August 5, 2014

  • Is it a cold or is it the flu?

    Thanks to a hereditary condition I got from my maternal grandmother, I have a compromised immune system. This really became obvious during this past year when I started as a supervisor at a local call center that supported the Affordable Care Act. I don't think a month went by that I didn't catch something. One reason is because of my immune system and the other is because of the nature of call centers. The attendance policy is so strict, people come to work sick and since everyone is sitting so close together, it is like we are in our own human petrie dish. Anyway, my last day there and I show up with my eyes red, inflamed and watery. I'm sure some people thought I had been crying over my decision to leave, but in reality, I was getting sick (again!). This time, though, I didn't catch it at the call center, I caught it at home. And boy did I get sick! I have never in my life woken up with my throat hurting so bad that I couldn't sleep. I finally just devoured ice and for the first time I learned how effective cough drops can be on sore throats. I was totally down for the count. My twin sister had the same thing several weeks before and she also laid flat for three days straight and let her husband run the household (they have five kiddos, right now, bless them). Anyway, I keep digressing, the question I started to wonder--do I have a cold or do I have the flu? When I was growing up, I always thought the flu was what we typically call the stomach flu. After living abroad, though, I learned that the flu bug and colds are very similar. One distinct difference is that with a cold, there is nasal drip whereas with the flu one coughs and has a distinct sore throat. I'm on day number six of this flu or cold and I believe that I had the flu and now I'm moving on to a cold. Is that possible? I just started sneezing yesterday, my voice is almost back and now I have a nasal drip. Could I have had the flu and subsequently caught a cold? It sure does feel like it! Nuf said for today!

hollysuel

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