Flu-apillar

Phoebe & Allyson wrote in message ...
Poor baby was fine at bathtime, feverish at bedtime, cried
all night, and tested positive for Influenza A this morning.

She's on amantadine (Symmetrel), an anti-viral. Allyson and
I have been prescribed it prophylactically. Hales says L3 -
"amantadine is known to suppress prolactin production and
should not be used in breastfeeding mothers."

We both had the flu shot in November. But Caterpillar got
the flu from her Ah-mah, who also had a flu shot. Ah-mah
has been sick 4 days, and feels on the mend. So I think I'm
likely to get sick, but not seriously sick. I need to be
well by next Thursday, but I can be sick until then. I've
got some freezer stash, but not a lot. Pediatrician said
Caterpillar might not eat well while she's sick, so it might
be hard for me to tell if she's getting enough if my supply
is questionable.

IMO, Caterpillar needs all the milk and all the antibodies
she can get, so I think I'm not going to take the antiviral
prophylactically. If I get really sick, I've got 2-3 days
to decide to take them. Alternative solutions welcomed.

Phoebe

That blows! Here's hoping she bounces back quickly, poor little
thing.

Just went to a peds infectious disease lecture where flu was discussed
last week, so here's what I learned:

If you got the shot you already have some protection, but sounds like
Ah-Mah caught the strain that's similar to, but not the exact one in
the vaccine. So it boils down to whether you think the near certainty
of milk suppression due to the drug is worse than the significant
possibility of catching the flu and the various ways that would impact
you and Caterpillar. Flu probably wouldn't be great for production
either, but I vaguely recall that amantadine has some of the same
applications as bromocriptine -- former the dry-up drug -- so it could
be a pretty potent suppressant. OTOH, your milk wouldn't have the
antibodies for the flu until after they'd be helpful for Caterpillar,
and possibly not unless you got sick yourself.

As for the utility of amantadine, as treatment it shortens the
duration of the flu by one day if started ASAP. As prophylaxis it's
pretty effective.

Kate
and the Bug, June 8 2003

Akuvikate wrote:

So it boils down to whether you think the near certainty
of milk suppression due to the drug is worse than the significant
possibility of catching the flu and the various ways that would impact
you and Caterpillar.

Yup. And if I don't get it now, there's a decent chance I'd
get it at some point during this flu season - I'll probably
visit 100 people (and their kids) between now and early
April. I'd actually *rather* be sick now and immune later,
than well now and sick later. Sick now means I can spend a
week lying in bed nursing and playing. Sick later means I
can drag myself to the office and do tax returns.

OTOH, your milk wouldn't have the
antibodies for the flu until after they'd be helpful for Caterpillar,
and possibly not unless you got sick yourself.

A good point.


As for the utility of amantadine, as treatment it shortens the
duration of the flu by one day if started ASAP. As prophylaxis it's
pretty effective.

I was looking at the inhaled flu treatment (Relenza?), which
someone suggested as an alternative, and that's an L4
because it doesn't help that much (same shortens duration by
one day) and hasn't been studied. So I suspect amantadine
as a treatment would be an L4 even without the dryup effect.

The conclusion I'm coming to is that I'm better off trying
to get the flu now and suffering through treating the
symptoms, rather than risking getting it at a less
convenient time or taking the antiviral.

Phoebe

--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

In article , Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
Yup. And if I don't get it now, there's a decent chance I'd
get it at some point during this flu season - I'll probably
visit 100 people (and their kids) between now and early
April. I'd actually *rather* be sick now and immune later,
than well now and sick later. Sick now means I can spend a
week lying in bed nursing and playing. Sick later means I
can drag myself to the office and do tax returns.

Or you could do both! With a good match between vaccine and
circulating strains you've got a 10-30% chance of getting
the flu *anyway* if you're exposed. Since you live in a
state with widespread flu outbreaks, it's likely you'll be
exposed to multiple strains this year. However, even if you
get the flu, the shot should make it less bad than it otherwise
would be.

The conclusion I'm coming to is that I'm better off trying
to get the flu now and suffering through treating the
symptoms, rather than risking getting it at a less
convenient time or taking the antiviral.

Eh, I wouldn't take the antiviral, but I wouldn't go out
of my way to try to get the flu now either. Your boss hasn't
had the flu shot, and would probably rather you didn't bring
the flu into the office. Our office has a plague rat, and we're
all pretty annoyed about it.

I think I'll hope that the flu-apillar at least has a strain that's
covered by the vaccine so that I don't have to spend my vacation
being miserable.

