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Well, it's 6am, and what am I doing? Getting kids up for school? No...............I just got everything cleaned up from the 5:30am meds............and I did the same at 1:30am................all three kids tested positive for influenza yesterday!

It's funny how we call anything that causes vomiting "the flu" but the real flu would be CAKE if that's all it were...........no, this is the real deal, the kind that makes you want to do nothing buy lay around for days because you're freezing (despite 104+ fevers), your entire body hurts, your eyes burn, your head hurts, you've got this nagging cough that makes your throat hurt, YOU JUST WANT IT TO GO AWAY!!!

But the dr says it could be like this for up to 2 weeks. UGH. Fortunately we got into the office and got antiviral meds (ie Tamiflu) down the kids before the first 48 hours was up (essential if the med is going to do anything). If the kids are in the fortunate 60% that the med works on, it should knock 3 or 4 days off of the acute phase of the virus (the horrible "I just wanna die" phase) and possibly ease the symptoms a bit. It's pretty much standard practice now that if one person tests positive, the entire family gets treated (full dose if they've got symptoms, half "preventative dose" if not), so Mike and I are hoping to ward it off, although Mike is already showing small signs that he may get it.

This is also the kind that is deadly for many very young, very old, and those with other complications, such as asthma. Well, Brylie's only 16 months, Peyton has asthma, fun..........I really think we may be able to stay on top of it, but after the patient feels better and thinks they escaped the whole virus, 3 or 4 weeks later they seem to feel flu-ish again, only it's a secondary thing, and it settles in the lungs as pneumonia.

So we are quarantined for at least a week, possibly 2. Although having finally had our last Christmas celebration last weekend, chances are that many got infected already. The typical incubation period is 2-4 (some say 5) days. Dr instructed me to inform them that if they develop a fever, to get straight to the dr, tell them that they've had a first degree exposure (ie my kids) and request a flu swab. Hopefully they too could catch it within that first 48 hours.

Course, no one in the house got the flu shot. The kids can't because of the potential of having egg in it, which they are allergic to. Not that it mattered this year, as hospital employees here will tell you that the worst of the ones we've had here weren't covered with the shot.

Peyton and Brylie have ear infections as well (secondary to the flu -- the drainage from the flu is probably what sat in their ears and caused the infection). Poor Jazlyn seems to be feeling the worst of it. She even went to sleep on the exam table while we were waiting for the lab results on the swabs. Poor thing.

So we're alternating Motrin (every 6 hours) and Tylenol (every 4 hours), taking Amoxocillin three times a day, Tamiflu twice a day (once for Mike and I), and Pulmicort flexhaler once a day (hoping to keep that asthma tamed). Needless to say I've had to make a schedule, I just couldn't keep track of who got what, when. I also (so proud of myself for thinking this one up!!!) took a million different syringes and medicine droppers, labled them with the kids' name, medicine it's for, and then took a permanent marker and marked on the dropper/syringe the dose. That way I don't have to look it up each time!!! WAHOO!!! lol.........

If you live in town here, you're SOL if your kiddo comes out with the flu -- we took the rest of the town's liquid, and neither pharmacy's warehouses have more at the moment. It took us 2 1/2 hours and trips to both pharmacies to figure out what we could get where (one place had 2 liquids but no pills, other had one liquid and the pills, lol). Go figure, but at least everyone has their stuff. And it's not cheap either -- the preventative dose for Mike and I (half of the regular treatment dose if you have symptoms) was $80 EACH!!! Sheesh!

Anyway, I've done enough ranting about this stuff...........can you tell I'm stressed about what the next week is going to bring? lol

Mike is currently as his taser class (don't know if that's spelled right or not). He's essentially pulling a double, having worked all night and then his class started at 6. He expects the class to last until noon, and he has to get tased! Last I heard they didn't feel like anyone was big enough to support him so that when he falls he doesn't hurt himself. So they were going to make him lay on the floor, lol! Should be interesting to hear what it's like (don't think I could watch him, I would freak out!!!).

I guess that's the news today, lol...........probably more that you wanted to hear/read!