My Daughter Has H1N1

[nlhnurse1982]

So my poor little girl has the swine flu, I was hoping she would be better today she went almost the 24 hours with out the fever and then this morning it was 102 again . Of course since she has been out with this I have stayed home with her. Unfortunately everyone in the area where I live especially the kids are getting their turn with it, thankfully I havent gotten it yet. Where I work is not understanding about using our sick time so I am so scared that I am going to get it and need to take additional time off for myself. How are the places where you work when you use sick time (for legitimate reasons)? Are they understanding or do they still give you flack even if you are on your death bed?

[Cherybaby]

My 13 year old son had a tested and confirmed case of swine flu (my county is doing mandatory testing so they can keep track of the virus). His fever was through the roof and he had terrible bronchial symptoms that sent us to the hospital twice for breathing treatments. I am doing everything possible to keep him away from my 23 year old daughter who is five months pregnant. She just got the H1N1 vaccine today. It's a very frightening situation all the way around.

I hope your little girl gets better soon. I wish your job was more flexible and understanding. You have enough to deal with as it is.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

The test is over $200 here and the MD can order it for surveillance purposes only -the state lab does the test here. It is not used for treatment rationale. At the end of last year they stopped testing in our state-we had such high numbers because we WERE still testing and reporting.

otessa

[dscrn]

The test is over $200 here and the MD can order it for surveillance purposes only -the state lab does the test here. It is not used for treatment rationale. At the end of last year they stopped testing in our state-we had such high numbers because we WERE still testing and reporting.

otessa

which state? It would seem that we could all have a better idea if we knew the percentage of severe illness, out of all reported cases for a state. 200 bucks is a lot of money, though.

[Jbrock718]

Hey Moogie, I work in the ER (but not as a nurse, as a tech...mental health at that ) but from what I hear, some places don't test to find out what type of influenza people have because a positive for influenza A doesn't neccessarily indicate H1N1, and even if it is "the swine", unless the pt is really sick or has compromised immunity, etc the treatment is essentially the same. One of the nurses I work with said that she believes that we are only really checking further if it's H1N1 for people that get admitted, while on registration to the ER we are keeping track of all who come in for "flu-like symptoms".

Glad to hear your boys are better! :)

There are tests developed and approved that can differentiate. The only reason I know is that it was in our local paper. Who knows how much the test costs though.

Diatherix....from the article:

"The test can differentiate between H1N1, Influenza A and B, meningitis, staph, strep, pneumonia and a host of other bacterial and viral illnesses in less than six hours."

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/10/fda_gives_emergency_use_author.html

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

"There are tests developed and approved that can differentiate. The only reason I know is that it was in our local paper. Who knows how much the test costs though."

It's $200 in our midwest state.

otessa

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

which state? It would seem that we could all have a better idea if we knew the percentage of severe illness, out of all reported cases for a state. 200 bucks is a lot of money, though.

Upper midwest. Most insurance companies will not pay for the test because it is considered "research" related.

[BAMBINO RN]

i'm not sure, but according to the cdc, i don't think administration can do that!

facilities and organizations providing healthcare services should:

• ensure that sick leave policies for healthcare personnel (e.g., staff and contract personnel) are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of the policies. (see http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/guidance/.)

• ensure that sick employees are able to stay home without fear of losing their jobs.

• consider offering alternative work environments as an accommodation for employees at higher risk for complications of 2009 h1n1 influenza during periods of increased influenza activity or if influenza severity increases.

• not require a doctor’s note for workers with influenza to validate their illness or return to work.

[lorelei1973]

FMLA does not cover brief acute care absences for the most part. And most places do not let you take sick leave for another person's illness.

But they need to be a bit more understanding this year for this illness.

Ask them what they want you to do. Is there another responsible adult who can stay with your child? Best wishes.

FMLA (and generally state family medical leave provisions are more generous) IS applicable for absences due to a serious health condition exceeding 3 days and requiring 2 doctor visits. So if someone, or their immediate family member, becomes ill and requires treatment and/or hospitalization due to H1N1, it is absolutely covered by FMLA.

[Pat_Pat RN]

There are tests developed and approved that can differentiate. The only reason I know is that it was in our local paper. Who knows how much the test costs though.

Diatherix....from the article:

"The test can differentiate between H1N1, Influenza A and B, meningitis, staph, strep, pneumonia and a host of other bacterial and viral illnesses in less than six hours."

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/10/fda_gives_emergency_use_author.html

Differentiating between "H1N1 and flu A". That's kinda like differentiating between a "square and a rectangle"