I'm sick but what is it??

Influenza vs. the Common Cold

Both influenza and the common cold are viral respiratory infections (they affect the nose, throat, and lungs). Viruses are spread from person to person through airborne droplets that are sneezed out or coughed up by an infected person. In some cases, the viruses can be spread when a person touches an infected surface (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, telephones) and then touches his or her nose, mouth, or eyes. As such, these illnesses are most easily spread in crowded conditions such as schools.

Influenza is commonly referred to as "the flu." Between October and March each year, between 10% and 40% of people are stricken with influenza. Although most people recover fully, the flu causes approximately 7,000 deaths annually in Canada, mostly among high-risk populations (people with other medical conditions or weakened immune systems, the elderly, or very young children). There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A influenza causes the most serious problems in humans.

There are over 200 different known cold viruses, but most colds (30-40%) are caused by rhinoviruses. In Canada, the peak times for colds are at the start of school in the fall, in mid-winter, and again in early spring. Children catch approximately eight colds per year, adults catch roughly four per year, and seniors about two per year. Many people confuse the flu with a bad cold. The following table highlights the differences between influenza and the common cold:

Flu

Fever - between 38-41C and can last 3-4 days

Headache - very common

Aches and pains - very common and can be severe

Fatigue and weakness - can last 14-21 days

Extreme exhaustion - sometimes at the start

Stuffy nose - sometimes happens

Sneezing - sometimes happens

Sore throat - sometimes happens

Chest discomfort - common

Cough - common

Cold

Fever - uncommon

Headache - uncommon

Aches and pains - slight

Fatigue and weakness - mild

Extreme exhaustion - never

Stuffy nose - common

Sneezing - common

Sore throat - common

Chest discomfort - common

Cough - common, sometimes hacking or productive

People infected with an influenza or cold virus become contagious 24 hours after the virus enters the body (often before symptoms appear). Adults remain infectious (can spread the virus to others) for about 6 days, and children remain infectious for up to 10 days.

Health Tips

Since working in the clinic I have spent a lot of time educating people on various aspects of their health. I have come across a lot of common misconceptions regarding the flu, common cold, muscle strains and pains....lots of different things. So I am going to use my blog as a forum to educate you on these common misconceptions and then you can pass them on to your friends and family and hopefully we can start educating the masses! So when I come across something interesting I'll post it here but please, if you want information on anything let me know and I can address your individual concerns as well. You can also ask me via email if you don't want it to be public information.

Facts on "The Flu"

I have had soooo many people come into the clinic with the flu and I have had to educate them on the common misconceptions surrounding the flu. This article talks about the flu vaccination and how important it is to be vaccinated each year. Nurses are "highly encouraged" to get flu shots every year and I admit, at first I was skeptical and I protested but someone educated me on the importance of getting vaccinated and now I am a 'flu shot advocate' So now I'm passing on my knowledge to you and hopefully you will become a flu shot believer as well.

*The one thing that this article doesn't mention is that antibiotics will NOT cure the flu. It is a viral infection and antibiotics DO NOT cure viruses, they act only on bacterial infections. Getting antibiotics unnecessarily is only going to contribute to the formation of new 'antibiotic resistant' infections. More info on that to come because it is another huge topic of discussion.

Flu: You're Not Immune
by Marin Gazzaniga

Parents are having “chicken pox parties” to expose their toddlers to the virus; researchers are reporting that children exposed to colds and germs (e.g., in early daycare) build better immunities. Can the same be said for adults who contract influenza? Does getting the flu improve your immunity?

“The natural immunity you build is usually more durable than the immunity you acquire from an injection,” acknowledges Dr. Raymond Strikas, associate director for an immunization program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “However, why run the, albeit small, risk of a serious illness when it is much safer to get the vaccine?”

“Getting the flu is not a good idea,” says Dr. Ardis Hoven, an infectious disease specialist and trustee of the American Medical Association. “The primary reason is that the influenza virus undergoes anagenic variation, so on a yearly basis the strain undergoes change.” Meaning: Getting this year’s flu doesn’t necessarily prevent you from getting next year’s flu.
The CDC estimates that every year, approximately 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu. The figures are hard to estimate because not everyone who gets the flu goes to the doctor. What they do know is that more than 200,000 are hospitalized for flu-related complications and 36,000 will die. Ninety percent of deaths are among the elderly.

