I'm so sorry for your loss.  My daughter has swine flu back in June.  She was 8 at the time.  She got really sick really fast.  As in a matter of hours.  Luckily, I got her right to the doc, they tested her and treated her with tamiflu.  Within 24 hours the fever subsided.  She was weak and tired for about the next 7 days, but that was it.

Unfortunately, I spent the past weekend at the hospital with my husband (emergency surgery, he's home and on the mend now), but the emergency room was flooded with people with flu-like symptoms.  I was talking to the nurse about it and she said people are very likely to bring a small child in and get them treatment but ignore the same symptoms in themselves.  Once you have the fever and symptoms for 5 days, your body is extremely compromised and many people wind up too sick to recover.  Also, if you have anything else wrong with you (immuno suppressing illness, asthma, taking chemo), your body will break down quickly with swine flu.  It's really terrible, but the vaccination here in NJ is not much better.  The people in the ER who didn't have the flu were children suffering severe shot reactions (high fever and muscle weakness.  One child was convulsing.)

Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

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Thank you Annie. I'm so glad you're daughter is okay now. (pickles)

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Posted by: bink
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 23:26:42 2009
Message:

Oh pick, this is so sad. 

:( 

I guess I should educate myself about swine flu symptoms.  I know a couple of people who have had a bad case of flu these last couple of months but swine flu?  I don't know.  You and your brother have my condolences.

 

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Bink, if you know people who had the flu over the summer, it was swine flu. The regular flu doesn't kick in until end of October/November. Here in NJ, they stopped testing kids who had flu symptoms over the summer because it had to be H1-N1.

Thanks bink. So many people are sick these days (pickles)

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Posted by: Jenny
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 12:08:08 2009
Message:
Oh, Pickles, I'm so sorry for the loss of your bro's friend.  Was he sick long?  Was he in otherwise good health?  I've heard so much conflicting stuff about this flu and that that is what scares me!  Please give your brother a hug. 

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks Jenny. I don't know the details yet. I suspect he had some health issues that weakened his immune system though (pickles)

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Posted by: Gail M
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 10:48:27 2009
Message:

I'm so sorry to hear of Rob's loss.   It is always so hard when one so young dies.    :-(

I haven't known anyone that has had swine flu yet.    

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks Gail. It's a shock. (pickles)

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Posted by: mags
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 8:10:50 2009
Message:

 

I'm so sorry for your brother and his friend Pickles.  That is way too young to die. 

I don't know anyone who has died from the Swine Flu but Tom's sister is pretty sure that her granddaughter (she's 8) had it.  I don't think she was tested but she was had everyone of the symptoms, got better and it came back on her.  Thankfully, she is ok now.

Again, I'm so sorry for the sorrow that your brother is feeling.  It's not easy. 

I hope you all are feeling better soon.

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Thanks mags. I'm glad that little girl is okay (pickles)

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Posted by: Fed Up
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 5:40:14 2009
Message:
OMG. That's just scary scary awful. Tell your brother how sad we feel for him and that guy's family.

Luckily I don't know anyone who has or has had the swine flu and hope I never do.

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks Fedup. It is scary (pickles)

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Posted by: Rusty
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 4:43:41 2009
Message:

It seems like a lot of people are sick right now, especially the little kids. As far as I know, none of them have the H1N1 that is going around. So far I have escaped being sick, even though all the grandkids have runny noses and coughs. Pickles, I am so sorry for your brother.

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Thanks Rusty. It's been a nasty flu season for sure (pickles)

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Posted by: Tori
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 0:34:42 2009
Message:

I am so sorry to hear about this. I feel so bad for the loss.

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks Tori, me too (pickles)

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Posted by: W.E.
Date posted: Mon Nov 16 0:24:56 2009
Message:

There were reports that a student at my school had Swine Flu months ago but no further report.

I am so sorry for your brother's loss.

Replies: (list all replies)

Thanks W.E. I have heard of people getting it, but dying from it seems so rare! This has been a real eye-opener for my little bro. He's never had anyone close to him die before (w/exception of my father). (pickles)

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Posted by: Weezer
Date posted: Sun Nov 15 23:53:25 2009
Message:

One of the custodial staff at work, her entire family had/has it - INCLUDING THE DOG.  The dog has been the most ill for the longest.

I feel sorry for your family - It's got to be rough to have family or family we love, die so young.

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Thanks. This is a nasty flu season. I've never been so sick. I even broke down and went to the docs (no insurance, so had to pay 85 bucks!). Now my brother Rob is sick, and he's a little shaken by the whole thing! (pickles)

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Posted by: pickles
Date posted: Sun Nov 15 23:22:05 2009
Message:
I'm just looking at his obit online right now.  He was actually 38yrs old. He died two days after my brother's birthday. I feel so bad for my brother Rob.  Wes used to work at the local comic book shop.  Rob collects comics, so was in there every week.  So they saw each other on a weekly basis.  They even talked about creating their own comic book together, but nothing ever came of it.  Then the comic book shop closed a few months ago and I don't think they had talked since.  This will probably make our paper, if not the news.  *sigh*

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