back, then I don't think her mom was remiss in not taking her to the doctor. As others here have aptly stated, antibiotics will do nothing for H1N1 flu or any flu, for that matter -- it is a virus. And doctor's offices are swamped with sick kids right now -- unless it is absolutely necessary it's best to stay away from there. If you have children and are worried, you can get your doctor to prescribe Tamiflu to you as a preventative -- either for just your kids or for all of you. And by the way, dad talked to mom last night and "she didn't even mention it". Did dad ask her about it? He is the parent -- he could have called and asked mom about it or mentioned it in this conversation. Sorry, but trying to blame mom for this one, like many stepmoms are apt to try to do, won't cut it.

Like the others said, antibiotics are for bacterial infections, not for any type of flu. If everyone brought their kids to the doctor every time they had "just a flu", imagine what the doctor's offices/ ER would look like! lol Chances are, that her body was just fighting off a virus. If the fever is gone, I'm sure she fine now! Relax, it'll all be ok! As for the flu shot, that is completely a personal choice and up to you! :)

You are not really supposed to take antibiotics for the flu since it is a virus. Antibiotics are meant for bacterial infections. If you take antibiotics too often you will build up a tolerance and they will no longer be effective when you need them. Hospitals and doctors are asking people not to come in for the flu unless you are having respiratory issues. Hospitals, Urgent Care and Doctor's offices are overcrowded due to everyone being in a panic. Those that truly need medical attention are suffering due to this. If your step daughter no longer has a fever, then you don't have much to worry about. In most cases, the flu will run its course and be over in few days. At this point in time, there is nothing you can do. If you feel more comfortable, then go get the vaccinated.

My daughters had the swine flu in July. If you have the swine flu you are not given antibiotics as they do not help. The reason you would want to find out if she has the swine flu would be to get some Tamiflu for yourself so you don't get swine flu, to know that she had it and therefore will not need to get the vaccine, and to be on alert to watch her symptoms more closely in terms of her respiratory ability. My daughters both had temperatures for a few days, but their worst symptom was coughing up unbelievable phlegm. I have known others with swine flu and the symptoms see to vary.

So, I would take her to the doctor just to find out if swine flu is what she has. My daughters were given a swab test in their nose and the results were ready in minutes.

I hope she feels better soon.

I wouldn't take my child to the dr. for a fever either so, I don't know if her Mom needs to be bashed over this. 99% of those who have gotten the swine flu, recovered fine at home - 99%! I realize 1% is 1% and serious if it's your child, but we can't all freak out over a fever, yucky nose and cough. So, your request was "did she have the swine flu" I didn't read all the responses but no one can tell you that. Keep in mind too, 24 hours after the fever is gone, one should no longer be contagious. Your more likely to catch something from someone when they aren't showing any symptoms, which makes it hard on us to know who to keep our distance from. That is why we need to wash our hands well and often.

Best wishes,
M.

Just so you know, antibiotics do NOTHING for swine flu. Antibiotics are used for BACTERIAL infections. The flu, the common cold, etc. are caused by a VIRUS. Some people go to the DR w/ the flu to get an ANTI-VIRAL (Tamiflu) which may lessen the serverity/duration of the flu but for heathly people isn't necessary. The problem w/ flu is when vomiting and diareaha cause dehydration or when the fever stays high for too long. If her temp is normal now, she'll be fine. You might get her germs, but a trip to the dr would do nothing but expose her to everyone else's germs and conversely expose others to hers.

Maggie,
If she recovered from her fever then there is nothing to worry about. Kids get sick all of the time and they don't need to go to the doctor every time they have a fever. You should take them in if they have had a fever for several days (in that case it is usually an infection). But doctors do not prescribed antibiotics for a virus... ONLY for an infection (like ear infections, sinus infection, etc.). If she got better then you can assume that she had a virus. My daughter got a fever this week and she had a cough/runny nose too. We took her in only because she had had the cough for two weeks. All the doc did was do a swab to test for flu virus. Most docs are not testing for the swine. They actually assume most viruses right now are the swine. The virus is mild in nature. My daughter had the fever for two days with a lingering cough/runny nose.

