My Personal Experience with H1N1 Flu

Sick of hearing about H1N1 flu? Me, too! So why are you reading this article? It's okay. I'm happy you're here, and I'm happy that I'm finally well enough to write about my recent bout with H1N1 flu (swine flu). I'm not a medical professional, but here's what I know about H1N1 flu, based on my own experience and my daughter's experience.

Young, healthy people can get H1N1 flu (swine flu)!

I'm 32 and exceedingly healthy. I can't remember the last time I had the flu. I've never had a flu shot-who needs those? Not me! The last time I ran a fever was three or four years ago, when I got strep throat and pink eye at the same time. I don't get colds very often. The only meat I eat is fish. I drink lots of water, eat my veggies, take vitamins every day, and I'm VERY good about washing my hands frequently.

I don't have "flu victim waiting to happen" written all over my face. But H1N1 flu still managed to infect me. I don't know where I picked it up. During one of my daughter's clinic visits at the children's hospital? Possibly. Maybe the flu germs were on my son's backpack. Who knows? If I-invincible Maria!-can get swine flu, anyone can.

What does it feel like to have H1N1 flu (swine flu)?

Here's the short story: Feel bad. Feel okay for the better part of the next two days. Feel bad again. Start to feel better. Feel okay. WHAM! Feel REALLY REALLY bad. Feel slightly less bad. Start to feel better...Nope, still feeling bad!..Finally go see the doctor, find out I have a sinus infection in addition to the flu. Start taking antibiotics. Feel much better. Recovering, at last!

My daughter's H1N1 flu adventure was more dramatic, but didn't last as long as mine. She started running a fever three days after my symptoms started, on Monday evening. She continued to run a high fever on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then started feeling better on Thursday. Her fever went away and stayed away. She never relapsed the way I did. It should be noted that my daughter started taking Tamiflu the day after we first noticed flu symptoms. I took nothing but vitamins (extra vitamin C and zinc), Sudafed, and Tylenol until I was prescribed an antibiotic.

H1N1 flu symptoms that we experienced: Cough, chills, body aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, sore throat, nausea, runny nose, fever. My temperature ranged from normal (no fever at all) to 101.3. Those fever-free days tricked me into thinking I was getting better; I also falsely believed that I didn't feel "bad enough" to have the flu. It's true that I didn't feel outrageously bad until Day 6 of my illness.

On Friday, when I first started feeling tired and achy, my temperature was 99.7. I'm pretty sure that my fever was higher than 101.3 on Day 6, but I felt too horrible to take my temperature then! I was so hot, dizzy, and nauseated, I almost passed out on my way to the toilet.

My daughter's fever got up to 104 on Day 3 of her bout with H1N1 flu. She threw up several times on the two days when her fever was the highest. I never threw up, but I had some diarrhea.

We both had a cough throughout the week. My cough was more severe than my daughter's. Neither of us felt like eating on our worst days. I lost five pounds in one week. My daughter never had a runny nose, but I did-it didn't start until I'd already been sick for four days.

Complications from H1N1 flu: The same night she started taking Tamiflu, my daughter's high fever caused her to have a febrile seizure in the middle of the night. A chest X-ray at the hospital showed that she had pneumonia, and she tested positive for "type-A flu" (and what we discovered is that the doctors assume that anyone with type-A flu has H1N1, and will treat it as such). On Days 2 and 3 of her illness, my daughter's breathing was much faster than usual-a symptom of the pneumonia. She spent two nights in the hospital, and required some oxygen the first 24 hours she was there. I was too sick to stay with her.

By Friday, when my daughter came home from the hospital, I'd been sick (off and on) for a full week. I felt better that evening, probably because I was so happy to see my little girl, but on Saturday morning I was still running a fever, coughing, and feeling too bad to do anything but sleep. I went to Urgent Care, where the doctor determined that I had a sinus infection (no wonder I had a horrible pain in my left cheek and disgusting yellow snot) and prescribed an antibiotic and cough syrup with codeine to help me sleep at night. She also recommended Mucinex-D. After two doses of antibiotics, I felt a ton better. Mucinex-D gets a thumbs-up from me: it tastes disgusting (it's a giant pill, and you can't help but taste it when you swallow it), but it does exactly what it promises to do-relieves congestion and makes coughs more productive.

How long did our bouts with H1N1 flu last? My daughter had flu symptoms for a total of five days. I was sick longer-nine days-but that includes the sinus infection. Comparing our experiences, I would say that the Tamiflu definitely helped my daughter get over the flu faster. As I write this, my daughter and I are still taking antibiotics, but we are both feeling well.

Don't be stupid like me! I stubbornly refused to even entertain the thought that I might have the flu when I started feeling bad. Looking back, it's pretty clear that I had all the usual flu symptoms. It's hard to say whether or not I would have been prescribed Tamiflu or another antiviral drug if I had seen a doctor at the first sign of illness. I wonder if Tamiflu would have helped me get well sooner. If I had to do things over again, I'd see a doctor as soon as I started feeling achy and running a fever.

H1N1 flu is incredibly easy to spread. I did everything in my power to keep my germs to myself once I knew I was sick. Like I said, I didn't think I had the flu at first because I never get the flu, but I knew I had something. I wore a mask and spent a lot of time in my bedroom. Once a day, I changed all the hand towels and disinfected all the doorknobs, phones, remote controls, light switches, the refrigerator handle, computer keyboards, and other surfaces that are touched frequently in my house. Nevertheless, my daughter still got sick. (At least my husband and son stayed well!)

The moral of my story is... Call your doctor as soon as you start feeling bad! If your doctor thinks you'd benefit from antiviral drugs, it's best to start taking them within the first 48 hours of your illness. Visit the CDC's website for more specific information about what to do if you develop H1N1 flu symptoms, antiviral drugs, and emergency warning signs.

I want you all to stay well, of course, but if you do get H1N1 flu, don't panic. Get tons of rest, drink lots of fluids, and pay attention to your symptoms. Be aware that H1N1 flu can lead to other infections. You could end up with pneumonia like my daughter or a sinus infection like me. Please take care of yourself! If you've been sick longer than a week, and your symptoms aren't going away, you need to see a doctor (that's what my daughter's doctor told me!).

Recommended Reading:

I like Linda Louise Johnson's article about H1N1 flu prevention.

Here is an article about another AC writer's experience with H1N1 flu. He took Tamiflu and got over the flu much faster than I did!

CDC's general information about H1N1 flu: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm

For a more in-depth, personal account of my experiences last week. check out my new article, "The Swine Flu Diaries" (click here to read it). Those of you who are familiar with my daughter's situation know that there is more to the story than what I've included here.

SOURCES:
Personal experience
Doctor's advice
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm