Max in Hospital

everyone move to CA soon!

yes the best place to live together!!!!!

Very Very nasty bugs going around.  Everyone needs to wash your hands frequently, etc etc.  Having little ones that are in elementary school unfortunately means that you get the heartiest of every bug going around.

everyone get better! Kisses to baby max and little sammy..I guess to sean too!

Jodi texted and said he just has to let the virus run its course and stay in the hospital until he is stable.  Wish she would have got a picture last night as the doctor told her off the record that she could climb in the crib inside the tent and sleep with him as they do better if they are comforted.  She said it is really wet in there. 

Hope he's getting better.  Usually just oxygen and time. 

I'll take a pic. She was sitting in the crib with him when I got there today but I'm stopping by on my way home from work so she'll probably be in the same position. He didn't sound very good. Sad to see him all wired up.

And by the way, he has Para Influenza, whatever that means. Some type of flu I guess.

Another night in the hospital.  Santa just came and gave him a fleece blanket.

Poor Max and family.  We're sending our best wishes that he will be feeling better soon!  Talked to Robie earlier today, and she said they are all doing much better at her house.  Hope everyone will be well by Christmas.

I hope Max gets better soon!!  I just took Trav into the doctor b/c his fever spiked and his hands and feet turned purple and he was shaking.  Good thing Sean was home b/c he is a lot more calm then I am with stuff like that.  The doctor said we probably have the H1N1 b/c of the duration of the fever, the spiking fever, cough, runny nose and the fact that Sean got it.  All the girls are completely over it and Trav should be better by tomorrow and hopefully Sean will also get over it soon.

I can totally picture Jodi sitting in the crib with baby Max. What a miserable thing to experience. Eli was in the hospital with RSV when he was about 9 months old and it was some of the worst couple of days we've had with him. He was SO sad. And the cribs in the hospital look so scary. I hope he feels better soon! 

Robie, I would have totally been freaking out about the purple hands/feet, high fever and shaking. 

Yuck. I'm glad we've only had regular colds here so far and all have our H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines. Hope Max is feeling better. The storm didn't end up being too bad here, so hopefully no one was stranded.

Sorry for Max and everyone else! Ben was in the hospital with croup a couple months ago, and it wasn't a fun experience. We never did get H1N1 vaccine here, so we're hoping we can make it through the rest of the season healthy.

I DID IT!!!!   From cell to TF.

WOW! Alot of people are sick.

the picture of me wasn't necessary... =)

hahah good job mom.
poor little max. :(

wow.  everyone get better, for heck sake.  it's the holidays!

I'm on internet for 30 mins while alesha is here before going to work.  Thanks everybody, and yes I think we're going "home" to mapleton this evening.  Drive to StG tomorrow.  Max is fussy with a very gurgley cough but at least his chest isn't concaving and no more wheezing either.  He definitely cries when he has to cough, so I hold him all day long.  I'm ready for a back massage.  I'm turning into Jay.  Merry Christmas everybody, gotta run.

Great job mom.  You've now graduated from having to use any and all tech support from your sons.

nice pictures. hope everyone gets well soon. good job mom.

Well, I can say from first hand experience that H1N1 is NO picnic.  I was out of school for a total of 3 weeks and ended up with pleurisy in my lungs as a by product.  It took me a month to feel like I was going to live.  Of course, this was all while Oregon still couldn't get any H1N1 vaccine.  Of course, with my husband being an elementary principal and I am seeing 160 middle schoolers every day it's no wonder that we brought it home.  Luckily, it didn't have to go through everyone, and everyone in my house is big enough to tell me how they feel.  I understand Sean being delusional -- the fever is a little weird....

Take care of baby Max and I hope everyone gets well before Christmas.

woow Shelley, what a story.

Max got released last night at 5pm and then we drove back to StG.  We're doing okay, he's getting his breathing treatments every 4 hours and a steroid twice a day.  Who wants to come clean my house and wrap gifts for my christmas present?   :-)

Call your VT.  HA HA

Yep, I can say I almost feel 100% now.  I now have some sort of sinus infection going and still taking Tylenol.  But I definately felt like crap and my fever was 103+ for several days before Christmas.  Michelle's dad, Dr. Thueson was saying the H1N1 vaccine wasn't being very effective I guess. 

I thought he said the vaccine may not be very effective b/c it wasn't strong enough.

Jodi said Max is better but has no voice so when he cries no one can hear him, so she has to have him by her all the time.  Poor little Max. 

Why, he never cries.

