A Reason for Caution

Being home sick with a really bad cold brings into focus the concern over the increasing news about the Bird Flu making its way around the world. What can we do to keep our families safe? Where can we get good information? I'm glad our country is taking steps now to prepare. With God's grace we can be ready to save many lives with vaccinations. Have you gotten your flu shot yet?

When I was a child, I don't remember ever getting a flu shot. I had friends that had gotten them every year, but most of my friends didn't get them either. But when Cooper was young and had so many asthma episodes, and we ended up in the hospital emergency room once or twice a month, the doctors recommended we all get flu shots to protect him. Since then, we have gotten annual flu shots.


How do we know if we have a cold or the flu?

The CDC has a very informative website that includes a webpage where you can select a time-frame and display a map that shows where the flu has been reported. I remember checking here a couple of years ago when the flu outbreak was occurring.

Cold Symptoms
According to the Kaiser website, symptoms of a cold are cough, mild sore throat, stuffy and/or runny nose, sneezing, and sometimes a low grade fever (101F or lower).

Flu Symptoms
Kaiser describes flu symptoms as fever, body aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, a dry cough, and a sore or dry throat. Flu symptoms are more severe that cold symptoms.

Pneumonia Symptoms
Kaiser states that pneumonia often follows an upper respiratory infection brought on by a cold or the flu. Typical symptoms would include fever, coughing that brings up colored mucus, and rapid, shallow breathing.

Bird Flu Symptoms
The CDC website describes bird flu symptoms as being much more severe than the typical flu. Symptoms range from fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches to eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory distress, and other severe, life-threatening complications.


Taking Time to Take Care of Yourself

It's so hard to stop and take care of yourself. When you're a Mom, you're used to taking care of your family. But having to stay home from work makes me feel like I'm neglecting my duties. Since I got bronchitis last year, it seems like this cold has affected my lungs quicker, so I am being cautious because I remember how bad it was last time. So, now I have to be patient (and be a patient) and rely on God's grace for a speedy recovery.