Well That Sure Blows
Woke up this morning – felt fine, went to work
A few hours after that – “hey…. where did this naggy sore throat come from anyway?”
A few hours after that…. “blech, I’m going home, I feel crappy, and this cold clammy (yet oddly sweaty) skin I’ve got probably isn’t a good sign.”
I hate being sick and hoping that this is some sort of 24 hr bug I’ll shake fairly quickly but just in case it isn’t I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up lots of fresh fruit, a bunch of fresh veggies, and enough extra smokes to tide me over in case I’m on the couch for a few days.
Got home, whipped up some homemade cream of broccoli/carrot/garlic soup, and started chilling a bunch of water in the fridge.
If this turns out to be more than I hope it is my plan is to self medicate with the lots nutrients from a variety of fresh fruits and veggies, drink lots of water to keep hydrated, sleep a lot, and watch TV.
Best of luck in achieving wellness…
Here is a handy listing of the symptomatic differences between Common Colds, H1N1 and Seasonal Flu. Keep and eye on things and don’t go a dying on us now.
~~~~~~COLD~~~~~~~
FEVER Fever is rare with a cold.
COUGHING A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.
ACHES Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
STUFFY NOSE Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
CHILLS Chills are uncommon with a cold.
TIREDNESS Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
SNEEZING Sneezing is commonly present with a cold
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
HEADACHE A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
SORE THROAT Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
CHEST DISCOMFORT Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
~~~~~~H1N1 FLU~~~~~~
FEVER Fever is usually present with H1N1 in up to 80% of all flue cases. A temperature of 101°
COUGHING A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with H1N1 (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
ACHES Severe aches and pains are common with H1N1.
STUFFY NOSE Stuffy nose is not commonly present with H1N1.
CHILLS 60% of people who have H1N1 experience chills.
TIREDNESS Tiredness is moderate to severe with H1N1.
SNEEZING Sneezing is not common with H1N1.
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS H1N1 has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. H1N1 hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.
HEADACHE A headache is very common with H1N1 and present in 80% of cases.
SORE THROAT Sore throat is not commonly present with H1N1.
CHEST DISCOMFORT Chest discomfort is often severe with H1N1.
~~~~~~SEASONAL FLU~~~~~~
FEVER Fever is common with the seasonal flu.
COUGHING A dry and hacking cough is often present with the seasonal flu.
ACHES Moderate body aches are common with the seasonal flu.
STUFFY NOSE A runny nose is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHILLS Chills are mild to moderate with the seasonal flu.
TIREDNESS Tiredness is moderate and more likely referred to as a lack of energy with the seasonal flu.
SNEEZING Sneezing is common present with the seasonal flu.
SUDDEN SYMPTOMS Symptoms tend to develop over a few days and include flushed face, loss of appetite, dizziness and/or vomiting/nausea. Symptoms usually last 4-7 days, depending on the individual. Diarrhea is common.
HEADACHE A headache is fairly common with the seasonal flu.
SORE THROAT Sore throat is commonly present with the seasonal flu.
CHEST DISCOMFORT Chest discomfort is moderate with the seasonal flu. If it turns severe seek medical attention immediately!
Gosh, what if you get all three at once?!
Thats the way to do it. I don’t know how many flus, colds and even strep throats I’ve beat in a day or 2 with my juicer and vitamins. Get a juicer.
PS way to stay positive sooey
Where did those lists of symptoms come from? The ones I’ve seen on official health sites tend to be less detailed, and I think the symptoms may vary a lot.
stageleft, I hope you get well soon, but if it is flu, it would be a good idea not to smoke. Any shortness of breath, get youself to the doctor. The rest of the self-medication looks good to me.
@austin: Got a juicer, use it lots.
@Naked Ape: Thanks, seen the list before.
@Holly Stick: If there’s any difficulty with breathing the first order of business will be to open up the lungs by smoking a ‘wee bit ‘o mullein Holly — I collected my winter batch up months ago and the leaves are all dried in the kitchen.
I don’t have a doctor, got an absolutely great medicine woman though, and her advice always comes first….. if she said to find a doctor I would
How do you know she’s a REAL medicine woman and not just some Hollywood actress PLAYING a medicine woman?
“enough extra smokes…”
Um, big contradiction to your strategy. LOL.
@sooey: Because she not only has an astounding success rate but I know, and trust, her.
