Venting ... Enter At Your Own Risk!

This post has been coming for a long time. It's something I have to write about but just didn't want to. It's the treatment we received or more like the lack of treatment received when the kids were sick with the flu.
This is going to be long. I'll start at the very beginning, see I didn't post any of this nonsense with my updates because at the time I was just concentrating on getting them better. OK here it comes.

Sunday, Oct 25th. Emmie gets up from her nap with a fever.I give her Tylenol and we get through the day. Nothing got me worried. My kids usually get fevers, it passes and nothing comes of it. She had her one year check up the next day, so I was confident that if this progressed into anything it would be caught.

Monday, Oct 26th. I go to wake up Olivia for school. She is very sick. High fever and body aches, head ache. The flu for sure. I asked her why she didn't come and wake me during the night. Her answer... I couldn't move. Now I'm getting concerned. I give Olivia medicine and thank God again that Em just happens to have an appointment today. I get the rest of the kids up and ready for school. Meanwhile I call Em's doctor to give them a heads up, I'm probably coming in with a baby who has the flu. I didn't know if they had a back door or other procedure to follow. The receptionist told me that someone would be downstairs and when it was my appointment time they would call for us and then we could go right up.When I got there for Em's appointment there was NO ONE downstairs. They did have a make shift waiting area set up but not a sole in sight. So I went upstairs. My eyes must have hit the wall across from me. There was wall to wall kids wearing lovely masks... all coughing their brains out! Welcome to Hell. This is where we sat for over an hour waiting to be seen. I'm thinking at this point if Em didn't walk in here with it she is walking out of here with it for sure, and the best part, because they new she had a fever she wasn't considered one of the healthy ones. The healthy little babes that came in were ushered into an examination room immediately. Finally they called her name. What happened next is the beginning of this fiasco. Her doctor walks in. I explain all her symptoms, and explain very clearly that Olivia is home with every symptom of the flu. He takes about 10 seconds to come to the conclusion that Em does not have the flu, but just some random virus. WHAT! Did I not speak English when I said Olivia was completely out of it at home? And what was not working in my favor was I had given Em Tylenol before we left so of course she wasn't looking too bad. OK, I'm thinking, he's the doctor, he must know. So for the moment I took his word , packed up Emilia and went home feeling relieved that it wasn't the flu.

Tuesday, Oct 27th. In the very early hours of Tuesday morning Andrew woke up with a fever. Ok, I thought, this "virus" is just going to go through all of them. By this time Em's fever was gone, it lasted only about 36 hours. She wasn't quite herself but she was much better. Her symptoms were behaving in the way a virus would.Olivia was still sick but had gotten up to eat and lay on the couch. There was an improvement but she was hanging on to the fever.
Back to Andrew. We treated him the same way, with Tylenol. Bella and Sophia so far were fine. Tuesday night at around 7:00pm Andrew started to get worse. Peter had taken the girls to gymnastics and then went to the office, Olivia was resting, and the baby was playing. Andrew although he was on Tylenol like the rest started to get really hot. I'm now doubting my Ped's diagnosis of just a virus. I went online to see what the symptoms of the H1N1 were. Nothing out of the ordinary, basically the same as the regular flu. Then I scroll down and see the symptoms of the H1N1 to watch for. It's an Emergency when:
1. The child runs a higher than normal fever...CHECK
2. When the child is dizzy... CHECK
3. When the child has trouble breathing... CHECK
4. When the child doesn't want to be held or comforted...CHECK
I had just asked Andrew if he wanted me to snuggle him, he was quite clear he did not! He told me he was dizzy and was having trouble breathing. I immediately called Peter and told him to get the girls and come home because we need to take him to the ER. We left the girls home, and took separate cars to the ER, in case they needed one of us at home. Peter took Andrew with him and I was just hysterical the whole way. Crying and praying, begging God to let Andrew be OK. We had just had two little girls die from this flu in our state and that's all I could think of.

As soon as they saw him at the ER, they took a flu test. This is where my mind started thinking. I'm thinking, why didn't Em's doctor do a flu test on her? Don't they have them? It was done pretty fast and easily here. What's up with that?

