our experience with swine flu.

It all started with Moose on Monday. He was running a high fever and spent most of the day sleeping. He would get little bursts of energy and play, but for the most part he was down. My hospital was not testing people for H1N1, just treating all flu-like symptoms as H1N1. I decided not to put him on Tamiflu until the next day, depending on his condition. The next morning he was much more chipper and his fever was down to 100. Praise God! We never filled the prescription.

On Wednesday my symptoms showed up. It started differently, I had no fever at first, but then once the fever showed up it followed the same pattern: down for about 36 hours with high fever, nausea/vomiting (Moose had no vomiting, though, thank goodness), headaches, muscle aches, then lingering low grade fever, cough, etc etc. I, too, was prescribed Tamiflu and urged to take it. Being that I am pregnant, I did.

Tamiflu makes me sick. I get nauseated for hours with each dose. After two doses I started to worry about how safe this drug really is for pregnant women and children. My research led me to the ambiguous conclusion that Tamiflu is probably as safe or unsafe as the vaccination, whatever that means to you. However, stopping Tamiflu can cause the virus to mutate into a drug-resistant bug, so there certainly consequences to not completing your course. When faced with the possibility of H1N1 or Tamiflu, after much prayer and talking with Hubby, I decided to continue on with Tamiflu.



But I wanted answers. What if it wasn't H1N1? I would be no better off than before: no immunity gained. I would still be faced with the constant barrage from doctors who are more than happy to stick me with the vax. I would still be faced with constant anxiety in my own heart.

I found a doctor who would do the nasal swab. The nasal swab tests for Influenza A, which is what H1N1 is. It is the only Influenza A around right now.

I went to the doctor and got my nasal swab. It may sound like just a little cotton up the nose, but I assure you it is not.Imagine a foot-long q-tip being rammed in your nasal passage up to your eyeballs. Then, after they pull it out and you think the misery is over, they do it all over again to the other side. You cry and sneeze for about 15 minutes afterwards.

Test came back positive. Confirmation that we do, indeed, have swine flu.

Now we are watching for signs of secondary infection, such as trouble breathing. I am monitoring Moose's fever which, although low grade, needs to be completely gone by Monday. I am also watching his cough, which is worse than mine. Remember, I am on Tamiflu, but it is too late to start Moose.

So...would I do it all over again and choose not to get vaccinated? So far, yes. But we had fairly mild cases with no complications thus far. I use the term mild loosely. We were both very sick those first days, but I have had worse bouts of flu and I know people who have gotten this virus a lot worse. I pray that we recover within the next few days and that this flu will be nothing more than a blip on the screen of life.

And of course I pray for Muffin. I do worry about the fevers I have had, the Tamiflu I have taken. But I know that God has us in His hands, and that His will is greater than ours. I do ask for any prayers you wish to send our way, as I have before witnessed the power of prayer heal.

With the experience I have gained I would recommend to others to research the vaccination and the Tamiflu when making your decision about whether or not to vaccinate yourself and your children. And, of course, pray about it. It is a very personal decision, and a difficult one to make.