Flu - Arlington,TX

That would be an overreaction and you would stuck in a crowded waiting room of overreacting parents.

If there is no fever than there is no flu.

It may just be allergies or the common cold. My allergies just kicked in on Monday and my nose is a complete mess. Stuffed up one minute and running out the next. Use saline spray in their noses to help with congestion and a bulb syringe to suck out the mucous. Cough is probably from post nasal drip from sinus congestion. With the flu you would typically have a high fever, extreme fatigue and possible body aches and chills.

I took my daughter yesterday and wished I had not, so many flu cases they were giving out masks in the waiting room, if they do not have fever I would just keep them rested and hydrated using a cool mist humidifier and watch them. My daughter ended up just having the viral head cold that is going around and they did not prescribe anything.
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Hope the twins feel better soon!

It doesn't hurt to call the pediatrician. You can always talk to a nurse if it makes you feel better. However, I would be more concerned if they were running a fever. My 14 month old was running a fever between 101-103 for 5 days and tested negative for flu and strep. Apparently, there is some sort of virus going around. Just make sure they get plenty of water/milk and monitor any fever. Babies can get dehydrated very easily. And wash hands so that your older does not get sick. Good luck!

Call your DR. and see if something else going on, the flu comes with aches and pains,sore throat, and fever. Better safe than sorry.

Hi G.,

As a nurse, and with the flu season upon us, any indication that your children might be ill would probably benefit in calling at least. If your 6 year-old is in school, then he/she has been exposed to certain illnesses that could be brought home. I would suggest getting his/her influenza vaccine as soon as you can - for you as well. Your pediatrician will counsel you in injections for the 8 month olds as well.

M.

If there is no fever, it sounds more like a cold or other respiratory infection. No reason to bring them to the doctor, unless they are having trouble breathing. To ease congestion, using saline drops in their nose and a cool mist humidifier. Hope they are better soon!

If you can afford to buy the generic brand at walgreeens or walmart get some immune booster. They have some in kids form where they just put on their tongue and it disolves. It helped my 12 and 14 yr old boys out already once this year. Doesn't stop the cold from coming but it makes it liveable and only lasted for them about 2-3 days instead of weeks.

I agree with the posts stating NOT to go to the doctor. It sounds like a cold, my 10 yr old had similar symptoms last week and she's fine now. Plus, there are a lot of mold spores in the air right now that could be causing allergic reactions. It won't hurt to call the pedi, but if you take them in you will be exposing them to much worse viral infections and thier immunity may be compromised due to the cold. Stay home, play, wash hands and love your babies, they will be okay!

NO, it really isn't fun for a few days, but wait 7 days..... Not much doc can do. Just try to keep them comfortable :-(

NO! You should never take your children to the doctor with minor ailments like runny noses and cough. Even if they have the full-blown flu, unless the fever gets really high or they are dehydrated, there is no reason to see a doctor. A virus has to go away on its own, and the best remedies are over the counter. The ER gets flooded with these kinds of cases, and it is a strain on the healthcare system. Pediatricians are also flooded with these cases, and it can run up your bills for nothing. My husband manages and ER, and I hear him, the docs, and the nurses preaching all the time!

I would wait since they don't have a fever. Sounds like a cold to me, and taking them to the doctor might expose them to worse.

I would suggest that you call your doctor first. I have a 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy/girl twins. My 10 year old started w/ same symptoms you mentioned. We took her to the doctor and FLU test was negative. They said just a virus. Plenty of liquids and tylenol if needed. The next day her fever went to 103 and she was complaining of headache. I took her back and they did the FLU test again and it was positive for SWINE FLU. The next day my son got it and it hit him harder. They are fine now. Since yours are so young I would suggest you atleast call the doctor. I would rather be safe than sorry.

Take them in. The swine flu does not necessarily cause a fever.

sounds like a cold or allergies. Flu has a typical high fever. Unless they have a high fever I wouldn't take them. I would use OTC to see if anything helps.
L.

I suggest you do. There have been a couple of times that it didn't seem like my daughter was very sick, but turned out she had strep.