So Long Tamiflu, Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

Ah, the days of freezepops, cannons, tomatoes, Betsy's garage, sunshine, Jeff's garden wall, marigolds, and sunflowers. I wasn't even thinking ahead to the day I would be writing a letter to Tamiflu. No - it isn't a girl with a bad name. It is that wonderful medication that, when taken within the first 48 hours, stops the flu virus from replicating.

Dear Tamiflu,

Thank you for quite possibly saving Aidan's life or at least a hospitalization. Thank you for stopping the H1N1 virus from replicating. Thank you for easing my worries. However, you have been a bit rude of a houseguest. Let me point these things out for you before I throw away your last pill with Aidan's pediatrician's permission.

• My dear sweet boy has been a bundle of confusion. He says conflicting things and they are hugely important. No - I want the pillows in my blanket tent. But I want them on the couch, too. But DON"T TAKE THEM OUT OF THE TENT! Signal BAWL.
• My bundle of joy woke up at 3 AM to tell me about the three scary dreams he had. He then proceeded to talk a mile a minute in complete gibberish. I sent him to the bathroom, tucked him in and all was better. For him, at least.
• My hunny bunny has been a mouthy terror. He sasses back in the most clever of ways. Some are even unprintable. When I asked him why he wasn't getting ready for his bath for the umteenth time yesterday, he said, "because I don't WANT to. How about that?"
• My little sunshine has struggled through depressing thoughts such as "my whole family hates me" (not true!), "i'm a bad boy" (mostly not true!), and "the cats hate me" (only one - and even he has been worried about Aidan).

While I appreciate what you have done for us, please forgive me for saying that I hope to never see you again.

Love, Sassypriscilla

Entered this post on Scribbit's November Write-Away Contest.

Comments

[mom]

Thank you for taking such wonderful care of our little boy.

[Sassy Priscilla]

Here is the deal. Aidan is one of those kids with the underlying conditions that die from the H1N1 virus. I tried my best to help him avoid it including getting him the damn vaccine on October 16. On Friday, he became ill and it wasnt too bad but Saturday night we ended up taking him to the emergency room as his fever hit 103 and he was miserable.

He tested positive for the H1N1 and because of his heart condition, it was recommended he receive the Tamiflu (also for asthma, blood clot history, diabetes and many other conditions). It should be given in the first 48 hours to work most effectively and what it does is stop the virus from replicating. It doesnt eliminate what a person already has - it just stops it from getting worse. Youll be hearing a lot more about Tamiflu in the news mostly because you will read about shortages.

So, anyway, one of the RARE side-effects is personality change. They warn you about it because in Japan after the bird flu, many teens got a little bonkers and one committed suicide. I would say that while Aidan wasnt bonkers, I was a bit because he was a real pill to deal with. Im sure some of it was from just being sick but there were some WEIRD things. We kept his fever at bay so I dont think the gibberish was from the fever but maybe. No speaking in tongues and I am sworn to secrecy about the Kennedy assassination.

We dont like popping pills too much either but we are pretty grateful to vaccines and the Tamiflu.

[Yanoff]

I think that your letter is a hoot. But aside from my inability to pick up on your sarcasm fully, can you elaborate? I've never known anyone who took prescription medication for the flu, but I anticipate this something I become more familiar with in the coming months.

Are you saying that he needed this medicine and it helped him initially, but after taking the medication it affected his mood and possibly his thoughts? Is that a known side effect? Is it possible that the feverish mind of a young child is want to speak gibberish? Did he resort to speaking in tongues? Did he indicate where the missing evidence is in the Kennedy assassination?

I'm glad he's feeling better, and although I'm not one to pop a pill unless it's absolutely necessary, I am glad if modern medicine made a difference in Aidan's life this week.