Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

I am to see my Dr. tomorrow I presented to the ER today with low grade fever, very sore throat, tightness in chest, heavy cough, bronchospasms, mild emesis (due to the cough) all symptoms lasting approximately one week and was discharged home with a script for zofran and dx: gastroenteritis I happen to be 17 weeks pregnant with my 3rd. Needless to say I do not have an easy feeling about this. I was given a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia and blood was drawn but all I could get is "hmm wbc elevated" " your pregnant I can't give you anything except these fluids. go home. you have a stomach bug" what? Good to know we are trying to prevent the spread of these symptoms. Without my knowledge in medicine I wouldn't think anything of going to the grocery store or my families house which would spread this even more. I am not saying I have swine flu but is it not possible with my symptoms?

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Originally Posted by beck19y1

I am to see my Dr. tomorrow I presented to the ER today with low grade fever, very sore throat, tightness in chest, heavy cough, bronchospasms, mild emesis (due to the cough) all symptoms lasting approximately one week and was discharged home with a script for zofran and dx: gastroenteritis I happen to be 17 weeks pregnant with my 3rd. Needless to say I do not have an easy feeling about this. I was given a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia and blood was drawn but all I could get is "hmm wbc elevated" " your pregnant I can't give you anything except these fluids. go home. you have a stomach bug" what? Good to know we are trying to prevent the spread of these symptoms. Without my knowledge in medicine I wouldn't think anything of going to the grocery store or my families house which would spread this even more. I am not saying I have swine flu but is it not possible with my symptoms?

I am glad that you are going to see your own doctor. Would that be your OB doc?

Were you also tested for swine flu while at the ER? Perhaps you were, but tested negative.

It is good that you are informed in case it is influenza, and your symptoms get worse. While you may well have gastroenteritis, considering that you also have ILI symptoms, and an elevated WBC, I can see why you would be concerned. As you know, it is not our place to diagnose here.

You can share this info with your doc if you think that it will help.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm

I hope that you have an uneventful recovery, and a safe delivery later in your pregnancy. Good luck to you.

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

United Arab Emirates

http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Health/10335288.html

Originally Posted by archive.gulfnews.com

A pregnant 25-year-old Emirati woman has been diagnosed with H1N1 swine flu virus and is currently in a medicated coma at Welcare Hospital.

The woman, who is five-and-a-half-months pregnant, is also suffering from pneumonia as a result of the flu and has a history of severe asthma.

"Doctors at Welcare have told us that it's a 50:50 chance that she might lose the baby; they say that it is in critical but stable condition," her brother Mohammad told Gulf News.

The family is blaming Dubai Hospital for the severity of her condition. "How could they let a swine flu case slip through like that? Government hospitals are the ones concentrating on swine flu and they just ignored my sister's condition," says Mohammad.

"I took my sister to Dubai Hospital Emergency Room on Monday [July 13]. She was complaining that she was feeling weak, nauseous and had a fever. We were worried about the baby as this is her first pregnancy," says Mohammad.

"We were made to wait for almost an hour until her husband yelled at them and made a scene. A doctor examined her and gave her an injection. No other medication was given, and she was discharged."

"The next day she was feeling even worse and had a fever of about 41 degrees Celsius. We took her back to Dubai Hospital Emergency Room, where they made her sit in a wheelchair for almost an hour with no doctor or nurse giving her any attention, even when she was vomiting."

"We decided to leave the hospital as she wasn't getting any care there; nobody even stopped us or asked us where we were going. We took her to nearby Al Baraha Hospital. They were very fast and got her on a [intravenous] drip right away and had a doctor look in on her every 10 minutes. They told us that they wanted to admit her for 72-hour observation, but her husband said if she needed to be admitted then he would have her admitted to Welcare Hospital. They made us sign a waiver that we were discharging her against doctor's orders."


A spokesperson for Dubai Hospital said: "The hospital staff is well equipped to deal with Swine flu cases and we follow WHO guidelines and protocol. In this specific case, the patient visited Dubai hospital ER section on July 13, at 6.40pm. She was seen by a nurse at 7.10pm and by the doctor at 7.35pm. Her condition was stable and her main complaint was nausea and vomiting, which are common symptoms in pregnancy. She had no previous history of travel. She refused to undergo tests such as the blood count test. She was given a prescription but left without taking it with her. The next day her symptoms became worse, however she did not go to see the doctor."

