Curse of the Stomach Flu

My poor baby girl has the stomach flu. In my quest to find some relief for her, I discovered that, in fact there is no such thing as the "stomach flu". It's gastroenteritis. Whatever, stomach flu is easier to say.

Hannah woke up at midnight last night throwing up. It was one of the saddest sights in the world to go running in her room and seeing her covered it puke. It continued on for many hours. Hannah is usually such a healthy child that it's so odd to see her curled up on the couch sound asleep at 10am. I stayed home from work today so I could take care of her. After only getting a few hours of sleep myself, it was kinda nice to just have a day to lay low and cuddle with my kids. Noah started acting a little cranky and fussy mid-morning so then I had 2 sick kids to take care of. Luckily after a nap, both kids had turned a corner and were acting much better.

I hate the flu. I had debated so long about getting the H1N1 vaccine. In the end, I got it. Mainly because I work in health care and one day a nurse came around and shoved the mist up my nose. Ok, I did have to sign a consent but still...it was a quick thing. With the nationwide shortage of vaccine a few months ago, my kids weren't eligible to receive it. Then the restrictions were lifted but I would have to go wait in line at the county health department to get it. Uhhh...no. I wasn't even sure I wanted them to have it. There is so much controversy about whether or not it's effective, was it too rushed in the making, is this just a epidemic fueled by the media and not hard facts? Joel and I really debated about it. At Noah's 9-month dr's visit, our doctor asked whether or not Noah had had the vaccine. I said no and he strongly suggested we consider getting it for him. Now that there's no longer a shortage, all dr's offices have the vaccine. So I gave in and he got the shot. Because he's under age 9, he has to get a 2nd shot in a few weeks. Hannah's getting her first dose then. She'll also have to get a 2nd shot. Not going to be a fun time. I'm still not sure it was the right decision but it's done.

There's so much controversy about all vaccines. It's crazy. My brother chooses to not have his kids vaccinated for anything. I personally think that's dumb. But they're not my children so it's not my call to make. I think there are some vaccines that are a little over the top. For example, chicken pox? Seriously? My mom tells stories about "chicken pox parties" where moms would bring their kids to a sick child's house just to expose their child and get it over with. My mom made all 3 of us get chicken pox at the same time. Hell for her but then it was done. While I appreciate the pharmaceutical companies wanting to spare moms from the agony of chicken pox, spend your R&D money on curing cancer, not chicken pox.