I have a really big pet peeve and this time of year really brings it out. My pet peeve is people misunderstanding what "the flu" is. Think you know? You know the flu - when you get really sick and start throwing up, right? WRONG! Let's clear it up right here and now so that you too can be prideful like me and gain a new pet peeve. Here is what wikipedia has to say about "the flu":"Influenza, commonly known as the flu,..."
Symptoms of influenza can start quite suddenly one to two days after infection. Usually the first symptoms are chills or a chilly sensation, but fever is also common early in the infection, with body temperatures ranging from 38-39 °C (approximately 100-103 °F). Many people are so ill that they are confined to bed for several days, with aches and pains throughout their bodies, which are worse in their backs and legs. Symptoms of influenza may include:
It can be difficult to distinguish between the common cold and influenza in the early stages of these infections, but a flu can be identified by a high fever with a sudden onset and extreme fatigue.
Ah-ha! So take that all you family members who won't believe me that the flu isn't the illness that makes you throw-up! Yes, in some cases as stated above children can have abdominal pain but it isn't always and it isn't the main symptom AND it's just in one strain! Now, this wasn't always my pet peeve because once upon a time I too thought the flu was that stomach thing until they talked about it one night on the news and said the flu was like a really bad cold that made you feel like you wanted to die. So I thought, wow - I never knew that! No, my pet peeve is that when I tell people that - like mention it in a "hey, did you know that..." kinda way they NEVER believe me. Aren't I prideful? In the end, I am using my blog to vindicate myself! So go now, spread the knowledge of the true flu with you friends and family. And see if they have the faith to believe you!
5 comments:
Well, whatever you call it...we've been fighting it for two weeks now. Ughhh. My girls both got fevers and "upset tummies" (no vomit), and ended it off with bad "colds"...I just got the congestion and sleepless nights due to the inability to breethe. Thanks for clearing it all up though. :)
Yeah,that bugs me too and it bugs that people are afraid to get the flu shot because they're afraid they'll get sick from it. About 6 years ago, our family had the worst flu that went thru all of us and took nearly a month to get over. Ever since then, I've taken the girls and me to get flu shots and we've avoided getting it. So worth the trip to the dr and they have the nasal flu vaccine now too!
al
that is so funny. brett told someone on the phone today that he had the flu but was not throwing up. the person went on to tell him how you don't throw up with the flu, blahblahblah & brett was like, i know, but that's what most people consider the flu, blahblahblah. funny.
Good call, Maggie May...
Why do people have to be so stupid anyway? :)
Totally off topic - I thought I had had the flu a couple times in my life ... and then I got mastitis while nursing both of my boys. Now I am quite confident that I've never had the flu, but instead just a "really bad cold".
Also - you would enjoy talking to Jamin's wife on this subject. She has a public health degree and would totally back your thoughts up. We had a conversation once where she enlightened me to the fact that there is no such thing as a 24 hour flu....which I have since discovered is even more unbelievable to most people than the bad cold vs. true flu debate. Try it - it's fun:)
For better or worse, and although technically a misnomer, the term "stomach flu" has crept into the American lexicon as a synonym for "Gastroenteritis", which does involve throwing up and all that fun stuff.
Post a Comment