Today’s blog is about all things VIRAL.
Does it seem like everyone is coughing? They are! Cold viruses are everywhere right now, so lets talk about what they are, and what to do if you come down with one.
What are the viruses going around this time of year?
Common cold viruses come in a few flavors, referring to the viruses going around this time of year as “cold and flu” viruses can be a little misleading:
You’ve got your respiratory viruses: these include the common cold viruses like rhinovirus, adenovirus, RSV, and the influenza family (A and B), and everyone’s favorite: COVID. These guys cause the stuffy noses, cough and sometimes fever. They can make your ears hurt from sinus pressure, and run through the house like wildfire.
Does it matter which one you have?
Generally speaking, RSV and influenza can lead to more complications. For those with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and small children, these viruses can pre-dispose you to bacterial infections and more importantly cause an inflammatory reaction in your body making your lungs very unhappy. This time of year we see hospitalizations, and deaths, in these groups rise dramatically. Healthy people and those who are vaccinated tend to recover quickly and have far fewer complications.
What can you do to protect yourself and your family?
HAND WASHING is number one. Be mindful of touching your mouth, face and eyes after touching surfaces. Steer clear of people who you know aren’t feeling well, and when that can’t be avoided a face mask is still an evidence-based way to reduce your risk of any droplets getting onto your face, or inhaled.
GET VACCINATED even though you “never get the flu”. You do. You were probably just not ever tested for it. Evidence supports reduced death rates in ALL groups of people who are vaccinated for COVID, influenza, and those eligible for the RSV vaccine. Its just the facts. (We’ll send out a newsletter soon with more vaccine FAQ’s)
What about the stomach flu? ITS NOT A THING. Really? Yes.
There is no such thing as the “stomach flu”. As we mentioned above, influenza is a respiratory virus, and while it can cause whole body symptoms, it usually starts out in the respiratory tract.
There are however common viruses, just like cold viruses, that cause you to have upset stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. These viruses are usually adenovirus, enterovirus, and norovirus. But there are others!
The same rules apply to avoid these ones, although nor-virus can be transmitted on food (think buffets, food poisoning on cruise ships, and is sometimes a little harder to avoid).
What to do if I have any of these?
If you are showing any symptoms of respiratory viruses or stomach viruses there are plenty of things that you can do at home to ease your symptoms and help your body recover quickly:
For fever, body aches, and pain: for an adult sized person you can take up to 1,000mg of Tylenol and 400mg of Motrin up to four times per day. That’s right! It is safe to do this for 4-5 days if needed.
Over the counter drugs like mucinex can help with congestion, and pseudoephedrine (the Sudafed behind the pharmacy counter) helps with severe congestion (caution with high blood pressure).
For congestion, we recommend using a nasal saline rinse like a Neti Pot. Always use distilled water, and check out YouTube videos of kids using them. Its not as scary as it sounds!
For stomach discomfort and vomiting, tea with ginger can help ease nausea. A bland diet, and even fluids only for 48 hours is safe for most adults.
There aren’t a ton of safe over the counter medications for nausea or diarrhea. Often, these symptoms are short lived and help your body clear infection. As long as you can sip fluids, try to be patient. You Apios doctor can help you with prescription nausea and diarrhea medicine if needed
If you have respiratory symptoms and are in a high risk group, take a COVID test and home, and consider a test for influenza if it is in the early days of your illness. There are medications that have been shown to reduce the severity of both of these infections but only if given in the first few days.
As always, with ANY viral symptoms: Keep yourself isolated from others as much as possible to prevent spread. Always avoid any immunocompromised people, elderly or children if you can.
Contact your Apios provider whenever you aren’t feeling well so we can help you navigate caring for yourself at home, and understand when you might need to be seen in person, or get a prescription. We are here for you and your family! Lets get through this viral season together.
