September 18, 2009: When Pigs Fly, Swine Flu

You know, when I was a little kid.......for that matter, when my kids were little kids, if we had a runny nose and sneezed a lot, we had a cold. Add a bad cough to that and we had a chest cold. If we had a headache and fever with the other symptoms, we had a sinus infection. If we had a belly ache, vomiting and (sometimes) diarrhea, we had the flu. When did the flu symptoms become the same as our old cold/sinus infection symptoms? How can one tell if they have the flu, or just a bad cold/sinus infection? I would assume, since I have a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, headache and fever, that I have the flu. So.....do I have plain old everyday flu, or do I have swine flu? I caught it from a kid who caught it at school. The schools here are filled with sick kids. Not too many miles from us, Washington State University has reported more than 2000 cases of swine flu.

Since I don't know what I have, I guess I won't worry about it. Just don't come to visit me.

ETA: I do not have swine flu...sorry if I gave that impression! I was just wondering about so many illnesses having the same symptoms. I have been fever-free for 24 hours, and just feeling a bit dehydrated and tired from being sick all week. Thanks to all who felt sorry for me. I did too *wink*.

23 comments:

  1. GAH! Flu? Swine flu? GAH! I'm soooo sorry. I thought my cold and bum thumb were bad, but swine flu trumps them in a heartbeat.

    Hope the hubby takes good care of you! And hope you feel better soon. Wish we were neighbors so I could bring you some chicken soup and I promise I wouldn't raid your garden while you were layed up in bed. Promise! ;o)

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  2. Oh dear :S I'm still only young (though I don't feel it haha) but I understand just complicated and far-out common things have gotten. I often wish we could go back to a time when things were simpler! I do hope you feel better soon! xoxo

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  3. Oh, yuck. Flu generally makes you feel as though you'd really possibly rather be dead. Sounds as though you have a bad virus, sorry to say.

    Being sick stinks. Utterly stinks. I don't think you have the swine flu, thank goodness! Of course, I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one in the blogosphere.

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  4. Kate, I don't have it..see my recent ETA on this post. And stay outta my garden...I can watch it from where I'm sittin', lady LOL!!!

    Actually, I wish you would raid it.

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    Marrissa, I do feel better, honest. Hugs to you.

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    Stefaneener, methinks I'd better hightail it to Arizona. I'm never ill when I stay away from my school aged grandchildren! I adore them, but they make me sick ;-)

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  5. I'm glad you're feeling better, just stay away from the kid! Sheesh....Kids sure do spread germs quickly, and mine came home with everything! Swine flu is here, too - and more so than most parts of the country....Um...i'll pick your garden for ya, if ya let me add the weight to my total. Hehe. Hey, I know....i'll trade ya some okra for pumpkins (or any other heavy vegetable/fruit) No?

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  6. EG, I'll trade you all my pumpkins for your blackberries! You can even have all the extra pounds.

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  7. I know what you are talking about! A simple cold,now is called the flu???I think as generations go,we seem to be breeding a soft ,or weak lot.In saying that,Im glad you are feeling better.Strong immune system,rest and lots of water..sometimes thats all it takes.(in my humble oppinion anyways) :0)

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  8. Things have changed. I've also noticed weird little viruses floating around. I had one last week and it gave me a headache and made me really tired. It didn't really make me sick. I would have thought it was just allergies or something, but then I heard of others getting it for a few days too before it went away.

    When my kids were around they got sick all the time and gave it to me. Now that they are at college, I rarely get very sick.

    Get well!

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  9. You just scared the &#$& out of me, Granny.

    I've had two kids out so far with confirmed swine flu. It's scary, but I think a lot of it is fear mongering.

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  10. Granny..from one granny to another, don't you just wonder what this world is coming to? Life was so much simpler when we were young. I came from a family of strong women, and seem to have passed it on to my daughter.

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    Daphne, I so seldom get sick, it seems when I finally succumb to some bug it usually hits me pretty hard. But I'm not one to admit I'm sick and take care of myself. I always think I can just ignore it and it will go away. If I'd rest and drink lots of water (like the other granny said), I'd probably recuperate much quicker.

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    Ribbit, you watch that potty mouth!

    I agree with the fear mongering. Have you seen the statistics on how many people die of the regular old flu virus strains each year? It looks to me like swine flu isn't any more dangerous than that, it just gets more hype because it's new. Heck (or &#$&, as you would say), I lived through the Asian Flu scare. It didn't kill off mankind, as was feared at the time.

