So, it's been five days of two kids being down. Under the weather, if you will. I briefly alluded to the roaming illness a few posts ago - when it had only hit my two oldest - who can pretty much manage on their own. Allegra missed three days of school and NIk was out of sorts most all of the week. Friday jumped up and bit me sharply on the behind, though.
(Riley never truly was seriously "ill", but she fought the good fight with a mean cold for a good week or more. So, I'm not going to classify her as an "ill" child, but at the same point in time, she was clearly under the weather. Just for statistical purposes.)
Friday Mackenzie had her BIG cross country race - the finals of the season, where medals were awarded to the top 20 finishers. She ran her heart out, came in 9th for her school, and finished 21st. And tossed her cookies as soon as she crossed the finish line. I attributed this to running a hard race, in a bit of heat, wtih a fair amount of humidity, and needing to use her inhaler mid race, which has always made my stomach nervous. She acted fine, but drooped when we went home. One of her coaches sagely advised me that "half of these kids are coming down with illness and don't know it, so they all need to go home, drink a lot of water and veg out for the rest of the night!" - advice I followed. She seemed fine. Interestingly, Nik had been ill earlier in the week, rallied, but fell hard Friday afternoon and went home to sleep for 16 hours.
The next day Mackenzie had a tough soccer game in similar weather conditions. She raised her hand in the game to be taken off at one point - something that's never happened. She took her inhaler, drank a lot of water, and went back in. She played the rest of the game - and got into the van and complained about not feeling well. I attributed this to over exhaustion - because, seriously, the kid does NOTHING half assed and competes in every sport as if she's going to be killed otherwise - but wondered when she puked. Was she ill? She complained bitterly of a bad headache, so I took her temperature - 99.7 - dosed her with Motrin and sent her to bed. Nik got up, ate, took a bunch of medicine, and he went back to bed. I checked the other kids and Emma complained of a headache. I felt her, and she felt warm. Hmmmmm.
Yup. 103.4, right off the bat - dropping like FLIES. I gave her some Motrin (luckily I bought a bunch a few months ago!) and she started crying - that hard, ugly cry, because she hates taking medicine - and ended up puking all over me. Yay us. Lather, rinse, repeat. All night, all Sunday. She missed Gabe's party and didn't move from the sofa all day - not even one inch. I've never seen the kid so still in my life.
So, by my count, this is day 5 of at least one kid being sick. Nik slept for 10 hours today and his asthma flared. Allegra's asthma flared. AND, Gabe's not been sick, but I could hear him wheezing from ACROSS THE ROOM when I went to tuck him in tonight - so he's on the nebulizer as well.
To recap - starts with a massive headache, turns to a fever, compromises the asthma, might lead to puking, and causes the kid to sleep all day. Does it oink, or does it not? Do I really care? Can I dip them in Purell?
Oh, and my van died. On the road, and I limped it home, to pull into the driveway as smoke began to leak from the sides of the engine. And I'm out of both rum AND vodka.
I'm thinking SERIOUSLY of putting this sign on the front door:
Unclean!
Hope the kids feel better soon.
Posted by: Sabz | October 25, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Oh no! Yep: headache fever (high or low grade, it doesn't matter,) exhaustion. All 3 of my kids have had that. Luckily the one with asthma also had an ear infection and went on antibiotics so I'm convinced that it kept him from getting bronchitis or worse. (That and I started him on the nebulizer before it got bad-as in the first night he had a fever.) Give 'em all Purell showers and hopefully this will be it for the season!
Posted by: Headless Mom | October 25, 2009 at 11:34 PM
*OINK OINK*
Two friends had kids with confirmed FLU (didnt go for swine test, but came back type A +)who they thought "only" had cold symptoms & not much of a fever.... oooops! Sure sounds like flu to me.
I am SO sorry you're fluing it up over there... it's everywhere! Hope everyone gets better ASAP & YOU stay healthy(ish lol)
Posted by: KG | October 25, 2009 at 11:46 PM
Wow, I'm not coming over for a visit! Hope everyone feels better soon. I have severe asthma so I know how they feel. Sorry about the van too! You do need a stiff drink!
Posted by: Debby Pucci | October 25, 2009 at 11:54 PM
Hope they are all feeling better soon. We are now sick and sounds like PIG to us too.
