My son has Influenza

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
I finally broke down and took him to the doctor today. On Saturday he started running a fever, and it hovered around 101, but on Sunday evening it got up to 103. Just a moderate fever and I wasn't too worried about it, since I asked him over and over again if anything hurt (like his throat or something), but the only thing he complained about was a headache. The fever broke yesterday and has been normal since, but yesterday he also started complaining about a sore throat and developed a pretty nasty cough. According to him, it is like someone is stabbing him every time he swallows. So I took him in. Poor kid has Influenza, but there really wasn't much I could have done for him, or much the doctor can do for him, anyway.

I just can't decide if I should send him back to school or not. His doctor said if he is feeling better he can go back tomorrow. I don't see that happening, but still. At the hospital I worked at, there was a breakout of Influenza in the hospital, so anyone with symptoms was forced out of work and had to stay out for at least 5 days, and couldn't return until you felt A LOT better. Some tailing symptoms were still allowed, but you had to wear a mask until all symptoms were gone. I guess I'm answering my own question, but I don't want to take the risk of DS getting anyone sick since he won't be forced to wear a mask (I had to threaten him to wear one just on the way out of the doctor's office) and I know he still feels like crap. The doctor did give us an absence note, but I still feel like a bad parent keeping him out of school. LOL
 

cruisermaiden

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,144
Purraise
3
Location
Hiding from my SS!
I would keep him home until he is better. Tomorrow and Friday if necessary. He wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be able to focus if he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t feel well anyway and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m sure his teachers would rather deal with him being out of school than with an outbreak of flu in class. You could try calling or emailing his teachers and bringing him some school work home to do from there so he doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get too behind?
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Originally Posted by CruiserMaiden

I’m sure his teachers would rather deal with him being out of school than with an outbreak of flu in class.
Given the time between one is infected with it and shows signs of symptoms, it's much too late to worry about that. Chances are he caught it at school to begin with.

Personally, I'd let him have tomorrow but make him work on his school work and rest. The crummier symptoms from the flu can last 7-10 days and if you kept him home until he was better you'd likely have the school trying to report you for keeping him out - doctor's note or not. Here's it's 4 days missed and they call on you.
You may want to double check what his school's rules are concerning absences.
 

calico2222

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2004
Messages
7,731
Purraise
41
Location
Over the river and through the woods...
Hon, I think you should keep him home tomorrow at least. Even if he's feeling better he needs to build his strength back up especially after having a fever, and if you have a doctor's note to cover it everything should be fine.

I never understood the "go to school/work even if sick" logic. My work wants us to come in regarless of how we're feeling, Dr's note or not. Whether it's a virus or bacteria based illness, I STILL wouldn't want to sit next to someone that is sick and I don't think anyone wants to sit next to me if I've got something similiar. I know how fast and how frequently viruses and germs spread while in a confinded area. Probably the reason you couldn't work at the hospital is more for the protection of the patients with compromised immune systems than for your own comfort. While most kids have a better immune system than someone in the hospital, you never know...and who knows what someone else has that your son might catch while he's still weak from this. I don't think that makes you a bad mother at all.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
Originally Posted by strange_wings

Given the time between one is infected with it and shows signs of symptoms, it's much too late to worry about that. Chances are he caught it at school to begin with.

Personally, I'd let him have tomorrow but make him work on his school work and rest. The crummier symptoms from the flu can last 7-10 days and if you kept him home until he was better you'd likely have the school trying to report you for keeping him out - doctor's note or not. Here's it's 4 days missed and they call on you.
You may want to double check what his school's rules are concerning absences.
Here they are pretty laxed...and can't count it against you if you have a doctor's note. That's why our doctor didn't write a specific date on when he is free to return to school b/c she wants us to decide when we think he is ready.

