Im 3 months pregnant and i had what i thought was my alergies actin up so i called my obgyn n she told me i could take tylenol allergies..then come to find out it turned more into flu like symptoms. Me being me i thought i could only go to my obgyn for like the baby and u know female issues. so i went to see a dr that takes my insurance that our company uses for pre drug screening and Work comp issues. well they tested me for the flu/swine as i thought 10 minutes later a new girl comes inthe office n tells me i test pos. for swine..i had a heart attack i was like swine or the flu and sh said no the swine. so then she leaves n like 3 nurses come in with mask tell me to put one on and left like 30 minutes later a male dr comes in and i was like OK so do i have swine or the flu and he says no the common influenza a virus. so i was like then why is that girl tellin my i have swine and i dont..tht aint cool so he said no she shouldnt have told u that, see this is just the flu tester not a swine tester..but he said they will take another coulter n send it to the lab n call u monday with the results. well monday past and her it is friday a whole week and the dr’s office calls n says i need to go in for a follow up i test pos for swine..i was like how if i’m not even sick anymore then the dr gets on n is like well if ur not sick anymore then ur natural body defenses have fought off the virus..Right about now i was thinkin aint this a deadly virus and ur going to tell me my pregnant body fought this virus off with no presribed meds..just over the counter sudafed n tylenol. So i called my obgyn concerned about the baby and let them know what had happed at this other dr’s office she then prescribed me a medicine called “themaflu” for the swine..i’m scared to take it thinkin what if this stupid dr’s office i went to told me i had swine when i dont and i take this pill and i dont even haveit.. i’m not sick at all anymore but i’m kind of unsure if even if i’m not sick does the virus still live in my body..and i still carrying it around and able to pass it. Do i even have or did i even have it to begin with. I’m thinkin about going to another dr to get tested again n see im still infected. Is this therma flu pill for swine ok to take even if ur not sure if you have the swine?? will it have any effect on my baby??
Tags: Alergies, Body Defenses, Comp Issues, Coulter, Deadly Virus, Drug Screening, Flu, Flu Like Symptoms, Flu Symptoms, Heart Attack, Influenza, Influenza A Virus, Meds, New Girl, Nurses, Pregnancy, Pregnant Body, Sudafed, Swine, Swine Flu, Tylenol, Work Comp
Well, 99.9% of influenza cases occurring at this time are pandemic H1N1, also known as “swine flu”. Not everyone gets severe symptoms. In fact you are lucky to have emerged unscathed, since in the hardest hit countries, the mortality (death) rate for pregnant women with pandemic H1N1 was 1 in 3. (33%).
The test the nurses had was checking for antibodies to the influenza A virus or possibly they used a specific test for pandemic H1N1. H1N1 is a form of type A influenza. The only difference is that virtually no one has immunity (neither partial nor total immunity) to this virus. A few people born prior to 1957 may have partial immunity (8 to 10 percent of them), but this is even doubtful since antibodies often don’t remain in the body after 50 years.
You are immune to pandemic H1N1 now, so there is no need to worry. If you don’t feel well, get plenty of rest and take it easy. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) was prescribed for you and is most effective if taken within 48 hours of the onset of fever. Since you are over the infection, I don’t think it will do anything beneficial. I don’t think it is harmful to the baby because it is not Category X, but risk vs. benefit is always considered and any pregnant woman with the early signs of pandemic H1N1 infection would routinely be treated with Tamiflu for a minimum of 5 days.
You can still infect people for 8 to 10 days after infection, so take care to use a tissue or cough into your sleeve if you still have a cough.
Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest. Good luck. I think it is over and you won’t get it again. You should look into getting the seasonal influenza vaccine as that too has complications in pregnant women, not only pandemic H1N1.