A couple of weeks ago, we thought we might have swine flu.
We didn’t.
How do I know?
It’s 6.30am and the phone rings. Mr B needs to bring Miss M home. She’s crying inconsolably and wants me. He arrives about 20 minutes later with a hot little bundle, all dangly limbed and puffy eyed. I cuddle her, but the heat coming off her is unbearable so I lay her down, fetch her some juice, some Calpol and the thermometer.
Her temperature is 38.9.
We strip her down, grab some nappy pants from her room and lay her on the settee while I dose her. Her nose is streaming, her tummy hurts, her head hurts and her hands ‘feel hard’ and sore.
Her Daddy leaves her with me and I sit by her sleepy form and calm her down, stroking her head, checking her temperature regularly to make sure the paracetamol hits the spot. It doesn’t.
After 2 hours I carry her up to my bed and lay her down. I put the fan on, even though she tells me she is ‘freezog cold.’ I check her temperature. It’s 39.7. I give her Calprofen and attempt to get her to sip juice, but she just takes her medicine and then goes to sleep.
I wait.
I watch.
Half an hour later her body is shaking and twitching. I have a fan on her, I’ve sponged her down, I’ve called her dad and now I’m calling the emergency doctor. She calls back and goes through the usual procedure, “Does she have a rash” Is she sensitive to light?” No, she’s just boiling and listless and sleepy and shakin and I’m not sure if I need to call an ambulance or not.
She tells me to ring the Swine Flu number. I ring, they assess her over the phone and give us a code and the address for where we can pick up our Tamiflu from. I’m surprised there’s not one in our hometown, but the distribution point is still quite nearby and Mr B takes ID for himself and Miss M and heads off.
It takes quite a while as he has to join the queue, but an hour later he is back. Miss M’s temperature is down to 38.5 and she’s a little more awake. She’s developed a dry cough and her legs hurt. She can’t swallow the capsule. We try, but it just makes her heave. The thing is, this kid can taste the slightest difference in anything. Luckily she quite enjoys medicine when we add it to her milk, but I know this stuff isn’t going to taste sweet. It’s not made for kids. Apparently only those under one year get the liquid form.
When she has her second dose later in the day we add it to yogurt and although she still heaves she manages to swallow it.
Around 8pm, when her temperature is on it’s way up again even though I’ve dosed her regularly, she vomits, and brings up the Calprofen I’ve just given her.
And I’m thinking, “What do I do now? What if I can’t get her temperature down again. What if it keeps on going up and up and up?”
SO I tweet a quick message asking for any advice on cooling her. I suppose it’s kind of a panicked, reactive ‘HELP’, but Dan (@dhgughes) and @SurprisedZoe and @Zooarchaologist as well as my cousin’s hubby, the lovely Daz @dazvernon, all get back to me and it’s enough to calm me down and get me thinking straight again. I realise I can give her another Calpol. I sponge her again. I hold an ice lolly to her lips which she sucks at then pulls faces as it ‘tastes funny’. She relaxes, I relax, and her temperature comes back down to 38, where it stays for most of the night.
And then she sleeps.
I set the alarm to wake every two hours so I can check her.
She sleeps, and sleeps, and sleeps.
This morning we try tamiflu in sugar water. She is not impressed so it will be yogurt for pudding again tonight. She’s much better, though her temp is still around 38. She’s drinking, and she’s eaten a little.
Miss E was out with her friend at Gulliver’s Kingdom in Milton Keynes all day yesterday, and she stayed at her Dad’s last night. So far she’s symptom free. She’s home now but it’s no cuddling or kissing, lots of hand washing, and Miss M will sleep with me again tonight.
So you know when we thought we might have swine flu and I didn’t panic? Well this time I did.
Just a little bit.
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July 26th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Sounds horrific.
Glad things have settled down a bit now.
I’m guessing I didn’t have swine flu either. Bugger.
July 26th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
It’s every parents nightmare that scenario. I remember my son having a night terror when he was 4 and it totally freaked me out. Looking back I thought I should have done this and that, but at the time it’s hard to be rational and think straight. I just sat there on his bed feeling like curling up into a ball. Then all of a sudden he stopped and went back to sleep like a baby!
