I'm glad that you , your family & friends are all doing well :)
Thanks , DvdMom
Here’s another case in England with a really high fever , & breathing issuses .
Most of the severe cases I read about also have HIGH fever as a common symptom .
UK:
Dad tells of son’s swine flu hell
Date: 22 July 2009
By Chris Wilkinson
http://www.wigantoday.net/wigannews/Dad-tells-of-son39s-swine.5482593.jp
A Wigan dad has spoken of his worry as he watched his 10-year-old son suffer a bout of swine flu.
Derek Fairhurst was so concerned about son Josh’s health that he spent two sleepless nights watching over him as the youngster fought the virus at their Bamfurlong home.
Worryingly, Mr Fairhust was first told that Josh was not suffering from swine flu but a viral infection and was prescribed pain killers rather than the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.
But, five days after Josh fell ill and was sent home from Abram Bryn Gates Primary School, his GP conceded that he probably had fallen victim to the illness given his symptoms.
He is now recovering at home and through the worst of the illness.
Mr Fairhurst said: “He was a mess for two nights, his temperature was sky high and his breathing was bad.
“For the first few days he was being sick and had diarrhoea, he couldn’t keep anything down and was screaming in pain because of his stomach.
“It got to a point where it was pretty frightening.”
Josh began complaining of aches in his back and legs on the Friday of his penultimate week in school.
His dad picked him up and the exhausted youngster collapsed on the sofa as soon as he got home.
Over the following hours his condition worsened prompting Mr Fairhurst to contact an on-call doctor, only to be told that Josh was most likely suffering from a viral infection as swine flu had yet to reach Wigan.
That diagnosis was changed five days later and after several days of confusion apparently caused by the shift in management of the pandemic from ‘containment’ to ‘treatment’, Josh was prescribed Tamiflu.
It has been a difficult time for Mr Fairhurst, a single dad who also cares for his mentally disabled daughter Jenna, 23.
He said: “You are tied to your house, people won’t come to you because they are frightened that they will contract the illness and you can’t go out to get groceries and the things you need.
“It has been an absolute nightmare.”
But, he is most sad because Josh missed his last week at primary school.
Mr Fairhurst said: “He has never had a day off school before and now he has missed out on all the fun of his last week.
“Unfortunately it is just one of those things and there’s nothing we can do about it, but he is really disappointed.”
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/flu_vs_cold.html
Is It a Cold or the Flu?
Your child is sent home from school with a sore throat, cough, and high fever could it be the flu that’s been going around? Or is it just a common cold?
Typically, the flu (also known as influenza) has symptoms that make a child feel worse than symptoms associated with a common cold, but it’s not always that easy to tell the difference between the two.
Symptoms Guide
To help determine whether your child’s fighting the flu or combating a cold, review these questions:
Flu vs. Colds: A Guide to Symptoms
Questions Flu Cold
Was your child’s onset of illness
sudden? slow?
Does your child have a
high fever? no (or mild) fever?
Is your child’s exhaustion level
severe? mild?
Is your child’s head
achy? headache-free?
Is your child’s appetite
decreased? normal?
Are your child’s muscles
achy? fine?
Does your child have
chills? no chills?
If most of your answers fell into the first category, chances are that your child has the flu. If your answers usually belonged in the second category, it’s most likely a cold.
But don’t be too quick to brush off your child’s illness as just another cold. The important thing to remember is that flu symptoms can vary from child to child (and they can change as the illness progresses), so if you suspect the flu, call the doctor. Even doctors often need a test to tell them for sure if your child has the flu or not since the symptoms can be so similar!
Some bacterial diseases, like strep throat or pneumonia, can also look like the flu or a cold. It’s important to get medical attention immediately if your child seems to be getting worse, is having any trouble breathing, has a high fever, has a bad headache, has a sore throat, or seems confused.
While even healthy kids can have complications of the flu, kids with certain medical conditions are at more of a risk. If you think your child might have the flu, get in touch with the doctor.
Treatment
Some kids with chronic medical conditions may become sicker with the flu and need to be hospitalized, and flu in an infant also can be dangerous. For a severely ill child or one with other special circumstances, a doctor may prescribe an antiviral medicine that can ease flu symptoms, but only if it’s given within 48 hours of the onset of the flu.
Most of the time, you can take care of your child by offering plenty of fluids, rest, and extra comfort.