H1N1 Symptoms in Your Family

High fever (over 102), sore throat, headache, muscle aches. Although we did not have this, H1N1 can also cause breathing problems, leading to pnumonia (sp?) and hospitalization. Other causes of hospitalization are high fever that does not respond to medication. One family we know had to take their child in because her fever was 105 and they couldn't get it to drop.

Hope this helps.

It's tough to tell the difference between H1N1 and seasonal flu by symptoms alone. They are just different strains of the flu. The main thing I have heard from people with confirmed cases is that H1N1 seems to run a shorter course if it is a straightforward case with no complications. Also, while seasonal and H1N1 are primarily respiratory and fever, seasonal seems to be more likely to also involve the tummy stuff. I do know that in either case, if the fever is completely gone (without help from Tylenol,etc.) but makes a comeback, that can be reason for concern because of complications. My daughter just got over what I believe was the H1N1, because hers only lasted 3 days, and this fit what everyone told me that had confirmed cases. It was not nearly as bad as I had feared. Good luck, and stay healthy! P.S. I just saw your 'So what happened' post, and to answer your question, they are no longer contagious when fever-free for 24 hours.

My daughter had the piggy flu in June of this year. She started with a sore throat for about a day and then she started to get a fever and severe body aches. The body aches were so severe that it hurt her to move or even lay still. By the end of the third day she came to me and said, "Mom I need to go to the doctor!" I knew it was bad then because she is a high achiever and nothing holds her down unless it is serious. We went to the doctor and she was diagnosed with the H1N1. He was saying that sometimes he sees 20 cases a day. I did notice that even after she was done with the fevers and back to work she had a cough and phlegm in her lungs. I think this is the reason that a lot of people end up in the hospital. I had heard from a lot of people that in the extreme cases it does attack the lungs.

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm
From friends who's families have been affected, the biggest symptom for them was the fever-high (102+) that spiked & stayed there. They've had more respiratory symptoms than than puking flu symptoms. A friend went into the hospital this week because of throat swelling caused by the virus-they were worried she was going to not be able to breathe. I think she spent less than 48 hours in the hospital.
I don't know any more than that though, sorry.
*just read your update-if she's fever-free for 24 hours but still has a really funky sounding cough (the type that will disrupt her learning or the rest of the class because it's constant) keep her home another day or two. The teachers will thank you!

hi,

I just went to the doctor and my 4 year old is in the E.R with dad right now.( i got two other kids to watch (1 and 6 year old )at home.My daughter had it first. It all started with the cough not the fever first for everybody, then we had a very high fever 103 average for a day or two and then the breathing difficulties started for my son (the 4 years old) and me(34 years old). The reason my son went to the E.R was his labored breathing was very alarming. He was lying down flat in his bed and he choke on his saliva while asleep which prompted us to take him to the ER. dad called and they are being sent home with breathing treatment.(inhaler for me and nebulizer for the 4 years old.)The doc said that with this flu the h1n1 it is more common to have breathing difficulties compare to the regular flu.

My son is 26 years old and is recovering from H1N1. He also started with a sore throat then fever and severe headache, he said the body aches were so bad it hurt to take a shower. He never had chills or sick to his stomach but i think it might hit people differently. His fever lasted about 3 days, now that he is better he has been coughing up stuff. When he called the hospital they told him to drink as much fluids as possible mostly water because most of the people they were putting in the hospital were dehydrated and that is the main cause, I guess from the fever. So he ate and drank all he could and he said he felt so much better. He is doing well and back to work. I hope your little one gets better soon.

This is the info my son's school put out a few weeks ago:

Important Information for High Risk Populations

The current flu can be a very serious disease because of the complications it can lead to in high risk populations. This includes the very young (infants less than six months); pregnant persons; diabetic persons; those with serious heart disease, asthma, or kidney disease; and special needs students, especially those with neurologic, respiratory or mobility compromise and those who are immuno-compromised. If you or your student are high risk, please be proactive and talk with your health care provider now before you or your family is exposed or ill. There may be steps you need to take quickly to prevent further complications from the flu and it is in your best interest to have the plan in place.

Other Updates from Public Health Officials

Flu is currently prevalent in our communities in many age populations, but particularly the young children through young adults. Given the fact that it is too early for the seasonal (regular) flu, public health officials including the CDC now agree that this flu is assumed to be the new H1N1 variety of Influenza A.
The current flu circulating remains a mild illness for those who are generally young and healthy otherwise.
Routine testing is not recommended by the local, state, nor national health authorities currently, as the treatment for otherwise healthy individuals is the same regardless of what type of flu they have contracted. Those at high risk and/or hospitalized may be tested if place of care (home or hospital) or the treatment would be different (for example: a bacterial infection or pneumonia from strep is treated differently from a severe infection or pneumonia from one of the flu strains that are viruses). Urgicenters and clinics are sometimes testing for Influenza A, but rarely for the Influenza A/H1N1 strain unless hospitalized or under special circumstances.
Please DO NOT send an ill student to school, especially with a fever greater than 100. BVSD will work with you and your student on school work. Please report the student is home with ?flu? like symptoms if they have the fever PLUS other symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, body/muscle aches, vomiting or diarrhea. We will continue to send students home who present during the day with these symptoms, so if called please pick them up as soon as possible.
CDC recommends that you keep your ill student home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone (Fever must be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine or you will be called to pick up student.)
Remember to check all the prevention and treatment steps in our prior communications and practice them. Consider getting the seasonal flu vaccine now for yourself and your family. Discuss with your health provider whether or not you and your student should get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.
Check our www.bvsd.org website and the ?flu? link in the center of the page regularly for updates

