News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

[wotan]

Our daughter had a routine checkup with her pulmonologist today. While there we discussed the pandemic. I learned something interesting while we were there. In a normal summer, TCH has one (1!) confirmed case of flu. This summer, there have been 100 lab confirmed cases of swine flu at the hospital. Based on this, our pulmonologist expects a very bad season and that it will likely start when schools reopen, which happens in about 2-3 weeks.

He is writing Tamiflu scripts for his CF patients, so we have one now. Unfortunately, at our daughter's age she needs the liquid form which can't be made ahead of time, so we will have to hold onto the paper and wait for her to get sick before we fill it. I inquired about Relenza but he said the respiratory effects we not good for people with CF.

I brought up flu in the context of any possible trips to the ER we might have to make. I am concerned about going there for non-respiratory problems and exposing the entire family to flu. He said in May when we had an outbreak they did multiple levels of triage outside of the ER to separate people into ILI and non-ILI, etc, and to keep them in different elevators once they were in the hospital.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

.........in May when we had an outbreak they did multiple levels of triage outside of the ER to separate people into ILI and non-ILI, etc, and to keep them in different elevators once they were in the hospital.

They're a role model for the nation. :applause:

Now, if the schools would set up a similar system they might lower CAR also.

.

 

[wotan]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

They're a role model for the nation. :applause:

Now, if the schools would set up a similar system they might lower CAR also.

.

TCH was rated #2 in respiratory illness on the US by US News and World Report. They also run (with Baylor College of Medicine) one of the top Cystic Fibrosis Clinics in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's system.

 

[Zac]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

He is writing Tamiflu scripts for his CF patients, so we have one now. Unfortunately, at our daughter's age she needs the liquid form which can't be made ahead of time, so we will have to hold onto the paper and wait for her to get sick before we fill it.

Couldn't you could get the tamiflu capsules and dissolve them in water when needed? (it would probably be nasty tasting/bitter)

 

[wotan]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

Couldn't you could get the tamiflu capsules and dissolve them in water when needed? (it would probably be nasty tasting/bitter)

I asked if the regular form can be compounded, he said he was unsure. I can certainly get it filled within 48 hours of symptoms. She is registered at many local pharmacies, including some 24 hour ones.

 

[appleblossom]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

wotan, I would look into getting some standard capsules, just in case you can't get the syrup when you need it.

In herbal medicine there are a lot of tricks to getting kids to take nasty tasting herb powders. One way that might work with the tamiflu pills is used a lot in children's herbalism, you make a medicinal "candy". Crush up your pill, mix with a small amount of peanut butter and honey, and then roll in sesame seeds, choc chips, raisins, or coconut flakes, whatever your daughter likes. Only do one pill at a time that way you know that one candy ball = one dose.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: News from Texas Children's Hospital (Houston)

For young, or small, children you need less than a full dose. It has to be carefully measured. There is a technique for this - I will find it and post it here as an edit (if Sally hasn't got it at her fingertips!)

The method I have found requires mixing the powder into liquid (juice?) then dividing liquid. It would have to be thoroughly mixed to be accurate - and I don't know if tamiflu would be stable in something acidic.