swine flu

Near miss with a pig and teething

November 4, 2009 by Jessica

We got that dreaded call today from Micah’s daycare…”your son is running a high fever and you need to come get him.” There are kids with swine flu all over the place in that daycare – the most recent was a kid in his classroom last week. I thought we were beyond the incubation period, but naturally the first thing I thought was “great, swine flu, and I’ll be getting sick, too.”

So, I picked Micah up from daycare, and went up to the pediatrician. I kept thinking “just our luck!” since our pediatrician got in the thimerosal free (and squalene free) h1n1 vaccine and we had an appointment set up for Micah to get vaccinated on Saturday. A small part of me, I must admit, did think “well, that will settle my agony – no need for a needle once I get the flu!”

We made it up to the appointment, and Micah’s temperature was at 101.8. The doctor checked him out, and did a nasal swab to test for flu. He checked Micah’s ears (currently all clear) and I asked if this could be a sinus infection because I had been wondering if he had one again since his last cold had been lingering for several weeks. The doctor said it was possible, and he would also send out a nasal swab to check for a sinus infection. While we waited for the results of the flu swab, I mentioned to the doctor (the one who always laughs at me for thinking Micah is teething) that I was convinced Micah was teething again. He smiled at me, and I said “Look, one of these times I have to be right, don’t I?” He laughed at me, checked Micah’s gums, looked at me very somberly, and said “well, I have to say…he is definitely teething! I can see two teeth getting ready to break through on the bottom.” Finally!! My toothless wonder may not be toothless much longer. I also mentioned Micah’s horrible diaper rash that cropped up this week while I was out of town. After a quick check, he confirmed that Micah has a yeast infection, so we have to apply lotrimin 2x/day until it is gone.

After waiting 15 minutes, much to my surprise and amazement – Micah’s flu swab came back negative! Instead of writing a prescription for Tamiflu, he sent us home and told us to try and keep his fever down. If his fever is not gone by Friday, we should bring him back in to re-check his ears and his throat. We should also have the results of the nasal culture back by Friday, too, so he may require antibiotics at that time. Unfortunately, if he is not better by Friday, we’ll have to cancel his vaccination appointment – he has to be fever free for at least 24 hours before they will vaccinate him. So, hopefully we can keep us all swine flu free.

Swine Flu and Baking

October 21, 2009 by Jessica

It is official – we have a case of swine flu in Micah’s daycare class. Apparently, a child went home sick on Friday, and he and his parent have been diagnosed with swine flu. I’m hoping that since we have shown no signs or symptoms yet means we have passed the incubation period and all is well. To make matters worse (as if I’m not already freaking out about germs), the caretaker in Micah’s class had a cold yesterday. Yes, a cold. I went to pick Micah up, and she was all stuffed up, coughing, and well…sick. I’m sure it isn’t the flu, but really – did she HAVE to expose Micah to her cold? He just got over being sick last month! And I certainly don’t need to be sick with all of the traveling I’m doing. I do not need my lungs compromised in any way if there is a chance I could catch the flu!

I hate all this fear about flu. I’ve never worried about the flu before – in my life, I’ve only had it 2 times. It has never been a big deal. It is funny – I catch everything else, but I’ve been relatively flu-free most of my life. I’ve never gotten the flu vaccine either. I am still not concerned about the seasonal flu, and to be honest, I am just not that excited about H1N1. For whatever reason, if I catch it, I just do not think it will be a big deal. Perhaps I should, but I feel like I’ll go to the doctor, get Tamiflu, go on antibiotics if I get a lung infection, and all will be well.

In the midst of all of this, the H1N1 vaccinations have arrived at our pediatrician’s office. Both Micah and I cold get vaccinated, but they do not yet have the thimerosal-free (and squalene-free) version yet. So – do I give Micah the vaccine now, or wait an extra month for the safer vaccine? I hate these kind of decisions! I am currently leaning towards waiting. Most of the cases of swine flu seem to be no worse than regular flu. Not that I wish flu on either one of us, but part of me feels that getting the flu might be safer than taking the vaccine. I am also not certain that Micah did not already have swine flu last month when he was sick (although, I suppose Elliot and I would have caught it, too, if it was swine flu).

