Cold vs. flu symptoms

My smart phone has last its mind and taken some of my writing along with it.


They don't call those blackberries "crackberries" for nothing.


I'm having frustrated withdrawals.


It started last Sun. when my text messages refused to go through and then progressed to where the bad text messages took over my email settings. 


I can't type my posts on there anymore, because there's no way to retrieve them.


The internet has never worked well, and it now needs to go to the phone physician (i.e. Verizon), but I stayed home resting yesterday, having no desire to do anything other than nap to recover from chemo last Thurs.


Today, my phone isn't the only thing that needs a physician. I picked X up from school yesterday and brought him home with a friend for a playdate.


Immediately after school he doubled over in pain complaining of his stomach, but I couldn't tell if he pulled a muscle, had a cramp, or had an ache.


Then when we got home, he only played for 5 min! He sat on the couch asking to watch tv. He didn't want a snack. He didn't want a drink. He didn't want to play outside to swim, play in he sandpit, or go to his fort. He wasn't even talking. He was not acting right.


He felt hot and with this change in behavior, I brought out of thermometer: 101.7.


UGH. I quickly called his friend's mom, apologizing profusely.


Worse, X was sick, missing three days last week for a vicious upper respiratory infection or "cold."


A cold is: 

• Transmitted through touch.
• Results from contact with individuals or objects.
• May begin slowly, two or three days after infection with the virus.
• Usually starts with a sore throat, followed by sneezing and a runny nose.
• May experience a yellow or green nasal discharge, congestion, or a slightly elevated temperature.
• Hacking cough, fatigue, and weakness are common.
• Symptoms generally last two days to a week.

Yes, poor X had all those symptoms. I kept him home Weds. so I wouldn't be "that mother," the first to introduce infection to the school, before I scampered off to treatment.

His three day absence (Weds-Fri) with the illness wasn't appreciated. He's been told not to miss any more school having been absent 5 days all ready. 


X's new symptoms started Tuesday night. He couldn't sleep. He ached. He kept getting up to take baths. He was lethargic, but went to school trying to ward off trouble after being spoken to about his excused absences. 


Now, It's possible he's infected the whole school by going to school on an infectious day with a fever. He's complaining of a headache and experiencing extreme chills. His fever is out of control. 


I've been alternating motrin/ibuprofren and tylenol, which got his fever down to 98.6 shortly last evening, but couldn't get it lower than 100.5 last night. This morning, prior to more tylenol, it was 102.8.


Unfortunately, this is looking like the flu. 


The flu is:

• Transmitted by air.
• Just being in a room with germs. Headache, dry cough, and chills often signal sudden onset.
• Muscle aches, often in the legs and back, or a high fever.
• May experience extreme fatigue—a "knocked out" feeling.
• Respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and sore throat are common.

I don't know if the flu has even been seen yet. The strain must have been identified since a vaccine has been made so it's been seen somewhere.


IF I didn't want to be the mom that gave the school a cold I certainly don't want to be the one to introduce the flu.


Pray for us, especially my little man. We'll be headed to the doctor's as soon as possible.