# Swine fluuuuuuuu/ gripe A



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

My daughter has (unconfirmed) of swine flu - unconfirmed because the doctor told us they're not doing any tests any more as it's so wide spread. They are just assuming that any cases as from now are swine flu. I think if you have some other medical problem, like asthma, they might do a trest to confim the diagnosis.
So far it's like any other flu aches, temperature, headache...
She was told by the doctor to stay away from school until she hadn't had a temperature for 24 hours, but when i phoned the school they had just got a circular informing them that students should be free of high temperatures for 48 hours before going back to school. The only thing the doctor prescribed was paracetemol and she told me if the fever went then came back again or if she had brathing problems or chest pain to go straight to A&E. I wasn't told to inform anybody, and the school doesn't need a medical certificate either, so it looks like all the panic about swine flu has died down.
Just thought i would let you know what the process is like in Madrid area


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I hope she gets better soon! 

The only thing I know about swine flu is that it actually is less severe "in general" that the common flu virus! Obviously both strains of flu (or any other virus or infection) can affect those who have other medical conditions or the elderly or infirm. But that aside the only problem with the swine flu is that the virus isnt the usual mutated version of the previous years common virus, so therefore is/was an unknown!

Flu has mutated and different strains have come and gone through the centuries and I cant see that ever changing. Eversince I can remember, the media have been sensationalising flu - Asian, bird, spanish, swine.... are the ones that spring to mind and as I say if you have underlying medical problems then care is needed, but for the fit and healthy amongst us, our bodies need to fight it, cos it strengthens our defences ready for future attacks! Alot of the symptoms associated with flu are in fact our own bodies in full combat, the problems can arise when our armies/antibodies get a bit confused or arent quite strong enough. 

Its quite interesting how it all works and why all these symptoms manifest themselves ...... well, it is if you havent got them!!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hows she doing this morning?? Any signs that she's getting over it???

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> Hows she doing this morning?? Any signs that she's getting over it???
> 
> Jo xxx


Hi Jo,
No fever last night and I don't think so this morning - she's still asleep - and she ate smth yesterday!!
Thanks for asking.
Got to go now. Got to make out my bills and send them off - very important!!
I'll be on the forum in the evening I hope


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Been there, done that and got the stamp in the book
Little Pesky Wesky is back at school!!:clap2:  :clap2:
Basically she had a high fever for 3 - 4 days then for another 3 -4 days going down all the time.


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Been there, done that and got the stamp in the book
> Little Pesky Wesky is back at school!!:clap2:  :clap2:
> Basically she had a high fever for 3 - 4 days then for another 3 -4 days going down all the time.


Hi PW,
Did the school insist on 48 hours post fever before she went back?

I'm just wondering if it's only Galicia who've lost all interest in Gripe A as no one seems to be following any guidelines and communication appears to be zero between school, parents, pediatricians etc., etc.

Thanks,
Xose


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Xose said:


> Hi PW,
> Did the school insist on 48 hours post fever before she went back?
> 
> I'm just wondering if it's only Galicia who've lost all interest in Gripe A as no one seems to be following any guidelines and communication appears to be zero between school, parents, pediatricians etc., etc.
> ...


The school said they had received notification from the "Comunidad de Madrid" that the recovery period should be 48 hours. That was as from last Monday, but the only reason I know that is because I phoned the school. I've not received any information from the school, town hall, comunidad etc about swine flu. Also, the school didn't ask for any medical certificate so they've got no way of checking should they want to.
I was talking to my SIL earlier on who's a teacher in the Basque country. She said they have to send a list of how many children are affected every day or week, I don't remember and THEY had just received info telling them the recovery period without fever was being reduced from 48 hours to 24, so each region is different. Perhaps it depends on the number of cases being registered.
From our brush with flu so far this year I would say the symptoms seem to be the same as any other flu. The differences could be that it seems to spread more quickly and it seems to affect groups of the population that ordinarily are not so prone to flu. This flu doesn't affect so many older people for example, but does affect teenagers a lot.


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## m1beswick (Oct 1, 2009)

*Swine flu vaccine?*

Hi All, This is my first message of the forum so not sure if it will work! Really pleased that Little Pesky Wesky is recovered - must have been a worry. My family have moved here to Barcelona (2 months ago), and daughter is almost 17 and in school here. She is asthmatic, although is much better here than in the UK. There she would be offered the vaccine that has just come available. Any ideas if it will be available here in the future? Got a doc appointment next week anyway, but was just wondering.....


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

m1beswick said:


> Hi All, This is my first message of the forum so not sure if it will work! Really pleased that Little Pesky Wesky is recovered - must have been a worry. My family have moved here to Barcelona (2 months ago), and daughter is almost 17 and in school here. She is asthmatic, although is much better here than in the UK. There she would be offered the vaccine that has just come available. Any ideas if it will be available here in the future? Got a doc appointment next week anyway, but was just wondering.....


 
I don't know for sure, but probably.
Little PW is 15 by the way so perhaps I shouldn't be calling her that...
And welcome :clap2: to the forum, by the way!!


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## m1beswick (Oct 1, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I don't know for sure, but probably.
> Little PW is 15 by the way so perhaps I shouldn't be calling her that...
> And welcome :clap2: to the forum, by the way!!


THere are worse things to be called, especially at 15! Great to read all the postings here. 
I will just keep reading and asking about the flu vaccine - it is never an easy decision.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

m1beswick said:


> THere are worse things to be called, especially at 15! Great to read all the postings here.
> I will just keep reading and asking about the flu vaccine - it is never an easy decision.


