What Do You Call it When Pigs Fly?

Swine Flu.

When the Relief Society President called to check on us this past Wednesday she awarded me the honor of being the first family in the ward with the Swine Flu. Wow, thanks. That is an honor we could have done without.

I kept thinking how I could write this funny post about our awful experience, but I just don't have it in me. I'm physically and emotional tired, but wanted to share and hopefully inspire you to get a flu shot, or get ready and stocked for a week with an unwanted guest.

Last Saturday when we were in Bear Lake for Conference weekend, Adam developed an awful cough. By evening he was throwing up and by the next morning my body was trying to do the same (luckily I do have amazing anti-vomit skills). We packed up as quickly as we could and left the cabin while expressing our deepest apologies to all our loved ones that were now potentially infected.

We raced back home as my fever, coughs, chills, and body aches came on in waves. By Monday morning Shem was sick too. I kept Kate home, anticipating her mild cough escalating in the coming hours.

On Tuesday Adam was begging to see the doctor so he could get better. Our pediatrician saw him that afternoon and said, "That is the flu." While he didn't test for H1N1, he was confident enough he said we wouldn't need H1N1 vaccinations, just seasonal flu shots. He prescribed Tamiflu for Kate and Mason to shorten the course of their illnesses. ($110 - ouch)

That night after Kate and Mason had thrown up, Shem gave us all blessings. The Spirit was especially strong when he blessed Adam to begin healing from that moment forward. That night everyone slept...finally.

On Wednesday Kate, Adam, and Mason's fevers broke and the throwing up had officially stopped. However, the night before in an illness-induced stupor Shem had flushed about 8 paper towels down the toilet. At the time is seemed the most logical place to put them after cleaning up throw up in the bathroom.

After a visit from a masked Roto-Rooter worker (we insisted on the mask) and a $255 check our drains were again in working order. Now if only our bodies...

That night my visiting teachers brought us Chicken Noodle soup and it started to look like we were really going to be okay.

On Thursday the kids were regaining their strength and getting hyper, Shem and I were completely exhausted, and Colin was starting to fun a fever. I took him to the KidsCare where the doctor gave him a prescription for Tamiflu. Before filling it I called the pharmacy to confirm they had some in stock. When I asked if Tamiflu is safe for infants the pharmacist said it had not been tested for children under 1. I called the pediatrician back and she apologized saying she had misread Colin's age and I should NOT give him Tamiflu.

Colin still has a mild fever and the rest of us are coughing and will probably continue to do so for another week. Kate and Adam are no longer contagious and will head back to school tomorrow. Here are the most important things I learned this week...

1. H1N1 is extremely contagious.
2. Tamiflu is really expensive, but it works really well. It is not for babies.
3. Don't flush paper towels.
4. Vaporizers and VapoRub help ease night time coughs.
5. Dye-free fever medication is much better than the pink kind (especially if you manage to spill most of the bottle on yourself and your baby in the middle of the night).
6. The power of the Priesthood is amazing.

Thanks for all the love and prayers, and especially for the love and support we got from our ward family.