I know the reason for staying out was to protect the patients, that was my point. Even after the 5 days, I don't think my son is ready to go back b/c I don't want anyone else to get sick. His symptoms are still there, and he really isn't feeling any better. That was a rule at our hospital, that you had to feel quite a lot better before you could go back, even after the 5 days. There were some people that were out for up to 2 weeks. My son is on the last stretch, but I just don't want other children to get sick. I'm pretty sure we're keeping him home tomorrow. Most likely I'll keep him home on Friday also, just in case, that way he'll have the extra two days from the weekend to continue to get better before going back to school.
 

calico2222

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2004
Messages
7,731
Purraise
41
Location
Over the river and through the woods...
Originally Posted by kara_leigh

I know the reason for staying out was to protect the patients, that was my point. Even after the 5 days, I don't think my son is ready to go back b/c I don't want anyone else to get sick. His symptoms are still there, and he really isn't feeling any better. That was a rule at our hospital, that you had to feel quite a lot better before you could go back, even after the 5 days. There were some people that were out for up to 2 weeks. My son is on the last stretch, but I just don't want other children to get sick. I'm pretty sure we're keeping him home tomorrow. Most likely I'll keep him home on Friday also, just in case, that way he'll have the extra two days from the weekend to continue to get better before going back to school.
I think you're doing the right thing. I just pointed that out because you said you thought you were a bad parent for keeping him home, which you're not and you know that! Even if he doesn't have a fever he's still not up to par right now, and not only wouldn't he be able to concentrate, he may catch it again.

I know you know what you're doing, so I'll shut up now. Just give your son a bowl of ice cream for me.
 

sneakymom

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
910
Purraise
21
Don't feel bad about keeping your son out of school if he still feels nasty.

My kids were having a pretty good year with absences. My youngest had missed 4 days of school up until the beginning of this month. 2 of them were HER fault (she made a poor choice for a friend and that friend got her and 2 other kids 2 days of OSS b/c of a slam book - sigh). Then there were the 2 days that both kids missed b/c I pulled them from school. My sister and I threw a surprise 70th birthday party for her. Mom and my sister live 8 hours from me. The kids REALLY wanted to go- besides the OSS incident, my youngest has been carrying all A's for the last 2 grading periods, and my oldest hadn't missed any school at all.

Then February hit. I got the virus from heck. I was sick for a WEEK. I've had this cough for almost 2 weeks, I think it's almost gone. And yes- I was bad and went to work 3 days of it. And I shouldn't have. One of the days I was at work until 1am, then had an hour's drive back home (I wasn't driving thankfully). 2 of the days I got sent home. My youngest got it- was out of school for 3 days last week. Oldest came down with it on Sunday, thankfully she only missed 1 day of school. But my oldest is also a freshman in high school, so her workload is more than her sister who is in 6th grade.

I'd heard that the middle school starts complaining if your child misses more than 5 days of school, but I haven't gotten any nasty notes from the school- yet. The only thing I know about the high school, is if you miss more than 9 days a semester (they're on block scheduling) that you can run the risk of failing ALL of your core classes that semester (I don't think PE and electives count- but I could be wrong)

I hope your son feels better soon. And that the school's pretty nice about absences- esp with a doctor's note.

Cheryl
 

mbjerkness

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
7,583
Purraise
18
Location
In the middle of BC
I had the same discussion with my neighbour. I keep my kids home when they are sick. My neighbours says she doesn't care how sick they are, she doesn't want them to miss school. I phoned our school and asked, They told me they would rather you keep them home. Not only do they infect other kids and staff. The kids don't get much work done.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
I don't want people to think I'm the mom from h*ll. LMAO I tend to sway towards the safe side and keep my kid home with even a small cough. I know it is the best thing to do, but I still feel guilty. He's only missed 3 days of school so far this year, and I've never ever kept him out for more than 2 days in a row. This kid just never gets sick. I wouldn't want someone else's kid to go to school and get my son sick. I have worked in daycare for ages, and nothing drives me nuts worse than parents that bring their sick kids to daycare to get everyone else sick, just to have to come back and pick them up. I understand that have responsibilities and have to work, but now they just caused 5 other parents to have to miss work.
 

