Swine Flu???

Michael was notoriously sick as an infant/toddler.
He had more ear infections than I could count, RSV, walking pneumonia, you name it... he probably had it.
I credit most of it to very early child care situations.
Day care facilities are breeding grounds for sickness.
And it's actually been wonderful since about kindergarten because he so rarely gets sick now.
It's like his immune system basically says "been there, done that" to every infection that comes his way.


Last night, he was feeling great. It was a nice night and we took him to the pumpkin patch. He had a blast.

Here he is... looking healthy and happy.


We came home and about an hour later, I started to get him ready for bed.
It was really so nonchalant that I barely noticed his complaint.
"Mom, my throat hurts."
That was it... nothing more.


Off to bed he went.
Throughout the night I noticed a nasty cough coming from his room. By the time I went in to get him up for school this morning, things had taken an absolute turn for the worse.


He looked terrible.
He sounded worse.
And the fever.
Oh the fever.


I kept him home from school and gave him the day off of his medicine.
Now typically, when Michael doesn't take his medicine, we're in for some non-stop activity.


Not today.
It was sleep or laying on the couch.
Nothing more.
By noon, his fever had jumped to over 103.
I couldn't believe how fast this had come on.
I started him on Motrin and eventually Tylenol (every four hours - not at the same time! Don't worry.)
The fever broke but he was still completely miserable.


Of course, I googled swine flu symptoms.


-fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent (yep... we've got that.)
-cough (yep... we've got that too)
-runny nose or stuffy nose (um... yes to this one.)
-sore throat (that was my first clue.)
-body aches (yep...)
-headache (don't think so but he may have just not mentioned this.)
-chills (well I didn't notice it but he told my brother on the phone that he was sweating but he was so cold he was shaking... so... yep)
-fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme (he slept half the day - unheard of for Michael)
-diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu (okay! We don't have this one!)


So I'd say we have 7 out of 8 symptoms.


Then I decided to google just the regular flu.
(I'm guilty btw... I haven't gotten Michael his regular flu shot yet.)


-high fever
-muscle aches and pains
-weakness and tiredness
-headache
-dry cough
-sore throat
-stuffy or runny nose
-nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (least common flu symptoms)


Um... is it just me or do these seem strikingly similar?
How the hell am I supposed to know if he has a potentially life threatening h1n1 flu or a normal seasonal flu?

And nevermind the fact that I'm pregnant and really can not get the swine flu!


Ugh...
Here's where I'm at at this point.
I feel like I need to sit in his room all night and watch him breathe.
It reminds me of when he was an infant.
I also feel like it would probably be in my (and his) best interest if I take him in to get tested tomorrow no matter what.
(The worst they can tell me is that he doesn't have it right?)


UGHHHH... damn swine flu outbreaks.