Flu

[hazel_eyes]

I have what I believe is the flu but am thinking of going to the doctor tomorrow, if I can, to make sure that it's not morphed into bronchitis.  Before Christmas last year I was out of work 9 days due to bronchitis.  This year, I have only missed 2 days but after the weekend to recover I am still not feeling great and worried about attempting to go in tomorrow. Not sure if it's wise. I am better in some ways but not in others.  I don't have to be fully well to get back to work but my head is so full that when I stand I feel a bit unsteady and I have a bit of chest pressure (under ribcage) that reminds me of how I felt last year with bronchitis. I'd like to go back to work this week... I don't want to miss so many days before Christmas holiday AGAIN this year - but I don't want to push myself before I should either.

I'll probably know what to do when I wake up tomorrow but I'll get up as if I'm going to work. Today, I didn't even have the energy to take a shower.

What would you do if you were me?? (I have plenty of sick days that's not the issue and my workplace is fairly understanding and I'm sure no one wants this. I just don't want to be wimpy and stay out more days than I need to.)

[Ginger Rella]

If there is even the hint that you might be contagious.... stay home.

Next year, come Sept.... no later.... get a flu shot. Then if you feel like it is warranted get another in Jan.

[hazel_eyes]

Funny thing is I got the flu shot earlier in November!! I guess they're only 20% effective this year. And at least in Canada they come into effect 10 days after the flu shot.

[Ginger Rella]

Funny thing is I got the flu shot earlier in November!! I guess they're only 20% effective this year. And at least in Canada they come into effect 10 days after the flu shot.

Yes, I have been told allow 2 weeks for them to come into effect.

Now, in the US ... not sure about Canada... we have a regular dose and a high dose.

I was told 2 years ago, at the pharmacy, to always ask for the high dose as they do not openly offer it but always have it for the elderly, more fragile, and diabetics and will give it if asked.

Next year check if you have the higher dose.

I still would stay home if you are contageous.

[hazel_eyes]

Have never heard of that but can look into it next year. I am considering staying home AND going to the doctor. I feel a bit of chest tightness like I did last year (same time of year) when I had bronchitis. Though if it's like last year, they couldn't do anything as it was viral.

[hazel_eyes]

I didn't have bronchitis thankfully and I started to feel better before Christmas but then after Christmas, I came down with a bad cold (had a fever too but just last night) - there were many in my family who were sick with colds/bronchitis at Christmas and just before.  I have the rest of today, tomorrow, and Monday to rest this off. I'm back to work Tuesday.

[mommydi]

I didn't have bronchitis thankfully and I started to feel better before Christmas but then after Christmas, I came down with a bad cold (had a fever too but just last night) - there were many in my family who were sick with colds/bronchitis at Christmas and just before.  I have the rest of today, tomorrow, and Monday to rest this off. I'm back to work Tuesday.

Sorry you're having a rough time of it, hazel. It's so easy to get run down during the holiday season. A couple of days before Christmas, I felt that coming-down-with-something feeling, scratchy throat, sore glands in my neck, start of a runny nose, light chills, etc. I did what I usually do to stop it cold - stop taking in any sugar, drink lots of water, and take two oil of oregano capsules twice a day, and a few chlorella tablets. That nearly always stops it before it can get too far gone, and it did.
I'm a firm believer in oil of oregano capsules and so is my daughter. She travels to weird, exotic locations just for the fun of it  and always brings oil of oregano to take while traveling. She never gets sick while abroad.

[Texas Conservative]

When i feel a cold coming on, i sip have a coffee cup full of whiskey before bed.

[Jaime]

Feel a cold coming on often I assume?

[Texas Conservative]

Feel a cold coming on often I assume?

No.  I dont particularly care for whiskey.  But some of the folk remedies work.

[mommydi]

Nyquil used to help me more than anything (probably the alcohol) but it messes with my BP now, so that's off the list. 

[hazel_eyes]

I might have to look into oil of oregeno. I'm still about the same. Not horrible but a general malaise and a "phlegmy" kind of cough and runny nose. I guess it could be the flu? My lungs were clear before Christmas so no bronchitis or pneumonia. I'll go BACK to the doctor Tuesday IF I'm not well enough to go back to work.  Maybe I should think more positively but this has stayed about the same the last few days and I even had a fever (100.5) with it 2 days ago.

