Could this be H1N1?

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old son came home from school today with a fever. He had no fever this morning when I sent him. I soon as I put him in the car he told me his stomach was hurting and threw up. He fell asleep on the car ride home and said he was really tired. I woke him up when we got home and gave him tylenol. He has the sniffles but not a full on runny nose. He has no other symptoms. He will be going to the doctor later on today but I was wondering if anyone else had these symptoms and it ended up being H1N1 or does this sound more like a stomach bug? I'm a little concerned about it being H1N1 since most people say the fevers get really high and my son gets fibrile siezures with high fevers. Thanks for any input. Oh also, we've been holed up in the house/backyard the last few days so I'm not sure where he would have picked it up a bug from?!?

[Anonymous]

My 6 yo son had a very similair sounding thing a few weeks ago and I was sure it was H1N1 (came on suddenly, fever up to 105.6, so lethargic- almost hallucinating (I was on the phone with the dr to manage the fever), throwing up, sniffling) but then it ended with a last vomit 15 hours later, the fever at 101 for the 2nd day, and then, all better.

[Anonymous]

Not sure, but pls keep your son's school in the loop---even about his unconfirmed symptoms. My son's preschool has bee fantastic, protecting confidentiality and keeping us all updated. There is no stigma--it can strike anyone.

[Anonymous]

I received this from my daughter's preschool:


Difference between Cold and Swine Flu Symptoms


Fever

Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

Coughing

A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches

Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

Stuffy Nose

Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

Chills

Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

Tiredness

Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

Sneezing

Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.

Sudden Symptoms

Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Headache

A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases. Sore Throat

Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

Chest DiscomforChest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to tell what is and what is not H1N1 without a test, but the general (and good) advice that is coming from many doctors is to treat symptoms like this 'as if it is H1N1'.

At the very least, some isolation of your child is called for. At least as long as they have a fever and possibly even 24 hours after that (there is some speculation that the virus remains active upto 24 hours after a fever ends, based on testing of Air Force Academy cadets who had a major outbreak over the Summer). I'd certainly keep him away from day care, play dates, and other children in the house as best as possible. You should also have some hand sanitizer near the sink and wash frequently to prevent any contamination of others.

As your son has a high fever risk, I would be checking his temperature regularly and jotting down the results on a piece of paper. Should it grow worse you may want to show any trends to the doctors when you get treatment.

So basically follow the course of treatment for a kid with the flu, watching the fever and especially watching for any respiratory problems (an immediate call / go to the doctor thing). I'd also pay attention to the vomiting to see if he can keep some liquids down or whether he is puking everything.

Here is a list of 'go to the doctor' events in connection with H1N1

Get medical care right away if the patient:

Has difficult breathing or chest pain
Has purple or blue discoloration of the lips
Is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down
Shows signs of dehydration, such as feeling dizzy when standing, being unable to urinate, or (in infants) crying without shedding tears
Has seizures (for example, uncontrolled convulsions), or
Is less responsive than normal or becomes confused.

http://www.flu.gov/individualfamily/about/symptoms/index.html

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone. His doc actually suggested waiting until tomorrow before coming in. His fever has broken with the Tylenol and he has woken up from his nap and seems back to normal. He's even kept down some liquids. I'm trying my best to keep him away from my 13 month old but that is proving hard!!! I'm hoping this is just a run of the mill stomach bug.

[Anonymous]

All 6 members of my household have had H1N1 (or, to be more specific, those who were tested were positive for type A) to some degree over the past 10 days, including a child who was hospitalized for 2 days. Symptoms vary widely - the first casualty went to school fine and came home with a fever and was decidely miserable: moaning on the couch, complaining that his arms and legs were too stiff to move, etc (he's the one who ended up in the hopsital). One toddler got tamiflu as soon as she started seeming achey and only had a fever for a day. Another toddler, who refused tamiflu, has had a fever and been lethargic on and off for 7 days now. He has also had quite an impressive rash, which is apparently not uncommon with this virus. Adults all started with scratchy throats and swollen glands. Two (spouse and au pair) developed aches and fevers 3 days later; one just feels lousy with bad cough but no fever (yet). On the whole, we are counting ourselves lucky.

Also, advice from our pediatrician is to keep kids home the LATTER of 24 hours after end of fever or 7 days after onset of fever. Incubation period for this is 2 to 7 days.


Best of luck.