14 Month Old with Flu B

All 3 of my kids have been suffering from the flu this week. Needless to say I am at my wit's end!

24 hours after the onset of their symptoms I learned they were exposed to the flu. My 4 year old got it at school last friday from a classmate whose idiotic parents sent him to school before he was recovered. Shame on them. So it was too late for him to get the Tamiflu but not for my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son.

Anyway, after paying gobs of money for the Tamiflu, I gave my son & daughter one dose each. My daughter cringed the whole time, and after forcing it down the 2 year olds throat he vomited it and everything else, up. After a miserable bath he went right to bed. He woke up at 11:00 that night & was so thirsty I mixed another dose of the Tamiflu with some juice & he drank it and vomited it up an hour later.

After sleeping well that night he woke up so so so much better. I decided not to give him anymore Tamiflu. I do not know if I made the right decision or not. My daughter refused to take it so I didn't try. I just continued with the tylenol & motrin and fluids and they are not completely better but were well enough to play outside today. I do not know if they are better so soon because they had a flu shot for a different strain that offered some protection or if the poop is going to hit the fan again tonight.

Or pediatrician said the best thing to do is use a humdifier, give tylenol & motrin, & keep them hydrated & try to make them as comfy as possible.

If at any time you feel your baby is taking a turn for the worse call your doctor. If at any time you feel you can no longer care for the baby to the best of your ability, call the doctor. Flu is serious and you need to monitor your baby constantly.

I wish you all the best and I'll say a prayer for you and your baby.

A.

I've had both babies, toddlers and a 7 year old with the flu this year. The sleeping is actually normal, despite how upsetting it may be for you. It really does make a mom nervous when her baby sleeps for so long, but it is very normal for the flu. It is so hard to see them so uncomfortable, but unfortunately, time is really the only thing that makes them better. If they can take fluids, there are some pediasure/pediacare liquids that will help them. They really don't eat or drink much, so as much liquids as you can get down is great. Also, tylenol and SLEEP!!! It's a seven to ten day period before you see any improvement. You might see an improvement then, seemingly worse, then it will get better. It's no fun and I wish you the best. Like I said, I went through this with an infant, three year old and seven year old. I live in NY and we are having an epidemic flu season, go figure. Hang in there!

Hello,
as long as he got the Tamaflu w/in 24-48 hour of his 1st symptoms he should be getting better within 4 days.The best luvin you can give is to treat the symptoms...and let him sleep.

Well the Flu stinks and it is always scary when they are sooo young. Piggy back the Meds and watch the temp. Over 104, it's time for a bath to get it down. Don't be afraid of a fever, it's natural but I am all for making them comforable. Drinks, drinks and more drinks. I have had great luck with the vicks plug in and the vapor patches. Don't get too upset if he will not eat, no one feels like eating when they are sick so offer but don't freak out if he is not willing. If he is drinking and is still having wet diapers then take that as a good sign. Keep riding it out it will get better. They say 10 days is the average length of the flu but only a few of those days will be intense. Hang in there. Keep him hydrated and pay attention to the fever. My son vomits when he has a fever so I had a terrible time getting the Meds to stay down long enough to work. So I used Fever All suppositories to get the fever down so I could give him the Motrin. Good luck and I hope he is in good health soon!!!

Hi, A.!

We have a lot in common! I was a teacher for 12 years, mostly working with children with spcial needs in various inclusive programs. Sometimes I worked with school aged children and sometimes I worked with pre-schoolers. I advocated for children with special needs and their familes and went on many home visits and enjoyed some really warm and rewarding relationships with these children and families.

My 12 month old, Duncan, just got over the flu with a double ear infection. He went on Tamiflu pretty early and it kept it from getting worse and shortened the duration of the symotoms. He spiked a high fever one night and we woke to find him having a febrile seizure. He had never had one before and this was very scary. We ended up in an ambulance to the hospital. Later that same day, he wss himself again like it never happened. Go figure.

Anyway, we "piggy-backed" Infant Tylanol and Infant Motrin to keep him comfy and to control his fever. This was pretty easy to hide in his morning, nap-time and bed-time bottles. He wasn't vomiting so we were able to feed him on schedule but I would suggest for your little guy to just feed him his fav's that are pretty bland. The BRAT diet is pretty tolerable. Try bananas and rice cereal.

It is never easy when our babies are sick. We just want to make it better. Hang in there with lots of cuddles and maybe some of the above suggestions. I will be pulling for you! Take care!

S.

