So this has literally been the worst month ever healthwise in our family. And I am wondering are we the only ones here that have been going through this wackyness??? I'm seriously curious.
It all started with my dad who is in a nursing home getting super sick with an unknown infection and landing in the hospital. He ended up with pneumonia as well. It was looking like he wasn't going to make it, so I brought my kids to see him. Fortunately, he did live, but it was sketchy! And of course, one of my 3 kids caught pneumonia.
Then my littlest one got chickenpox 2 weeks after the pneumonia kid started his virus.
Now 2 weeks after the chickenpox kid, my oldest one has had a horrible fever and cough for 5 days, along with dizziness.
I am almost wondering if this whole thing isn't the same chickenpox virus hitting all 3 kids because chickenpox can result in pneumonia? Middle child only had 5 spots, oldest had none, youngest had about 25. My oldest 2 were immunized, youngest was not, and of the 3 kids, the youngest got the most spots, but the least sick. No fever, no cough!
At any rate, this "illness" started on June 5 with the middle child, and it is now July 5 with the oldes, and we have been in quarantine almost the entire summer so far. I am going to go nuts!
Thanks for your answers. Sounds like we aren't the ONLY ones with this virus, although we seem to be the first ones in our area getting it, probably because of all the exposure we have had in the hospital and nursing home.
Oldest is slowly but surely getting better, and the cough does not appear to be turning into pneumonia like it did with the younger one. I plan to have my daughter blood tested at some point to see if she had the chickenpox virus for sure. I'd much rather do that than immunize because my children have had severe allergies/reaction to meds and immunizations. Not worth the risk to immunize anymore for most things.
The pneumonia is probably not chicken pox related.
But, having visited a hospital, it's possible they picked up other germs there.
Hospitals are full of sick people.
It's tough to be sick anytime but it just seems more awful during the summer.
They'll be over it pretty soon.
They still have July and Aug to enjoy!
You need a proper diagnosis. If you don't have one, you can never actually write down that your children had chickenpox, and you need to know. Because of shingles, we need to know as adults if we are at risk for it.
If you have not had other vaccinations, make sure that you get them once the kids are better. It's bad enough that you've had this. The last thing you need is another bout of one of the other childhood diseases that you don't have to have!
I can't imagine what a tough month it must be for you and it must be taking quite an emotional toll on you as well.
I'm very glad to hear that your dad is ok. I don't think at all that it was wrong to bring your kids to see him, but I do think that's what started your problems. The first one caught pneumonia as a result of that visit.
Hard to say whether the youngest getting chicken pox is related or not. But, by not having him immunized, you put him at risk for getting the disease. While many people think chicken pox are no big deal - just itchiness - they can have very serious side effects in some cases. It seems that your middle one, despite getting immunized, was still susceptible and indeed got some of the worse side effects of the disease. Perhaps it was aggravated by exposure to the pneumonia virus.
When kids are in close quarters, they catch each others diseases. Some diseases have a long incubation period and can lurk for days or even weeks before showing any symptoms.
I hope you're through the worst of it and can get back into the world next week. Having three kids stuck at home for a month would drive me INSANE.
This is quite uncommon......
Varicella pneumonia is uncommon even in adults and it's SUPER uncommon in children..... have you taken them back to the Dr?
Pneumonia (non-varicella pneumonia) is also not often contagious....unless they had DIRECT contact with your dad's bodily fluids AND he happened to have the very uncommon bacterial pneumonia (most pneumonia is viral).... which if he is in a nursing home is unlikely that they had direct contact with his fluids during a visit???? Don't let them drink from his cups, kiss on the lips etc.
Sorry you guys are sick
Oh my, well all of you should go to the Doctor.
But being there is chicken pox, some hospitals even, will not let someone just walk in.
CALL your Doctor.
My son, has the cold this week with the fever/dizziness thing and coughing/runny nose. It is running its course and he is getting over it. My friend's son has the same thing. But they did not get it from each other. They hadn't even had contact with each other prior to them getting sick.
BUT, being there is Pneumonia going around your family, I would think that you have to get this checked out, to see if your child is simply sick with a cold or has Pneumonia.
A proper diagnosis is needed.
Pneumonia is viral or bacterial.
It can be contagious.
It is dangerous.
It has to be treated.
And the person needs to see a Doctor.
CALL your Pediatrician.
And, chicken pox can be gotten again, from what I hear? Don't know for sure. But in adults, it can manifest as Shingles etc.
I really feel for you!
We just back from a new student conference for my sons first yr of college in the fall. They go and do fun stuff and choose their schedules.
The parents go and get info also. My son woke up the day of it, in the hotel dizzy, 101 fever. Great. If he could not do the mandatory stuff we would have to do it again! We medicated the fever, did the manadtory stuff and left. No fun stuff. :(
Woke up with a rash the day afterward. The doc said viral. Uggg.we were in the hotel with him 3 days and the car several hours..nothing for us yet.
