It’s very frustrating to get online and immediately be greeted by the news of a pandemic that’s going to get us all.   Yes, this new strain of flu is something that needs to be taken seriously, but the media is senstationalizing things way too much.  We’re not all on the verge of death, much less a worldwide plague that will wipe out life as we know it. 

Remember, the more scared the media can make you, the more stories they can sell you.  I’ve consulted with the CDC and with several local doctors and nurses.  Here’s what you need to know.

• This is not an epidemic or a pandemic.  Only 40 cases have been confirmed in the US.  That’s fewer than 1 in 7,000,000 people.
• You can prevent this kind of flu the same way you prevent every other kind of flu: wash hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough, wipe and disinfect surfaces, stay home if you are sick and keep your kids home if they are, get a flu shot if you can, and drink plenty of liquids.
• Stay healthy.  Get rest, exercise, healthy food, and keep everyone hydrated.
• Avoid large crowds as much as you can.
• Don’t panic. 

Flu of any type is more serious than we give it credit for, but this kind can be dealt with just like those other kinds that we do have experience with.  I’ll keep checking in with my sources and letting you know if there’s new info, but in the meantime, practice good health and hygiene and go on with life.  And dont’ worry so much.

So, tonight was my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday party.  We traveled 3 hours to get to the city where the rest of our family lives, with plans to go out to dinner with her kids, grandkids, brothers, etc.  There was a nice group of 15 of us altogether. 

About half an hour into the road trip, daughter #2 says that her stomach hurts.  Now, she complains about that a lot, but this time had us pulling over on the side of the highway to avoid having her throw up on her siblings.  We made it to a gas station, where she threw up with a vengeance.  She felt a lot better after that, for several hours, but the upset stomach came back again during the party.  This time she was just miserable, but she didn’t throw up. 

Concerned relatives kept tossing around the words “stomach flu,” but what is really happening when a child has this kind of stomach trouble? 

There actually is an illness known as stomach flu–it’s called gastroenteritis.  It’s the condition that results when the lining of the stomach or intestines is inflamed or irritated as a result of a bacterial or viral infection.  It can result in stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.

But tummy troubles might also be from something more permanent, such as a food allergy or lactose intolerance.  These can have the same symptoms as stomach flu, so let your doctor know if these are long-term or recurring symptoms. 

Another cause of stomach pain in kids is gas.  Severe gas can be very painful for both kids and adults, sometimes causing aching all the way up into the chest and shoulders.   Sometimes the pressure of gas pains mimics nausea, or that’s the only way kids know how to describe it.

One major heads-up about persistent or severe stomach pain–be on the lookout for appendicitis.  Now, I know that’s not daughter #2′s problem, because she had an emergency appendectomy 2 years ago.  But the events leading up to that surgery included stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.  I only took her to the doctor because I was concerned that she was getting dehydrated, not because it ever occured to me that something life-threatening was going on. 

Most stomach bugs pass in a few days.  Give your child mild foods, plenty of fluids, so they don’t get dehydrated, and lots of TLC, even if they are sick at a terribly inconvenient time.  They can’t help it, and wouldn’t have chosen it, either.

I don’t know how things are in your neighborhood, but around here, we’ve got so many illnesses going around, I’m sometimes afraid to take the kids to the doctor, because who knows what else they could pick up?  

I count myself very lucky that our health care provider is also a neighbor and friend, so I often call on her informally, so that I know for sure whether a doctor or ER visit is strictly necessary.   Sometimes she’ll just give us informal advice, like “Tylenol and fluids,” and sometimes she’ll say, “Get her to the emergency room now!”

In our neck of the woods, there’s strep, flu, ear infections, and RSV going around.  The usual stuff, I guess, but that RSV is really scary.  There have also been a few meningitis deaths not far from here–another scary thing.

But I think the worst sometimes is that vague, undefined, “just not feeling well” thing they do.  My 6-year-old came home from school and crashed on the couch the other day, woke up long enough for dinner, then crashed again and slept through the night.  He was perfectly fine in the morning.  The girls do the same thing…headache or sore throat, but no other symptoms, no fever, nothing…and they usually manage to get through a school day just fine.

I sometimes think they’re doing it on purpose, just to give me one more thing to deal with, but then I remember that I sometimes feel that way, too–just tired, or icky, or off.  Not bad enough to skip work, but not well enough to really enjoy the day.  The difference is, kids still have someone to complain to–sometone who could possibly make it better, even if all we do is get them a couple of Tylenol.