It is pretty miserable to experience the flu. Symptoms come on rapidly and most commonly consists of fever, chills, malaise, and body aches. I wrote a previous post comparing and contrasting the common cold to allergies. Web MD has a nice chart comparing the common cold to the flu. I've included it here:
Symptoms
|
Cold
|
Flu
|
| Fever | Rare | Characteristic, high (100-102 degrees F); lasts three to four days |
| Headache | Rare | Prominent |
| General Aches, Pains | Slight | Usual; often severe |
| Fatigue, Weakness | Quite mild | Can last up to two to three weeks |
| Extreme Exhaustion | Never | Early and prominent |
| Stuffy Nose | Common | Sometimes |
| Sneezing | Usual | Sometimes |
| Sore Throat | Common | Sometimes |
| Chest Discomfort, Cough | Mild to moderate; hacking cough | Common; can become severe |
Complications
| Sinus congestion or earache | Bronchitis, pneumonia; can be life-threatening |
Prevention
| Good hygiene | Annual flu shot or FluMist |
Treatment
| Only temporary relief of symptoms | Antiviral drugs (Tamiflu or or Relenza) within 24-48 hours of onset |
Since the flu is contagious about 1 day before and 5-7 days after symptoms start, we are watching our kids carefully. It may be tricky to determine whether or not a child has body aches. Plus with kids, they can also have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Now colds usually lasts 2-3 days... maybe 1 week at most. The flu can last 1-2 weeks... sometimes longer. Boy, I sure hope husband feels better soon. The house is just not the same without a functioning daddy!
