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Off Topic Forums => Off Topic Forum => Topic started by: buginme2 on December 01, 2012, 03:06:51 pm

Title: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 01, 2012, 03:06:51 pm
And I am at home sick today with a cold.  Seems like everyone at my office has been sick this week.  Congested, Cough, Sneezing, fever, The Works.

So...I have my home remedies all prepared. 

1.  Hot Green Tea with a boatload of lemon, honey and a snippet of brandy.

2.  A giant bowl of Pho' (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken noodle soup with added chili paste for some heat)

What remedies do you reach for when you get a cold or flu?  Any ideas are appreciated
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: emeraldize on December 01, 2012, 03:15:06 pm
You do have a bug in you today!!

I use a vaporizer in the room to make sure the air is moist to help with the congestion. And, my other trick is to use a steam vaporizer that is tabletop and can use menthol-impregnated disks. The water heats up and you actually seal your face to a flexible vinyl guard and inhale. The alternative is fill your smallest sink with the hottest water possible (including adding some boiling water) throw a towel over your head and sink to create a tent and try to breathe through your nose. Oh yes, and saline nasal spray.  That's all I have to offer and what I use.

Hope you're feeling better soon!
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: tednlou2 on December 01, 2012, 04:08:40 pm
We usually just boiled water on the stove and put our heads over it.  Caution, and this is very important- Be careful using a towel over the stove..lol.  And, if you have long hair.  Probably best to boil and then take the pan off the stove. 

I drink Diet Dr Pepper.  However, when I don't feel well, a sugary coke seems to help.  Heating pad is something I use daily, but especially when sick on my chest.  A shower often makes me feel better and opens up the nose. 

Feel better.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: WillyWump on December 01, 2012, 04:43:53 pm
However, when I don't feel well, a sugary coke seems to help.   


I second this^ But I think the carbonation does it for me.

I Neti-pot and highly recommend it. I use the saline salt, and add 1 tiny drop of Hydrogen peroxide.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Miss Philicia on December 01, 2012, 04:54:36 pm
I've had a chalazion (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002001/) for the past week. Can I play in this thread too?

ps: I guess you missed my previous thread that medical studies have shown that doing meth prevents the flu.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 01, 2012, 05:00:20 pm

I Neti-pot and highly recommend it. I use the saline salt, and add 1 tiny drop of Hydrogen peroxide.

I do have a neti pot but ever since I read that news story of the lady who caught a brain eating amoeba and died from using her neti I have shied away from it.  Although at this point, I think it may just be worth the risk. 
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 01, 2012, 05:02:43 pm


ps: I guess you missed my previous thread that medical studies have shown that doing meth prevents the flu.

Damn it I missed that, clean living...look what it gets ya
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: WillyWump on December 01, 2012, 05:05:14 pm
I do have a neti pot but ever since I read that news story of the lady who caught a brain eating amoeba and died 

Yes,I remember that too. But go ahead, live life on the edge just this once.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Growler on December 01, 2012, 05:23:02 pm
When I get the sneezesa nd the coughs and the running nose and watery eyes and feel ickypoo theres only one thing thatmakes me feel better.....sharing my cold with as many others as I can, after all misery bloves company. ;D

GROWLER
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: wolfter on December 01, 2012, 06:49:47 pm
Hopefully you got your flu shot.  I soak in hot water water for all my ailments.  Surprisingly, I've never had the flu and seldom suffer from colds.  I just skip straight to the more deadly infections.

Also, when I shower, I snort hot water through my nose to clear and clean any germs that are hanging around.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 02, 2012, 11:08:43 am
My cold has turned into a full fledged event.  Sick in bed. Ugh hate it.  Thanks for all the advice.  Curious, when you start coughing up thick phlegm balls is there a point when you should call the dr?  A certain color perhaps?

How about a deep dark yellow?
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: WillyWump on December 02, 2012, 12:12:57 pm
A certain color perhaps?

How about a deep dark yellow?

Momma always told me Green was bad.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: bocker3 on December 02, 2012, 12:40:52 pm
My cold has turned into a full fledged event.  Sick in bed. Ugh hate it.  Thanks for all the advice.  Curious, when you start coughing up thick phlegm balls is there a point when you should call the dr?  A certain color perhaps?

How about a deep dark yellow?

Sorry to hear you are so under the weather. 
For me -- if I'm hacking up shit that is any color much beyond clear -- I would contact the doctor.

Hope this passes quickly.....

Mike
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Miss Philicia on December 02, 2012, 12:47:55 pm
It's possibly just a viral respiratory infection -- go buy some OTC Mucinex, either the "D" or "DM" variety. You'll have to read the labeling to see which lines up with your symptoms. There are also generic store versions of this that contain the same ingredients and are cheaper. Some states require these be hidden behind the pharmacist counter because teenagers make meth with them (or something).

I think green phlegm indicates bacterial infection, but not always -- you'd need a doctor for that one. Clear or yellowish I always go the Mucinex route, and no I didn't make this up it's what my doctor told me to do because I get respiratory infection annually and have since I was a kid.

