Comments on: Damn the flu!

Question: Damn the flu!

Smalltown Girl — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:25:15 -0800

I'm sick of the flu. What will speed my recovery?

I'm sick of being sick. I've had the flu for nearly 2 weeks, and I'm finally going to the doctor tomorrow (he could just now get me in). I've coughed so much that my ribs and stomach hurt, and I just ache all over. Even my hair hurts!

I don't feel like eating anything. But if I don't eat, won't I just get worse? What can I eat that will revive me -- even a little bit -- and won't make me gag. I mean, no food sounds good. Only ginger ale, and I'm not sure that's very nutritious. To compound matters, Mr. Smalltown Girl is getting the flu, too, so he doesn't feel very nurse-like.

I'm going to go curl up in bed now and whimper.

By: anaelith

anaelith — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:53:57 -0800

Apples, possibly with a mild cheese.
Mashed or baked potatoes.
Milk, cold or warm, plain, chocolate, or honey.
Mac'n'cheese, out of a box.
Cereals, cold or warm, optionally with honey. (Corn flakes, porridge, etc.)
Toast, soft and buttery, optionally with honey--white bread, pita bread, or potato rolls.

I usually go for the warm foods when I feel chilled, and the cool foods when I feel feverish, so it helps to have some of both around.

Also, I spend a lot of time in the shower with the water temperature turned all the way up, being baked seems to make me feel like I've got a little more energy left for things like thinking and breathing.

By: gramcracker

gramcracker — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:28:20 -0800

But if I don't eat, won't I just get worse?

I'm not sure what the data would say on that. There is some data that eating or not eating alters the immune response, but it's not really clinically applicable.

By the time you're fully recovered, you will have lost a pretty good amount of body weight--both fat and muscle. While you're not eating, your body is using your muscle and fat for energy, and at an even higher rate because you're ill.

Ginger ale or saltines or whatever you can tolerate will give your body a bit of carbs and glucose, but if it is the flu, all we've got for you at this point (this far into the illness) is get lots of rest, lots of fluids, and if you didn't get one this year, get a flu shot next year and wash your hands often! Get well soon!

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:30:19 -0800

Chicken soup, plenty of water, acetaminophen/paracetamol, bed, bed, bed.

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:32:23 -0800

oh, i hate this feeling. don't panic, but i once had the flu for 6 weeks. i have never been so miserable.

some things i found palatable:

soups--esp. tomato (for vitamin c) and chicken broth (for protein)
pasta with butter and salt. toss some frozen veggies into the pasta pot for the last few minutes for some vitamins. cook the pasta in broth for extra protein.
tea and lemon tisanes with a cough drop dissolved in it
oatmeal
ice cream or pudding--if you have no appetite, you'll want calorie-dense foods. in this case, the sugar rush will help a lot.

also, take tylenol for the fever and aches, and a cough suppressant. i find this would revive me for a couple of hours so i could do things like change my sheets (do this often--it makes such a difference!) and shower and maybe even run a couple of errands. then i'd crash and have to sleep for a couple of hours. just pop another couple of tylenol before you nap so you wake up feeling human.

By: chips ahoy

chips ahoy — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:41:15 -0800

To me, the two morphine elixirs of flu are herbal tea and the dextromethorphan formulation Theraflu. I advise going easy on the formulations containing analgesics as I've found they make the stomach a little uneasy after 5-6 consecutive doses. Also I've found that changing out the bedsheets to get rid of the "sickness aura" and getting fresh air regularly helps a lot.

Hope you both get well soon!

By: exhilaration

exhilaration — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:45:54 -0800

Apparently Chicken soup and Echinacea might help. Or maybe not, I don't know.

Personally, I like that Thera-flu stuff in hot water. Just keep in mind that it's loaded with Acetaminophen (Tylenol), which means you shouldn't take any additional Tylenol on top of it. You wouldn't want to accidentally damage your liver.

By: Ugh

Ugh — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:51:25 -0800

IANAD (so take this advice at your own risk) but here's my mother's old school remedy. I'm not saying it will cure you, but it will definitely give you a little pep back to your step. Two multivitamins, 3 Vitamin C tablets (500 mg each) 2 to 4 echinacea tablets, and 2 aspirin, all at the same time. 8 hours later, hit the Vitamin C again.

For future reference, if you'll keep this stuff handy in your medicine cabinet, and take it at the very first sign of a scratchy throat or cough, it will most certainly boost your immune system enough to nip it in the bud before it has a chance to start. It's basically the same as the Airborne they sell, but on steroids.

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:43:23 -0800

Eating is important, and it is really important that you make sure to drink plenty of fluids. But there isn't anything that will make you get well faster.

It's been said that of all the things that won't help the flu, whiskey is the best...
...but I wouldn't know about that. Me, I think hot buttered rum would be even better, especially to soothe your throat.

By: zerobyproxy

zerobyproxy — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:05:47 -0800

Nasal irrigation. Soup or broth (as long as it is light). Ibuprofen if you have aches or fever. Rest. Hot shower. Breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water. Rest. Vitamin C. Drink water frequently. Rest.

I hope you feel btter.

By: Snoogylips

Snoogylips — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:20:08 -0800

Get Plenty of fluids. Try Gatorade. You may want to water it down a bit if its too flavory for you. Try a clear liquid diet if you are having a hard time eating anything else. Jello, Sprite, Popsicles, tea, broth, and juice to name a few. Get plenty of rest. Hope that you feel better soon!

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:07:13 -0800

I've had good luck with that Zycam stuff, but there are some horror stories about it online so yoy may want to read up first.
I also superchug gatorade or vitamin water when sick, and hit the vit. c hardcore. (2000 mg a day at least). Dehydration helps no one.

By: twistofrhyme

twistofrhyme — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:21:22 -0800

i feel you, i'm just getting over a 10-day flu myself. my advice:

eat advil and dayquil liqui-gels. stay warm: use a heating pad if need be.
drink tons of water, ginger ale, and iced tea.

the foods i enjoyed during this trying time:
frosted mini-wheats with milk
pomegranates, watermelon slices, strawberries, clementines
chocolate pudding with banana slices in it
oatmeal with applesauce
mango sorbet
microwave pizzas

and every day, i drank a concoction made of several slices of fresh ginger, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a big spoonful of honey in a glass of hot water.

oh, and get someone to bring you a copy of the flight of the conchords DVD- jermaine clement was by far my favourite drug this week. feel better soon!

By: RussHy

RussHy — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 05:07:09 -0800

You need the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. Perfect for all your gastrointestinal problems...

By: Smalltown Girl

Smalltown Girl — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:41:07 -0800

Oh, you guys are the best medicine ever! Thanks for all the wonderful remedies, ideas and feel-good foods. You (and my doctor) have made me like life again. Amazing how such little things, like changing the sheets, can improve one's well-being. Of course, I had to nudge old Mr. Smalltown Girl out of bed so we could put fresh sheets on, but he appreciated it, too. He agrees...

Mefites rule!

By: wheat

wheat — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:50:36 -0800

Push fluids and sleep. You might also consider getting a new doctor. You shouldn't have to wait two weeks to see your doctor when you're sick.

By: stewiethegreat

stewiethegreat — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:48:27 -0800

Zicam swabs. I just got over my cold yesterday with the help of these guys, and it went by a few days faster than what I've had in the past.