About this "normal virus"

WARNING: I strive to keep this site informative and supportive and provide information about the H1N1 virus to people in all walks of life, with all types of beliefs. This post however is going to be VERY opinionated, even tinged with some anger, ok a bunch of anger. I'm not angry at any of you, I'm angry at my daughters situation, I am angry at H1N1 and yes, even angry at myself that I cant do anything to fix her, I am just forced to watch and help the best I can. I apologize in advance, but I need to get this out. "Regular progamming" after this will once again commence.

As anybody that has read Haleighs story knows she fought a mighty battle with the H1N1 virus. She almost died, she probably by medical standards, should have died. But she did not. She survived and I was (and still am) so eternally thankful to be able to bring my beautiful girl home. An alarming number of kids (many of them PERFECTLY HEALTHY prior to this) have fought this battle valaintly but sadly lost to the virus and its complications. Yet I still hear from the media, and from people everywhere, that this is "just" the flu. Yes it is the flu, and thousands of people die a year from the "average" seasonal flu, but this one is different. It is attacking younger people, healthy kids, and killing a startling number of them. How many people do you know that are HEALTHY, athletic and have no problems that get the flu and are left with a hypoxic brain injury? Not.too.many. I am angry today, because parents are continuing to lose their children, or left with no other choice than to stand helplessly by their childs bedside praying for them to live, and not being able to do anything to make them better. Yet another young child lost their life to H1N1 here in New Mexico this week. Nationally, the US has lost as many kids to this virus as it normally does in the ENTIRE flu season, and this season has barely begun. Canada is following very closely with those numbers. Sound like "just the normal" flu to you? I found a woman here on facebook who had posted on another H1N1 site who has a very young daughter that is fighting this horrible virus and who is still critically ill. Looking at her posts, and pictures makes me relive the nightmare that we went through in the PICU. Why? Because even though she is in a different country, her daughter is going through almost EXACTLY the same thing that Haleigh went through. This flu is not just causing the "normal" signs and symptoms, it is causing pneumonia, and respiratory failure and sepsis, where these kids bodies cant even sustain its own blood pressure. Sound normal to you?

And as I have found out, it doesnt end when your child survives this virus. It is just the beginning of a different road. A very long, scary road. My daughter got diagnosed with a subcortical diffuse hypoxic brain injury with neurocognitive damage, and post viral myalgic encephalomyleitis. Sound like "normal" complications from the flu to you? She is now having to start 4 very powerful medicines to help her brain try to function normally. She has horrible short term memory, her sequencing and problem solving ability is severly impaired, her sensory system has been profoundly affected, how would you like to spend your day with EVERYTHING you touch with your fingers causing a shock like sensation that runs up your hand and arm? Her temperature control is damaged, her personality has been profoundly affected, my once bubbly happy carefree girl has become anxious, apathetic and very very angry for no reason, she has nightmares that cause her to wake up crying and soaking wet in sweat. Look at the picture below, this was on Halloween, does this look like a happy kid on Halloween? NO, she is anxious, and look at the way she is holding her hands, she does this alot, so they wont accidently touch anything and shock her. She is fatigued all the time. With meds and intensive therapy she will eventually (hopefully) return to what she remembers as normal (yes, she remembers what she used to be like) Does that sound like what you felt like the last time you were recovering from the flu?

And yet (here comes the opinionated part) I keep hearing people say that no way are they going to get their kids a "new" vaccine. Ummmm every year the flu vaccine is a "new" vaccine thats how it protects us. The process they are using to formulate this vaccine has been used for years and years. Then there are those that say no way are they going to inject mercury into their kids. Ummm,,, do you let your kids eat tuna fish or other fish? Guess what it has? A normal baby in their first year of life gets more mercury than this shot gives. Oh, wait you say you breastfeed your babies? Ummmm I was referencing breastfed babies, they get the mercury through your breastmilk. Dont like the other adjuvants? Better not ever buy a new car, or get new carpet put in your house, they have terrible toxic chemicals. You think having to weigh your options about the safety of the vaccine is hard? Try having to look at the meds that my daughter is now having to take to help her recover, they are powerful and dangerous, and have some scary potential side effects. Would I want to give her these? NO. Does she now, thanks to the H1N1 virus need these meds??? Yes.

My current favorite is I'll just take my chances, its safer for my child to get the virus than get the shot. Ummm... Do you take your chances when buckling them up in their carseats? Do you heavily weigh the odds that if they arent buckled up they will still live through an accident, or does perhaps having them restrained cause more injury? No, you do what is safe for your child to protect them, you dont "take your chances" My HEALTHY athletic child was forced to take her chances and she nearly lost. The other two that I was able to get immunized from the H1N1? No side effects, no problems, but they are now safe. Another favorite that I have heard is that the kids that are getting really sick or dying from this virus must not of been "that healthy" to begin with. Wrong, my daughter, among many others, was HEALTHY, no medical problems, no medications, a healthy diet, exercise, enough sleep every night, and even took her vitamins! For all you people that thinking you can "do everything right" and your child will not get this virus, you are sadly mistaken. And that might cost your child their life. Look at the statistics, how many kids have died from the H1N1 virus? Now... How many kids have died from receiving the vaccine?

Now, before the comments start... let me say this..

Yes, I know immunizing is a highly personal choice, but I just dont think people are making that choice well informed. I think you need to know what can happen, if you "take your chances"

Yes, I know that for the majority, this virus behaves like the normal flu, they have a few days of feeling crappy, and then recover. But what if your child doesnt end up falling in the "majority"? Once its your child that becomes critically ill, no other statistics matter. Also, keep in mind, there are LOTS of kids and adults that get this virus who do NOT become critically ill that are still having long term problems. No matter which way you look at it, this virus has some very scary characteristics and some deadly and life altering complications and consequences.

I would have done anything to prevent my daughter from getting this illness. But I couldnt, the vaccine wasnt ready yet, I had no other choice. You do. Please get informed. Please get your child vaccinated.

My daughter was a HEALTHY 10 year old athletic girl with no medical conditions when she became life-threateningly ill with H1N1 on August 21st 2009. She spent 14 days in the pediatric intensive care unit, 8 of those in a medically induced coma on a ventilator. She did survive, but has had many ongoing issues.

This site was founded because of the need to spread the word that H1N1 is making HEALTHY kids critically ill! Many kids that survive the H1N1 virus are finding they have ongoing problems. Problems that arent being addressed or talked about in the media. We need to speak up! Please check back daily for informative articles, information and support! You can also email me at oneladymedic@yahoo.com

I also have a facebook page for H1N1 pediatric survivors, check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/H1N1-Pediatric-Survivors/159536069810?v=info