Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=331056
Mom of H1N1 patient: Don't panic, but be alert
By Jamie Sotonoff
On Saturday, 6-year-old Dylan Flood played with his friends on the sidelines of a Rolling Meadows High School Youth Football game, where his dad is a coach.
Forty-eight hours later, the Kimball Hill Elementary School kindergartner was in Lutheran General Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit, hooked up to machines and battling a combination of the H1N1 flu virus, asthma and pneumonia.
Dylan's mother, Melinda Flood, has spent the past four nights sleeping next to her son while wearing the hospital scrubs, face mask and gloves required for anyone who enters his room.
"It's been scary," said Flood, a part-time waitress and part-time day care worker for the Rolling Meadows Park District. "I was so tired the first night, but I had to stay awake. I wanted to know everything that was going on."
On Thursday, Flood said Dylan's condition is improving and he could be out of the Park Ridge hospital in the next few days. She knows her son's asthma and other pre-existing respiratory conditions added to the severity of the H1N1 flu virus, but Flood said if she hadn't responded immediately to his symptoms, things could have been a lot worse.
She offered some advice to parents fearing - or dealing with - the H1N1 or seasonal flu virus.
"Don't panic," she said. "If someone has the flu, don't treat them like they have the plague. The flu has been around forever ... and Dylan will be OK. He's been through a lot, but that's not going to be every situation and every child."
However, Flood also urged parents of asthmatic children to be on high alert and trust their gut instinct if something doesn't seem right.
For Flood, it was when the usual dose of prescription Albuterol failed to open Dylan's lungs and ease his breathing. When their pediatrician recommended a chest X-ray, she did it immediately in the Northwest Community Hospital emergency room.
"He had gotten his flu shot in mid-September ... and this has been such a bad year for asthma. But we knew it was more than just asthma," she said.
The Floods' family and friends have rallied around them this week, providing a steady stream of care packages and assistance. Friend Monique Rundlett arranged for her colleague, Joe Merolillo, owner of Antioch-based Air Doctors, to professionally disinfect some of the rooms in the Flood's house at no charge.
"(Dylan's) on every prayer list from St. Collette to Willow Bend, and even in Texas," Melinda Flood said. "Everyone is asking what they can do. The response has been love, not panic. Dylan is everybody's friend ... for us, it's a comforting feeling."
Authorities from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the best way to prevent getting the flu is to cover coughs, frequently wash hands, and stay away from anyone who's infected.
That's why Melinda and Christian Flood, who are both now showing signs of the flu themselves, plan to keep their family away from everyone for a while.
"Dylan probably won't have any play dates for a while," Melinda said, laughing. "We're going to take the time we need to get ourselves better."
Mom of H1N1 patient: Don't panic, but be alert
By Jamie Sotonoff
On Saturday, 6-year-old Dylan Flood played with his friends on the sidelines of a Rolling Meadows High School Youth Football game, where his dad is a coach.
Forty-eight hours later, the Kimball Hill Elementary School kindergartner was in Lutheran General Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit, hooked up to machines and battling a combination of the H1N1 flu virus, asthma and pneumonia.
Dylan's mother, Melinda Flood, has spent the past four nights sleeping next to her son while wearing the hospital scrubs, face mask and gloves required for anyone who enters his room.
"It's been scary," said Flood, a part-time waitress and part-time day care worker for the Rolling Meadows Park District. "I was so tired the first night, but I had to stay awake. I wanted to know everything that was going on."
On Thursday, Flood said Dylan's condition is improving and he could be out of the Park Ridge hospital in the next few days. She knows her son's asthma and other pre-existing respiratory conditions added to the severity of the H1N1 flu virus, but Flood said if she hadn't responded immediately to his symptoms, things could have been a lot worse.
She offered some advice to parents fearing - or dealing with - the H1N1 or seasonal flu virus.
"Don't panic," she said. "If someone has the flu, don't treat them like they have the plague. The flu has been around forever ... and Dylan will be OK. He's been through a lot, but that's not going to be every situation and every child."
However, Flood also urged parents of asthmatic children to be on high alert and trust their gut instinct if something doesn't seem right.
For Flood, it was when the usual dose of prescription Albuterol failed to open Dylan's lungs and ease his breathing. When their pediatrician recommended a chest X-ray, she did it immediately in the Northwest Community Hospital emergency room.
"He had gotten his flu shot in mid-September ... and this has been such a bad year for asthma. But we knew it was more than just asthma," she said.
The Floods' family and friends have rallied around them this week, providing a steady stream of care packages and assistance. Friend Monique Rundlett arranged for her colleague, Joe Merolillo, owner of Antioch-based Air Doctors, to professionally disinfect some of the rooms in the Flood's house at no charge.
"(Dylan's) on every prayer list from St. Collette to Willow Bend, and even in Texas," Melinda Flood said. "Everyone is asking what they can do. The response has been love, not panic. Dylan is everybody's friend ... for us, it's a comforting feeling."
Authorities from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the best way to prevent getting the flu is to cover coughs, frequently wash hands, and stay away from anyone who's infected.
That's why Melinda and Christian Flood, who are both now showing signs of the flu themselves, plan to keep their family away from everyone for a while.
"Dylan probably won't have any play dates for a while," Melinda said, laughing. "We're going to take the time we need to get ourselves better."