Contagious Son

[Jessi]

My 7 year old son is fevering since last night, has a runny nose, now throwing up. He wants to stay under a blanket and asked if he could go to bed early tonight. My hubby gave him meds for the fever, but says he doesn't want me to go near him because of my suppressed immune system.

I have had 2 loading doses of Remicade so far. I know that he's contagious and that I shouldn't go near him, but he's my son! I want to hold my kids when they are sick. He's in bed crying that he doesn't want to be alone right now. I feel so torn! I want to cry with him!

 

[Lydia]

I have had no issues with taking care of my child. If I do get sick its no more severe than the rest of the family. Any of the colds and stomach bugs that go through this house, I get over just like the rest of them. I do take proper precautions but when you live in the same house, its next to impossible to not come into contact with the germs.

Go hug your baby, IMO. Wear a mask if you really feel its necessary, but I dont. I am sure he doesnt mind if you wear one as long as he has his mommy.

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

About a year ago my little brother was feeling really sick and I was the only one with at the time as my mum was away for the day, he was burning up so I decided to crash in the same bed as him just to make sure he was alright, the next day my mother brought him to his GP and we found out he had the Swine Flu!

I spent at least 9 hours in the same room as him and I was/am on Imuran.

 

[Jessi]

Wow Walrus! Did you get sick, too? Or were you okay?

 

[Lydia]

Oh and during cold and flu season I make sure to take 500 mg vitamin C and 2000 IU vitamin D each day on top of the multivitamin I take. I really think it does help. I double or even triple the vitamin C and D when sick. Probiotics are good to take as well especially when GI bugs are concerned. If the gut is kept populated with good bacteria, it makes it harder for pathogens to take over. We all take probiotics in this house.

 

[AndiGirl]

Hopefully your little guy is on the mend. I hate it when little ones are sick. Alex and Beth caught the stomach flu over spring break. I'm a teacher, so it was a convenient time for me to get sick, but who wants to spend their vacation time in the lavatory? Ugh!

 

[Jessi]

Andi, I just resigned as a teacher in 4th grade special education. One more thing we kinda have in common.

An ER doctor once told me that people who are around sickies all day (like himself) build up immunities so they don't often catch what everyone else has. He said the same goes for people like teachers - being around children all day every day. The trouble is, he said, is that we are often the people who end up with autoimmune diseases. Ironically, he said that to me a couple years before I was diagnosed. Weird...
Any thought?

My son is better now, by the way!

 

[AndiGirl]

Wow! That's really neat! I taught fourth grade during the 2001/02 school year. I have mostly taught first and second grades. We teachers are around our share of bugs.

 

[Jessi]

That's for sure! Do you believe it would have something to do with IBD? Ya think that doctor knew what he was talking about? Maybe a new thread on that topic?

 

[AndiGirl]

That might be an interesting study/thread. I've heard something similar. Our poor immune systems are constantly being bombarded. I've also heard that teachers are at risk for cancer of the bladder.

 

[Jessi]

Because of students who don't wash their hands before they handle your bathroom pass?

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

Wow Walrus! Did you get sick, too? Or were you okay?

Surprisingly not, but I was fretting for a few days about whether I would or would not eventually come down with, especially with the horror stories I was seeing in the papers and on the news.

Thankfully that passed, now I wonder what virus will threaten this year?

Maybe SARS will make a comeback . . . . . . . . I hope not! haha:ywow:

 

[Jessi]

Wow! That's amazing! A few years back, my whole family had swine flu. My doc thinks mine was combined with a flare, but I wasn't diagnosed ate the time. I wrote all about it in my story 'we all know the tune to this song.'

Swine flu sucks! I'm lucky, once again, to be alive! So are you! I can't believe you didn't contract it.