This morning I called to schedule his second dosage of the regular flu shot – and was told I should call back in November. I am so frustrated by all of this! They would not give me information about which version of the H1N1 vaccine they are currently using, or when they expect to get the thimerosal-free version. I cannot get good information about what to do. The CDC recommends vaccinating, but declines to comment on either thimerosal or squalene at this time. While they will not approve these ingredients in other vaccines, the FDA has suspended most of the guidelines for the H1N1 vaccine for the next six months. I’m sorry – if something was unsafe last month, and it will be unsafe again in six months, isn’t it unsafe now?

On the one hand, the studies show there is no connection between thimerosal and autism. Fine – I believe that. HOWEVER, we are encouraged NOT to feed children fish with mercury because even the low doses have been shown to affect brain development. Okay. I can accept that. Then how is thimerosal in the H1N1 vaccine safe? To make matters worse, due to the shortage of vaccinations, there are adjuvants that contain squalene in this version of the H1N1 vaccination. Apparently, there is some relatively new and untested research that indicates that adjuvants *might* cause autoimmune disorders in both adults and children. Until better research is done, how can I comfortably give such a vaccine to Micah? Several states have banned doctors from administering the H1N1 vaccine to pregnant women and children under 3. Moreover, this vaccination has been rushed to market prior to FDA approval and without testing. It is presumed the vaccine will do no harm because it was developed with the same techniques as the regular seasonal flu vaccine. But, with different ingredients in the vaccine, how can they be sure?

In other news, I’m busy cake-baking. I have a cake to do for a friend (I’m making a pumpkin chocolate chip cake) and next weekend I have a cake for my niece’s second birthday, and my friend’s son’s first birthday. I’ll be baking my pants off this week in order to get everything finished on time! The good news is that it appears my edible image printer should be back in order! We purchased a new printer head, so tonight I will attempt to replace it and hope that it starts working again. I’m not sure how I will get through the next week without it. I’ll post cake pictures soon.

He sits . . . and do pigs fly?

May 1, 2009 by Jessica

Let’s start with the good news! I can’t believe it . . . Micah can hold a sit! Over the past few weeks, I have noticed that Micah can sit when he is propped up against something. Every few days, I try sitting him up and moving my hands away for a few seconds to see if he can actually stay put on his own. Over the course of the past two weeks, I noticed that he was able to hold still for longer and longer before flopping over. Then, yesterday, I let go . . . and he stayed . . . and stayed! I called to Elliot, and we were so proud of our little guy. He is definitely able to hold a sit . . . he only flops over if he leans back or tries moving his arms around, but it is a solid start at sitting. Here are a few pictures – sorry they are blurry!

And for good measure, here are my two babies napping together.

Now, on to my more serious question . . . do pigs fly? What I am really asking is whether it is safe to fly right now with the swine flu circulating. I know the government (with the exception of Joe Biden) is saying that it is safe to fly right now, but can you blame me for worrying about bringing a 4 month old on a business trip? I am not so much worried for me – if I catch the flu, I’ll be okay. They keep saying the only reason not to fly right now is if you are exhibiting symptoms, but my concern is, can I really trust most of the idiots out there? Today, a plane was diverted because a woman decided it would be smart to fly while she had the flu. How many people did she infect? And are those people on the flight contagious during the incubation period? They really do not know yet. Which leads me to my next point – what if there are asymptomatic infected people who are contagious on the plane – how easily transmissible is it? Right now, it does not appear that the current strain circulating in the US is that virulent . . . but they just do not know. So . . . I am worried, and I wish I knew the right thing to do. Should we drive instead of flying? It is a 10 hour trip, so that won’t exactly be easy with a newborn. We would probably try to drive at night so as not to disrupt Micah’s schedule. What do you think . . . do pigs (in the form of swine flu) fly, or should we?