(hat tip flutrackers/feedme)

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

PSA from HSS:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/psa/r...en_radio60.mp3

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Indigogirl: Re: Post # 62

It seems that there's hesitation about the 5 months pregnant Emitati woman going back again to Dubai Hospital (a "government hospital"), and I certainly don't blame her. There may be a 2 tier system there, with Welcare hospital being more exclusive.....

I wonder where her husband was?

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Originally Posted by lamazeteacher

Indigogirl: Re: Post # 62

It seems that there's hesitation about the 5 months pregnant Emitati woman going back again to Dubai Hospital (a "government hospital"), and I certainly don't blame her. There may be a 2 tier system there, with Welcare hospital being more exclusive.....

I wonder where her husband was?

It's a confusing story. I don't know anything about their health care system or what really happened except the result. She's in a medically induced coma like so many others at this time.

I would think that there would be a great deal of concern in any ER where a pregnant woman shows up with a history of asthma during this pandemic. In addition, it should be well known that this virus frequently causes GI symptoms in adults as well as in children.

Things are very different now, and pregnant woman coming in with vomiting should not be dismissed without a high index of suspicion that this could be swine flu. If anyone merits a test for swine flu, it is definitely them. Even if they test negative, I would be worried as it quite apparent that the rapid flu tests are not that reliable.

We are losing too many pregnant women everywhere to this virus.

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Marin County, California

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...rticle-6939507

The photo of husband and wife together is so beautiful. What a tragedy it is to lose so many young mothers...

Originally Posted by abclocal.go.com

ABC7 News has confirmed that one of the people who died of the H1N1 flu this spring was a pregnant woman from Marin County and her family claims local health authorities were ill prepared to save her life.

The family has kept a low profile since 33-year-old Jaime Norman died, but with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warnings about the H1N1 virus, they have decided to speak out.

Norman went into the hospital 29 weeks pregnant with flu symptoms -- she never came out. But doctors were able to save her baby.

Her baby, Jack, was born nearly two months premature. She held him, her first and only child, just once before she died of the swine flu.

"She was at least conscious enough that to know that they had put him on her stomach and touch the hands so there was some contact for about half an hour," Norman's husband Eric Sheldon said.

Norman was Marin County's first swine flu death and her family has questions about whether health care workers were prepared to treat her illness.

"Totally the lab had not any experience in H1N1, they thought it was H1N3," Norman's mother Barbara Norman said.

Norman checked into the emergency room at Marin General Hospital. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and ultimately swine flu.

"I can't be angry because they were fairly out of the loop where most of the cases were happening," Barbara Norman said.

CDC researchers said Wednesday the swine flu has been especially devastating to pregnant women. Expectant mothers who catch the virus have a higher risk of serious illness and death. Fifteen women in the country died of swine flu between April and June; it is unknown how many more, like Norman, have died since then.

After being born so many months early, baby Jack is doing well and expected to be released from Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley in about three weeks.

His father is looking forward to it, but with sadness.

"I believe when Jack does get home from the hospital that's when it's going to really hit home that I'm by myself," Sheldon said.

(hat tip PFI/howmanyday)

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

I did see my own general practice doctor and for right now they are going with a bad case of bronchitis. So far as I know the baby is tolerating everything fine. I am on a z-pack, albuteral inhaler, and tussin with codeine. Seems to be helping. I appreciate your concern. My biggest concern was the lax attitude of the doctor. With the symptoms presented and the current situation I was always taught to treat the worst and eliminate as you can. That way you cover all bases. I was surprised considering the hospital I went to (it isn't a small one). I am staying informed with help from great people like you thank you.

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Also wanted to tell you a quick funny from my doctor. She looked at me and my symptoms and looked at the discharge papers from the hospital and said "hmmm well for this particular stomach bug I am going to prescribe an inhaler and a z-pack and something with codeine. You have to watch this particular type of stomach bug because it can really settle in the lungs and turn into pneumonia. It is a rare, (haha) very rare type only seen at ummm this hospital." She was glad I came to her as soon as possible but was not impressed with the ER I went to.

Re: Evidence of swine flu risk to pregnant women rises

Thank you for updating us. I hope that you are feeling better soon. I like your doc.