H1N1 death - :(

kimberley wrote: article

a boy the same age as Jacob and in our neighborhood died of H1N1
my heart goes out to the family. such a tragedy

MommyToAshley replied:

That poor family. My heart breaks for them and they are in my prayers. SOOO SAD!!!

This is exactly why I don't get the complacent attitude towards this flu. I am sure it is not media hype to this family.

boyohboyohboy replied: this is what I mean, you cant find out why is it that something like a flu virus would get a healthy child down and kill them so fast?
what are the signs to watch for that would be different from the normal flu, and also this isnt the first story I have heard where a child seems fine and on the mend and then boom...
there doesnt seem to be enough info out there.

momofone replied: one thing i heard with the h1n1 you get regular flu symptoms plus vomiting i am sure not in all cases but it is a symptom.

kimberley replied: they are also mentioning a high fever. it honestly scares the heck out of me.

coasterqueen replied: How horrible. My p&pt's are with them.

CantWait replied: Omgosh how sad. Dh and I had a discussion about this yesterday and I had told him that I wasn't worried about it because it didn't seem like as big a deal as SARS was. Things like this make it hit home a little more and seem like more of a reality.

DVFlyer replied:

And a chart showing influenza related deaths by year.

luvmykids replied: I can't imagine the heartbreak of losing a child, much less right in front of you

From what I have gathered, the appearance of getting better is the crucial time...most deaths have happened after that period which is what makes it so scary. The vomiting and sudden spike in fever, along with that, seem to be the common threads.

boyohboyohboy replied: but I havent seen any info on are the majority of the kids that are dying either already immune compromised? were they diagnoses late on, and didnt seek help soon enough?
were they dehydrated by the time they made it to the ER so had they come sooner would the out come had been different?
I am just wondering if there are predisposing factors that might make this seem not as scarey.

I mean, its harder to not freak out when you say, these kids were 100% healthy no other health issues, and had been treated and were on the mend, no fever or further signs of illness and then suddenly died..

as opposed to , kids who were HIV positive, or had immune diseases, had been sick just prior to getting the virus? hadnt gone to the hosp. until they were unresponsive or lethergic from dehydration....

they just arent putting out enough info, and whether thats because they are not collecting it, or they just dont know, I dont know..

its much easier to protect our kids if we had some idea what we were dealing with.

jcc64 replied: I am in no way trying to minimize the tragedy of this poor boy's death. However, really, what could have been done to prevent it? It's not like he was sick for days--the parents did everything they should have done. Some seemingly healthy children occasionally drop dead of unknown cardiac abnormalities. There was a boy in our area last year, before the swine flu thing became front page news. He too visited the ER with flu-like symptoms, and was sent home with the usual advice. 6 hrs later, he collapsed and never regained consciousness. It was later determined that he had an undetected heart condition that was exacerbated by the onset of the flu. Children die, it's one of life's biggest mysteries, and central to my own spiritual doubts. But freaking out over every cough, sniffle, or fever is not going to prevent some deaths from occurring. When your number's up, it's up, imo. Medicine is good, but it hasn't figured out a way to completely eradicate death. The numbers are most likely in your child's favor, so try not to panic. That's basically all I'm trying to say.

boyohboyohboy replied: I think that you are correct in saying that some children so have predisposing health issues that might be undetected or detected and that is what I am asking about, a study that shows were the kids who died really killed by something other then swine flu.

however I dont think loading yourself with all the info you can is being in a state of panic, I think its just smart..


prevention is going to be as key as treating symptoms.

Although we have had kids here that had nothing other then a runny nose that had the swine flu test positive and never had a fever....and then some with all the symptoms.
and I have spoken to 5 families now that said the tamaflu made no difference.
so antivirals are not the life saving cure either.

moped replied: Ok, so just out of pure curiousity.........if we are so freaked out the H1N1 then why are so many NOT getting the flu shot.......if prevention is key? I am just curious as to peoples thoughts.

My family is getting the seasonal as well as the H1N1, but yesterday there were many hour line ups, so we will wait a few days.

I am a little paranoid about the H1N1 so therefore I am going to make sure I get my family the shots.

Kentuckychick replied: I wonder... they say this was an H1N1 death... but have they actually done any tests on this child to confirm this yet? I'm not saying it wasn't, did it mention that he was tested and confirmed to have had H1N1? Just that he went to the clinic and they sent him home and told him to take medicines. Did the clinic run a flu test? If not, how in the world can they say it's the flu??

He was a hockey player... he had a high fever and vomiting... I would definitely be ordering an autopsy (I know, that's horrid, but seriously) and looking in to other things like meningitis as well. Many, many children also die each year because meningitis symptoms are mistaken for colds and flus.

I mean, at any other time that's exactly what they would be doing. They didn't say anywhere that he had the sniffles or a sore throat (the other symptoms of H1N1... just the fever and vomiting). It seems that right now in everyone's mind everything is the flu. Maybe it was... maybe wasn't.

I really hope our medical field isn't starting to drop the ball on cases because of this flu.

Regardless that is sad and horrible. And his family will be in my prayers!

luvmykids replied:
I agree, and I actually feel bad for the medical community as they seem to be between a bit of a rock and a hard place right now.....people ARE freaking out and taking their kids in and taking up time for reasons that normally would not send them to the er or dr office....drs can't keep up with all the people so they're telling most of them to go home and rest up....because they can't test every person they may be missing something critical to keeping these deaths from happening.....it's a sad cycle.

I don't think being informed is panic, and I think we all want to do what we can to prevent our kids from getting sick period, not just with the H1N1, for some that means getting vax and for others it doesn't. However, there are sooo many things that go around every single year and I think there it's an awful way to live being afraid that every cough, sniffle and even fever is going to result in death.

