28 Nov Flu or cold

I recently found myself suffering from flu, although I thought I just had a temp. And as most of us i just dismissed it and thought I would get over in 48hrs. When 4 days had passed and I still had the high temperature, body aches, shivers and a sore throat to the extent I could not even swallow water, I took myself off to the doctors. He diagnosed that I had suffered from flu that had progressed to a sever infection of the throat and that I was badly dehydrated, i also had swollen glands (glandular fever) He sent me home with instructions to rest, take strong pain killers, anti inflam meds and an antibiotic to cure the infection. Well it then took another few days and I can say that 2 weeks in and I still feel the effects of my illness. I am tired and still feel flu-ish. So why am I writing this post, well mainly to advise that flu is not to be taken lightly and left untreated it can lead to worse illness. I am not saying we should all rush off to the doctors, only to say, know what treatments are right for which illness and to take care if you feel ill in my case I stopped hydrating as my throat was so sore, this worsened my condition. If I had taken pain and anti inflam meds I would have been able to cope earlier and could have prevented needing the antibiotic. And on that point we live in this wonderful world of supplements, and I can truly recommend you remember to add a probiotic if you are not well and especially if taking antibiotic medication.

Do you have the flu, or is it merely a common cold? Here is how to tell which is which,

It’s a cold if…
▪ Your symptoms appear gradually (over the span of a few days).
▪ You’re feeling just a little “under the weather”.
▪ You sneeze a lot.
▪ You have a sore throat.
▪ You have a stuffy nose.
▪ You have a deep, hacky cough.
▪ It only lasts a few days.

It’s the flu if…
▪ You have a fever.
▪ Your symptoms appear suddenly (within a few hours).
▪ You feel extremely tired.
▪ You have the chills.
▪ You have a dry cough.
▪ You have a headache.
▪ Your whole body aches.
▪ It can last up to several weeks.

Another point to remember is that although these are more common in colder months they can stick in the middle of summer. Keep well.