A Rodeo Family: Influenza Round 2

We have had a long week at the Whitaker household. Sunday afternoon Jenae started running a fever. I did not think much of it because she I found her playing outside several times on Saturday with out a jacket on and it was not a real warm day on Saturday. She had a bit of a cold on Saturday and I just figured it had settled in her ears or sinus. She ran a fever all day on Monday & by Tuesday I had Kyle take her to the doctor hoping to get an antibiotic in her so she could get well before her AWANA program on Wednesday evening. I had a meeting in Grand Island and on my way there I got a phone call from the doctor telling me Jenae had Influenza. I was totally shocked as I did not realize Influenza was still making its way around. My girls both had Influenza B when it went through the Chambers School & I never dreamt we would be getting hit again with it again, but I was wrong. This time it was Influenza A. I know what you are all wondering, didn't your kids get the flu shot??? My answer to that is NO! Now before you get all judgemental on me for not wanting my kids to get the flu shot there is something you must know about to understand my thinking. My little girl Aubree was 6 months old when she got the Rotavirus vaccine. It was the vaccine that caused her to get Intussusception. Intussusception is when your small intestine slides into your large. I had to stand by and watch my 6 month old baby get strapped to a board and put on a life flight helicopter to Children's Hospital where she underwent unthinkable test and emergency surgery to remove part of her small intestine. All because I had made the decision to have her have the Rotavirus vaccine. So you see I take the side effects and warnings very serious now and I know there are side effects that go with the flu shot. Are they common? No, but it can happen. One of the side effects from the flu shot is Guillain Barre. I have 3 people in my life that have had Gillian Barre Syndrome. It was a miserable week for Jenae, but today she is as good and new and will make a full recovery from the flu. To me the risks of the side effects out weight the risks of what Influenza does to a healthy little girl. All that being said, I am not a mother that opposes the vaccines that are required to get into school, but any voluntary one I say NO THANK YOU to!!!

At this point no one else in our family has come down with Influenza. They put Jenae & Aubree both on Tamiflu. The meds were really hard on Jenae but Aubree seems to be getting along ok and knock on wood she has yet to come down with it.

Before Jenae got sick we had a good weekend. Jenae had a friend come for a sleep over. It is the first time Jenae has got to have someone that was not related to her spend the night. She and Emma had a lot of fun. Emma is such a sweet little girl, we enjoyed having her stay.

Friday night we went to a kids fair in Bartlett. It was a nice family outing.