Influenza
Influenza
Help for Whole-Body Flu Misery
Yesterday you felt perfectly fine. Today you feel as though someone has handed you a large appliance and asked you to carry it for two blocks. You have the flu, and you feel miserable.
Flu viruses change from year to year, keeping the bugs one step ahead of our immune systems, says Carole Heilman, Ph.D., chief of the respiratory diseases branch at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institues of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Disease-fighting antibodies produced after exposure to a previous year's virus no longer recognize the next year's strain, so we have no defense from any previous exposure.
What Women Doctors Do
Go to Bed! Carole Heilman, Ph.D. The chief of the respiratory diseases branch at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, once had the flu while attending a meeting in Hawaii. Carole Heilman, Ph.D., figures that she must have picked up the bug on the plane from the recycled air. (Planes are notorious for spreading the flu.) Dr. Heilman learned her lesson the hard way. "Instead of taking care of myself, I pushed myself to go on to my next meeting, and I got a secondary infection--a miserable case of bacterial pneumonia," she says. "I was a mess. The doctor gave me very strong, very expensive antibiotics, and I was out of commision for weeks. "I've learned my lesson," she says. "Now, if I get the flu, I stay in bed for two days, wait for the fever to break, drink plenty of fluids and then go back to work."
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When To See A Doctor
If you're over age 65 or have a history of respiratory problems or other chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease, don't take the flu lightly. See your doctor as soon as possible. And get a flu shot every fall. But for healthy women, doctors say that you don't necessarily need to seek medical treatment unless you have any of the following symptoms. * Shortness of breath * Chest discomfort * Prolonged high fever * Painful breathing * Phlegm tinged with blood * Pain around your eyes or cheekbones * Earache * Irregular or rapid heartbeat * Asthma attack or wheezing As soon as these symptoms develop, contact your doctor, who can prescribe either amantadine or rimantadine, both antiviral medications. They're most effective if prescribed early on.
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IF YOU HAVE THE FLU If you've been bitten by the flu bug, there's plenty that you can do at home to feel better.
Pick one drug, not several. "We advise women against taking multiple over-the-counter drugs to treat multiple flu symptoms," says Dr. Heilman. "Say you have a splitting headache, a stuffy nose and a cough. You could end up taking a painkiller like acetaminophen for your headache, plus a decongestant that contains the same drug, and a cough syrup. Drugs interact. To avoid overmedicating, pick your most uncomfortable symptom--the painful headache, for example--and treat that. Skip the OTC decongestants or cough syrups."
Get vaporized. "Plugging in a vaporizer and resting in bed for two days is key to treating the flu," says Janet McElhaney, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. "A vaporizer can make you feel better by returning moisture to dry, cracked nasal passages and lips. It can also help relieve a painful sore throat and loosen dried mucus."
Take a hot, steamy shower. "The steam acts as a vaporizer, because it can provide a moist environment," says Dr. McElhaney.
Fill the cup and don't say when. Dr. McElhaney recommends drinking at least one quart of liquid a day. "When you have a fever with the flu, your body can get dehydrated, driving the fever up even higher." Reach for water, fruit juice, seltzer water, mineral water, decaffeinated soft drinks and decaffeinated coffee and tea. "Caffeine is a diuretic, which can speed dehydration," she explains.
Gargle with saltwater. To relieve a sore throat, Dr. Heilman recommends gargling with one teaspoon of salt mixed into an eight-ounce glass of warm water.
Go to bed early. If you must go to work, at least go to bed earlier than usual, says Dr. Heilman. This will lessen the stress on your body and help it fight the infection.
Listen to your body. "Your body will tell you what it needs," says Dr. Heilman. "If you feel tired, rest in bed for two days. Most women ignore the symptoms and put themselves last--they need to start putting themselves first. If you take care of yourself, you will get better faster."
