Swine Flu Blues

The headlines read: Swine Flu has hit America. Now it has hit me, too!

Honestly, when I first heard about this new flu strain I thought it was no big deal. It would never affect me. Boy, was I wrong!

Apparently, swine flu (H1N1) attacks the lungs first. That is why people with asthma and other respiratory diseases need to take extra precautions. And yes, I am one of those people. Problem was, when I started coughing all the time, I thought it was just my asthma acting up.

After four days of breathing treatments and no improvement, my peak flow levels, which measure my lung capacity, began to drop drastically. To make a long story short, I was taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital with complications from H1N1. All of a sudden, swine flu news became a BIG deal to me.

At the hospital, I learned that hand sanitizer is my best friend. The people who came into my room had to wear masks, gloves, and gowns. Then, when they left and took those off, they had to use hand sanitizer and soap. Swine flu can be spread by touching something that has been touched by someone sick with the virus. That’s why when you are sick, it is very important to wash your hands often, even if you cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve.

Every time you blow your nose, you need to use sanitizer or wash your hands.

I know hand sanitizer and washing really works. No one in my family was sick, nor were any of my friends. Could I have gotten it just from touching a door handle or not washing my hands enough? I will never know. But, I have learned a lot about preventing the spread of the virus.

Here are some handy tips that I learned while in the hospital:

1. Always wash your hands before you eat, after using the restroom, or after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose.

2. Most people use hand towels in the bathroom. Replace those with paper towels so the germs can’t accumulate on the towels.

3. Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down anything that many people touch or use in your house, for example, door knobs, telephones, sink handles, and light switches.

4. If you are coughing or sneezing, avoid being around other people and stay home from school when you are sick. That way, you can keep the virus from spreading.

5. If you have asthma, monitor your peak flow every day. This will help make you more aware of your breathing levels.

6. Don’t wait until you can’t breathe before you contact a doctor.

7. Did I mention WASH YOUR HANDS?

These tips will help prevent H1N1 and other viruses and help you stay healthy.You can find out a lot more at the CDC's Web site.

Trust me. Swine flu is a big deal. Being in the hospital is no fun. Since I have asthma, I had to be on breathing treatments every two hours around the clock. That means I had to wake up every two hours just to breathe right. The nurses and doctors were great, but I felt like a pin cushion or lab rat.

Even after I came home, I was so tired that I couldn’t even walk outside for five minutes. The good thing was that I had word searches and books (thanks, Scholastic friends!) to keep me occupied during the day.

But laying around and watching television through a breathing machine mask gets old. You would never believe how much you can miss going to school. Believe me, it is possible.

Maybe, by telling my story, I could help someone avoid the swine flu blues.

By the way, you can share your swine flu experience by clicking on the blue comment below and sending us a brief note.

—Shelby Fallin

Comments

[Jonathan]

I think that washing your hand is very important because with out it you could spread diseases which can lead to death i canot emphises this more washing your hand is the single most important thing you can do to not only stop diseases also to ust be more sanitized. this may just end sween flu

[i love bruce]

this person is right i think that we should keep heathey becauce myself and a bunch of my friends and school have ha dthe swin flu and it was the worst thing ever to have and they say that the swin flu is not really from pigs it is a bactria

[Jen B.]

Great post, Shelby! I'm sorry that happened to you, but thanks for sharing your experience so maybe more people can avoid it! Get back, swine flu!

[Reporter Danielle]

Hi Shelby,

Thank you for sharing what you went through and I'm very glad you're OK now!! I had whooping Cough believe it or not two and a half years ago and it was horrible!! So, I think I know how you felt; Not Good!! Your article was great and I'm sure it helped a lot of kids out. Thanks!

Fellow Kid Reporter Danielle

[hi cool]

the swine flue is not that danferus evrybody is freking out bye it but the reguler flue kills more people than the swine flue. the swine flue only kills 1 person out of 100. SO STOP FREKING OUT PEOPLE.

[teresa]

My whole family just got over it. It was not that bad at all for us. Me (31) Husband 33, two kids 2 and 6 all had it. It was actually pretty easy for us. Fever was only on and off and responded well to medicine and cough/sore throat was not really too bad for too many days. Popsicles were a hit with my boys. Son missed 5 days of school and husband missed 2. I stay home so I missed none. The worse part was the chills and hot flashes from the fever coming and going. But really, if your healthy, don't freak out. It was not much more then a cold with a weird fever that kept coming and going when you didn't expect it.

[Kayla]

Hi,
I recently recovered from swine flu. I was at camp and i had to sleep in the nurse's office for a week! Yet, it is actually not as bad as people say. It seems like it affected you much worse then me. The main symptoms are being very tired, a very high fever and a minor cough. Although, I do believe that we can limit its reach if we all wash our hands.

[Emma]

I think everyone should get the shots or the spray and WASH THEIR HANDS!!!! Especially if you touch something that isn't yours. By the way, I am 9 years old.

[p90x]

so good,Yes.I agree with you