Flu and you: Don't panic - use common sense

Flu or allergies? Allergies or flu?
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

According to the health officials I've spoken with, the fever is the big red flag. If you've got any doubt that what you're feeling is more than your normal allergies, call your doctor or call 2-1-1.
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?
  

But like with anything, if you think you're sick, use common sense. Call your doctor and let the professionals figure it out. That's why we have them.