3 weeks post op and the Flu!

[Aussiemum]

Ahhhhhh - Elysia is three weeks post op and my elder daughter contracted the Flu and now I'VE GOT IT!!!! It's one of those strains with a very very hacking cough with lots of congestion.

Now Elysia has a sore throat after all my best efforts to keep everyone out of her range!!! This kid still can't cough and yesterday every time she sneezed it obviously hurt like hell!!! What am I going to do when the hacking cough starts??? I've been trying all sorts of cough mixtures on myself (experimenting for her) but none seem to stop the coughing!!!

Has anyone got any home remedies or secret weapons in this department! I'm scared it could turn nasty if she can't cough.

Sob
D (cough) E (cough) L (cough)

[vndy]

It's no solution, but it helps me if I hug a pillow when i cough or sneeze... it still hurts, but it cushions the blow. good luck!

[txmarinemom]

Del,

Try her pediatrician or surgeon and see if it's too late to get her on something like Flumadine (the generic is Rimantadine) or the like to lessen her symptoms.

And, not to worry you, but watch for pneumonia ... it's the #1 secondary infection after the flu. I got both 2 years in a row, and NEVER go without my flu shot now!

Regards,
Pam

[Sherie]

Hi Del

Sorry to hear, that sucks. Sheena had whooping cough in the 6th grade (couldn't take the vaccine) and the only thing the doctor could give her was tesla pearls (this is a common name, I'm sure it has some other complicated medical term), it's a prescription for severe coughs. Maybe you can get it for yourself.

Take care, I hope you're feeling well soon.

[samsmom]

Ahhhhhh - Elysia is three weeks post op and my elder daughter contracted the Flu and now I'VE GOT IT!!!! It's one of those strains with a very very hacking cough with lots of congestion.

Now Elysia has a sore throat after all my best efforts to keep everyone out of her range!!! This kid still can't cough and yesterday every time she sneezed it obviously hurt like hell!!! What am I going to do when the hacking cough starts??? I've been trying all sorts of cough mixtures on myself (experimenting for her) but none seem to stop the coughing!!!

Has anyone got any home remedies or secret weapons in this department! I'm scared it could turn nasty if she can't cough.

Sob
D (cough) E (cough) L (cough)

Oh No!
Actually Samantha had a bad cough/stuffy nose and earache a few days after we were home from her surgery. The sneezing was a killer and the coughing too. I cringed everytime I heard her knowing how bad that had to hurt her back. I ended up having to put her in the car and take her to the pediatrician. It was so soon after her fusion, I was worried about her not being able to take deep enough breaths to clear her chest and of getting pnuemonia. It was quite a ride to the dr's. as you can imagine!

Turned out that it was all in her nasal passages and just told her to take robitusin CF. (Be careful giving her anything with an antihistimine if she is still on pain meds).

We did the pillow, but it wasn't much help and lots of tea with honey!

Good Luck,
Michele

[Karen Ocker]

Flu

Pam is right:

If one with flu symptoms contacts their doctor within 24 hours and gets an anti-viral prescription one can shorten and lessen the flu severity. One can also avoid or reduce contracting the flu with such a prescription if one has been in contact with a sufferer. Adults are contagious 24 hours before onset of symptoms; children can spread the flu 4-5 days before they show symptoms. This in why, in certain countries-Japan for instance- children are immunized and the elderly are not. It seems to keep things in check. Flu can be fatal in kids as well as adults.

Contacting the physician early is very important.

This year's flu vaccine is only partially effective but certainly better than no innoculation.

[Karen40]

Lena is almost 3 months post surgery and just had her first bad cough/flu bug. I can't imagine what it would have been like if it was closer to surgery because she was in so much discomfort with her coughing. She was convinced that every time she coughed, she could "feel" the rods and screws and was scared to cough. This, of course, got me worried that something got dislodged during her heavy coughing fits. She's so skinny and when we were looking at her back, my husband was convinced that a rod was sticking out, but upon closer inspection, we have determined that it's just one of her vertabrae. It's still nagging at me so I'm glad we have our 3 month follow up on March 7. I need to see an x-ray to make sure that everything is still the same.

That said, when she did have to cough, she found that laying on her back, holding a pillow was the easiest for her. She's better now - though she does have remnants of the barking like a seal cough.

[Aussiemum]

thanks everyone for the tips!

Went to the GP yesterday - Paediatricians or surgeons take months to get an appointment with - even a GP takes days!

As expected when I mentioned the Flu thing he shrugged his shoulders and said "well, what can I give her??" Just take a coug syrup! Typical! Here in Aus they make us tough and we just have to ride everything out. Dr's look at you like your some kind of wimp! So fingers crossed maybe with the antibiotics they had puming through her system prior she'll have some sort of milder attack.

But.... he did put her back onto the Oxycontin slow release every 12 hours. She was doing fine without it for the last 3 days but I noticed she had slowed right down and just wanted to sit in front of the TV all day because of feeling sore and her ribs hurting. So I figured OK, better to be on the drugs and moving than off them and sitting around. It's only a total of 15mg a day anyway so it's nothing too strong.

hugs to everyone
Del

[skoshi314]

Hi Del,
My mom is a MAJOR believer in the non-traditional/natural approach to health. My daugher had a bad cough recently and had to miss school so she stayed with my mom so I could work. Abby (my 10 yo daughter) came home saying Ma (my mom) had helped her cough sooooo much with some sweet lemonade. I checked with my mom and what she did was mix warm water with a little lemon juice and LOTS of honey and had Abby sip it frequently. Apparently it works because when I tried to give Abby some cough syrup she flatly refused and said she needed some "Ma medicine"! I thought this might help seeing there shouldn't be any bad reaction with other meds. Good luck!

[Aussiemum]

Thanks Becky, I'm going to try that on myself today!!! I know hot tea helps me!
I'm hopeless when it comes to things all natural!

cheers
Del