July 26th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
((((((Gazillion Hugs)))))) to Miss M and you. Christ I would have been terrified, I’m dreading Liky getting it, which will undoubtedly happen at some point. I hope she’s doing better now and has a quick recovery. Look after yourself too xx
July 26th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Awww – I hope she’s still doing well, and hang in there. It’s really all you can do, but still.
xoxo
July 26th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
It’s so scary when kids have a rampaging temperature. Hope she’s better soon. The Tamiflu works quickly, they say. Sounds like you did all the right things.
July 26th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
We have had a few scares like that in our time! Big hugs to you! I am not majorly concerned over the whole Swine flu thing, I think its more of a media hype than anything. But the temps can be very scary under any circumstances. I remember once when TC was little she was in the hospital and they would not give her anything. My grandma told me to wrap her wrists, ankles and head with wet clothes soaked in vinegar. (We kept on doing it and it worked!) She was 3 at the time and came out in a purple rash! (These days that would have caused a panic, back then no-one know what it was) Thankfully she was already on anti-biotics! It was scary!
Hope your little one heals quickly! Hugs xxxxx
July 26th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Horrible, horrible, horrible. Hope she’s feeling better soon and that you don’t all end up with it. Big hugs to you all.
July 26th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Yikes! How scary. I hope she’s feeling better ASAP. And I think it’s a really good thing that you and Mr. B are able to work together so well. I know when your child is sick other things don’t always matter, but many people can’t get along enough to help each other in times like that and you do. That’s a good thing.
July 26th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
ah poor lil thing. You are a great Mum though and thought of all the tricks. I hope she kicks the swine flu quickly, and no one else suffers it either.
Hugs to all
July 27th, 2009 at 1:58 am
Horrible when children are ill, and this sounds nasty. Hope she is better soon, and that the rest of you avoid it too.
Take care.
July 27th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Bloody hell. Sounds very frightening. We shall wear masks, protective headgear and body armour when we next see you, and for the next year probably. Please to hear she’s on the mend. Much love xxx
July 27th, 2009 at 3:21 am
You did well though.
Bless you both and may the improvement continue.
July 27th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Hugs, Jo. It’s so rotten when our kids are sick, isn’t it? Hang in there, you’re a wonderful mom!
July 27th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Faith and blessings..You know that someone is watching out for all of you.Make her so comfortable and divert her mind at every juncture and soon you’ll look back and say another bump and we made it sandy
July 27th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Oh Jo, how frightening. Get well soon little one x
July 27th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Thinking of you. Sounds like you are doing an amazing job. Hang in there. Take care all of you. x
July 27th, 2009 at 6:40 am
I just posted asking what the point of Twitter is. Now I see. Hope she feels better soon. How scary.
July 27th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Gosh how terrifying. Get well soon Miss M and big hugs to you. Thank goodness for the wonders of Calprofen and Calpol. R5 once hit a temperature of 41 degrees C on Christmas Day when she was one year old. It came down after about half an hour, but that’s one Christmas Day we’ll never forget.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Yikes! Although I’ll have to take your word on the severity of the fever, because I’m one of those Americans that doesn’t understand C.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Oh Jo, there is nothing rougher than having a child that sick. So sorry and really hope things continue to look less scary.
Tepid baths can help bring down fever. Not cold, not warm, but tepid.
~hugs~
July 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
We can’t do anything but panic, we’re parents. I do think the way this has all been handled is very up and down, some good and bad points. How can someone REALLY diagnose over the phone?
CJ xx
July 27th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Oh Jo! Hope things are much, much better now.
July 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Holy freaking cow. I would have been in full-blown panic mode. I’m so sorry. I hope she feels all well soon, and that no one else in your household ends up with it! Yikes!
July 27th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
How awful for you all. I hope no-one else gets it and Miss M gets well soon!
July 27th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Goodness, how terrifying. We had the same issue with Tamiflu, chocolate sauce is your friend if you think she’ll take that? I blogged about it here http://bit.ly/bWX6c
I hope she’s on the mend and that your nerves aren’t too frazzled.
July 29th, 2009 at 4:49 am
i hope maddie is better soon, we all ok at the minute but hoping we do not get it it so scary x
July 30th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Thanks so much everybody. She’s now off the tamiflu and has been fine today so so far so good. The scary thing is how fast it hits, but the tamiflu works pretty fast too so if it hits you try not to worry and get the medicine when you can.