It appears that whatever bit me yesterday has, after a rather unpleasant night, resolved itself into a sore throat, a miserable cough, a minor headache, and a packed up chest…. nothing that a day on the couch, some mullein to open up the lungs, and healthy food won’t take care of.
Despite what a few nay sayers on facebook said I’m gonna credit the home made cream of broccoli/carrot/garlic soup I whipped up as soon as I got home with the big helping hand.
Broccoli is high in antioxidants
Carrots are generally good for the stomach
Garlic both for the taste and as an antibiotic/immune system booster
I also chopped up 1/2 a small jalapeno pepper and tossed it into the mix for antibiotic/anti-inflammatory good measure.
Today will involve telecommuting to work so I don’t spread whatever it is around the office, lots of fresh fruit, and some more healthy soups.
Healthy food folks, lots of nutrients, natural antibiotics, and natural immune system boosters – there’s no better medicine
Get well, stageleft.
If it is flu, you’ll be contagious for about a week.
@Holly Stick: Given that I have no fever the chances of it being the flu are pretty well –0–
Drink Scotch. It will kill anything.
About the only hard stuff that crosses my lips these days is Jagermeister — good for what ails ya no matter what ails ya
Other than that it’s beer, because that’s made of grains and grains got fiber and fiber is good for ya.
….. and wine, ’cause I’m work’en at gett’en sophisticated don’t ‘cha know
Jagermeister? Oh that should more than do the trick. Yuck.
@stageleft –
The flu you have is a sign.
Repent!!
God is trying to get you, you leftist heathen.
Ah yes, wine, a drink that makes you feel sophisticated while rendering you incapable of pronouncing sophisticated. Bottoms up.
Glad to hear you are not dreadfully ill, get better soon.
stageleft, I didn’t have a fever, but I think I had the flu. Some people don’t have fevers with it. On the other hand, I still have a dry cough, more than a month after it first started.
@Canuckguy: That brings to mind a discussion I had with my da some time ago when he was curious as to why I would be headed to the Museum of Civilization when the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit was in town.
The primary reason was, of course, because the scrolls are a really interesting part of how western society has developed and because I enjoy looking at, and learning from, ancient artifacts and the technology used to create them.
… but there was another reason, and it’s the one I gave him. I told him I planned to stand in front of the remnants of the Dead Sea Scrolls and speak heresy to see what would happen.
The methodology was simple, speak major heresy to holy Christian artifcats:
I went to the exhibit, which was very good by the way, stood directly in front of the scrolls, looked at them, and said “There are many other Gods than you” — and since I’m here today to tell you this story I think you’re wrong about my need to repent
Umm… not sure how many Christians think that the scrolls are God
Yeah… but the scrolls are (that I am aware of) one of the big two, and certainly the oldest, known of holy artifacts (the other being the shroud) and since the old testament relies heavily on them I figured that would be a good heresy test.
What is holy about the Dead Sea Scrolls? And what is Christian about them? SL, if you are going to be any good at this atheist agiataion thing, you really should brush up on your theology. It would be embarassing if your friends caught you muttering anti-prayers at one of those Beatitudes bookmarks the United Church used to hand out in Sunday School.
@Peter: How about their religious significance, and the role they play in the old testament – which the last time I checked, played a pretty significant role in the Christian belief structure.
Atheist? I think you have me confused with someone else. I don’t claim to be, and am not infact, an atheist.
@stageleft –
“….certainly the oldest, known of holy artifacts (the other being the shroud)…)
NEWSFLASH: The last I read, the Shroud has been proven a fake, proven to have been concocted around the 12th century albeit a very clever fake. Took 21st century technology to expose it.
@stageleft –
Funny how this went from you whining about the flu to you talking heresy to an old scroll.
There’s nothing “holy” about the scrolls – i.e., they are not infused with any mystical essence, and were not miraculously produced. They’re of huge literary, historical and spiritual importance, of course.
The Shroud of Turin is just another of those bizarre, atavistic phenomena, like weeping Madonnas and Taco Shell Jesus Materializations, that appeal to the sense of wonder and magic among more childlike or primitive Christians. It has been thoroughly debunked many times. But the debunkers are always faced with the same limitation; a scientist cannot say definitively that it was produced by human craftsmen – only that there is nothing about the Shroud that’s inconsistent with human production. Believers respond that an omnipotent god can produce anything at all. Some creationists have actually argued that god created the entire planet, with fossils already buried, as a test of faith. What a Kidder!