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Post by tod2 on Jun 21, 2011 16:16:09 GMT
What 2 shitty days I've had with this epidemic. My two and a half year old grandson and his little brother of 7mths are suspected of having contracted the virus. Not only that, their father (my son) is dealing with this all on his own, as well as having a severe bout of flue almost harbouring on pneumonia. (His wife is on holiday in the USA with her brother).
I have been running as taxi from one hopspital/doctor/pedeatrician to get the right medication.
We are all totally pooped!!
And to top it all - there is no Tamiflu left. I got some Tamiflu yesterday and the two children will be sharing it. Thank goodness there will be enough, and that we live next door to one another!
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Post by mich64 on Jun 21, 2011 18:57:01 GMT
Oh Tod, I hope all your tender loving care will result in a quick end to the virus for them all. Make sure you get your rest too and drink lots of fluids. It is difficult with the little ones because they do not know why they feel so bad, but at least Grandma is there to give the love and care they need.
Go Grandma Go!
Mich
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 21, 2011 20:12:14 GMT
How worried you must be Tod, just take care of yourself too dearie. I hope that your son and grandchildren make a swift and complete recovery. X
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2011 20:55:00 GMT
That's the first I've heard of N1H1 this year. How long has this epidemic been going on?
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Post by tod2 on Jun 22, 2011 7:21:07 GMT
Thanks folks! I have a tight chest this morning but it could also be due to the heavy fog we are experiencing.
Kerouac, our local newspaper reported that an outbreak of the Swine flu had been detected in the city but you never know the true facts of casualty numbers. The mere fact there is no Tamiflu available tells me people have been taking no chances. The GP we saw yesterday was not in favour of giving Tamiflu unless a test has been done ( which takes 3 days for results) but the pediatrician had no hesitation in giving it to the children.
Apparently it is not the Swine Flu which kills you but the secondary infection one may contract.
We'll see what today brings - I'm staying home and taking it easy! If I'm needed to administer medicine I can just walk through the gate between our houses.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 8:17:38 GMT
Yes, in France when there was fear of an outbreak, they said that it was stupid to take Tamiflu as a preventive measure, because it would prevent nothing, since it is a treatment for people who are already ill. The disease itself is not terribly dangerous unless you are already a member of a fragile category -- but if you are, anything else you catch can finish you off.
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Post by auntieannie on Jun 22, 2011 11:27:52 GMT
Shikimic acid from Star anise is a base material for what is known as Tamiflu. Not that it will help, but I am thinking of you and your family, Tod. And as Mich says, keep everybody well hydrated and do take time to rest as you won't be able to help them if you don't rest/ if you fall ill yourself.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 23, 2011 12:58:37 GMT
I'm a 'stay-at-home' wheezy person at the moment but other than that I fell quite OK. Seems to affect me early morning and late afternoon/evenings. Got some wonderful cough syrup that helps for 3-4hrs and if I get a real tune out of my lungs I have a puff on my husbands asthma pump.
I think the kids are on the mend too and have not been allowed to run around outside in the garden. Poor little buggars must feel so cooped up but its for their own good.
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Post by mich64 on Jun 23, 2011 16:04:57 GMT
Glad to read that you are getting some rest Tod now that the children are healing. It will be fun for you to see them back in the gardens as soon as they are well enough. Take good care of yourself.  Cheers, Mich |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 23, 2011 17:05:07 GMT
Glad that the children are getting better...in the UK it's never really gone away altho numbers dipped significantly in the spring. The most vulnerable people seem to be pregnant or post-natal ladies. They can get very ill indeed, that' why they were offered an H1N1 'flu jab.
Hope you feel better soon sweetie, hot toddies are good for soothing grown up throats....(a teaspoon full of honey, a squidge of lemon juice and a shot of brandy mixed with hot water...)
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Post by mich64 on Jun 23, 2011 17:43:55 GMT
That hot toddy drink sounds good, minus the hot water. I will be getting my flu shot in the next couple of days, hopefully. I need it to begin my volunteer work with the Speech Pathologists at the Hospital really soon!
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jun 24, 2011 18:42:41 GMT
That would be a cold toddy....s'not the same.....  |
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Post by mich64 on Jun 24, 2011 19:05:20 GMT
So it would not work? I may try next time I have a cold, just to make sure.
Cheers,
Mich
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 25, 2011 2:17:55 GMT
Oh Tod ~~ I'm sorry! I thought this was the old swine flu thread, so had not opened it. Hope you all are better soon. How is your husband -- has he avoided getting sick?
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Post by rikita on Jun 25, 2011 7:26:32 GMT
hm, when i read the word toddy, i keep thinking of toddy shops in kerala...
good to read the kids are getting better though... yeah i guess having to stay in bed once you start feeling better is not easy for children...
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Post by auntieannie on Jun 25, 2011 9:25:29 GMT
Thyme is excellent for the lungs, Tod. xx
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Post by hwinpp on Jul 5, 2011 8:38:01 GMT
hm, when i read the word toddy, i keep thinking of toddy shops in kerala... good to read the kids are getting better though... yeah i guess having to stay in bed once you start feeling better is not easy for children... Does toddy just mean 'liquor'? Or is it a specific alcoholic drink in Kerala? |
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Post by tod2 on Jul 5, 2011 12:41:16 GMT
Hey guys - we are on the mend. Not too soon either! THANKS for all the suggestions at kind thoughts.
