Whooping Cough

[Bobbi]

It's sunny and 88 in Tucson and both my daughter's are sick in bed with a cough, fever, the 'flu. I had to pick my fourteen year old up from school yesterday because of her temperature and the school nurse told me strep is going around. None of my kids has ever had strep and I am not too worried about that. Much more alarmingly, we've had an outbreak of whooping cough and until today I thought that my kids were immune because of the DPT shots they've had. Did you know that whooping cough immunization does not last? I had no idea until today.

My daughters are both older, strong and healthy for the most part. But my neighbor, who's family got this particular bug first, had her kids out and about and was herself in and out of my house while she was obviously quite sick. Her daughter has asthma and she's two. It makes me think how important it is to isolate oneself when sick, not only to prevent the spread of an illness but to protect your own weakened immune system from other virulent strains of illnesses that abound. I was hesitant to say go home and get yourself and your kids to bed and I should have much sooner than I did. She disappeared for two days. It may well be the girls would have picked this up anyway since every Spring brings these outbreaks but I really wish I had spoken up from the start. When I'm sick I just want to get to bed. I am speaking out should the situation arise again although I hope it doesn't.

It just seems wrong to be sick as a dog when the weather is so beautiful. I hate it when my kids are sick. x(
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.-Charles Spurgeon

 

[jdoll]

I used to get strep twice a month in 4-5th grades. it was a huge bummer. i hope they don't get that! i won't let anyone(even family) come anywhere near me when i know they don't feel well. i hate to be sick and i am an anti-germ weirdo! (thanks mom!) i hope your girls feel better soon and that you don't get it!


take care

jes

 

[smoogy]

Bobbi, I rarely get sick, and I think a huge factor is, and I know you know, what I'm about to say is, Wash Your Hands Frequently! Teach your kids, if they don't already know: to wash hands frequently, keep in mind dirty toilet flushers, bathroom doorknobs or handles, dirty keyboards, dropping stuff to the floor for even 6 seconds, (yes, I have read a study on that, the six second rule is not safe!), etc...

If they are otherwise healthy, they should fare quite well!;-)
Best wishes!

Marla

 

[benvonwojo]

I rarely get sick either and I have to agree with Bobbi. Wash your hands and keep your fingers out of your eyes, which is the main way a cold virus enters your body.

Also, I believe whooping cough/pertussis (characterized by a cough that does not stop to allow you to catch your breath), is on the rise because many people did not get vaccinated (fear of the 1 in a million death rate) and therefore whooping cough is on the rise. If you had a vaccination you are not likely to get it.

 

[JAFitMama]

Bobbi
Sorry to hear about your viral visitors. Whooping cough is on the rise nationally, but I would not worry about it. If they have it you would know right way by the characterisiic sound of the cough for which the nickname "whooping" got started. sometimes in spite of good hygiene germs get passed; especially when ignorant people don't stay home when they are sick!

Grrr!


Judy

AKA "Likes2bfit"

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif

 

[Bobbi]

Thanks, guys! Poor Ali, just told me she has to stay home from school today as she threw up in the shower. It's her first absence all year and they have only 5 days left. I must say it's a wholely different having sick teenagers than sick younger children. They just go to bed. When Sam's sick, he needs constant fussing over. Still, it's painful to look at them and know they feel like dirt.

I am such a fan of hand washing that I could list it as a hobby and the girls are pretty good. I don't want to think about Sam's germy little hands but you know how 7 year olds are. How many times have I said you cannot have done a good job in three seconds? Or it doesn't count if you don't soap up! Same for his tooth brushing skills. I also disinfected the telephone handsets and the TV remotes.

Judy, I have emailed you twice and gotten it back with a report that there's a fatal error. I think "fatal" is a bit dramatic a word for a undeliverable email but that's just me. Did you get my PM?


Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.-Cha

 

[dmstefanos]

Bobbi,

Sorry to hear that your kids are sick. We usual get some sort of upper respiratory thing 2x's a year. Both my boys were put on a nebulizer at 6 weeks old. I know that that is different from what you're experiencing. I know how that whooping cough sounds because sometimes I would think that my kids had it, but it always would turn out to be RSV, bronchitis, etc. I guess they got that from me. I always had that as a kid.

I agree with you about sick people staying home. I volunteer quite frequently at my kid's school and there are some kids that should definitely not be there because they even look sick! When I'm reading mom I always bring a box of tissue out in the hall with me. The poor kids would just wipe it with their hand. Yuck! Then I have to hold that book until the next kid comes out! It wasn't until I started volunteering that it all became clear to me why my kids kept coming home sick. This one will gross you out. One time after vlounteering, a little boy across from my daughter spilled something. Instead of using a napkin, he licked the table!x( Oh my! I thought he's going to be sick next week.

Sorry to go off on a tangent. I do hope your family has a speedy recovery.

Dallas (I PM'd you.)

 

[Bobbi]

I am pretty hard to gross out. I spend Wednesdays in Sam's classroom and it gives me the heebie jeebies and even now visions of snotty little hands sharing books and forgoing tissues for the back of a small, filthy hand are going through my head. I have a very clear memeory of the first time the girls had the 'flu and when they gag over changing cat litter, I smile that mysterious mother smile and tell them not to have children unless they are prepared to handle some really yucky stuff. My kids only got THAT SORT of sick when they'd eaten stuff that's really hard to get out of carpet and I can attest to te fact that Bazooka bubble gum in indigestable because I have picked it up when it came back. Talk about ABC gum! Ewwww! I can take "already been chewed" but soaked in stomach acid and marinara sauce, now THAT'S gross! I live for the day I become a grandmother and that cosmic revenge kicks in. Bwa ha ha ha! Cat litter's a pleasure compared to some of the things I have had to clean up!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.-Cha