[mommydi]

I might have to look into oil of oregeno. I'm still about the same. Not horrible but a general malaise and a "phlegmy" kind of cough and runny nose. I guess it could be the flu? My lungs were clear before Christmas so no bronchitis or pneumonia. I'll go BACK to the doctor Tuesday IF I'm not well enough to go back to work.  Maybe I should think more positively but this has stayed about the same the last few days and I even had a fever (100.5) with it 2 days ago.

hazel, I think the only way to know for sure if you have the flu is to get tested. Has the doctor swabbed your nose and tested you? Last winter, I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a Mack truck and knew it was something big - so I went straight away to my doctor. He did a nose swab and it came back positive for Type A. I hadn't had the real flu in probably over 20 years. It took me weeks to recover and that hang-on cough and fatigue didn't let up. Weeks of it! Each time I tried to resume my normal activities, I felt like I would faint. My son is a critical care nurse, so I had him come over and listen to my lungs a couple of times to make sure I wasn't headed into pneumonia with that relentless coughing and severe fatigue.
OTOH, my mom thought she had the flu last winter, but her tests came back negative, and she just had a stubborn case of bronchitis. It's just hard to tell without a good old nose swabbing at the doctor's office.

[hazel_eyes]

The doctor listened to my lungs when I went a week or so ago but didn't swab anything. I most likely will go back to dr. on Tuesday, especially if I'm not well enough to go back to work. Sounds like your case was worse than what mine is. I haven't don't much of anything since Christmas and even then it was just hanging out with family so nothing strenuous. I need to go to the drugstore today so that will be a good test of how I REALLY feel.

[Ginger Rella]

When i feel a cold coming on, i sip have a coffee cup full of whiskey before bed.

A whole cup? Bet you sleep well 

An old family recipe... NO... do not do this, dang it...

A cup of tea with a health spoonful... like a serving spoon size of Rock Rye Whiskey...

You can buy it where spirits are sold and has pieces of fruit in it and you use that and add pieces of rock candy.

We did buy a bottle of the rye with the fruit and some rock candy a couple of years ago.... It is aging nicely.

Someone can make a toast at my wake 

[Texas Conservative]

A whole cup? Bet you sleep well 

An old family recipe... NO... do not do this, dang it...

A cup of tea with a health spoonful... like a serving spoon size of Rock Rye Whiskey...

You can buy it where spirits are sold and has pieces of fruit in it and you use that and add pieces of rock candy.

We did buy a bottle of the rye with the fruit and some rock candy a couple of years ago.... It is aging nicely.

Someone can make a toast at my wake 

I buy Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire so I can stomach the taste.

Half cup to a cup does the trick.  Old fellars were right.  Drinking too much is bad for a cold.

[Alan]

I buy Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire so I can stomach the taste.

Half cup to a cup does the trick.  Old fellars were right.  Drinking too much is bad for a cold.

Do you warm it up?

[chosenone]

 You will know if you have proper flu and to be honest there isn't anything the doctor can do and you may pass it on to other people. Its not a bad cold, far from it. I have had it for nearly 4 weeks, all over Christmas. In bed for over a week with high temperature and feeling awful. Feeling 95% better now but still coughing and still very tired.
I did have the flu jab as well, wheras my husband didn't and he didn't catch it(thankfully).

[Texas Conservative]

Do you warm it up?

No.  Sip on it so it repeatedly coats my throat.  I know my dad has done blackberry brandy and it helped him with winter colds better than antibiotics.

[mommydi]

You will know if you have proper flu and to be honest there isn't anything the doctor can do and you may pass it on to other people.

True, true, true.
They give antivirals such as Tamiflu™ but they're pretty much useless and can cause terrible side effects. My doctor gave it to me last year, and after I read all the side effects, and then read it only shortens the flu by maybe 1/2 day, I tossed it in the trash.

I have had it for nearly 4 weeks, all over Christmas. In bed for over a week with high temperature and feeling awful. Feeling 95% better now but still coughing and still very tired.

That definitely sounds like the real deal, chosen. That fatigue and hangover cough can last for weeks. Take care of yourself. Sorry you're having to deal with this.

[mommydi]

chosen, when I had the flu, my mom bought one of these for me-

https://www.4mdmedical.com/catalog/product/view/id/421438/?CAWELAID=120141310000056386&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o3&scid=scplpALI82874&sc_intid=ALI82874&gclid=CjwKCAiAhfzSBRBTEiwAN-ysWK4O7xNYEsKymQSJbErni3yAZcSijuTJvA3WWJytpI46HS9W8i6b1hoCi4YQAvD_BwE

It helps keep the airways clear, and I think it helped keep me from getting pneumonia.

[Alan]

No.  Sip on it so it repeatedly coats my throat.  I know my dad has done blackberry brandy and it helped him with winter colds better than antibiotics.