I don't in any way make light of any of these losses, and I think a big part of why some of the public concern has waned is that as tragic as these losses are, it's still nowhere near the severity that was predicted. Of course it is to those who've lost loved ones because of it but when we're strictly talking numbers, we're ahead of the curve so far. The yearly deaths due to regular strains of flu still far outnumber what we're seeing with H1N1.

boyohboyohboy replied:
I can answer for my family..
we dont get the flu vax..because of egg allergies #1
and #2, there is mercury in the multi dose vials..that being said..
the vax is made each year with the hope that it encompasses the next new strain of flu virus, because every year it changes, so the chances of the flu vax covering the flu strain you actually get, well I guess that would be just luck..and the chances of being lucky compaired to adverse effects do not share equal weight in my book.

the H1N1 vax is way to new has not been tested properly, and even though it is made in the same medium that a regular seasonal flu is made in, and it also has used the old strain of swine flu that came from the 70's it certainly hasnt been tested enough to prove to me that the horrible side effects that happened the last time they gave this vax wont happen again, maybe not now, but maybe 5 or 10 yrs down the road.

Also they started out in sept saying you needed two shots, then in oct saying you needed one, I dont think they are really sure what is going to happen. My own personal opinion, is that this strain right now is not that bad, its much milder then they thought, but it hasnt mutated, and maybe later on the next strain that comes thru might be worse or harsher..
is it only really affecting the young because the people who had it in the 70's were exposed and now have some sort of immunity to it? so then does it stand to reason that the people who are getting this milder version now, might be safer later on? Maybe thats the natural vax. in natures way..

either way, thats our reason.

MommyToAshley replied:
That is the very point I was trying to make in the other thread. Why not keep sick kids home until they are symptom free. Why not encourage your child to wash their hands and avoid standing in the path of some stranger that is coughing and sneezing. Sure, it may just be allergies, but it may be H1N1... I see no harm in staying clear of this person. I'm not saying that doing these things will keep you from getting the H1N1 virus, but it sure does lower your chances. But, I don't consider doing those things to be paranoid, just taking precautions. I don't live in fear of every cough and sneeze, but I do teach my daughter to cover her cough, avoid other sneezes, wash her hand before snack and lunch, open the bathroom door with a paper towel instead of her hands, etc, etc, etc.

As I said before, I don't get the complacent attitude towards the H1N1. Maybe people think it just won't happen to them, and it doesn't hit home until it is your friend, your neighbor, your son. Maybe I am the one that is off. I probably had more of "it won't happen to me" outlook, but losing a child to a genetic disorder that is considered just a fluke of nature and you have a better chance of hitting the lottery than having a child with trisomy 18 makes you realize that things do happen to you. There was nothing I could have done to prevent my child from having trisomy 18, but I CAN take precautions to prevent my other child from getting a flu that is killing perfectly healthy kids. There are no guarantees, but I see no harm in the doing the things you can do to minimize the risk.

Normally, I would just chalk it up to different parenting styles, which under normal circumstances doesn't bother me. But, when someone else's choices afffect my child, like sending their child to school and other activities when sick, then it does bother me. And, if in the meantime, people want to call me paranoid, and give me dirty looks when I move my child away from their child that is obviously sick, it doesn't phase me one bit... as long as their child is not coughing on mine.

luvmykids replied: I know you aren't addressing anyone specifically but I just wanted to say I don't feel complacent, or that it can't happen to me....there have not, thankfully, been any serious cases of H1N1 at our school but there have been plenty of mild ones and I think most of us feel "our" kid could be the one serious case due to the sheer number of kids who've had it AND the number of kids who MAY have had it and not know since they've quit testing.

You have a very valid point, most of us simply can't grasp what it's like to be the one in a million, I'm genuinely sorry that you have been there

MommyToAshley replied: I apologize, I may have come across a bit harsh. And, I don't think everyone is complacent and I know everyone is trying to do what is best for their children. Kimberley, I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I think I was just having a rough day yesterday and heard the words "media sensationalism" one too many times yesterday in reference to this flu, right after being exposed to a child that was obviously sick and should have been kept home.

Thank you Monica for your kind words.

Again, I am sorry for this family's loss. Very tragic.

BAC'sMom replied: That's so sad my thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

We have had 9 deaths in our area, one was a healthy 12 year old girl.

PrairieMom replied: we have had a few deaths too, and a lot of super sick people. We don't usually see this at our hospital until later in the season.

BAC'sMom replied:
You among others know that I have been freaked out (your words ) for months about H1N1. The H1N1 vaccine is way to new and has not been tested enough for me; therefore we are not being vaccinated. I will also pass on the Cervical Cancer Vaccine for my Daughter but when she is old enough she will get the Meningococcal Vaccine just like I did with my Son. Meningococcal Disease is another one that scares the heck out of me.

Danalana replied: I don't usually get scared of things, but I must admit that this is scaring me. I can handle lots of things, but losing a child isn't one of them. Since we almost lost Carter in the beginning, I get scared a little easier about things. However, I think I am with the ones who don't think the vax has been tested enough. That concerns me too. Both boys will get the regular flu shot, though. Carter's 4 month appointment is next Thursday, and I am going to ask about his then. Personally, I have never had the flu...ever. But that doesn't mean it can't happen to one of my kids. Even the regular flu can be deadly, you know? Kade is in the nursery at church for Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Carter stays with me. Stuff goes around the nursery all the time, and it seems like somebody always has a runny nose. While some of that is just part of being a baby, it's still scary. We had RSV go through our church last year and it terrified me. Anyway, we won't be getting the H1N1 virus, but I will be keeping the boys away from people as much as possible until the flu season is over.