Seems to me both share some - not all - symptoms.
Is your head all stopped up? Sore throat? Headache? Kind of a yucky, "blehck" feeling? (yeah, I made that spelling up - we've all said it or something like to describe feeling bad but how do you spell that???)
I feel that way all the time.
When I first read the swine flu symptoms, I thought, "Dang, I'm really sick." Then I thought about it some more. I don't have fever. I'm not throwing up. I don't feel run over. I'm tired because I'm a mom and I work weird hours. I feel like this because I live with a cat, kids who don't pick up after themselves and create science experiments with half-eaten bowls of cereal hidden under the couch (Fruit Loops create blue milk....ewwwwwww......) and it's spring in East Texas.
We have yet to have any cases - confirmed or otherwise - of swine flu in this region. Before we panic and assume we've got the flu, let's take a deep, wheezy breath and double-check the list of symptoms.
- Nasal congestion
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Dry cough
- Tiredness
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Fever over 100.5
- Achiness
2-1-1 is a toll-free information line that can provide more info on the swine flu.
In the meantime, if you want to play it safe, do what you normally would in a flu outbreak.
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap. Like we learned in Girl Scouts, warm water kills germs better than cold. Carry a travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket and rub it on your hands occasionally.
- Clean your work area or home with a good disinfectant. Wipe off door handles, faucets, refrigerator doors, TV remote controls, telephones, steering wheels - whatever your hands and mouth might come in contact with on a very regular basis that we normally don't think about. It wouldn't hurt to clean them once in awhile anyway.
- Sneeze or cough into a tissue if possible, then throw it in the trash. If you can't grab one in time, try the crook of your elbow. Most people don't shake hands there.
- Wear a mask if you're feeling sick and you're going to the doctor's office or the hospital. That way you don't pass along germs to other people, and you don't get theirs.
- If you are sick, stay home. Don't put yourself around a lot of other people unless it's to seek medical attention. Think of it this way - do you want to get what somebody else has?
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