Meanwhile his test comes back positive for the Influenza A... basically they calling it the swine , because it's not flu season yet. My next words to the doctor took him by surprise..." so how do we get our hands on some Tamiflu"? You should have seen his face. Like I just knocked the wind out of him. His reply, knocked the wind out of me. He said " We got strict orders from above not to hand it out unless you are pregnant or have other exsisting health conditions, it's basically being rationed" WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!!!!!!!!! My son is siting here, barely sitting here and I'm not getting Tamiflu for him!!!!! Are you kidding!!! I'm about to completely loose it and I'm getting ready to tell him we have a baby with special needs at home, so we must have it, when he listens to Andrews chest and says that he hears a wheeze and would like us to go to the Children's Hospital (we went at the local ER, not the hospital). He thinks Andrew might have pneumonia. Their ex-ray shut down at 9:oo pm and it was nearly 10:00. I said no way, if we go there now we are going to be sitting in the flu infested waiting room until the sun comes up. It would be just as easy to come back here in the morning for the ex-rays. He insisted we go, and we held our ground, it was not the best for Andrew to go there . Finally, he respected our decision and wrote in his chart that he would be back in the morning for the ex-rays. As he was looking in Andrews chart he noticed he was seen in September for trouble breathing and a wheeze. You might remember that post titled The Fastest Pibble Popper. Anyway the doctor looks at me and says," Andrew has Asthma". No he does not, I reply. Yes he does it says in his chart that he was seen for a wheeze. A wheeze yes, but not Asthma I insist. The doctor looks at me and says, " If Andrew has Asthma I can prescribe Tamiflu".
There goes the light bulb. Gotcha doc! If you need to say Andrew has asthma to get him some Tamiflu then by all means , give that boy some asthma.
As I say a prayer of thanksgiving for this compassionate doctor who I am guessing wanted us to go to the hospital because he knew Andrew had pneumonia but without the proof from the ex-ray couldn't use that as a reason to prescribe Tamiflu, my mind can't help but wonder why "they" are literally tying the hands of doctors. Why can Tamiflu not be given to children who have the flu? Is there a shortage? Were they unprepared for the vast numbers getting the flu? I don't think so.
Thursday Oct 29th, Emilia and Andrew are seen at their own Pediatrician for a re-check. Peter and I both go. There are some questions that need to be addressed.
Question number one. Do you have flu tests here at the office? The answer, "Yes".Question number two, why wasn't Emilia tested for the flu on Monday. We don't know if she had it or not. If she did then Tamiflu could have been given to her and Olivia. Maybe Andrew would have been spared. My ped's intelligent well thought out answer to this question, " If I tested every runny nose that came in here, I would be out of tests in a week". Well that answer made my day and also made up my mind to get a new ped!!!!
Which brings me to this question, What the Hell is going on in RI. Is this corrupt little state rationing Tamiflu... the Liquid Gold. And why? The schools are empty, children are dying and still they don't want to hand out what will help. Something Stinks!!!!
No one has the vaccine either. The schools are getting it, but our school is scheduled to receive it on Dec 2nd. A little late if you ask me.
I've been livid about this all week The more I think about it the madder I get. Let me tell you, I have two girls who didn't get sick. I'm praying they don't, but if they do, you can bet they will be tested and they will get Tamiflu. I'm ready for a fight if it comes to that.
A twelve year old girl from RI was laid to rest on Halloween. She should have been getting ready to go trick or treating. What are her parents left with. Their doctor told them to treat her symptoms at home. Tylenol and liquids. Where was the tamiflu that could have saved her life. Her parents listened to the doctor, trusted him and their daughter is dead.
I'll be damned if I'll become a bobble head that takes the word of a doctor about this flu. There is a cover up and our ped got a little uncomfortable with the questions we were asking him.
I'd like to know if anyone else is experiencing any thing like this. Please comment. This is an outrage, they have medicine but with hold it.
That doctor in the ER that gave Andrew the Tamiflu put himself in the line of fire with his supervisors, I'm sure of that. I will always be grateful for what he did. It should not be that way!