RSV- Nothing To Take Lightly
Thank God, my grandaughter Sarah is better. She spent the eleventh week of her life at Children’s Hospital recovering from RSV. I didn’t know a lot about RSV then. I do now. It’s a nasty bug that can make children pitifully sick. Here’s what the Centers For Disease Control’s Infectious Disease People say about it on its website:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age. Illness begins most frequently with fever, runny nose, cough, and sometimes wheezing. During their first RSV infection, between 25% and 40% of infants and young children have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis or pneumonia, and 0.5% to 2% require hospitalization. Most children recover from illness in 8 to 15 days. The majority of children hospitalized for RSV infection are under 6 months of age. RSV also causes repeated infections throughout life, usually associated with moderate-to-severe cold-like symptoms; however, severe lower respiratory tract disease may occur at any age, especially among the elderly or among those with compromised cardiac, pulmonary, or immune systems.
Sarah was very, very sick. The people at Children’s- all of them -were exceptional in their care. And I don’t see how they do it- it’s tough to listen to the little hoarse cries of a sick child. As I have said before, I’ve seen some pretty tough things in my life. But I still can hardly stand to see a suffering child. Sarah is improving and will probably be succeptable to colds for a while. I understand there is a kind of vaccine available for RSV, but it’s expensive. I wonder if the insurance company executives get it for their children.
This week, I have been struggling through some kind of crud, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a form of RSV. Maybe FGRSV..Fat Guy RSV. And I wonder if one of a zillion tiny little coughs somewhere passed it along to me. It’s nothing glamorous..just a snotty nose, congestion and all kinds of misery. Hallerin and I have considered buying one of those little teapot instruments to pour some hot poltice into our noses. I don’t know about you, but a teapot spout up my nose is a little more than I need right now.
I used about a quart of Afrin. Have you ever calculated the cost of Afrin per gallon? I did. Let’s say you buy the generic, or get the real deal on sale for five dollars per ounce. There are 128 ounces in a gallon. That makes Afrin figure up to a whopping $640 dollars an ounce. Along with that,I invested in a saline spray that is half the price of nasal decongestant. It doesn’t make me feel any better that salt water in a plastic bottle sells for $320 dollars an ounce. And I just got a prescription for some stuff that will cost ME $20 for a half-ounce, and no telling what the insurance company pays per gallon. Plus, I got another prescription that would cost around a hundred bucks if I didn’t have good insurance.
At the doctor’s office today, I heard that a lot of people are dealing with the same thing. They have also probably bought a hundred bucks worth of over-the-counter nostrums…just like I did before I decided to give in and as they say in the TV commercial “consult my healthcare professional” and get some stuff that works.
The nurses also said a couple of people came in with the real flu today. Lots of people think they have the flu. But unless you feel like you have been run over by a manure truck, kicked in the belly by a linebacker, and force fed a live weasel- trust me, it ain’t the flu.
My advice to you grown ups who think you can lick most any illness with over the counter stuff..listen to the Viagra commercial. Use the four-hour rule. If your crud lasts four hours or longer…see your “health care professional”.
Hey Dave, love ya on news talk. Here’s some info for you:
Synagis is the RSV injection. It is not a vaccine - it does not contain the RSV strain. It is available to a limited population: preterm, low birthweight babies who are born within a certain time frame in referrence to the RSV season. They also make exceptions for extremely ill children, such as those babies with heart and/or lungs defects. Basically, those who have great potential to die from RSV are those that qualify for the injection. Most healthy babies will get RSV usually during the first year of life and exhibit nothing more than a snotty nose. The average cost is $1800 per injection - which last for 30 days, therefore, the shot must be given monthly. My son was born 8 weeks premature and has Reactive Airway Disease (RAD). It was a fight, but we managed to get him qualified for the Synagis injection, thank the good Lord. I truly believe between that and STRICK handwashing, he has managed to remain healthy this cold/flu/rsv season.
That being said, if you’re child doesn’t qualify for Synagis, and most won’t, you can prevent it with some common sense. If you have a small baby, say less than 1 year old, limit outside visitors. It may seem rude to others but you have to protect your child. Stay clear of crowded places - the grocery store, etc. Wash hands often and well. A good rule of thumb is to sing the Happy Birthday song a couple of times while washing your hands with warm water and soap. Antibacterial soap is not needed and studies show that it may be more harmful than good. If you can’t wash your hands use the alcohol hand gels or wipes. And if someone you know is sick, stay clear.
If your child has a runny nose and a fever, is may be RSV. Antibiotics will not help. RSV is a virus. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Treat with rest and fluids. However, if your child begins to exhibit signs of breathing difficulties (heavy breathing, breathlessness, blue color around lips, wheezing) get to the ER immediately. Once RSV progresses to this stage the child can deteriorate quickly.
You can find more info about Synagis and RSV at : http://www.synagis.com.
Thanks!
Lindsay, Registered Nurse and Proud Preemie Mommy!!
Alex had RSV and I think that was when he was 4 months old. We lived in Minnesota at the time and we had to take him to the doctor on the day that it hit 59 degrees BELOW ZERO.. WITHOUT WINDCHILL…over 90 below with windchill.
Sidenote on that - it was so cold that I started my car an HOUR before leaving work, drove 45 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, parked in the underground heated garage at our apartment complex, got Kathy and Alex in the car, drove a quarter mile to the doctor’s office, left my car running during the 90 minutes we were there, drove home……AND NEVER GOT HEAT IN MY CAR!!
Back to the RSV, scary stuff, especially to first time parents.
That RSV is something for me to pass along. My Grandson will be 2 in June. He is out of state, but seems he has spent WAY to much time in the hospital in his first year, up to recent, all a respiratory type problem, always viral…? He has to have breathing treatments two times a day and sometimes still wheezes and has a “cracking” wet type sound in his chest. It breaks my heart, they claim severe asthma, but I have never heard that RSV mentioned that I can recall. It started soon after he was born , and he tends to get quite sickly at times. May not be the cause but would liike to find out more.
Thanks for your blog, love listening to you, you are a funny guy! (ha!ha! funny) not the other kind. God bless that sweet Grandbaby, you and your family. Keep making me laugh, I NEED A LOT of help laughing. Thanks HMK
Hey Dave, been thinking, if one was interested in setting up their own Blog, what is the best way to do it? I have checked around a little, seems complicated, money? I think that would be a good blog topic. Thanks