Our Family of 7 Got the Swine Flu

Note: WebMD employees are sharing stories about their experiences with swine flu as part of an occasional series: "WebMD Has Swine Flu."

By Donna Seigfried
Senior Editor

We have a full house: my husband, Keith (44), me (43), our four kids ranging from 2 to 15, and my mom (67). All of us got the flu, and we think we know how.

Friday night, August 21, was a big night in our community. The brand new high school had just opened for the first day of school on August 10, and on the 21st, the new football stadium was being dedicated. Athletes from all sports were being introduced, dads were making predictions about the new football team, little kids were running around playing ball, and moms were socializing.

There was plenty of hugging, hand shaking, and high-fiving going on that night between neighbors, teammates, and friends. Within 48 hours, many people in our neighborhood were suddenly sick, my 15-year-old son, Steven, and I included. Everyone else in our house followed within a few days.

While home sick from school, Steven’s friends were trading text messages about their symptoms. We all had the same thing: vomiting and/or diarrhea, sore throat, headache, fever of 101 to 103 for several days, body aches, and overwhelming fatigue.

Then the confirmations from other moms in our neighborhood started: “Patrick tested positive for flu.” “Michael was confirmed with H1N1.” “Marria has joined the club.” “Braedon has the swine flu and an ear infection.” Two people we knew had pneumonia. My friend Gail, a nurse, said her pediatrician’s office became so overwhelmed with patients that they stopped testing for flu type. If you tested positive for flu, the doctor was 98% sure it was swine flu.

So there we had it. With many around us being confirmed as swine flu cases and having the same symptoms we had, why go for a test and risk exposing others? We felt too horrible to leave the house anyway. We just stayed home and dealt with the flu in the usual way: sleeping and drinking fluids.

When I woke up on the Friday before Labor Day, my temperature was finally down around 99 and stayed slightly above normal all weekend. I had lost 10 pounds from the severe diarrhea and sweating. The Tuesday after Labor Day, I was diagnosed with bronchitis. I think we caught it just before it fully blossomed into pneumonia.

The directive from work was to stay out of the office until the symptoms were gone for 24 hours. Even though it felt strange to be home for so many days in a row, considering how fast this flu spread in our community, that was wise advice. Everyone in our house got over the flu, but altogether, it disrupted our lives for a little over two weeks.

Dr. Louise Chang, WebMD medical editor, comments on Donna's experience:
Donna's experience highlights how easy it really is for flu to spread. Experts estimate that spread of H1N1 swine flu will be greatest among school kids and households. In a recent news story, researchers estimate that an infected student will infect an average of 2.4 other students from school and the probability of an infected household member will infect someone else at home is 27%. If you are ill, following the CDC's recommendation to stay at home and infection control practices like covering coughs and hand-washing can prevent more people from getting sick.

Can a Mask Prevent Swine Flu?

While a mask could theoretically help prevent swine flu, it’s a bit much for most people and really not necessary at this point.

Sure, if someone is coughing or sneezing in your face, a mask might help. Also, if you know that you're going to be around someone with swine flu, such as a loved one, a mask might be warranted. But otherwise, that’s not the most effective strategy for preventing swine flu because you don't catch most respiratory viruses from people coughing in your face.

Here's what generally happens. Someone with a virus sneezes or coughs in their hand. Then, they touch something like an elevator button or a doorknob. You come along a few minutes later and touch that same button or knob. Then, without thinking about it, you touch your face – your mouth, nose, or eyes – and the virus takes hold of you.

As mundane as it sounds, the most effective way to prevent getting respiratory viruses like swine flu is washing your hands. But most of us don’t do it often enough and don’t do it the right way.

Obviously, the biggest risk is when you’re in a public place. So, I do whatever I can to not touch anything when I’m out and about – or at least make double sure not to touch my face out in public.

To be more specific, here’s my strategy when I go into a public restroom. It goes without saying that I make sure to not touch my face once entering the restroom. But after I’ve taken care of my business, I wash my hands for a good 20 seconds. I know it feels like a long time, but believe me, it’s worth it. Need to occupy yourself? Sing happy birthday -- twice -- to pass the right amount of time.

Then, when you’re done, don’t touch a thing but a paper towel. Contort yourself or do whatever you need to do to get that paper towel without touching anything else. Turn the water off using the paper towel. Open the door to leave the restroom with the paper towel. And don’t touch anything else with your hands – without the paper towel. I throw the paper towel away when I get back in my office.

Washing your hands is extremely important after you sneeze or cough into your hands. Not around soap and water? Alcohol-based hand gels are also very effective for killing flu viruses.

And if you have any swine flu symptoms, the CDC says call your doctor. It's also a good idea to practice social isolation. Keep to yourself until you’re all better to prevent spreading your germs around. To stay up to date on the latest swine flu news and for more strategies of staying healthy, check out WebMD’s Swine Flu Guide.

So did I convince you to wash your hands or are you still hankering for a mask? Let me know your thoughts.