Swine Flu?!?!? Or just a DAMN cold!

Much like many of you, or so I am finding out, my entire family has been sick for the last 3-4 weeks!! Not getting better, not getting any worse, today I have a fever, tomorrow I will have a sore throat. Are you kidding me?
Well, I stood in line for 4 hours in the cold, snow, and wee hours of the morning so that my kids and myself could be vaccinated for seasonal and "swine" flu. So why are we all still sick, and what are we supposed to do about it?
When all else fails, and Hailey gets a wicked fever... we GOOGLE it! So you don't have to waste your time.... read on, but read all! (answers courtesy of webmd.com & cdc.gov)

What are swine flu symptoms?

Symptoms of H1N1 swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two (are you kidding me?!?!?) of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions.

That means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. Health care professionals may offer a rapid flu test, although a negative result doesn't mean you don't have the flu. The accuracy of the test depends on the quality of the manufacturer’s test, the sample collection method, and how much viral sample a person is shedding at the time of testing.

What are the emergency warning signs?

In children

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

So everyone I know has the swine flu ( especially Hailey who got quite sick last night)... or do they?!?!

So here is the other info I received after sitting on hold, and brow beating every medical professional whose number I have saved in my cell phone... sorry guys!
-A fever that can be controlled with Tylenol, and lasts less than 48 hours probably isn't the swine flu.
-A loose, productive cough following a common cold... probably not the swine flu.
-Rapid breathing quite commonly accompanies a fever, less than 60 respirations a minute... probably not the swine flu.
-When kids feel sick, they don't eat a lot. Wet diapers and regular bowel movements... probably not the swine flu.

So Hailey has not been rushed to Primary Children's but Wild Oats is a bit richer..

Elderberry Fights Flu Symptoms -Jelly, Jam, or Wine Won't Help -- Only Extract Works

This is more evidence that this herbal treatment for flu -- if taken when flu-like symptoms first appear -- could help people get through this year's flu invasion a bit easier.

Thom's findings were presented at the 15th Annual Conference on Antiviral Research in 2002. The study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of International Medical Research.

The study involved 60 patients who had been suffering with flu symptoms for 48 hours or less; 90% were infected with the A strain of the virus, 10% were infected with type B. Half the group took 15 milliliters of Sambucol or and the other group took a placebo four times a day for five days.

Patients in the Sambucol group had "pronounced improvements" in flu symptoms after three days: Nearly 90% of patients had complete cure within two to three days. Also, the Sambucol group had no drowsiness, the downside of many flu treatments.

The placebo group didn't recover until at least day six; they also took more painkillers and nasal sprays.

It's likely that antioxidants called flavonoids -- which are contained in the extract -- stimulate the immune system, writes Thom. Also, other compounds in elderberry, called anthocyanins, have an anti-inflammatory effect; this could explain the effect on aches, pains, and fever.

Elderberry extract could be an "efficient and safe treatment" for flu symptoms in otherwise healthy people and for those with compromised immune systems, such as the elderly, Thom adds.

So I now own every form of vitamin C, echinecea, elderberry, and oscillococcinum. We continue with the neti pot, hand sanitizer, hand washing, and nightly salt gargle and nasal cleanse. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

..oh, and FYI Just in case you aren't already a germ-a-phobe.

How long does the flu virus survive on surfaces?

Flu bugs can survive for hours on surfaces. One study showed that flu viruses can live for up to 48 hours on hard, nonporous surfaces such as stainless steel and for up to 12 hours on cloth and tissues. The virus seems to survive for only minutes on your hands -- but that's plenty of time for you to transfer it to your mouth, nose, or eyes.