I got a shot for the Flu earlyier in the year,and apparently it has done nothing. My mom brought me to the dr today and my peditrition said that she cant give me antibiotics because it wont have any affect after 48hrs of having the flu. So now I'm miserbale with having body aches,and a sore throat. I've taken lozenges,and sore throat spray,and advil for body aches which done seem to have any real affect. My question is ...
- What should I do to get better faster?
- What are some over the counter medication that will help?
- What should I be eating/drinking?
- How long does it take to get better
- and how do i keep from getting bored,considering I need to ''rest'' all the time The flu is so awful this year. I had it and wanted to die. The flu shot this year didn't work that well.
If you feel restless and feel the need to do things, then that's probably a good sign that you are getting better. Allow yourself to get up and move around if you feel up to it. Get out of bed carefully. Sit up slowly, sit on the side of the bed or couch for a little bit, then stand up slowly. Take frequent rests, don't bend over a lot, and don't take super hot showers. Take comfortable, warm showers that get the funk off without making your dizzy or weak.
A lot of people feel better by 7 days after first feeling sick.
Keep your fever under 101 by controlling it with tylenol. Follow the dosing instructions listed on the bottle very carefully. Do not take more than what is recomended. Too much tylenol can make you very sick.
Make sure you eat small servings of food throughout the day. Don't eat big meals, just little things. And eat foods that provide hydration and that are easy on the stomach. Try soup that isn't too chunky with meat. Not eating can prolong the illness.
Throat pain is hard to treat. Cepacol products work the best, in my opinion. I got a flu shot this year too, and still got the flu. Apparently the Smarty-Pantses out there who predict which flu is coming guessed mostly wrong this year and instead of the flu shot working for most of the flus it's only working for about 30% of flus out there this year. Usually they predict better.
For me the flu has so far lasted 5 days, with day 3 being the worst. It started Saturday. Sunday I had a fever and stayed in bed all day. When I get fevers, I always get the kind with chills, so I was huddled under a bunch of blankets shivering. Monday was such a delirium that I have no idea what went on. Monday night my fever (even with tylenol) went up to 100.8. I wanted to die--truthfully.Tuesday I didn't wish for death anymore but still felt horrible. Wednesday was pretty much the same. Today (Thursday) I feel sort of human but still not very good. My fever seems to have finally decided to go away (crossing fingers).
Since I got the flu, I've been drinking 6 or 7 bottles of water a day. You do not want to get dehydrated--better to be sloshing around than dry. As far as eating goes? I have been unable to eat much of anything so I can't help you there.
For medication, here is what I did.
--For fever, take two regular Tylenol every 4-6 hours.
--Take a swig of Robitussin DM every few hours to try to avoid gunk collecting in your upper lungs.
--If your head is all stopped up and you can barely breathe, then next time it's time for you to take Tylenol, take one regular and one Tylenol Sinus (they're red and green).
--If you have so much snot flowing out of your head that you're being driven crazy by it, then next time it's time for you to take Tylenol, take two regular Tylenol and a Sudafed pill for runny noses
--BUT if you need to switch from red/green Tylenols to Sudafeds do it gently...let one medicine cycle go by where you just take two regular tylenols, and then next time make your switch.
That thick, yellowy mucus you cough up sometimes? That is a big part of what is making your throat hurt. Robitussin will help you cough it up. So will hot steamy baths and showers. Don't swallow it back down--it's like glue and it WON'T swallow down. It will just get stuck again. It's gross, but keep a towel in bed with you and just hack all that nasty gunk up into the towel. Plus you'll get to look at your big snot-babies and know that you just coughed out a big wad of germs.
If you're laying on your side, the nostril facing up will slowly drain into the nostril facing down and then that will drain into a big gland in your throat that is facing down. So when that gland starts to hurt, flip over and let it all drain to the other side for a while. It may make you cough for a few minutes.
Your nose is going to go all raw and painful after a day or two of blowing it. Get a big bottle of Lubriderm or something and rub it inot the end of your nose frequently. Those tissues with lotion in them will just not do in this case.
Anyway, I have been happy to share all of the horribleness that has been happening to me for the past week. I hope some of it helps you. And remember--you are contagious for 7-10 days. Don't spread the flu! Stay home for as long as you can. |