Hi A.,
I am sorry to hear that your little guy is so sick. Unfortuanately the flu does that. Tamiflu does not cure the symptoms but it does stop the virus from reproducing so that your child won't get any worse that he is. The main thing to do is keep the fever under control and keep him as hydrated as possible. Small amounts of liquid often is better than large amounts that make him vomit. Also the flu typically brings diarrhea on days 3 or 4 after the vomiting is past so keep pedialyte in the house. Not all kids like that, even the flavored kind so mixing with a little apple juice is ok.
The flu often takes a good week to completely go and hopefully the tamiflu will speed the recovery process.
Remember the BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, applesauce and toast.
These are good through the recovery process. And don't worry if he's not eating so much. His appetite will return when he's ready. Keep him hydrated. That's your goal.
M., pediatric nurse

First of all, it will get better. Just keep an eye on the fever and ask your pediatrician if you can alternate childrens Motrin with Tylenol (I found childrens Motrin works much better than Tylenol - but check with your ped. for children under 2 years old!).

Hydration is key. Try Pedialite or even Gatorade (jello water also seems to work too). A humidifier at night helps with congestion as well.

With my son, his symptoms usually subsided within 2-3 days. If not, call your dr. to let them know things are not getting better.

Good luck!

Hi A.,

my approach is different as I do not use conventional doctors unless there is an emergency; do not give my children or myself over-the-counter drugs or prescriptions unless absolutely necessary

If anyone gets sick (for any reason):

upon waking, ONLY fresh fruit, not mixed, and preferably organic

I say on waking, but fruit can also be eaten on an empty stomache; fruit is digested quickly so it needs to be the first thing in to do the most good.

with children, who heal quickly, this usually rids them of any minor problems by midday. Fruit sweeps through the body like a broom -- but you cannot use commercial juice; juice has to be fresh -- if you want juice, you have to juice it yourself. Keep in mind that 20 minutes after you cut something, a large percentage of the nutrition is gone -- so drink it right away.

Different fruits can have interactions to cancel out benefits and since I do not know what the good combinations are, we do one type of fruit and then 2 hours (sometimes sooner), something different.

In the afternoon and evening, vegetables! One again, fresh and organic if you can get it.

~~~~~~
to keep from getting sick:

lots of (organic) garlic! (root vegetables absorb more chemicals (toxins) than those that grown above the ground)

fresh fruit in the mornings with nothing else

drink water between meals (water with meals dilutes the digestive enzymes)
rule of thumb for daily water requirement: divide pounds of body weight in half and that is how many ounces you should have of pure water each day, mixed with nothing else.

I have not had the flu in my home - but this was in my e-mails today. I am sending this Not to scare you but to inform you what is happening - this was in Dr. Mercola's newsletter today:

The FDA has been reviewing reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken the flu medicine Tamiflu.

The symptoms have included convulsions, delirium or delusions, and in Japan, five deaths have been reported in children under 16 as a result of neurological or psychiatric problems. Four were fatal falls, and one was a brain infection in a patient with leukemia.

There have also been nine deaths among older teens and adults, attributed to neuropsychiatric problems or brain infections.

Sources:
USA Today December 1, 2007

the only thing i can think of to help is to make sure if he's congested regularly "suck" the mucus out, and if he's got a cough, put some vicks vapor rub on the bottoms of his feet (not too much, just a little) and it should almost instantly stop the coughing for the night. i've used it on myself, and some family of mine used it on their young children (which is how i heard of it). it really does work wonders for a bad cough, makes it so tolerable you can sleep through the night. IF you want, you can try the babies vicks vapor rub on the chest too, but i would ask his dr. before doing that because of the fact that it's so close to the mouth and he's directly breathing it in. though for the feet, i'm not sure y it works, but it does. hope this helps.

Hi A.. My heart goes out to you and your son, the flu can be rough. As for the Tamaflu's effect on his tummy, try to give him some crackers or toast. You can also give Motrin in between the dose of Tylenol to keep the fever at bay. Good luck and I hope he recovers quickly.

Starve a COLD
FEED a fever.

Wake him every 4 hours to give him fluids
Every 2 hours if he doesn't finish the bottle.

My family just had the FLU- kids were safe because i gave them the FLU shot.TG

he should be better in a week to 10 days, but he will be very ill for the next 3-4 days or so just keep a close eye on him,

And a nice soak n a warm tub opens up the poors and lets them sweat it out,

the bad thing about the flu is its feels like malaria
cold and shakey, an nausea then OK and tired and weak

then cold and shakey, the tired and weak.

so don't be surprised.

MOST important is the fluids, soup, juice, are good

Pay attention to his diaper area for diareah and constipation
also with the excessive sleeping diaper rash.

Good luck he iwll be fine.

M