Cold & Flu 101 – The First Article in a Three Part Series

by Symptom Advice on January 11, 2012

A local Registered Nurse was nice enough and took a little time to give us a quick lesson in sickness, just in time for the flu & cold season.

Claycord.com presents the first in a three part series called “Cold & Flu 101?:

As a Registered Nurse who deals with the cold/flu season every year, I wanted to write up some information for people that may help us get through this time of year as healthy as possible. I’m going to introduce the information regarding cold/flu, very simply, then follow up with two more articles, one in regards to children and the second for adults. Knowledge is power when it comes to colds and flus. these articles are to disseminate information only and not as a means to treat/diagnose. if you have concerns/chronic medical problems/lung or heart issues/or a decreased immune system with any cold/flu symptoms please check in with your doctor to make sure you’re on the right track.

So, even though flu season is not “officially” upon us (meaning that the number of diagnosed “flu” hasn’t reached 10% in the doctor’s office) a lot of people are starting to come down with flu like symptoms. this means that at some point over the next 3 months most of us will get sick and have some shade of yellow or green goo pouring out of a hole in our head. Good times! It’s helpful if we can arm ourselves with a little information and in a later article, some tricks to minimize the length of time we are sick.

An old belief is that if you are blowing out or coughing up a green phlegm then you need an antibiotic. well, even though it’s gross, if you’re otherwise healthy and it’s only been a few days?…probably not. Virus’ cause green phlegm just as bacteria, but bacteria doesn’t usually show up until you’ve been sick for a while. FYI, antibiotics don’t work on viruses that cause common colds and flu.

What’s the difference between a cold and a flu?

Cold symptoms are: runny nose, sore throat, cough, feverish/chills, yellow/green mucus. You usually feel icky but day 3 can be the worst day as your body is fighting off the virus and depositing it into your lungs and nose in the form of mucus. Usually after the 3rd day, symptoms don’t worsen too much and slowly go away over 1-2 weeks.

Flu symptoms are: this is a virus and causes sudden onset of fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, body aches, and the every famous yellow/green mucus. the difference is that you are down for the count on day one or sometimes day two. Usually you have a difficult time even getting out of bed because of the fatigue and body aches. these symptoms can last for 5 days or so and then start to level off and decline…but just in time for the nasal congestion and cough which can go on for 1-2 weeks.

At anytime after day 5, you feel worse or fevering, call your doctor. by the way, please buy a thermometer. it gives us a better idea of what’s going on rather than, “I feel hot.” one of the most important things people can do right now when they get sick is drink lots of fluids–non alcoholic, non caffeinated. Hot liquids are great, so breathe in that steam! the air is so dry right now, inside and out, that it is like turning a hair dryer onto that mucus building up in you. Remember this, you will cough/blow your nose as long as you still have mucus, so thin it up and get it out. Plus the longer the mucous stays in your body, the greater your chance of getting a bacteria infection and then needing an antibiotic.

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: