Flovent (Fluticasone Propionate)

My Household Routine for Swine Flu (Or any Flu)

I know I don’t need to update anyone here on the Blog of Inferior Breathing with swine flu developments (except I just did). Parenting a kid with respiratory problems has a way of ramping up your typical pandemic monitoring a notch or ten.

Today I want to talk prevention and avoidance.

In my original swine flu post, I mentioned preparing but not panicking, to no one’s great surprise, I’m sure. My daughter’s asthma entails extra prep all the time, anyway, from giving an asthma action plan to the school to filling prescriptions before traveling anywhere. I’m used to this sort of thing, and I’m sure you are, too. If there were ever an advantage to a kid’s chronic health issue, this familiarity with thinking and planning ahead would be it. Of course, that advantage is seriously outweighed by the respiratory dangers our kids face in a flu outbreak, but too much of that kind of thinking is an all-cloud/no lining situation.

So.

Yesterday on the phone, I told my sister some of the steps I’m taking to keep the girls healthy and (hopefully) flu-free. She said, “Hey, those are good ideas.” When she described a step I hadn’t thought of, I said, “Hey, that’s a good idea.” Which led to:

Hey, let’s move this discussion on over to the blog.

Especially, after reading this comment on the previous swine flu post:

I am in BC (Canada) and we have now had six cases of this flu - although none close geographically to us. I too, have an asthmatic child (four-years-old) and he is currently getting over a cold.

My question is I would like to ensure he is as physically prepared as possible to combat this flu if he happens to contract it. I have been thinking keeping him on a twice-daily does of flovent and have the Ventolin on hand for acute care.

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