Hi m1beswick and welcome by the way!

No, it's a difficult decision to make - it's been discussed at length on this forum for a while now. You say you've got a GP appointment next week and as your daughter is an asthmatic, they may feel she is in a higher "at risk" category of developping problems if she contracts it. As PW said earlier, it does seem to be affecting the teen population more, but that's generally true of just this time of year with all the colds and flu viruses flying around. It's starting to spread around the school here now as well....loads of kids off with the symptoms and high fever which is difficult to keep under control. At the moment, we're just dealing with the symptoms in the normal way.

Tallulah.x


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I think the flu vaccine is being "wheeled out" at all the schools in Spain, especially for those that need it (asthmatics, etc) so I would ask at the school if they're planning to do them. 

Jo xxx


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## m1beswick (Oct 1, 2009)

Thanks for your thoughts  I am finding with this move to Barcelona, everything has to be one day at a time, and things seem to clarify that way. I am sure this will be no different. Good idea about talking to the school though.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

m1beswick said:


> Thanks for your thoughts  I am finding with this move to Barcelona, everything has to be one day at a time, and things seem to clarify that way. I am sure this will be no different. Good idea about talking to the school though.


 
Wonder what happened about the vaccination??

OH has fallen by the wayside now. Yesterday was a bank holiday in Madrid and he spent the day in bed.
Me and the dog are OK for now!! 

Are we the only forum family to become infected??


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Wonder what happened about the vaccination??
> 
> OH has fallen by the wayside now. Yesterday was a bank holiday in Madrid and he spent the day in bed.
> Me and the dog are OK for now!!
> ...



I think you might be???? good job its not contageous over the net LOL I hope he gets well soon

Whats that saying "Children get colds, men get flu and women get on with it!"


Jo xxx


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Wonder what happened about the vaccination??
> 
> OH has fallen by the wayside now. Yesterday was a bank holiday in Madrid and he spent the day in bed.
> Me and the dog are OK for now!!
> ...


Hi Pesky,
Hope your OH gets better and you and the dog are still ok! How were you able to know whether is was "normal flu" or swine flu?
At the moment, I have had enough vaccination dilemmas to deal with, what with son going to Colombia and trying to get accurate information about that - whether or not they are necessary - so far he has had one for Yellow Fever but dont think he needs any more. So having to consider the swine flu vaccination as well is just too much. Dont think he's high risk but he isnt 5 yet, so dont know, dont want him to have it.
A few weeks ago he was ill with high temperature and headaches and so was I but I managed to struggle on so dont think it was flu.

Caz.I


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## m1beswick (Oct 1, 2009)

*Swine flu vaccine decision*

Hi There,
Sorry to hear about OH - hope you keep well and everyone else fully recovers quickly. We visited the doctor as a family on Monday - well what a charecter! Spoke enough English for us to be confident - in fact, I can't believe we have been so lucky. She agreed with my OHs previous diagnosis about whether to take statins, etc, so that helped confidence too! She has even got our Daughter in for her vaccination on Saturday morning I was reminded of the last time she had flu (about 5 years ago), and just as she was getting over that, she had a bad asthma attack (it snuck up on us, as kids don't complain about how much effort it is to breath until they go a bit grey). I don't want to be there again, so for her, we thought we would get her vaccinated. You don't run the contol experiment in life, just hope it is the right thing to do, but instinct says so.
Thank you for asking - very touched!
Mandy


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

m1beswick said:


> Hi There,
> Sorry to hear about OH - hope you keep well and everyone else fully recovers quickly. We visited the doctor as a family on Monday - well what a charecter! Spoke enough English for us to be confident - in fact, I can't believe we have been so lucky. She agreed with my OHs previous diagnosis about whether to take statins, etc, so that helped confidence too! She has even got our Daughter in for her vaccination on Saturday morning I was reminded of the last time she had flu (about 5 years ago), and just as she was getting over that, she had a bad asthma attack (it snuck up on us, as kids don't complain about how much effort it is to breath until they go a bit grey). I don't want to be there again, so for her, we thought we would get her vaccinated. You don't run the contol experiment in life, just hope it is the right thing to do, but instinct says so.
> Thank you for asking - very touched!
> Mandy


 This is probably a boring as hell for everybody, but just to say OH is better, went to get the alta (the going back to work paper) and the doctor gave him another day off  as it's so highly contagious. I suppose it's because he's a teacher and is in contact with so many people.
Very much agree with your comment about instinct - and also experience. When my daughter was 3 they began vaccinations for meningitis. We didn't agree with it, didn't get it done and she got it and was rushed to intensive care. As you say, I don't want to be there again, got the very controvertial cervical cancer vaccination, but didn't get the flu one as didn't feel it was necessary and in *our* case I'm glad we didn't get it, but sounds like your daughter's circumstances are different.
And Caz I - I remember getting the yellow fever jab for Colombia and keeling over going back to the car with my Dad  - but don't worry that's standard practice with me - and poor Dad going into panic mode...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Spain vaccination against swine flu begins November 16th in case you wanted to know
Spain Vaccination against influenza A will begin on November 16 2009


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## m1beswick (Oct 1, 2009)

That makes sense - what my lovely doctor suggested - we are getting in before the Monday rush - hoorah! This doctor is just so what I didnt expect, but she seems to know her way around the system 
Mandy


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