H1N1

Or more commonly known as the Swine Flu.

I fear I am turning into a hypochondriac as of of late. I think it's mainly because I am pregnant. I went into the ER a while back because I was experiencing heart palpitations (feels like your chest is fluttering, or skips a beat) for days at a time. Of course, after sitting in the ER hooked up to a heart monitor for 3 hours, nothing abnormal happened. And then after wearing a holter monitor for 24 hours, that test proved to be normal arrhythmic patterns too. What the? So I felt pretty stupid.

But now, every little sore throat or cough sort of scares me. We went to Colorado last week for fall break and Tyler's sister had just gotten over a flu-like illness. Which is normally not a problem except when her teacher was hospitalized the same weekend for swine flu!! So I freaked out and made her take a test to see if her symptoms were the same. I monitored every cough she made for the rest of the week. Plus Samuel's newest little friend was hospitalized for strep that lead into scarlet fever last week also. So now I am even more paranoid because my throat starting hurting on Friday. And after experiencing strep throat in April I do not want to experience that again!

So, as you can see, I am probably over-reacting. BUT it still shouldn't mean we need to stay in the dark and assume this virus will not hit us directly. People are still dying from it people (click on that link to see the weekly situation reports)! And the vaccine is not yet available in my area.

Here are some things you should know: (taken from the cdc.gov--Center for Disease Control)

What To Do If You Get Sick: 2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Flu

How do I know if I have the flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

• fever *
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body aches
• headache
• chills
• fatigue
• sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season. They are:

• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
• People 65 and older
• Pregnant women
• People who have:
• Cancer
• Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)
• Chronic lung disease [including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Kidney disorders
• Liver disorders
• Neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain or spinal cord)
• Neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)
• Weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS)

Also, it’s possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu so anyone concerned about their illness should consult a health care provider.

There are emergency warning signs. Anyone who has them should get medical care right away.

What are the emergency warning signs?

In children

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• 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
• Fever with a rash

In adults

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

So there you go! I am sure you have received the same info from your family doctors, the news and pediatricians, but I found this website to be more helpful (and to add or calm my worries).