A sort of side effect from the flu virus was mouth ulcers occurring in the older boy. Anyone who has had even one mouth ulcer knows the excruciating pain it causes and this little darling had them everywhere. Tried putting Kenalog paste inside on the gums but that is not easy when it is sooooooo sore. The Doc put him on Augmentin (which is penicillin) but it was another three days before he could try and eat without crying.
When I first saw the white swellings I thought he may have Trench Mouth, but remembering babies sometimes get oral thrush I thought it could be that resulting from the strong Tamiflu anti-biotic.
The Doc said it was something to do with the flu virus but I'm not sure what exactly. I hate to question a pediatrician or medical person but you'd think it would be possible to put a child onto some kind of counter measure for anti-biotics? They already eat tons of yogurt.
Anyway, things are looking up at last and mommy is home too.
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Post by rikita on Jul 6, 2011 5:51:36 GMT
not sure, really. i know that kallu (palm wine) is called toddy, but they might sometimes use it for other alcohol too. i never drank there, so not sure. i would suppose kallu is what is mainly sold in toddy shops in the country side. never went to one, myself.
tod - glad to hear you are getting better! that with the mouth ulcers sounds painful indeed, poor kid...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2011 6:24:58 GMT
Tod2, that's all much more serious than I expected.  These diseases are getting nastier and nastier. |
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Post by tod2 on Jul 6, 2011 8:26:22 GMT
Going back to Cheerypeabrain's Toddy suggestion, I found the recipe!
Traditional Scottish recipe: Pour a shot of Whisky into a cup and add boiling water to it. Add a spoonful of honey or sugar. Add a half slice of lemon, two cloves and, if available, a cinnamon stick. Let brew for three to five minutes.
Depending on preference, the cloves and cinnamon stick can be removed before drinking, although leaving them in is often said to make a toddy even better for clearing a blocked nose and relieving a head cold.[citation needed]
The traditional English variation uses black tea instead of plain hot water.
Hot toddy is a name given to a mixed drink, usually including alcohol, that is served hot. Hot toddies (such as mulled cider) are traditionally drunk before going to bed, or in wet and/or cold weather. They were believed to help cure the cold and flu, but the American Lung Association now recommends avoiding treating the common cold with alcoholic beverages as they cause dehydration.
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Post by hwinpp on Jul 6, 2011 8:47:45 GMT
Toddy in Southeast Asia or, apparently, in India, is specifically palm wine juice (areka palm).
Because it ferments relatively quickly it is seen as an alcoholic beverage. Worth trying in both stages, before it has fermented and after ;D
Did you ever try 'samsu', Rikita? Also a spirit, but I think it's made of sugar cane, so technically a rum.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2011 12:56:16 GMT
In France, a toddy is a 'grog' and has regional variations -- hot water and mirabelle or quetsch eau-de-vie in Lorraine, calvados in Normandy, cognac in Bordeaux -- you get the picture. In places with no regional liquor like Paris, they are made with rum. Honey and lemon are added, nothing else.
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Post by mich64 on Jul 7, 2011 0:20:13 GMT
If I was to prepare a hot toddy, it would contain boiled water, rye/whiskey and honey. Although I myself cannot imagine being able to drink it as I can only drink tea as a hot liquid. Many of my family and friends do drink hot toddies in the winter to soothe themselves when they get a cold or sore throat. Kerouac, I have many memories of mirabelle when home in the Lorraine, but the memories are of our French families laughing at us when we cannot keep up with the amounts they can drink of it in a celabratory manner. Of course we brought some home to make our friends try as well.  Cheers! Mich |
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Post by rikita on Jul 7, 2011 5:26:11 GMT
no... i tried toddy once and had a little bit of beer once, else i didn't drink any alcohol while in india, because living in a village being a teacher, and being sent there by the bishop i was supposed to behave representable and all that... kinda funny if you know me, but it seemed to have worked, at least i got no complaints...
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 8, 2011 9:11:16 GMT
tod, glad everybody is feeling better. As for the mouth ulcers, saturated (salted) water does wonders. but it hurts. they go within 36 hours when I treat them mornings and evenings by going directly to each mouth ulcer with saturated water on a Q-tip or you can try with cotton buds or muslin dipped in the water.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 8, 2011 14:10:21 GMT
Thanks Annie! Glad to report the ulcers or whatever it was has gone and last night our boy came over to Geggen and Pa (can't seem to say grandma and Grandpa for some reason) for the night.
He sat having soft pieces of Kentucky chicken (skin and coating removed) and seemed to enjoy eating again.
Then we all went to sleep in granma's feather bed!!( Remember that John Denver song??) I'm sure we fitted the part...... ;D
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Post by palesa on Aug 4, 2011 20:38:14 GMT
Oh wow, Tod, I am glad they are fine. Swine Flu does not only affect the weak and old. My sister-in-law's younger sister contracted swine flu and spent 3 weeks in ICU on a machine (can't remember the name now) that by passes the lungs and oxygenates the blood so that the body can recover, sadly she passed away. Young otherwise healthy girl.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 4, 2011 20:54:28 GMT
E.C.M.O ? (extra-corporeal-membrane-oxygenation) a sort of heart-lung machine without the heart bit. The hospital where I work is one of the few in the UK that has these machines and we have patients from all over Europe come in when in acute respiratory distress. We have had many H1 N1 patients, especially over the winter period....still getting them in fact.
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Post by palesa on Aug 5, 2011 5:25:25 GMT
That's the one! Strange how I used that acronym various times a day over a 3 week period and now it just slipped out of my mind!
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These diseases are getting nastier and nastier.