So what’s a person to do to avoid the flu?Doctors agree that the best way to prevent the flu, or any illness, is to wash your hands regularly. But becoming a Purell fanatic isn’t sufficient protection for those at risk of serious complications from the flu.

The CDC and AMA urge high-risk groups—and those around them—to get an annual flu shot to prevent serious illness, complications and even death. To assure there are enough vaccines to cover those at risk, inoculations are limited to “Tier 1” members until Oct. 24: the elderly (over 65), nursing home residents, anyone with immune-compromised systems, children age 6-23 months, pregnant women, health care workers and caregivers of babies under six months old. After Oct. 24, anyone who wants a flu shot can get one—provided there’s ample supply.

*Note: Those who are allergic to eggs should not get a flu shot. Also, if you’ve had a bad reaction to a flu vaccine in the past, talk to your doctor before getting one again. If you’re ill that day, your doctor will likely have you wait till you are well to have the vaccine.

What if you’d rather get the flu than get a shot?Say you’re not in any of the high-risk groups and you hate shots. What’s wrong with just taking your chances? It’s not just about you. If you get the flu, chances are, you’re going to transmit it to others—and then those people will pass it on, and so on. So by not taking care of yourself, you run the risk of infecting those who may be at risk for serious illness. In fact, one of the reasons immunization is recommended is to limit the spread of a virus. The flu isn’t just about health, either; a flu epidemic has a financial impact as well. “The flu affects about 5 percent to 10 percent of the work force on an annual basis,” says infectious disease specialist Hoven. “This impacts workforce productivity—loss of income, loss of revenue, health care costs to individuals (going to the doctor, buying medicines). So getting the flu can have a significant community effect.”

For the truly needle phobic, this marks the third year that a new nasal spray vaccine will be available for those who are healthy, not pregnant and between ages 5 and 49 years. There are 3 million doses available. The price ($18-23 a dose) is higher than the shot, which costs between $10 and $14 a dose. Side effects can include be a runny nose and congestion.

Can’t you still get the flu from a flu shot?“As with any medicine you can have an adverse or side effect—e.g., sore arm from injection or weak and feverish,” explains Strikas of the CDC. There are other uncommon side effects—diarrhea, vomiting, rare allergic reactions—but the virus is inactivated in the vaccine. You cannot get the flu from the flu shot itself.

You can, however, still get the flu, even if you’ve had the vaccine. Some people respond with antibodies better than others, and the older you get, the less able you are to make antibodies to respond to a vaccine. “You are still better off with the shot than without, because you are much less likely to be hospitalized or die than if you didn’t have the vaccine,” says Strikas.

For those who aren’t high-risk and who are relatively healthy, the main reason to get a shot and avoid the flu is: It’s a bummer. Don’t confuse your annual bad cold with the flu. As Dr. Thomas Kovachevich, a family practitioner in New York City says: “Anyone who’s had the flu prays to God for relief—even atheists.”

Love my new Crock Pot!!

I love my new crock pot! Last Sunday I made awesome beef stew and had it for lunch at work all week. I'd post the recipe but I can't seem to find it :( Too bad cause it was so good! Today I'm making Lemon Chicken and so far, it smells really good! Here's the recipe:

LEMON CHICKEN

1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chicken buillion cubes
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1. In a bowl, mix together the oregano, salt and pepper. Rub into chicken. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken breasts in butter for 3-5 mins on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker.

2. In the same skillet, mix the water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon. Bring the mixture to boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.

3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours. Add the parsley to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

It's going to be great with brown rice and veggies !

This is fun

Thanks for this Jen! I'm not too sure how they manage to come up with the results though??
Weird. Fried chicken??

Melanie -- [adjective]: Tastes like fried chicken 'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

It's hard being me...

