(no subject)

[cleolinda]

Sister Girl's in her bed crying because "the pain in her legs has gotten so bad" (I'm not sure what this is about, but the phrasing sounds like it's a chronic condition--from standing on her feet at work all day?) and she feels "really really hot, but really really cold at the same time." The latter indicated fever to me, so I went and got Advil (which, actually, is all we have on hand, I think). Is there something obvious I should do for her that I'm overlooking? I told her I'd check on her in half an hour.

ETA: Oh, shit, my mother thinks it's the flu.

ETA 2: Aw, hell, doctor says it's the flu.

Comments

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

You might take her temp to be sure. And give her an extra hug or two. (Speaking as a girl with a chronic illness, sometimes hugs are the absolute best medicine from anyone. Seriously.) I hope she feels better soon.

[ninjatachyon.livejournal.com]

Well, from someone who has horrible leg pain, you could maybe see if you have a heated blanket in the house to wrap around her legs. It helps for me. If there isn't a heated blanket available, a nice damp towel that is hot is a good alternative, just keep it warm. I'd also make sure she doesn't have a fever though.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

Ditto - heating pads or warm compresses can work wonders for things like that.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we got her the heating pad. We're also trying to get some water down her.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

Is she sick to her stomach? If she is, and she has trouble keeping liquid down, try to see if she can take a few spoonfuls of warm chicken broth. (Swanson's tastes the best. Their commercials do not lie.) It's mild and it's got some salt in it, so her system might be more likely to keep it down.

Lord, I hope it's not the "real" flu. :/

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

The Advil's probably about the only thing you can really do for her...if she has a fever, that'll help bring it down, and if the pain in her legs is due to inflammation of some kind, the Advil should help with that, too.

[sea-of-tethys.livejournal.com]

It couldn't be menstrual problems, could it? I sometimes get quite bad pains in my legs at that time of the month, and often feel kind of feverish. Check her pulse and see if the Advil helps.

[chaos-slave.livejournal.com]

There was a flu like virus that went around last year, that will cause bad leg cramps and aches. My sister in-law had it last year and said she felt like someone was taking a baseball bat to the calves of her legs.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah... it's starting to look like that's what it might be. Shit.

[ajs1.livejournal.com]

Drugs could be the problem, and/or they could be the solution.

[fools-game.livejournal.com]

Mild painkillers - ibuprofen and paracetamol can both be taken at the same time. Plenty of fluids. If she says she's cold and feels cold to you, leave her to huddle, but if she feels hot to touch, get the blankets off her. Maybe heat packs for her legs.

[editornia.livejournal.com]

Prop her up with pillows (behind her back/head), raise her leg/knee/ankle with some more pillows, make sure leg is not swollen (if it is, obviously put an ice-pack on it instead of heat), check her temperature -not just back of hand against forehead, but with a good thermometer, under her tongue-, cover her up in blankets/quilts (whether she's hot or not), force fluids on her -make sure she drinks plenty of fluids, and make sure she has enough salts in her system -maybe have her drink tomato juice with salt in it? And then call a doctor...

Good Luck!

[kilted.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's how I used to get when I had the flu... I felt super achy and my temp would go crazy. I hope it doesn't last long and that she gets well soon, the poor girl.

[arpeggiodreams.livejournal.com]

Any redness/swelling in her legs? What does the pain feel like (burning, aching, tearing, etc)? What makes it worse? What makes it better? Any difficulties breathing?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

God, I hope she feels better. I'm sick now too, but not with that.

[chocotaku.livejournal.com]

if her temp is normal, i've had extremity pain from my anxiety disorder and panic attacks. a good swig of gin should hold her off till a doctor can see her.

[0-mile-marker.livejournal.com]

Push her to drink lots of clear fluids; if she's running a fever, she'll dehydrate faster and it will take longer to recover. When I was taking care of a flu patient in the hospital, they had them on massive IV fluids, but drinking will be much easier in this case. ^_^

Hope Sister Girl feels better.

[bigeyedrabbit.livejournal.com]

Aw shit, not the flu. Poor gal.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this sounds something like what I had a few years ago. Chills, fever, serious aches in the joints (I had to walk with a cane, and my legs are normally the strongest part of my body). If that's what she has, she'll be out of commission for a couple of weeks. Make sure she gets plenty of water, because when I had it I got really dehydrated and the skin on my hands peeled and cracked.

