If you/your family have had H1N1...

aml0905

Couple of questions just out of curiosity:

Did everyone in your home end up getting sick?

What is the youngest person in your house that was sick and how did they handle it?

Any complications that required being hospitalized?

Knowing what you know now (after being sick) would you have chosen to vaccinate to prevent it?

VivaAmore

Good questions - curious to see the answers...

ETA: I was planning to vaccinate especially since it seems to be spreading like wildfire around here, but there are no vaccines to be found...

EliseB0323

We all had mild cases of the flu that turned into pneumonia. DS (age 5) got it first, but had the most mild symptoms. Mild fever for about 24 hours, then a cough developed. A week later he was diagnosed w/ pneumonia. After 48 hours on antibiotics he was fine. I got it w/ the flu part lasting about 5 days, then the pneumonia went on for 4 weeks. DH got a mild version of both the flu and the pneumonia. My mom had it the worst. Flu symptoms for a week, then 5 weeks of pneumonia so far. She was hospitalized for the pneumonia for 5 days.

We were never actually diagnosed with H1N1 because our flu symptoms weren't all that bad. But I'm convinced we had it. The vaccine wasn't yet available when we got sick, but we will probably get vaccinated now.

JOEBunny

my nephew had it.  A group from his school all got it at boy scout camp.  It was one of the first "outbreaks" here and reported in the paper, so I think it really was H1N1.  No one else in his house got it.  His brother has a serious heart defect, so he was put on Tamaflu as a precaution.  I got both my kids the vaccine, but I have not gotten it (just don't know where to go to get it.).  Both my kids will need another dose and I hope lots of people decide it is too dangerous to get, so that I can get my kids the second dose. 

A poll on here the other day was running about 80% of people not choosing to get the vaccine for whatever reason, even making the assumption they had access to it.  .  I wonder what it would be today.  

mbg8r

I can't answer for myself but my best friend's kids just had it so I'll share her experience.

Not everyone got it, just the kids, ages 4 and 8, and the 4 year old did better than the 8 year old - I'm also hearing that this is pretty normal, the younger the kids are the better they do (over 2 or 3 that is and without other health risks).

No complications. Just a couple of days of fever (only one day for her 4yo) and 3-4 days of cough.

I'm not sure if she would have vaccinated or not, but it's cases like this that make me question vaccinating.

ETA: I did vaccinate my kids, however, since they had it in when they got their regular flu shots last week.

libra31

Did everyone in your home end up getting sick? 

No just my 4yo DD.  It's amazing because I have a 22mo who was around her the entire time and I caught him drinking from her cup several times.

What is the youngest person in your house that was sick and how did they handle it?

4yo and she has asthma.  b/c of the asthma she did start tamiflu and I think that really helped to shorten her duration.  She had 102 degree fever x2-3 days, sore throat, and cough lasting 7 days.

Any complications that required being hospitalized? No

Knowing what you know now (after being sick) would you have chosen to vaccinate to prevent it? 

Probably not.  Certainly not if every case was like hers.  It really wasn't that bad.  At this point I don't plan on vaccinating myself or my 22mo.

Two of my SIL's kids also got it (age 5&8).  Both had mild cases, fever for 2 days and very tired.  My nephew tested positive and neice wasn't tested.  Her 10yo, my SIL and BIL all never got it. 

 

MichelleWP

We had symptom-diagnosed H1N1 due to not testing unless hospitalized.

Everyone but my husband has had it so far.

My 5 y/o had it first (2 wks ago) and the worst - high fever for 5 days, coughing until he vomited. 12 y/o and 4 y/o were next, and me - headaches, painful cough, fever for 3 days. 

We thought my 2 y/o had somehow avoided it, but she got sick on Friday - high fever for 2 days, now the cough and lots of congestion. 

We will all be vaccinated if possible since it wasn't confirmed. We had relatively mild cases, but others haven't been as lucky and if we did have another virus I feel it's important to help protect others as well by contributing to herd immunity.