Flu Symptoms Come In Waves

How Do Cold Symptoms Differ From Flu Symptoms

So you think you feel those groggy symptoms coming on, but cant figure out whether its a cold or the full-blown flu? Watch out for the following tell tale signs that indicate it is flu that you’re dealing with:

• High fever: You have a high temperature above 39°C that does not come down even if you take ibuprofen and/or paracetamol
• Effect on day to day life: You are confused or disoriented
• Pain: You notice a sharp pain in your chest
• Breathing: You are experiencing difficulty in breathing
• Fluids: You cough up blood-stained phlegm
• Swollen glands: You notice a swelling of the glands in your neck and/or armpits
• Sore muscles: Everything starts to ache
• Loss of appetite: You won’t fancy eating or drinking much
• Duration: Your symptoms last longer than 3 weeks

When To See A Doctor

People should try to see a doctor within 24 to 48 hours after flu symptoms appear, as this is when antiviral treatments are most effective.

It is also important to see a doctor if symptoms do not improve after 7 days or new symptoms, such as ear pain, appear.

People should seek emergency medical treatment if:

• breathing becomes difficult or labored
• muscle pain is unbearable or severe enough to prevent walking
• a child develops a fever above 104°F
• when breathing, a child or infant makes loud sounds or pulls in the muscles around their ribs
• a person has seizures, loses consciousness, seems confused, or is unable to communicate effectively
• a baby under the age of 12 weeks develops a fever
• symptoms of chronic medical conditions get worse
• there is intense dizziness that does not go away after a few hours
• a person stops urinating or urinates very rarely
• symptoms get better but then return later and are worse

How Worried Should I Be About Omicron

The BA.5 omicron subvariant accounted for nearly 54% of the countrys Covid cases as of July 2, according to the CDC. BA.4 accounts for 17% of sampled cases.

Because the BA.5 subvariant is so much more transmissible, people should probably “re-engage in some of the prevention strategies that we recommended earlier,” Gulick said. “So wearing masks indoors or wearing masks in crowded places is a reasonable thing to do.”

There is no data yet to suggest that BA.5 or other known omicron subvariants are “more aggressive viruses than the other ones,” Gulick said.

Because it is easier to catch than the other viruses, people really need to get vaccinated and boosted, he said.

“Thats the best protection we have.”

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How To Treat Flu Symptoms

In most cases, the best things to do when you have the flu are:

• Rest at home.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Avoid contact with other people.

Your doctor might give you prescription medications called antiviral drugs if youâre at higher risk of complications, such as if you:

• Are very sick or have other medical conditions

Emergency Warning Signs Of Severe Covid

If you or someone in your household is experiencing any of the following symptoms, call 911 or your local emergency room right away and let the operator know that you are calling for someone who might have COVID-19:

• Difficulty breathing
• Inability to wake up or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

There are other possible symptoms of COVID-19. Call your doctor or health care center regarding any symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

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How Is It Spread

Noroviruses are very contagious. They are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. From there, noroviruses are transferred to food, water, or surfaces by the hands of infected people who have not washed adequately after using the bathroom.

People become infected with norovirus by:

• Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated by an infected person.
• Eating uncooked shellfish that has been harvested from contaminated waters.
• Touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their mouth or eating without washing their hands first.

Antibiotics Cannot Treat Any Virus Including The Flu But They Can Treat Some Flu

Its a common misconception that antibiotics will be helpful in treating any illness, but its simply not the case. Antibiotics are not effective against an illness caused by a virus, only those caused by bacteria. This means that antibiotics will be useless in treating influenza, the common cold, or any other flu-like illness thats caused by a virus. However, if your flu-like illness turns out to be a condition thats caused by bacteria such as strep throat and some types of pneumonia antibiotics may be necessary to treat the infection.

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Can You Have The Coronavirus Without A Cough

Yes. A cough is one of the common symptoms of COVID-19, but it is not always present. You can be infected with the coronavirus and not have a cough. If you do have one, it may be mild and infrequent, or you may cough heavily at times. Remember that it is possible to have COVID-19 with minimal symptoms or even no symptoms at all. People infected with the coronavirus who have no symptoms can still spread the virus to others.

Read More On The Coronavirus Pandemic

• Boosters: The Biden administration is expected to begin a Covid-19 booster campaign in September, offering updated vaccines that should prove more effective against the now-dominant Omicron subvariant BA.5.
• Rural America: New research found that Covid killed Black and Hispanic people across small towns and farmlands at considerably higher rates last year than it did their white neighbors.
• Parents and Pandemic Politics: They were once Democrats and Republicans. But fears for their children fueled by vaccine skepticism have turned them into single-issue voters, on the side of no vaccine mandates for their children.
• Coronavirus Origins: Two new studies exploring how the Covid outbreak began, concluded that the wet market in Wuhan, China, was the likely epicenter of its emergence.