Elaine

Elaine wrote:

Eh, I wouldn't take the antiviral, but I wouldn't go out
of my way to try to get the flu now either. Your boss hasn't
had the flu shot, and would probably rather you didn't bring
the flu into the office. Our office has a plague rat, and we're
all pretty annoyed about it.

Said boss called today to say that if I wasn't too sick to
get out of bed, I should go to a lunch meeting tomorrow
where I'll be in close contact with a dozen people and
exposed to about 500. "It's not like you'll be kissing
them!" she said, when I pointed out that I'd be contagious
for a day before showing any symptoms.

If I get the flu, I'll be sick and then better. If I don't
get it, I won't know if I'm a plague rat or not. Since
I've had the flu shot, I probably won't be that sick. Since
I'm in close contact with my own little plague rat, I'll
have a hard time avoiding exposure. (I think Ah-mah shares
her water bottle, though, which is probably how Caterpillar
got infected in the first place.)


I think I'll hope that the flu-apillar at least has a strain that's
covered by the vaccine so that I don't have to spend my vacation
being miserable.

You haven't been paying close enough attention. She got it
from Ah-mah, who had the flu shot. So there's only a tiny
chance that she's got the strain that's a good match. That
neither Allyson nor I are sick yet are good signs, though.
The flu-apillar won't be contagious when you're here,
anyhow, and you aren't going to go kissing on us.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

In article , Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
You haven't been paying close enough attention. She got it
from Ah-mah, who had the flu shot. So there's only a tiny
chance that she's got the strain that's a good match.

No, I'm living in my own happy little fantasy world that
says Ah-mah is one of the 10-30% who gets it even though
they've had a flu shot that's a good match. I like my
fantasy world, would you like to come visit me there?

That neither Allyson nor I are sick yet are good signs, though.

Yes, continue to not be sick, please.

Elaine

Elaine wrote:

No, I'm living in my own happy little fantasy world that
says Ah-mah is one of the 10-30% who gets it even though
they've had a flu shot that's a good match. I like my
fantasy world, would you like to come visit me there?

Do you have a cite for the 10-30%? The stats I saw were
more like 14% get the flu with no shot, and 1% with the
shot. Those are much better odds.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

In article , Phoebe & Allyson wrote:
Do you have a cite for the 10-30%? The stats I saw were
more like 14% get the flu with no shot, and 1% with the
shot. Those are much better odds.

CDC - let me see if I can find it again, since I had to dig
for it.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/flushot.htm

Under "How effective is the flu shot". Hrm, I wonder if they
*really* mean that 10-30% of people who would have gotten
the flu do. The wording is sort of ambiguous when I re-read.
That would give odds with the shot of more like .1-.4% with
the shot though, which doesn't make a lot of sense either.
*sigh* You'd think that the CDC would provide orginal sources.

It's much harder to live in a fantasy world where Ah-mah has
to be the freakish 1% who gets sick, you know. :P

Elaine

Oh sheesh Phoebe.....
I thought it was just a bad cold.....poor caterpillar......
I hope she gets better fast and that the antibodies act to help her out of
the flu ...

Hugs,

FayeC

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...
Poor baby was fine at bathtime, feverish at bedtime, cried
all night, and tested positive for Influenza A this morning.

She's on amantadine (Symmetrel), an anti-viral. Allyson and
I have been prescribed it prophylactically. Hales says L3 -
"amantadine is known to suppress prolactin production and
should not be used in breastfeeding mothers."

We both had the flu shot in November. But Caterpillar got
the flu from her Ah-mah, who also had a flu shot. Ah-mah
has been sick 4 days, and feels on the mend. So I think I'm
likely to get sick, but not seriously sick. I need to be
well by next Thursday, but I can be sick until then. I've
got some freezer stash, but not a lot. Pediatrician said
Caterpillar might not eat well while she's sick, so it might
be hard for me to tell if she's getting enough if my supply
is questionable.

IMO, Caterpillar needs all the milk and all the antibodies
she can get, so I think I'm not going to take the antiviral
prophylactically. If I get really sick, I've got 2-3 days
to decide to take them. Alternative solutions welcomed.

Phoebe
--
yahoo address is unread - substitute mailbolt

In article , Elaine wrote:
That would give odds with the shot of more like .1-.4% with
the shot though, which doesn't make a lot of sense either.
Ok, I'm bad at moving decimal points. That would be 1.4-4.2%,
which is more in line with Phoebe's stats.

Elaine

Awww, I hope little Catepillar feels better!!!!!!

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 2.5 years and
Christopher, 7.5 months