Posted by: Shelly | October 26, 2009 at 02:47 AM
The same thing happened here! One by one. Everyone in this house is on the mend, hopefully your house will be up to normal speed as well. Have a great week!
Posted by: twitter.com/tjandjmkahrs | October 26, 2009 at 02:52 AM
Just started the cycle here. However, you may want to get them checked. Though to late for the anti-viral drugs, if it IS Swine-Flu, your school will want to be notified.
Where we are, the schools are keeping track and when a certain % of kids are out with Flu-like systems or specifically the flu (any type), they are closing for a few days and disinfecting everything.
My youngest is the first to go down, and she is so small for her age that we are trekking to the doctors for testing and to see if I can get her on the tamiflu or whatever right away (the hospitilization stats for her age group are to scary for me).
Good luck and good health your way!
Posted by: Mary | October 26, 2009 at 08:46 AM
find a liquor store that DELIVERS!!!
Posted by: Patti | October 26, 2009 at 09:11 AM
I sure hope you are surviving!
Posted by: Jessica | October 26, 2009 at 09:27 AM
POOR you! How awful. But thanks for the public service announcement about how it starts. That's good info to know. Although it seems to be running rampant south of the border at the moment, all is quite for the time being up here in the north. But I'm sure it's on it's way . . . I'll get prepared!
Posted by: The Only Girl | October 26, 2009 at 09:47 AM
Ouch! Hope all is better soon! My husband has been complaining of a really bad headache, and he works with people who have had children with swine flu. I am considering making him go sleep somewhere else. Is that wrong? Also, two of my three have colds/general not feeling well, so I am crossing my fingers. Bleah!
Posted by: Nicki | October 26, 2009 at 10:01 AM
7 out of 8 of us fell within 48 hours with "unconfirmed" swine flu -- the entire city was down, only 8 or 9 kids in class, etc. The big sympton was fever and an AWFUL chesty cough, which is now on week 3! We all did sleep forever too, but the cough is what brought us down. Hope you all heal! The upside, it only lasted for 2-3 days each (times 7). Oh well.
Posted by: Beth | October 26, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Hope things get better at your house -- and that you don't get it. My daughter was sick for about 3 days with the headache and fever, but that was it so I guess we lucked out with the mild version.
Posted by: Karen | October 26, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Yup, with 105 kids out at the high school Friday alone, I knew we were in line - just like your kids. I have missed so much work with kids down down DOWN in the past month. We had to wear masks in the peds office today - at least it covered my wrinkles while I got to see my faaavvvorite pediatrician ;) (who says a doctor's visit has to be ALL bad!) Hope everyone springs back soon - this is such a horrible early flu season!!!
Posted by: Katherine | October 26, 2009 at 01:03 PM
I am backing away slowly. Am afraid I may have just sprayed you with lysol on my way out. sorry about that. Felt necessary. ;)
Hope they start getting better soon.
Posted by: Issa | October 26, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Eek. I somehow want to wash my hands now. I've read they're not even testing for H1N1 just guessing that's what most people have. Um, yeah, way to keep records there.
I hope your kids feel better soon!
Posted by: Brandy | October 26, 2009 at 03:51 PM
Yep, we've been hit here as well. However, we just have type A flu bug. I hope all the kiddos get better soon!
Posted by: maggie | October 26, 2009 at 04:30 PM
The upside to hanging the quarentine sign is that you get to eat all the halloween cnady!!
Posted by: beth | October 26, 2009 at 11:19 PM
HOPE THEY WILL GET BETTER SOON,
FLU IS FAST SCATTERED,
Posted by: charlotte garage doors | October 27, 2009 at 06:08 AM
My oldest has the same thing. I am hopeful my youngest, the asthmatic one, doesn't get it, but I am thinking it is inevitable.
I hope you are finally see the light of day!
Posted by: Amy W | October 27, 2009 at 01:11 PM
Our doctor friend said that after 1000 cases, they stop testing. Cause if you have (check, check, check) you probably have it.
I'm behind on this comment, so hope your kids feel better by now! We've had at least one with the flu, and thankfully he had a milder reaction.
Posted by: Lyz | October 31, 2009 at 11:31 PM
When it rains....
I can't imagine all that and no rum. Sorry. I hope everyone (including the van) are better soon.
Posted by: MiaHysteria | November 01, 2009 at 11:32 PM