I don’t usually
post here on Saturdays, but after the resounding response to Wednesday’s post,
I felt obligated to fill you in on the coronavirus a little bit more.
It’s not the
flu.
There are
some similarities. But let me give you the down and dirty on the flu first. To
begin with, when we talk about the “flu”, we mean the upper respiratory kind of
influenza. A lot of our patients come in saying they have the flu, because they
have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. That is not the flu, though some call it
the stomach flu. It is a gastrointestinal bug. You will not have those symptoms
from the flu, except for, fairly rarely, diarrhea.
So what exactly
are the symptoms of influenza. It usually comes on very quickly. You go to bed
at night feeling fine and around three a.m. you wake up sweating and aching all
over. Over the next couple days, the fever and chills may continue, you feel
exhausted, you develop a cough, maybe sore throat and headache. But the biggest
thing is you feel like you’ve been hit by a semi-truck.
Influenza has
been around for centuries. That’s why we are able to produce a yearly vaccine
against it. But because there are many different strains of influenza, this year’s shot may not kill every type that crops up. Which is why
you may still get the flu even if you’ve had the shot. It should, however, be a
much milder case. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a flu shot
each and every fall.
So how is
corona different?
From what I
have seen and read, coronavirus begins more insidiously. You may get a sore
throat, mild body aches and fatigue, low grade temp and think you are coming
down with a cold. If you are youngish and otherwise healthy, that’s all you may
get and it will go away and you don’t think much of it.
However, after
five to seven days of those symptoms, you may start to cough and run a fever. You
may feel short of breath, as if you have just run up three flights of stairs
but have done nothing more than take a sip of water.
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| A few of our defenses |
If again,
you are fairly healthy, the fever, cough, and shortness of breath may last
another week or so and you’ll get better. You can ride it out at home with rest
and plenty of fluids. Or things could go south for you.
If you have
those symptoms and are over sixty or have chronic conditions, such as COPD,
heart disease or diabetes, call your health care provider to see if you need to
be seen. Or go straight to the emergency room. Our ERs are being overwhelmed
right now, so don’t go running in there all in a panic. Use your head and seek
medical attention if you need it.
But just
like flu season, could this pass on its own?
At first, along
with a lot of others, I was thinking that we had the coronavirus here all
winter and some of those cases of influenza were just that. And the only reason
the numbers of confirmed positives is so high now is because we just started
testing for it. I don’t know. I am no expert – and it’s tough to find all the
answers because no one is an expert.
Even though
coronaviruses have been around for a while, this strain is brand, spanking new.
Our bodies – our immune systems – don’t know what to do with it. And neither do
all the doctors and scientists studying it.
Because it
hasn’t hit warmer countries quite as hard, there is some speculation that
corona doesn’t like hot weather. But I don’t think anyone studying this thinks
it will happily roll over and play dead once the northern hemisphere is hit
with summer weather. Look at the number of people in Florida with it.
That’s
only the tip of the iceberg.
There is so
much more I’d like to say, but you have read enough from me for today. Just don’t
take my word for any of this. I’m not a doctor, I’m just a peon who has worked
with many a doctor.
Last reminder
though, don’t trust everything you read on Facebook or other social media. Keep
your wits about you, people. And keep your distance too.
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| Main street was pretty quiet Thursday night |
(I thought
this webpage offered some more good answers.
1 comment:
Nicely done Chris.
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