It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Flu Season

Recognize the difference between the
“ true” flu and the stomach flu

The holiday season provides a lot of fun and activity, but it can also add extra stress to our lives. The month of December is busy with gatherings of family and friends, extra shopping, extra baking, less sleep and more traveling, usually amidst cold and snowy weather conditions. It’s no wonder why so many people get sick over the holidays or why college students crash after finishing their finals.

If you received your flu shot, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything this winter, right?

If you were vaccinated, you received protection from influenza, or the “true flu.” Hopefully you’ll be lucky enough to avoid the common symptoms of influenza, which include:

• high fever lasting three or four days,
• chills,
• headache,
• aches and pains,
• muscles aches,
• chest discomfort,
• non-productive dry cough,
• fatigue and weakness (sometimes lasting from two to three weeks) and
• extreme exhaustion.

A stuffy or runny nose, sneezing and sore throat can also occur due to the flu. You are infectious one day before the onset of your symptoms and three to seven days after. It’s definitely no fun, especially when you’re supposed to be going to Christmas parties or making holiday cookies with your family. Aren’t you glad you got your flu shot?

Even if you were vaccinated for the flu, you might be susceptible to catching another common winter illness. People often confuse the “true flu” with getting a cold or the stomach flu. No vaccines exist for these two common ailments and, unfortunately, the flu vaccine doesn’t help prevent them one bit.

People like to refer to all types of being sick as “the flu” but the symptoms of the stomach flu are actually quite different from influenza. The most noticeable stomach flu symptoms tend to be gastrointestinal in nature, with stomachache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. The stomach flu may be a bacterial or viral infection or may be a food poisoning reaction and usually involves a low-grade fever, some fatigue and weakness (depending on the length of stomach symptoms) and tends to last for a few days at the most.

Colds can also bring on a low-grade fever, some aches and pains, mild fatigue and – of course – a stuffy and runny nose. A hacking cough is also fairly common, but it can usually be controlled by cough medications.

The flu vaccine is an important piece to staying healthy throughout the winter months, but it isn’t a magic bullet. There are plenty of other ways to get sick, so it’s best to always use protective measures against spreading disease.

• Always cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue or your upper sleeve
• wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 10 to 15 seconds after coughing or sneezing, using the restroom, caring for a sick person or handling garbage.
• Keep your living and work area clean by sanitizing surfaces with bleach or alcohol.
• Missing an activity is a hard call to make, but may be a wise decision – either to prevent the spread of whatever you have to others or to keep from getting it yourself.

It’s a busy time of year, which doesn’t leave much time to get sick. Take care of yourself so you can enjoy the holidays and all the activities that go along with them.

-Carol Gress is a registered nurse in Community Health at Kossuth Regional Health Center