I do not think that your step daughter's mother was being negligent. You can treat the fever at home with ibuprofen. If the fever continued for days on end and she didn't take her in to the doc... that would be negligent.

Hi Maggie, I see I am a bit late, but if she got over her fever that is great. A runny nose or coughing can lead to or be a sinus infection. Your body can naturally fight an infection if it is not too bad, but an antibiotic would help in that event.

definitely take her to the doctor. but with the swine flu, its a virus so antibiotics will only treat a secondary bacterial infection. but get a doctors opinion for sure....like today.

Dear Maggie,

I'm not sure if she had the swine flu or not, but according to my pediatrician it is pretty much THE flu going around. What does that mean? It means that she most likely had it if she had the symptoms associated with it other than the fever and runny nose. If she only had those symptoms then she has/had a cold. Colds are viral so there is nothing a doctor can give her other than OTC to manage her comfort.

If she had a sudden onset of symptoms with high fever, sore throat and severe body aches and possibly nausea, then odds are she got the H1N1 strain. For most people its like the normal flu they get just with a bit stronger symptoms. The people most vulnerable are those with a compromised immune system such as the elederly and bababies. But just like a cold, the flu is a virus and you cannot use antibiotics since that is for bacterial infections.

What happens in some cases is that the flu or cold goes through its course and a secondary bacterial infection occurs due to the sinuses being blocked with mucous. When that occurs the nasal discharge usually turns yellow/green and can also travel to the bronchial area. At that point if the symptoms don't clear up after a week its time to have the doctor take a look to rule out a sinus infection or bronchitis -both of which would need a course of antibiotics if severe.

I hope this helps!
L.

everyone's focus is on the swine flu but there are lots of other tings going around as well...Allergies, sinus infections, bronchitis, strep throat, etc..antibiotics would not help her even if she had the flu because its a virus. If she has been fever free you probably don't need to worry. Just keep an eye on her cough and congestion. My 5 year old daughter was sent for a chest Xray after 2 weeks with a tight cough and nasal congestion to rule out pneumonia...BUT she also has upper respiratory problems....if her sympotms continue beyond the usual 7 - 10 days for colds..you may want to follow up with her doctor. Hope it helps and hope she is feelig better :)

Dear Maggie H,

Just to let you know, I'm a nurse. I'm responding to your swine flu question. How long did your stepdaughter have the fever? If you've been listening to the news, hospitals are stating that if your child has had a fever for at least 5 days and if they show any signs of respiratory distress, then they should be seen. Out hospitals are so crazy crowded with people that don't need to be in the hospital and it's getting in the way of necessary patient care. Also, swine flu is a virus, not a bacterial infection, so antiobiotics will not cure it. But, if you have other kids at home, she probably shouldn't be around them if her mom hasn't figured out what she has yet. Hope this helps.

There is really nothing TO do when kids have a virus other than manage symptoms - most of which are best dealt with by rest, good nutrition, and hydration. Pretty sure my kiddos both had the swine flu as well, with very high temps. I called the doc's office to see if I should bring them in, and the DOC told me NOT to bring them in unless their symptoms were so bad I couldn't manage them.

To be honest, with the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, (google MRSA or VRE to find out more about that) I've found that docs are extremely reluctant to prescribe antibiotics these days anyway unless there is compelling visual evidence of bacterial infection. (I had pink eye recently and expected to have the doc prescribe antibiotics for that - nothing doing...)

As far as the runny nose and cough - that took a LONG time to go away - 2 maybe three weeks.

If she's doing better now, I'm sure she's fine.

Most importantly, there is no need for antibiotics if she had swine flu. Swine flu is a virus. Antibiotics only fight bacterial infections so they would have done no good at all except to further weaken their effect after having been used unnecessarily.

I say let it go...sounds like she had a virus of some sort and it's gone...

-M