[lady-tolwen.livejournal.com]

Aw, having the flu sucks. Once I had the flu and a stomach virus at the same time...not fun. OK, if this is the flu make sure she does as prescribed up top, but also get her some green tea and plenty of Vitamin C. Seriously, this stuff works. If she starts getting sick to her stomach, try some clear liquids like Sprite or ginger ale, or some mint tea. When I was young, whenever I went to this lady's house I would start vomitting every Sunday (odd isn't it?), and she would give me mint tea. I hated the stuff, but it worked like a charm.

[rahrahmah.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is totally off topic and all but: You got sick every time you went over to this persons house and you never thought maybe they were causing it somehow?

[lady-tolwen.livejournal.com]

Hm, perhaps, but at the time, I was between 4-6 years old. And then I didn't visit them for years. But when I visited them again when I was eleven, I was perfectly fine. But then again, they moved from a house in the woods to a trailer in the woods, maybe that did it? The mint tea did curb my vomiting though.

[mokeyhokey.livejournal.com]

Aw, I hope she feels better soon.

If her legs are still bothering her, make sure her joints are slightly bent (so basically, put a pillow or two under her knees). It's always made mine feel a little better after especially intense physical therapy sessions.

[tsl-aggie.livejournal.com]

not meant to scare you, but, 7 years ago my brother had those same symptoms (severe body aches, esp in the joints, and fever, chills, etc). We thought it was the flu, drs thought it was the flu or mono... it only got worse. It was only after he was in hospital for 3 weeks and had 2 spinal taps that we found out it was viral meningitis.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I have no better advice than that given above (other than take her to a doctor, obviously) so I will just send good thoughts her way. Also, try not to catch it! *hug*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Since I'm the one having to look after her--if I come down with it, I swear I'll kill her.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I think this calls for a campaign to get Peter Saarsgard to send you one of his masks. We can't afford to have our Cleo out sick! *clings*

Well, at the very least, try not to let her breathe on you...

[t4-flirt.livejournal.com]

you seem to have gotten plenty of helpful advice, so i will just send lots of "feel better" vibes your way for Sister Girl.

[girlalmighty]

Ack, flu! Poor thing. I hope she feels better and that y'all don't start catching it, too. ♥

[quasar360.livejournal.com]

I hope your sister gets better quickly!

If the leg pain is from being on her feet all day and not just a part of her flu-related aches, encourage her to stretch her legs gently during and after long periods of standing. For me, calf stretches are amazing at eliminating leg pain, since my problem is overly tight Achilles tendons (it's surprising how much overall foot and leg pain can come from just those tendons pulling on everything else).

[animejosse.livejournal.com]

That sucks, I hope she gets better soon. The others have already offered tips on what to do, so I'm sending my wishes instead.

I hate to come with a link like this, but I feel this is too horrible to ignore: Children are targets of Nigerian witch hunt (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2224553,00.html)

[r-a-black.livejournal.com]

*sneezes* Yep, we all know it's that time of the year.

[unwoundfantasy.livejournal.com]

Aw crap. Flu. :(

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that sucks. Have you had your shot?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Foolishly, no. I'd heard so many things about people getting sick *because of* the shot that I thought, I don't get out much, I'll risk it. Not considering, of course, that my sister gets out *a lot* and works in food service, which is up there with "kindergarten teacher" as one of the great infection risks.

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

Oh noes. Good luck with that. Wash your hands lots and lots.

And, you know, for future reference and all (for the sis, too), the flu vaccine doesn't contain a live virus, and it's impossible to catch the flu from the vaccine.

[lady-tolwen.livejournal.com]

Screw the flu shot, even when I did get I still got the flu. Keep taking your vitamins, and if you get a *hint* of a sniffle, blast the sucker w/ good ol' vitamin C. I haven't gotten sick in over a year cuz of that. ^_^ The worst thing I've had was a 24 hour cold last October.

[maliekai.livejournal.com]

Ack! Flu shot very, very bad for your body! Please do your research before you consider getting it!! I am curious, is there a reason why developing a case of the flu is such a big deal for your sister? It is just kind of one of those things that happens and there's not much you can do but wait it out and be as comfortable as possible... or does it hit her especially hard?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, I hadn't thought of it as a big deal until I was sitting up with her last night while she sobbed in pain for two hours--the leg pains, for whatever reason, that seem to go with this strain of flu. I mean, none of us got flu shots *because* we didn't think of the flu as a big deal, as compared to the side effects of actually getting the shot.

[maliekai.livejournal.com]

Oof, I see. That's brutal. :(

[elbales]

Yuck. I hope you don't catch it and that she feels better soon.

I got a flu shot. *crosses fingers*