Live From (possible) Swine Flu Central

I spoke to my pediatrician for the last blog, and I didn’t even know we were incubating something. What an opportunity squandered! She told me at the time that if your child is exhibiting symptoms of H1N1 – fever, sore throat, aches and pains, sniffles and/or a cough then it probably is H1N1. Just because that is the most common thing going around right now.

Oh great, so it looks like a swine and acts like a swine…I guess it’s a swine? As soon as I told one person, they told two people and they two people and now my phone is ringing off the hook. “I heard Jenna has a fever – do you think this is it?” Umm… I dunno.

So what to do? Actually, nothing but monitor her. My lovely, strong-willed daughter was even refusing medicine of all kinds until she woke up from a nap with a temp of 103.5. At that point, daddy bribed her with a princess watch. I think he may be at the toy store right now.

But that moment when she could barely open her eyes and the thermometer registered 103.5, I have to admit, that was a bad moment. My friend the doctor keeps urging me to watch her closely, especially if she is listless. Watch for what? The irrational voice in my head going places that no mother wants to go, and then the rational side slowly taking over – most kids are fine, it could be another virus, it could just be strep throat. (Strep throat would be ok, it’s nice and treatable). I repeat the mantra over to myself.

The Ibuprofen kicked in and now she is on the mend, TV is on again and she is ordering me around. If that was the lowest point then that it wasn’t too bad. If there wasn’t a current of paranoia that underlies each interaction it would just be a run-of-the-mill unexplained virus. We would drink hot liquids, watch movies and snuggle. But with the potential for it to be something more it makes it much scarier.

And at the same time the news is histrionic and the information confusing. Since Jenna is under five, she is eligible for the priority vaccine but now that she has a fever I have to wait. So she is a priority because it is the most dangerous for her? Great. I needed to know that.

So we sit. We are community rejects. All playdates are cancelled; no one can enter these walls. Our weekend is up in the air and we wait.

I know we will look back at this point with the wisdom of experience and wonder why all the emotions? But when you are sitting with a feverish kid, anxiety seems to be the default emotion.

Day 2 is pretty much the same, fever of 103, lots of TV but suprisingly, less anxiety. While she is definitely not well, she is not lethargic and listless so... maybe this isn't it? Instead of paranoia I am just left to wonder. Is this H1N1 or not? And does it matter? And am I going to go through this with each family member?

In the meantime I have an early night planned I have a scratchy throat and the TV overload has started strange Wiggles hallucinations -- are they really doing Disco??