Monday, November 2, 2009

It's My First Pandemic. Should I Panic Now?

Gremlin is home from school today. He had a pretty good hacking cough for most of the night and was really cranky/sleepy/not himself this morning. Thankfully, no fever. We've already had one (known) case of H1N1 at his preschool but not in his class. This weekend alone, the children of two Facebook friends and the sister of a Bloggy friend were diagnosed with it. My mommy radar was humming LOUD.

Of course there is no vaccine available and we are gratefully un-high risk, so it doesn't look like we'll be getting vaccinated any time soon. So we sit. And wait. And wash our hands. And cough into our elbows.

The thing is that Gremlin is a notorious cougher. If he's going to have the slightest hint of a cold, it will manifest itself as a dry, hacking cough that occurs between the hours of 7:30 pm and 6:30 am. Sometimes it gets pretty croupy (not this time - yet) but come morning, he's usually in reasonably good shape. This is his second year of preschool, his fifth year of exposure to preschool-y germs thanks to his big brother, so I know the drill. I don't panic about sending him to school with a slight cough or runny nose and I don't panic when another kid in his class has the same. If I did, they'd never have gone to school.

This year the rules have changed. I feel like we're all extras in On The Beach. Hanging out, living our lives, knowing the inevitable is coming. We'll continue to be cautious with our own health and of those around us. We'll take our vitamins. We'll hope those who have contracted the illness brave it well. We'll hope for enough vaccine to arrive before we catch it.

Today, our day includes sitting on the couch under a blanket watching Star Wars and enjoying a little one-on-one time. As my friend put it, it's not like he's missing SAT prep. All in all, not a bad way to spend the day.

8 comments:

Ash said...

It ran its course a couple weeks ago around here. Oldest (7) had it (confirmed), and I had Youngest (3 1/2) practically lick the sick one so that he would just get it and get it done.

He never got it.

After 3 days, everyone was back to normal - and that's with borderline asthma. If the seasonal flu treats us that well, I will be a very very happy, neurotic, germaphobe mama.

Enjoy the show and the snuggle time!!

Momma Hunt said...

I would try not to panic. Here in CT we had schools closing over possible H1N1. In reality they don't test for it. My son was super sick a few weeks ago on our peditrician sent him for a chest x-ray to the hospital and we asked if he might have flu, the reply was maybe but because H1N1 is so wide spread they do not test for it they only test to see if a child has the flu in general. Yet, It is so hard not to panic. I myself fell into that luck few (the preggers) who got the shot so I am hopefully in the clear (good thing since I teach about 120 high school kids who can't wipe their own noses!)

Anonymous said...

We went through H1N1 this summer (we were some of the first cases in Vegas). All in all, it was no worse than any other flu my kids have had. Personally I think H1N1 is just another virus with bad PR.

Stimey said...

That's a great comparison to On the Beach. It's so true. I've been all over the stupid internet telling people to get vaccinated, but we are all vaccine-free because we can't find any of the damn things. Hopefully both of our families will get the vax before they get the flu.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

My almost-15 year old daughter was asleep when I got home from work--she woke up long to tell me she'd had a headache all day and then went back to sleep. This is not sounding good.

KC said...

No panicking- hoping you are spared!!

Kids got vaccinated but it was NOT easy...(to get the damn vaccine).

Lifeofkaylen said...

Hope he feels better soon! It will be just fine...

As horrible as it was having a sick child, it wasn't a terrible way to spend the day, curled up on the couch with a sleepy child, watching movies all day, reading, dozing in and out...

rachel... said...

All my kids were sick last month... I'm hoping we've been there and done that, but not counting on it, you know?

Hope Gremlin gets well very soon!

 

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