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
(according to the Centers for Disease Control)

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish or gray skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Severe or persistent vomiting
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
(according to the Centers for Disease Control)

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough that places them at high risk for serious flu-related complications.

Here are a couple of web addresses that should be of help to you and learning about H1N1. The first is for Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the second is the Center for Disease Control. There is a lot of info for parents and caregivers on the sites, including symptoms, etc.

http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Health/PanFluHome/t...

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

N.

I have been the only one, so far that has not gotten the H1N1 flu. Hopefully I don't get it. My twins were first diagnosed with it, they are 2. I thought that they may have had strep because my oldest son had it a week prior. My daughter came down with it first. She started spiking fevers of 103-104. It goes in a roller coaster of fever spikes and normal. She sounded like she had ear infections and a sore throat by the way she talked and cried, but did not. She refused to eat, because this flu makes you very sick to your stomach. Instead of giving my kids the TamiFlu which is specific for H1N1 the doctor gave me a bunch of Dimatapp Cold and Cough and said for the little ones this was better because it wouldn't make their tummies so sick. After a day of doses they both got better and then the coughing hits and they sound like a barking seal and cannot stop. After the coughing more fever spikes, that's where we are in that cycle with them.

My husband came home with it, he had fever and chills and nasuea. I got the TamiFlu meds called in and he took one and threw up. After that, he felt a lot better. Trick is you feel better and you do more. Now he's in the coughing cycle.

The rule of thumb for letting the child go back is that they are fever free with NO fever reducers for 24 hours. So, you have to stop the Tylenol/Motrin/etc. and if there is no fever for 24 hours, they are "safe". Also keep in mind though, how the child feels. If they are still hacking and coughing and miserable, let them stay home and fully recover. Even though they are "safe" those around them will appreciate it.

My 2 daughters and I all just recovered from the H1N1 - although we tested positive for Type A inlfuenza, we were not given the blood test to confirm H1N1 but our doctor said we 100% had it based on symptoms. We started with high fever, severe body aches, chills, bad headaches... but no nausea. We did not have sore throats. It progressed into a very bad chest congestion with a horrible deep cough that lasted several days. We had low grade fevers with cough for almost a week. Even 2 weeks after the fact, we are all very low energy and still feel wiped out from it. From what I can see - the biggest difference between the swine flu and seasonal flu is the chest congestion which leads in some cases to pneumonia and other respiratory distress.

Three if my four kids got the H1N1 this summer at camp. My two daughters were in the same cabin and one of them got it and the other on didn't. My ten year old who is a finger sucker, did not get it. Good immune system I guess.

All of the kids had a sore throat, but different severities,body aches, chills, tons of coughing, some had mucus, some had none, and fever, although not exceptionally high. My thirteen year old even had some dry heaves, but never threw up like the flu. The thing that I noticed the most was how much they slept. More than noormal illness. This may be because of camp as well, but much more than catch up sleep.

My nine year old has severe asthma. The doctor changed his medicine when we went in for the flu testing, because the twice daily steroid he was on seemed ineffective. He did fine. I know the biggest concern is for compromised immune systems. No stand out issues and actually seemed to have the mildest case.

My twelve year old seemed very sick, but nothing that caused me concern. Our family stays pretty healthy overall, so that they were all sick was a bit of a surprise for me.

Finally, my thirteen year old was really hit hard. I wasn't concerned, but he was sick. It took about three weeks for him to get back to his normal self where he wasn't napping almost daily. Fortunately, it was summer.

The sick kids took Tamiflu, and the doctor gave the rest of us preventative Tamiflu prescriptions, which I did not fill because of the cost, and no one else got sick.

It was my husbands busy time of year, at work, with a lot of contact with people from other countries, so he completely stayed away Friday thru Wednesday night in order to have no chance of spreading the illness. The doctor suggested a 5 day quarantine, which we did follow for the kids. I was dilligent about washing my hands and using alcohol wipes upon leaving my house and car.

Hope this was helpful.

realx. h1n1 is going to be quite similiar the the seasonal flu. doc's are even saying that if you have the regular flu, it's likely that it's h1n1. watch for fever, coughing, sniffing, sneezing, etc. i have the flu. i waited three days and then went to the doc. my symptoms aren't bad, but the coughing is so awful my sides hurt just to breathe. so i saw the doc basically to get a Rx for the coughing. if a fever spikes high, above 102 or so, or if it's been three days or more go to the doc. stay healthy, lots of fluids, handwashing etc.