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Get Advice From A Nurse

Our care lines make it easy for you to talk directly with a nurse 24/7, 365 days a year. The best part? Its completely free of charge.

Our nurses can help you decide if its time to see a doctor and give you some additional home remedy advice. To talk with a nurse, you can call the HealthPartners CareLine at or the Park Nicollet Nurse Line at .

Newest Variant Still Poorly Understood

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Omicron variant COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organization by South Africa on November 25, and the first case was found in the United States in a person recently arrived from South Africa.

One of the first doctors to suspect a different COVID-19 strain among patients told Reuters that symptoms of the new variant were so far mild and could be treated at home.

Most of them are seeing very, very mild symptoms, and none of them so far have admitted patients to surgeries. We have been able to treat these patients conservatively at home, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, a private practitioner and chair of the South African Medical Association, said.

She noted that patients with Omicron havent reported loss of smell or taste, and the new variant hasnt yet caused a major drop in oxygen levels with the new variant.

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National Institutes Of Health Investigates Plight Of ‘long

Dr. Richard Walker, chairman of emergency medicine for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, said Lambert’s work was “very important research.”

“Any time we can predict the course of the disease, it offers us the ability to mitigate problems,” said Walker, who was not involved in the research.

Lambert surveyed 5,163 long-haulers. Patients were contacted online through the website Survivor Corps, a site dedicated to long-haulers. Seventy-seven percent of respondents had either tested positive for Covid-19 or had been diagnosed by physicians based on their symptoms and exposure.

In the survey, Lambert asked patients what symptoms they had and approximately how long after their illnesses they had begun.

Overall, patients reported more than 100 symptoms. Not all are necessarily connected to Covid-19 it will take time for researchers to sort that out.

But long-haulers do tend to be careful note takers. “They are normally tracking their symptoms week by week so that they can report it to the doctor to try to get help,” Lambert said.

When Lambert analyzed symptom onset specifically, distinct patterns emerged.

“The first wave is clearly the more flu-like symptoms,” such as fatigue, headache, fever and chills, she said. “Then it seems like diarrhea, nausea and vomiting are five days later, typically.”

The new waves don’t mean the previous symptoms disappear those symptoms can linger, or they may fade and re-emerge later.

Do I Have Covid Or The Flu How To Tell The Difference

• Help vital research by logging your flu jab

Some researchers are predicting that due to low levels of social contact and potentially low levels of immunity, we could be headed for a bad flu season this winter. So hereâs what you need to know about the flu, its symptoms, and how to keep yourself safe this winter.

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How To Suspect Biliary Colic :

• The waves of pain usually start after eating heavy or fatty meals.
• The pain starts gradually and builds up over a period of 30-60 minutes per wave.
• The intensity decreases or goes and comes again with the same pattern.
• The pain is often very intense.
• Nausea is very frequent with biliary colics.
• Vomiting also can occur.
• The combination of high intensity, relatively longer waves of pain together with nausea is characteristic of biliary colic.

Is It Stomach Bug Stomach Flu Or Food Poisoning

Your stomach is in knots as another wave of nausea strikes, sending you to the bathroom for the third time in an hour. But whats the cause? Two likely culprits are stomach bug and food poisoning. But how does stomach flu differ from food poisoning? Understanding the difference may lead to feeling better sooner and even prevent the illness from occurring in the first place.

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What Should I Do If I Get The Flu

If you think you have the flu, a good first step is to call or set up a telemedicine visit with your doctor, if you can. A virtual visit may suffice and your doctor could advise on next steps for testing, Dr. Gandhi said, to determine if you have the flu, Covid-19, both or something else.

If you do have the flu, you may be eligible to receive antiviral drugs that can reduce symptom severity, Dr. Gandhi said. Also, drink plenty of water and other clear liquids, take over-the-counter pain relievers if needed and avoid contact with others. If possible, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone.

How Is Flu Different From Covid

Flu and COVID-19 are caused by two different and very distinct viruses. However, they do cause similar symptoms. As we know, thanks to ZOE COVID Study app contributors, the most common COVID-19 symptoms include headache, runny nose,sneezing, sore throat, fever, and cough, which are all common flu symptoms. So how do we tell the difference?

Our research shows that loss of smell or loss of taste is still one of the most important predictors of testing positive for COVID-19, so itâs an important symptom to look out for.

