I had a dream last night that a bunch of my friend's got Swine Flu. I guess the Swine Flu scare has infiltrated my unconscious. Consciously I'm not that nervous about it.
Yesterday my 18-year-old son started to feel ill. He's been in bed for the last 24 hours with a sore throat, headache and "eyes that hurt." Tonight he has a temperature of 102.
"Is it a cold or the flu," he asked. He's very anxious because he has a performance on Saturday night.
"When will I be better?" he asked Hepcat.
So we did some googling and ended up at WebMD which spells out the differences. We've concluded that he has a flu.
Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough
by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight
fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.
With
cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the
first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is
natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial
infection, such as a sinus infection.
Several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms.
Cold
symptoms usually last for about a week. During the first three days
that you have cold symptoms, you are contagious. This means you can
pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest.
If
cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a
bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics.
And what are flu symptoms?
Whether
a person has typical seasonal flu or swine flu, the symptoms seem to be
quite similar. Flu symptoms are usually more severe than cold symptoms
and come on quickly. Symptoms of swine flu and seasonal flu include
sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Swine flu in particular is also associated with vomiting and diarrhea.
Most
flu symptoms gradually improve over two to five days, but it's not
uncommon to feel run down for a week or more. A common complication of
the flu is pneumonia, particularly in the young, elderly, or people
with lung or heart problems. If you notice shortness of breath, you
should let your doctor know. Another common sign of pneumonia is fever
that comes back after having been gone for a day or two.
Just
like cold viruses, flu viruses enter your body through the mucous
membranes of your nose, eyes, or mouth. Every time you touch your hand
to one of these areas, you could be infecting yourself with a virus,
which makes it very important to keep your hands germ-free with
frequent washing to prevent both flu and cold symptoms.