Sean, what's going on with your sinuses? FYI: Swine (easier to type than H1N1) flu, like seasonal flu, and common colds are all caused by a virus. You treat the symptoms as needed, which can vary widely. With Swine flu, the incubation period is a little longer. Most commonly 4-6 days, with 5 being the most common, and 7 days being the outside. A typical course would be: first 3 days with fever, sore throat, body aches and cough. Usually, day 4 and beyond, there is no more fever, but the cough continues. The cough usually changes from wet to dry, and the dry cough can hang on for 2- 3 weeks. Sometimes a secondary infection will take hold and confuse the issue. So, even though you can't treat the virus (antiviral meds taken within 48 hours of onset, MAY lessen severity and/or the longevity of the virus slightly), you need to be aware of other infections that may take advantage of the situation. Such as sinus infection or strep throat, that are bacterial rather than viral and need antibiotics for treatment. Strep throat has been popular in the teens with the flu. It superimposes itself during the flu. Sinus infections usually take hold later in the illness. So, watch for:

Fever that comes back after the initial 3 day period. Sore throat that takes hold after the initial 3 days OR that is more than just a mild sore throat.

The CDC is recommending immunizations for everyone, even if you think you had the flu, since most cases were not cultured.

Ellie, this is excellent info, thanks for sharing.

Yes, I have this sinus thing going on.  Something I never had until a few years ago.  Occasionally I get this pressure in my sinus and I start manufacturing bright green rubber cement.  Sorry for the image but that's just the way it is.  It is this COLOR. 

It usually goes away after several days but it's no picnic.  It's just VERY annoying.  But I seem to get it like every 6 months now.  Anyways, it came back right after my H1N1 battle.  (I am assuming that's what we had)  I don't take anything for it, just tylenol to dull the annoying pressure.

I get that too Sean.  Every Spring and Fall due to allergies..... though now that I think of it, I somehow missed it this October.  yayyyyyyy, must be all the applesauce/Post GrapeNuts I am eating.

Sean and Scott, use a "Netty Pot".  It is suppose to do wonders for sinus problems, takes some time to work, doesn't happen over night.  If you have never heard of a "Netty Pot" let me know and I will tell you about it.

I have one and love it!!

Well there you go--one right in his own house.

when my nose is so plugged i can't breath, i just snort salt water.  I hate doing it, but man, instantly cleared.

What's a Netty Pot?

It's a little "pitcher" that you fill with saline solution and pour through your nostril as you tip your head sideways.  I don't have a "netty pot" but have always used a baby nose bulb and squirted it up into the sinus cavities.  Cole is prone to sinus issues and loves to use it despite the initial discomfort.  It helps a lot.

Will it cure sleep apnea?

I don't think it claims to do that, Brad.  You have sleep apnea?  Scary stuff.

Yeah, I hate it. Have to dress up like Darth Vader with the mask on every night. Looking for a cure. Surgery apparently doesn't work.

Ellie--- do you know of any new treatments? Or Dr. Chris??

I love it--there is never any snoring--just a quiet soothing hum of the machine. 

I assume you are wearing a CPAP machine at night Brad. There are dentists now that make mouth pieces that change the angle of things, and for some people it will alleviate the airway closure and stop the snoring. But, if you have true sleep apnea, where you stop breathing intermittently, the mouth piece may stop the snoring, but the lack of oxygen from the lapses in breathing, can stop the snoring permanently! Not advised.

The nasal washes with or without a netty pot are very important. People who suffered from chronic sinus problems, have gotten excellent results by using them regularly. You use plain saline solution, in drops or spray, (or make your own with warm water and salt like Geoff did). Plug one nostril, spray in the other side, and blow. Do that a few times until clear, then repeat on the other side. If you're doing it on children that can't blow yet, you can use a bulb syringe instead of the blowing. Just make sure you're using plain saline, with no drug in it. Nasal washes can help to shorten the length of the illness, as the mucus is collecting the virus and debris in it. By using nasal washes you're aiding the immune system, and can avoid the nausea caused by swallowing the "gunk".

Also, in the studies conducted re cold meds, (that resulted in the AMA warning to refrain from using cold meds, especially combination meds for children), they found that honey was superior to all of the OTC meds, for coughing. It coats the throat and thins the mucus..for both children (over 12 mo) and adults. Honey also has a host of properties that are under study, of which we are way behind other countries. E.G. in Australia and some European countries, honey is an important ingredient in bandages used on wounds, because of the antimicrobial properties. Studies are in process, using honey on "flesh eating" bacterias now. When an intruder gets into the hive, bees go to a tree, extract an ingredient, and go back to the hive unleashing a concoction of honey and the tree extraction, around the foreign intruder (because their bodies are too big for the bees to carry out) and voila, they disappear. Very impressive those bees. And Floyd knew it all the while! Having butter and honey on bread at every meal.

One last note on the nasal washes. My coworker claims she worked with a doctor who was plagued with sinus problems. He stopped having sinus infections after starting nasal washes regularly. He got a little carried away with the whole process though, and went from using saline sprays, to using a piece of pressurized equipment to "power up" the nasal spraying. Yup, basic anatomy and common sense fills in the ending. Nasal washes, good for the congestion....bad for the brain.

Excellent! Your advice is better than I have ever received from any of my medical providers. You could write a journal (and should!!) Thank you.

53 years ago my mom was having me snuff salt water when I had sinus problems and it worked great--this is not a new medical revelation.