Swine Flu

So here it is. The swine flu. It's in my house. Two of my children have it and with the cough I have and occasional headache, I've wondered if I'm not getting it myself. Kaitlyn told me Friday evening she didn't feel good...headache, sore throat, cough, and started running a fever. So with the swine flu running rampant in the valley, I took her to the Budge Clinic on Saturday, because myself, along with everyone else, is nervous about it. With all the rumors I have heard from people since we have it, I wanted to clear some of them up. But I can tell you this much. People are terrified of this flu!!! There has been such a hype over it when I tell people we have swine flu they look at me as if I have just announced we will be having our limbs amputated!! So since I am a human having the swine flu experience I will tell you our experience. The first thing the Dr. said when I took Kaitlyn in was it was all a "bunch of bologna." He said all the hype about it is ridiculous. Yes, a couple hundred people died of it last spring, but that thousands of people die of influenza every year. The ones most at risk are babies, elderly, and pregnant women, just like any other illness. The test he did to see if she had it was taking a long q-tip, and gently running it around her nostrils. Someone mentioned the test for it is awful, and someone felt like they were having their brain poked out. Had to laugh. The Dr. told me that by the time this valley gets the immunization for it, everyone will have already had it. He said all the busses in the valley have been tested for it and they all had it on them. How many times can I say this, "WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS!!" When I asked him how long she should stay home he said when she no longer had a fever and a cough she wasn't contagious. He gave me a prescription for the Tamiflu and said "get it if you want." It cuts the illness by a day or two at the most. I was surprised at all the side effects listed for it and thought, "if you aren't already sick, you will be when you take it." The cash price for Tamiflu is $100.00 but my insurance covered it and it was $20.00. I don't think I will get it for the rest of us. We are not near death nor do I feel like our lives are at risk in any way. My kids have been sicker with strep throat. Am I trying to undermine the fact that we ARE sick and DO have the flu? NO!! I know there is probably many different forms of it and maybe we have a low grade one at our house. Or maybe tomorrow it will be a different story. Maybe I am on my way out and will die shortly. If that's the case remind Jay that lillies are my favorite.