Imagine how hard it would be to put drops in your eyes with a metal plate in your neck....it's not easy! I can't tilt my head back enough to actually get the drops in my eyes, instead they run down my face. Last night I had to actually lie down to be able to get them in but today I rigged up a position that, while I look ridiculous doing it cause I'm half sideways and upside down, works much better. It's tough being disabled sometimes ;0)

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis sucks. I woke up this morning and my eyes were itchy and watery and it only got worse during the day so when they were finally so bloodshot and painful that I could barely keep them open, I saw one of the docs this afternoon. Nurses really do make the worst patients. We're so reluctant to see a doc and more convinced that we can heal ourselves...actually maybe that's just a woman trait. I was going to put it off until tomorrow morning but by then my eyes would have probably be glued shut with mucky gunk. Lovely. Even now, with the antibiotic drops, they're still super bloodshot and itchy. The pharmacist said it was probably going to become an occupational hazard working at the clinic and catching everyones germs. Jane (one of the docs) had really bad laryngitis last week and completely lost her voice for a few days so hopefully I don't catch her sickness. She did have a mucky eye though...hmmm.

We did sigmoidoscopies at work today. I got to see what the inside of the small bowel looks like. It's pink ;0) I have to assist the doctor and clean the instruments but he likes to teach me things so he let me look through the scope today at a polyp. I didn't really know what I was looking at other than pink tissue but it was pretty cool.

Time for bed. Goodnight all!

Book Review

If anyone is looking for a lighthearted, humorous book to read give Somthing Borrowed by Emily Giffin a try. I just finished it and loved it. It's about a girl who is the maid of honor in her bestfriend's wedding but happens to fall in love with the groom! Oops! Ah, it was funny! I've never read one of her books before but now I'm going to go and get the rest. I've been into the lighthearted, romantic, comedy books lately. Some other good ones are The Nanny and The Waitress by Melissa Nathan and When in Rome... by Gemma Townley. If anyone has any book suggestions for me, pass them on!

Pictures from the Barenaked Ladies!

So AWESOME!!

Look how close we were!!

Barenaked Ladies!!

OMG! Best concert ever last night! I was able to score free tickets to the Barenaked Ladies concert at the Banff Springs last night. The Texas Roadhouse company was in Banff this week doing some sort of promotion stuff and our clinic helped out the Texas doc so he gave us all free tickets. It was the best concert I've ever been to. We were right up front, one person away from the stage, all night. We could have reached out and touched them we were so close! They played all the good songs...If I Had a Million Dollars, My Apartment, Shoebox and then finished off with my fav Brian Wilson. The outside had a huge ice sculpture entrace and bon fire. There was a guy playing the piano at the coatcheck! Only at the Springs! There was an open bar, made of ice! I was designated as driver so I only had one fancy martini. There were a few of us there from work and we all had to work this morning. Sue and I were the first ones to go home at midnight so you can imagine how effective we all were at work this morning and everyone else was taking full advantage of the open bar! It was awesome. It definatly tops my list of Best Nights Ever!

Yippee for me!

Everyone take a moment to congratulate me on my coffee cutdown successes......thank you, thank you...I know...it's been a tough week but I did it! Well sort of...lets continue to focus on the successful days and forget about the 2 days this week that I caved in and had a latte in the afternoon. Forget about those 2 days. I mean it's only 2 days, out of 7, so lets focus on the 5 successful days. Yea me! The 2 afternoons that I caved, everyone in the office agreed that I'd be far more functional and useful to them if I had a coffee. Go figure. I needed it. We went out to the pub 2 nights this week and even though I was home by midnight, I guess I wasn't functioning to my full potential. It was actually pretty funny on Friday morning. Lisa, our receptionist, said it looked like I was walking around in a daze all morning and begged me to have a coffee to wake me up cause she couldn't stop laughing. Ah, good times.

Today I finally finished unpacking the house and getting things organized. I moved all our boxes and storage things into our storage locker, vacuumed, cleaned Monsieur Poisson's tank, cleaned my room, painted my bedside table, did tons of laundry, washed my car...a very productive day. Now I'm watching the Academy Awards. I havn't seen many of the nominated movies this year but I like to see what everyone is wearing more than anything.

Oh, so I had to buy Monsieur Poisson some different food this week. He kept spitting the flake food back out, I guess he didn't like it...? Anyways, so I got some dried ocean plankton on the advice of the dude in the pet store. He also told me that Monsieur Poisson could grow to be the size of a small trout. Well then. I guess I'm going to have to get a new tank. Apparently, Oscars are also very agressive fish. Sue wanted to get a shark but apparently my fish would eat it. Who'd have thought? What am I going to do with a fish the size of a trout?? I guess these are all things that I should have asked before I got him. Oh well, he's a very pretty fish and I'll just have to get a bigger tank I guess.