Even if youâre vaccinated, you can still catch COVID-19. COVID symptoms can feel a lot like a cold or the flu – if youâre newly unwell we recommend you get a PCR test to rule COVID out. If youâre a ZOE COVID Study contributor and report any of the 20+ symptoms consistent with COVID-19, youâll be offered a test through the app.

If youâre feeling unwell for any reason – whether itâs a cold, flu or COVID-19 – itâs a good idea to stay home and avoid spreading your germs to others.

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‘waves Of Symptoms’: Researchers May Have Found A Pattern Of Progression In Covid Long

Kelly Marcilliat realized something was terribly wrong with his thinking on a drive last summer.

He’d pulled up to a four-way stop a situation Marcilliat, 55, of Denver, had been in thousands of times before. This time, however, he couldn’t figure out when it was his turn to go.

“I sat there looking at the intersection,” Marcilliat said, “wondering, ‘What the hell do I do?'”

The cognitive problems popped up months after he first became ill with Covid-19, blindsiding him.

“When I was at my sickest from the virus, initially, I didn’t feel dopey-headed. I just felt exhausted,” he said.

Marcilliat isn’t alone: New research suggests that long-term symptoms of Covid-19 may emerge in a distinct pattern over weeks and months.

Natalie Lambert, an associate research professor at Indiana University School of Medicine, surveyed thousands of “long-hauler” Covid-19 patients, finding that specific symptoms tend to emerge at regular intervals usually a week or 10 days resulting in what she calls “waves of symptoms.”

More research is needed to confirm the results, which have not been published in a medical journal or posted to a preprint server. But the early findings, which were shared with NBC News, could give clinicians insights into treating long-haulers more effectively and perhaps even preventing debilitating symptoms.

When Lambert analyzed symptom onset specifically, distinct patterns emerged.

Patients, too, are desperate for answers.

How Do The Symptoms Of Covid

verifiedKara Rogers

Influenza, the common cold, and COVID-19 can produce very similar symptoms, including runny nose and cough. The common cold, however, tends to be mild in most individuals, rarely causing fever and aches. Flu and COVID-19, on the other hand, can cause more extensive symptoms, including fever, body aches, shortness of breath, headache, and, especially in children, diarrhea and vomiting. In severe cases, flu and COVID-19 can result in pneumonia and death.

There are some key differences, however. For example, flu symptoms often develop soon after infection , whereas symptoms of COVID-19 may take anywhere from two days to two weeks to emerge. Some people with COVID-19 also experience unusual changes in taste. COVID-19 may result in long-lasting respiratory and neurological symptoms and complications.

The surest way to know whether a respiratory infection is a cold, the flu, or COVID-19 is through testing. Because the common cold, influenza, and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, testing can confirm the actual cause.

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Friends And Family Leave Everything I Need On My Doorstep

Tina, 52, stay-at-home mom in Buckeye, Arizona

I first noticed my symptoms a few days after going to Disneyland. I woke with a sore throat and a little cough. It felt like an annoying tickle. Day two, the fever set in, the cough got worse, the sore throat was worse, and it began to be uncomfortable to take a deep breath. By the time I got back home to Arizona at the end of day two, I thought for sure I had gotten a bad cold or maybe the flu.

It gradually got worse every day. I started feeling very weak, having bad headaches. My neck hurt. I was nauseous. I couldnt take a deep breath. My chest hurt, my ribs were sore, it hurt to breathe. After a few days, I called the nurse line, explained my symptoms, and was told to go to the emergency room right away. She called ahead to tell them I was coming. When I got there, they guided me through an entirely different entrance. They all wore head masks and robes and wore double gloves. I didnt see one other patient the entire time I was there.

I was put in a room and kept isolated. They ran tests and X-rays, and I was told I had the virus and had to be on home quarantine for at least 14 days with no contact with anyone. Since then, my cough has gotten worse I havent been able to control my fever. My body feels weak and tired all the time and is just sore. I still have the sore throat, and it hurts to swallow. I havent left my house. Friends and family leave everything I need on my doorstep.

You Have A High Fever

The question of “Can you have a fever with a cold?” is a tricky one. While it’s definitely possible to be feverish when you have a cold, it’s not commonespecially high fevers.

If you have a fever at or above 101 degrees Fahrenheit, it could be a sign of strep throat, said Dr. Lai Becker. Most patients with strep will develop a high fever in the first few days of illness, so be wary of sudden spikes in your temperature. “Strep throat is one thing you really want to distinguish from a cold,” Dr. Lai Becker said. Strep throat is a bacterial infection that requires antibiotic treatmentit doesn’t get better on its own the way a common viral cold does. “Left untreated, it can cause rheumatic fever and lead to serious heart problems,” Dr. Lai Becker said.

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