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
I'm soo sorry to hear your little guy isn't feeling good.
I hope he gets to feeling better quickly!!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
Well, he's definitely NOT going to school tomorrow. I thought he was starting to feel better, but before he went to bed he started coughing up a storm and couldn't stop. The doctor prescribed him some Phenergen with Codeine, and I was hoping he wouldn't need it, but he did. I gave him some, and luckily it knocked him out. Thank goodness he's not allergic to codeine like I am. I hope he feels a bit better tomorrow, or he's going to be drugged up on codeine all day.
 

carolina

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
14,759
Purraise
215
Location
Corinth, TX
Originally Posted by kara_leigh

Well, he's definitely NOT going to school tomorrow. I thought he was starting to feel better, but before he went to bed he started coughing up a storm and couldn't stop. The doctor prescribed him some Phenergen with Codeine, and I was hoping he wouldn't need it, but he did. I gave him some, and luckily it knocked him out. Thank goodness he's not allergic to codeine like I am. I hope he feels a bit better tomorrow, or he's going to be drugged up on codeine all day.
You are doing the right thing... I would send him on Monday only, for 2 reasons: 1-He will get worse if he doesn't rest; 2- He will spread it around...

I hope he gets better soon... poor baby!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
I'll be calling the doctor again tomorrow. He seems to have gotten worse today. His cough is horrible and isn't controlled hardly at all with the Phenergen with Codeine (and if it is, I don't want to imagine what it would be like without it) and his fever came back tonight. I'm sure the codeine has put him in a stupor, but he just seems miserable. I hope this goes away soon.


Thank you everyone for your well wishes.


His Valentine's party at school is tomorrow since school was called off last Friday. One of the other moms from his class stopped by to pick up his valentines and his box so he can still hand them out and get some in return, and she promised to snag some of the treats for him also. I sent her a message and asked her if she thought it would be okay if I dropped them off, since she is the PTA president at the school. She offered instead to pick them up, which I thought was nice.
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
I was not feeling great Tues, didn't sleep well, but went to work & then shelter anyways. Didn't sleep well again Tues PM. Woke up Wed feeling like
. Couldn't even stand up without just about passing out. Ate almost nothing all day. Feeling better today, had dad drive me 30 minutes (one way) to the grocery store, to see how I did & to get "simple" food - skipped the shelter tonight. Coughing like crazy, dizzy again, feeling like crud. I ache - assuming I won't sleep well again. And I was *supposed* to work tomorrow, not sure I will make it in.

Sorry to hijack, but if your son feels like I do, I'm not going anywhere until I've felt much better for at least 24 hours. I pushed myself to see what would happen today & I worse off now again, rather than still getting better.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Originally Posted by kara_leigh

I'll be calling the doctor again tomorrow. He seems to have gotten worse today. His cough is horrible and isn't controlled hardly at all with the Phenergen with Codeine (and if it is, I don't want to imagine what it would be like without it) and his fever came back tonight. I'm sure the codeine has put him in a stupor, but he just seems miserable. I hope this goes away soon.
I'm not sure how phenergan would help coughing, unless it has dextromethorphan in it too. If not, that's why it isn't doing much.

As for him being in a stupor - that's likely not the codeine. Phenergan is sedative, antihistamine, antiemetic, and at larger doses an antipsychotic (it's original use). It's also a strong anticholinergic (lots of side effects because of this) which is why I now have it in my medical records as a medication that I cannot be given at all. If you've never had it given to you, just a little warning if your blood pressure is low - it can make that much worse.

Chances are if he's coughing that much there may be a secondary infection now or bronchitis.
Personally I've never found anything to help the cough that comes from bronchitis, only getting the infection under control helped.
 

snake_lady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
7,218
Purraise
13
Location
ON./Canada
Poor guy. How old is he?

I've only had the flu 2 times in my life (too many people say flu when its just a cold or some other virus) and it was AWFUL. The fever, the soreness, just yuck.

Lots of get well for him.
 
Top