Surviving the Flu: A Guide to Help You Through

As I sat down to write something today, I realized that it was already noon and I was in the middle of my fourth load of laundry. It has been "one of those weeks" around here as one-by-one, most of my family succumbed to the flu.

Our bout with the flu began six days ago and started with our two-year-old daughter (some of you know her as "cocoa girl" from another associate content story), who began vomiting late Friday night. I will spare you most of the details, but need to add that this was not dainty-it was violent. As she was throwing up, I was keeping track. After number 13, I stopped counting. As the hours dragged on, I tried to offer small drinks of water, a Popsicle, even nursing since she isn't fully weaned yet. Unfortunately nothing stayed down. She couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, so we sat on the couch together and watched cartoons. Sometime around six am Saturday morning, we both fell asleep and managed to sleep for a few hours before she woke me up and let me know that she was still feeling awful. This went on until Sunday morning when she seemed to be feeling a bit better. By Sunday afternoon, her eight-year-old sister was going through the same thing. The next day my husband began showing symptoms and the two year old relapsed. We are all sort of low on sleep around here, but I now consider myself pretty much an expert on how to minimize flu symptoms and can offer some suggestions on how you can help your family feel better if the flu strikes.

The Center for Disease Control defines influenza as a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms of the flu can vary but often include a high fever, headache, cough, tiredness, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea.

What can parents do to ease the symptoms of the flu?

First, call your health care provider. There are some medications that can be taken within the first couple days of getting the flu and you should talk to a doctor to see if that is a good option for your family. Some other things you can do are much more "old fashioned" and many are just common sense. WebMD suggests using common over the counter children's medications such as Children's Tylenol or Motrin to help ease some of your child's symptoms. They will need plenty of liquids and rest.

More vomit than you can shake a stick at (assuming you ever wanted to shake a stick at such a thing!)

Kids are especially susceptible to vomiting when they get the flu and this is one way parents can tell the difference between a simple "cold" verus a more serious "flu". One doctor summed it up as "If it's coming out of both ends, you can pretty much assume it's the flu". Not a pretty mental picture, but an honest one. Who said parenting was easy?

As much as you probably want to recoil from a child who is vomiting, try to be kind to them. Reassure them in a calm voice that they will be okay and you are right there for them. If you can, grab something cool (a wash rag or small towel, or even a baby wipe) to help make them feel better. Be prepared to change their clothing and keep them in something loose and comfortable. Ply them with liquids.

Take care of the Caregiver

As their symptoms continue, you will probably be feeling worn out, so try to be kind to yourself as well. Make sure you are eating healthy meals (or as much as possible-I know I was not able to leave my two year olds side for more than a couple minutes at a time before she would be looking for me), but do the best you can to stay healthy yourself. Wash your hands often. Our thirteen year old and I were obsessive about hand washing and I am sure this is what kept us flu-free after being so exposed.

If there is anyone else in the family who can give the main care provider a break, enlist their help. Ask if they would do some laundry, cook a meal, help you stay caught up on things so that you can get a little rest in between being so needed.

One thing is certain, getting healthy again will take some time. Don't rush it. Make sure that your kids are symptom free for 24 hours before sending them back into their normal schedules. And then you can rest a little easier, knowing that they can't get the same virus again-until next year!