OH GEEZ!!

Nurses COVID

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Well, they are treating my 10 yr old. Tamiflu x 5 days. She started Wed. night with a sore throat, progressed to fevers averaging 102, headache, body aches, productive cough, stuffed up, intermittent nausea. She's sick, poor baby. Went in to see her MD today,no swab (that's only for hospitalized pts I guess). But taking into account all her symptoms, the fact that it's July, AND that babygirl had her annual flu shot, MD is figuring H1N1. Worried, but I'm confident she'll be OK. I just keep reminding myself that it has for the most part been a mild illness.

So here's my question for you guys-(no, no medical advice!)-do I go into work? I'm not sick (YET, but knowing me it's only a matter of time), but I know the virus can shed a couple days before symptoms start, and I work on a tele/vent stepdown unit, so the pts are VERY high risk, and I'd feel TERRIBLE if I pass it on unknowingly. CDC guidelines (for regular employees, not HCW) say if you have a sick family member, but you aren't sick, go in anyway, just monitor for S/S. Does that apply in my situation? I'm supposed to work tomorrow..My husband would be here with kiddo, so she'd be fine, but...to be honest, I kinda don't want to leave her (even though he is perfectly capable of caring for her) What would you guys do?

Specializes in Too many to list.

Call your employee health and ask them about this. My facility has a swine flu hot line that we must call.

If you feel sick, stay home, but definitely call them so that you will be covered under their swine flu sick leave policy. There will be a specific number of days that you must stay home if infected, so you will need to know what that is.

So sorry that you must go thru this. Hope your little one feels better soon.

:( I'm sick now too. Started this evening, congestion, fever. It's not too bad yet. Yesterday evening my older daughter and my husband started with it, all 3 of my people are feeling awful. Got them into the doc this morning, they both got Tamiflu. Yeesh. Guess that covers going to work..:sniff: So, off to the doc on Monday..hopefully, it won't get too bad. Not even sure if it's H1N1, as like I said they aren't swabbing, but it's a little scary. But I figure if I'm well enough to be surfing the net, and hanging out here, I'm probably OK for now..LOL.
Specializes in RN CRRN.

i keep saying this but what i have wont leave, been a month now. I feel well enough to go to work but icky in between -just not right. Going to doc monday-hope to have him culture my green junk-ew! Living on mucinex, claritin, tylenol and sudafed....etc...Good luck-keeping busy with the 20 questions hand held game-they need one for nursing! sorry too tired to capitalize!

Well, I'm starting to feel some semblance of normal on 3rd day of Tamiflu. (4-5th day of being sick) I was feeling pretty terrible for a few days there. I don't think my throat has ever been so painful, even worse than strep! Fever didn't get below 99.5 F until this afternoon (hovered mostly in the 100.5 range, just high enough to make me feel like crap). So far it hasn't settled in my lungs, thank goodness..I was really worried because of asthma. Can't return to work til next week though, not that I'd want to..just happy to be able to get out of bed/off of couch.

Specializes in Too many to list.

Welcome back to the land of the living.

And now you are immune, you'll be taking care of everyone else!!

I'm really glad that you are feeling better with no complications.

Welcome back to the land of the living.

And now you are immune, you'll be taking care of everyone else!!

I'm really glad that you are feeling better with no complications.

Thanks!

And you know, it's funny, my manager said something eerily similar (about taking care of everyone). heh.:D I say again, oh GEEZ..:chuckle

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