I like the idea of Blackberry Brandy, think I've tried it maybe 20 years ago with my dad but I honestly don't remember if I liked it.

The key to battling flu and colds is to find a way to make YOU more comfortable, I much prefer to sleep it away and I'll medicate myself if necessary to help me sleep, that's why the brandy sounds appealing to me.

[grams]

I live with my son and his wife and there 8 children....... So we all get the colds and flue  all the time,  but  have not had any shots

we do not believe in them.........  and we do pass he colds  around at times  [ to each other ]  and get it again , but  no need for a doctor.... 

we do not feel good but,  I guess we are all eating  good. ?    I guess we are all  Blessed.....    at my age 82  I am talking all kinds of
vitamins.....  but the children  eat  so good  they eat  vegetables like other children eat candy....

[ and none of us  eat sugar or  use white flour and other things......foods....]

[Carey]

No flu for probably the last ten years, wife and kids get them often, and my job has me checking doors, a few of those years in a medical office tower, don't use hand sanitizers,   Probably been exposed to most every contagion making the rounds in this city.  Never had a flu shot, but those that I know have, seem to get the flu anyway, but they always talk about how it would be much worse had they not gotten the shot.

[hazel_eyes]

And now I am sick yet again - third time since before Christmas. It's more like a sinus cold this time and I don't feel AS bad as the cold I had after Christmas. I probably could have managed at work today but perhaps been worse for the wear by the end of the day. So far I have just missed 2 days with this bug.

[mommydi]

And now I am sick yet again - third time since before Christmas. It's more like a sinus cold this time and I don't feel AS bad as the cold I had after Christmas. I probably could have managed at work today but perhaps been worse for the wear by the end of the day. So far I have just missed 2 days with this bug.

How are you feeling now, hazel?
The flu is so bad here in Oklahoma right now. One smaller school has 250 students, and 150 are ill with flu or flu-like symptoms. My daughter lives in Oklahoma City. She sent me a text yesterday saying there's so much flu going around her workplace that they're doing a deep clean throughout the building with disinfectants to try to get a handle on it. I just got back from the store. So much coughing in there that sounded like the flu bug to me.
Today, on the news, I heard a woman say the flu is actually viral pneumonia. I've never heard that before. Not sure if that's true, but it may be.

[hazel_eyes]

I'm on the mend, MommiDi - thanks for asking. I finally received a proper diagnosis - had a bad sinus infection, which I probably also had before Christmas but now I have meds and am starting to feel better - finally. Sorry about all the flu around your way.

[mommydi]

I'm on the mend, MommiDi - thanks for asking. I finally received a proper diagnosis - had a bad sinus infection, which I probably also had before Christmas but now I have meds and am starting to feel better - finally. Sorry about all the flu around your way.

Glad you're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, hazel.

My 19 year old grandson came in this morning, and flopped on a bed, hacking with a bad chest cough. I have confined him to that bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. NO roaming around the house with whatever it is. I just took a care kit in there of Puffs Plus w/Vicks, Robitussin DM, cough drops, 3 bottles of water, a mug of Chicken and Stars soup, peppermint oil on a cotton ball to swab around his nose, and orders to stay in there and text if he needs anything and it will be brought to his door. #Isolation #LetThisBugPassover   

[hazel_eyes]

I haven't thought of chicken and stars soup in ages!!  I don't know if they have that in Canada anymore - maybe I'll look for it.
Stayed home today. Work was closed for the morning and I just felt it was too much effort to drag myself in or a half day, still not my usual energetic self. I slept in today and still felt pretty tired a few hours ago, so had close to a nap. HOpe your grandson is better soon!

[Texas Conservative]

Glad you're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, hazel.

My 19 year old grandson came in this morning, and flopped on a bed, hacking with a bad chest cough. I have confined him to that bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. NO roaming around the house with whatever it is. I just took a care kit in there of Puffs Plus w/Vicks, Robitussin DM, cough drops, 3 bottles of water, a mug of Chicken and Stars soup, peppermint oil on a cotton ball to swab around his nose, and orders to stay in there and text if he needs anything and it will be brought to his door. #Isolation #LetThisBugPassover   

Let him roam all over.  Get more immunity.

[hazel_eyes]

Friday I started feeling like I was getting yet another cold!! I'd only been off the sinus spray for a week so I started it again but still not feeling 100%. This is my fourth cold this winter! Or maybe it's just been one really long one.  The temps have been very up and down so maybe that's why.  The up temps have been great- it actually feels like spring is around the corner!