Kind Regards,

Nurse P

ps: if you're coughing you can buy cough medicine too, but DO NOT double up on the guafasin (sp?) ingredients from the Mucinex or it will raise your blood pressure too much. Check with the pharmacist on what to combine it with just to be safe.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: WillyWump on December 02, 2012, 01:21:49 pm
go buy some OTC Mucinex, either the "D" or "DM" variety.

I second this. The Mucinex DM is what got me through my little spell last week. It works really well.

-W
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 02, 2012, 01:40:04 pm
Thanks Y'all I have taken Nurse P's advice and have taken some Mucinex. 
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Miss Philicia on December 02, 2012, 02:57:41 pm
I always take it at least 7 days, and drink a LOT of water because it dehydrates you.
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: J.R.E. on December 04, 2012, 06:42:41 am

Speaking of the flu season:

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ap/2012/12/03/CDC_says_US_flu_season_starts_early_could_be_bad.html

PINELLAS COUNTY --

Flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade — and it could be a bad one.

"Normally, we don't usually do our big push for flu shots until January because our flu season is normally in February. This year, we’re seeing cases a lot earlier so we want people to get their flu shot earlier this season to keep people healthy and to prevent them from getting sick,” said Stephanie Anspaugh-Naples, with the Pinellas Health Department.

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly.

"It looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The good news is that the nation seems fairly well prepared, Frieden said. More than a third of Americans have been vaccinated, and the vaccine formulated for this year is well-matched to the strains of the virus seen so far, CDC officials said.

"It gives you pretty good protection. Like I said, there's always the chance that with traveling or coming in contact with people who have traveled that it could be a different strain of flu, there are different strains out there, but this will protect you against the majority of flu that we are seeing,” Anspaugh-Naples said.

Higher-than-normal reports of flu have come in from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. An uptick like this usually doesn't happen until after Christmas. Flu-related hospitalizations are also rising earlier than usual, and there have already been two deaths in children.

Hospitals and urgent care centers in northern Alabama have been bustling. "Fortunately, the cases have been relatively mild," said Dr. Henry Wang, an emergency medicine physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Parts of Georgia have seen a boom in traffic, too. It's not clear why the flu is showing up so early, or how long it will stay.

"My advice is: Get the vaccine now," said Dr. James Steinberg, an Emory University infectious diseases specialist in Atlanta.

The last time a conventional flu season started this early was the winter of 2003-04, which proved to be one of the most lethal seasons in the past 35 years, with more than 48,000 deaths. The dominant type of flu back then was the same one seen this year.

One key difference between then and now: In 2003-04, the vaccine was poorly matched to the predominant flu strain. Also, there's more vaccine now, and vaccination rates have risen for the general public and for key groups such as pregnant women and health care workers.

An estimated 112 million Americans have been vaccinated so far, the CDC said. Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months or older.

On average, about 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the CDC.

Flu usually peaks in midwinter. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, head and body aches and fatigue. Some people also suffer vomiting and diarrhea, and some develop pneumonia or other severe complications.

A strain of swine flu that hit in 2009 caused a wave of cases in the spring and then again in the early fall. But that was considered a unique type of flu, distinct from the conventional strains that circulate every year.

Information from the AP was used in this report.

__

Online:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly


Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: tednlou2 on December 04, 2012, 04:21:25 pm
I saw this on the news last night.  Why more cases in the south?  Major airports like Atlanta with many coming in from around the world?  Although, New York has several major airports.  Afraid of the vaccine more in the south--afraid Obama put some liberal juice in it?  Bigger families with more kids?  Is global climate change involved?  Can I think of more questions? 
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Jeff G on December 04, 2012, 05:02:16 pm
I think I'm the only one in my circle that's not sick or has the flu right now . I do have a nasty cold sore chancre on my lip and feel rather yuck myself today . I haven't had a cold sore in 10 years .   
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: Miss Philicia on December 04, 2012, 05:11:21 pm
This queen was at my LTS support group last night and had just had the flu, so of course I asked if she'd had a flu shot and of course the reply was "no". Then she had the gall to blame her doctor (we go to the same clinic, though different doctor) for not reminding her during the last appointment to get one. Of course, he had a point somewhat but at the same time he's a couple credits short of a nursing degree and has had HIV for 20 years.

Oh, she had a nasty ole herpes sore too. Speaking of which, did you see the one on Kim Kardashian's lip over the weekend? ;)
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: buginme2 on December 04, 2012, 05:22:36 pm
I thought things were getting better, then last night my fever spiked to 102.  Fuck.  Finally fell asleep shivering in bed due to the fever.  Called the doctor this morning who basically said, "ya you got the flu, it's going around...feel better"

Fever is gone now (just took it and it was 98) but still feeling crappy.

And....I did get a flu shot and a pneumonia shot last month

Word of advise...if you see someone coughing, run..this blows. 
Title: Re: Its Cold and Flu Season
Post by: emeraldize on December 04, 2012, 06:33:43 pm
So sorry to read this -- there was a doc interviewed in connection with the CDC last night and he said this variety of flu will guaranteed put you down for a week.