So, finally after all the hype and information the cold and flu season is upon us. Instead of harping on getting your flu shot, we thought we would help you to differentiate between a regular, irritating cold and that very famous H1N1 by giving you some of symptoms of both.
Cold: a fever is rare with your normal cold. You can have a hacking, productive cough (in other words you cough up mucus). You may experience slight body aches and pains. A stuffy nose is usually present with the cold and you get over this within 5-7 days without treatment. Chills are common with a cold. Feeling mildly tired is common. Sneezing is common. Your symptoms tend to come on over several days. A headache is uncommon. A sore throat is usually present (because of the coughing and smutch running down the back of your throat).
H1N1: Fever is usually present and can be as high as 100 F or higher for 3-4 days. A non-productive cough (usually called a "dry cough") is a common symptom of this flu. Severe aches and pains are common. A stuffy nose is not commonly found with the flu. Only about half of the people with the flu experience chills. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu. Sneezing is not common with the flu. The symptoms with this flu come on fast, usually within 3-6 hours. It will hit hard and fast with sudden symptoms like high fever, major body aches and pains. A headache is very common with the flu. You probably won't have a sore throat with the flu.
For those of you who unfortunately get the H1N1, the CDC predicts you will be out of work for 10-14 days. This one hangs on a long time. To be prepared for those just in case flu times, make sure to stock your Travel Rx bag with over the counter cold and flu remedies that work for you. Cough drops to sooth that dry throat, advil for those aches and pains, and stock up on your comfort foods i.e. soups, broths etc.
Contact your physician for persistant high fever, an inability to keep fluids down (vomiting is not associated with this), feeling like you are short of breath etc. Fluids, and rest will help get you better. If you have to go out, wear a mask to protect those around you. Also, you do not want to get something else at the same time.
Lots of handwashing. Check out our blog archives about handwashing and prevention. Again, our favorite site for this kind of stuff is the cdc (www.cdc.org) They can answer any questions that may be bothering you (and many you haven't even thought of yet!) Other links you might want to check out are http://flufacts.com (owned by Roche)and http://about.com .
Blue skies and tailwinds,
Chris and Bev
