It’s official. Swine flu hysteria has contaminated me.
On Tuesday, my daughter’s school called because she had a temperature of 99.2 degrees. We rushed to pick her up, filled her with Tylenol and fluids and while she slept peacefully, I was frantically googling “swine flu symptoms.” She was coughing a bit, which is symptom. While most swine flu victims report a high fevers, some have no fever at all. In my head, I knew she had a mild cold and the fact that her brother woke her up at 4 a.m. that day, probably just made her tired. But, I couldn’t let it go. Fear that she may have been infected by this terrifying virus overwhelmed me.
I called the pediatrician after hours. It was worth the $20 they now charge for this call to have a professional confirm that it was really no big deal. The doctor on call would neither confirm nor deny my worst fears. It could be a cold, or it could be the swine flu. The only way to find out was to jam a very long swab up her nose and test her in person. Yes, it was painful for the child, but it would ease my agony over whether to quarentine her for the next few weeks or let her enjoy all the Halloween festivities with her peers.
The next day I called the moment the doctor’s office opened and patiently waited the 20 minutes until my call was answered. I took the first available appointment and apologized profusely when the nurse took her temperature and found she was normal. “She has been coughing a bit,” I mention trying to make myself look less hysterical. My daughter was a champ as they shoved the swab up her nose and the nurse tried not to judge when she told me the test came back negative. She doesn’t have the flu, not the swine variety, not the kosher variety, no flu. “It’s a cold. Have her drink lots of fluids,” the doctor suggested.
Lots of fluids… In my heart, I knew it was only cold, if that, but this hysteria that has been surrounding the flu has made me crazy. I don’t want to be that negligent mom who sends her kid to school, or worse out trick or treating with a thousand kids on the main drag of our neighborhood, when they may be contagious.
We would take the vaccine if we could get it, but that shortage is another story. When I was still trying to educate myself about the vaccine, before that fabulous article came out in the New York Times, assuaging all my fears, I asked my local email group which includes numerous pediatricians and a virologist what they thought about the virus. One response I received was from a pregnant woman, who mistakenly assumed that I was not planning to vaccinate and ripped me a new one for putting her more at risk.
I completely get that swine flu can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal for pregnant women or those with suppressed immunity. If I was pregnant right now, I’m sure I would be a wreck.
That said, I think the hysteria has gone too far. No sooner had a friend’s school sent out a notice that a child in on class had the swine flu virus, than a mother of a child in another class called my friend to find out what child is sick. This crazy need to blame, heightened by the threat of the swine flu virus, is a little out of control.
Anyone else feeling crazy? Any good stories or advice to share?
Swine Flu Hysteria
It’s official. Swine flu hysteria has contaminated me.
On Tuesday, my daughter’s school called because she had a temperature of 99.2 degrees. We rushed to pick her up, filled her with Tylenol and fluids and while she slept peacefully, I was frantically googling “swine flu symptoms.” She was coughing a bit, which is symptom. While most swine flu victims report a high fevers, some have no fever at all.
I called the pediatrician after hours. It was worth the $20 they now charge for this call to have a professional confirm that it was really no big deal. The doctor on call would neither confirm nor deny my worst fears. It could be a cold, or it could be the swine flu. The only way to find out was to jam a very long swab up her nose and test her in person. Yes, it was painful for the child, but it would ease my agony over whether to quarentine her for the next few weeks or let her enjoy all the Halloween festivities with her peers.
The next day I called the moment the doctor’s office opened and patiently waited the 20 minutes until my call was answered. I took the first available appointment and apologized profusely when the nurse took her temperature and found she was normal. “She has been coughing a bit,” I mention trying to make myself look less hysterical. My daughter was a champ as they shoved the swab up her nose and the nurse tried not to judge when she told me the test came back negative. She doesn’t have the flu, not the swine variety, not the kosher variety, no flu. “It’s a cold. Have her drink lots of fluids,” the doctor suggested.
Lots of fluids… In my heart, I knew it was only cold, if that, but this hysteria that has been surrounding the flu has made me crazy. I don’t want to be that negligent mom who sends her kid to school, or worse out trick or treating with a thousand kids on the main drag of our neighborhood, when they may be contagious.
We would take the vaccine if we could get it, but that shortage is another story. When I was still trying to educate myself about the vaccine, before that fabulous article came out in the New York Times, assuaging all my fears, I asked my local email group which includes numerous pediatricians and a virologist what they thought about the virus. One response I received was from a pregnant woman, who mistakenly assumed that I was not planning to vaccinate and ripped me a new one for putting her more at risk.
I completely get that swine flu can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal for pregnant women or those with suppressed immunity. If I was pregnant right now, I’m sure I would be a wreck.
That said, I think the hysteria has gone too far. No sooner had a friend’s school sent out a notice that a child in on class had the swine flu virus, than a mother of a child in another class called my friend to find out what child is sick. This crazy need to blame, heightened by the threat of the swine flu virus, is a little out of control.
Anyone else feeling crazy? Any good stories or advice to share?