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It started in September. Every day, someone comes into the office to tell me they have the flu, the mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife or partner has the flu. They tell me about the nausea, the vomitting and the diarrhea.

It’s NOT the flu. Yes, it’s viral, but not all virus infections are “the flu”.

So just what is Influenza? The CDC has a great Flu page for you to visit, but in a nutshell, it’s  a virus that is spread by respiratory droplet - someone sneezes, coughs or talks in your face, you breathe it in.

When you have the flu, you can, as an adult get some of the about “stomach” symptoms, but mostly commonly the flu makes you feel really bad (trust me on this). The most common symptoms are:

•  fever (usually high)
•  headache
•  extreme tiredness
•  dry cough
•  sore throat
•  runny or stuffy nose
•  muscle aches
• Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults

The first three are hallmarks of true Influenza (aka “The Flu”). It’s worth saying again…you feel really bad. It most likely will last for days and leave you drained (there is a great “poem” about this…I’ll have to find it and share it with you).

The best defense, is a flu vaccine. It’s still not too late to get them. For furthe information, visit your health care provider or the CDC. And no…you cannot get “the flu” from the vaccine.

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