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  11. Glade to hear you are felling better. I don't know what to think of this swine flu. Maybe if people eat their veggies that would not get so sick and pass it on to use veggie eaters :-)

    I am definitely avoid the vaccine. I heard the last time there was the possibility of a bad flu that the vaccine cause more illness then the flu did. Things like paralysis!

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  12. The flu is respiratory. People call the bad stomach ones the flu but I'm not sure how that came about. When I get the stomach ones, I'll call it the stomach flu even tho I know it's not the flu, lol.

    Hope you're feeling better soon.

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  13. Dan, I believe about 1% of what I hear when it comes to medical issues or politics ;-) I would hate to see everyone bypass getting a vaccination for any potentially dangerous illness due to that fear mongering Ribbit and I were just discussing. Having lived through the years prior to polio vaccine, I realize the importance of becoming inoculated against dangerous viruses. According to what I've heard, from those in the medical profession that I feel are trustworthy, the swine flu vaccine is every bit as safe as previous flu vaccines, as it is made in exactly the same way. Every year the vaccine is changed to include the current virus strain(s), which are always changing. This year is no different.

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  14. Noname, thanks, I am on the road to recovery. I slept without a garden hose attached to my nose for drainage last night ;-) In fact, I slept the entire night without coughing or sniffling.

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  15. Good to hear. Mike used to get flu shots every year but he doesn't anymore because I get so sick after he gets them. I hear they're different now but I'm still wary of them.

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  16. AG: I am sure that anyone who gets sick with the common cold or flu wonders if it's swine flu/h1n1. The media has really made people scared and paranoid.

    A friend of mine suffered from a cold last week which mostly gave him a runny nose. He went to the grocery store and everyone gave him the hairy eyeball every time he pulled out a tissue to wipe his nose.

    Glad you don't have the swine flu and are on your way to recovering. Take it easy and rest up.

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  17. Hi, Granny:
    I'm a little late with the well wishes, but I'm glad you're feeling better. I know you are too with that upcoming Arizona move.

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  18. Noname, I wonder why his flu shot would make you sick. Rather like someone contracting polio from changing the diaper of a baby who just received the vaccine, I guess. Mr. H gets the shots each year, but I don't, after having a bad reaction to my first one. I probably should give it another try. Mine was muscle pain for nearly a month after the shot. BAD pain. I'd be open to taking the one you inhale.

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    GrafixMuse, that's basically what I was trying to say....the symptoms are all the same, so who would know the difference? I felt like a leper when I went grocery shopping this afternoon. I tried not to cough, but the harder I tried the more I coughed!

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    Hi Cheryl. Yes, less than a month now. In fact, I just made our hotel reservations this morning, so I could be assured of getting a pet room. That's an absolute necessity when one travels with a menagerie! It's going to be one busy time, with the garden just catching its next breath! I'd like to have everything harvested, and the garden all cleaned up, before we leave.

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  19. A true flu is like a severe cold- it lasts longer, you get the aches and pains and are truly miserable.

    The stomach bug is what most people think of when they say 'the flu', but it is a different animal all together though you can have a stomach virus along with the stuffy nose and chest congestion.

    The swine flu is tricky. It is not striking the same population as a typical flu does- children over 5 and non-elderly adults seem to be getting hit the hardest. Those with asthma seem to be at the most risk along with the obvious risks of having an already weakened immune system.

    The concernis not knowing how it (the much hyped flu) will behave this coming flu season. Some say fear mongering, but if you read any CDC type sites they recommend simple measures be taken to prevent the spread of this virus. The flu is always dangerous, thus the push to vaccinate (which I don'tdo by the way). Two things to be aware of: dehydration and trouble breathing, especially in children. I hope things don't get too nasty this season, but as you can tell from my post I am a worrier by nature and therefor like to educate myself on what to watch for. I am glad you are feeling better Granny, the flu is no fun, regardless of the starin!!

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  20. Hope you're feeling better soon! It takes a while to get your strength back up after being sick.

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  21. it does seem that there is an upside to the swine flu if you get it...you start recovering after 3 days!!! Last time I had the flu I was down for a month :)

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  22. So glad that your maybe feeling a little better. Bad stuff going around here too. As soon as the kids went back to school they got that same bug.

    Yes, they did share it with me... I'm feeling better too but still have that cough.

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  23. Toni, we still have the cough, and today I have an earache! Lots of fluid in my ears...drives me nuts :-( Other than that, I think we're on the road to recovery.

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