Monday, October 26, 2009

Just the cutest thing EVER!!!

My daughter and husband are both conditioned NOT to throw away apple cores. So Kali had a core for me, which I took out and tossed in Beau's tub.

Initially, he snorted at it and snuck up on it, making sure it wasn't going to bite his nose or anything. When he realized what it was, he took the whole thing in his mouth.

He looked over at me, wallering the apple in his mouth, ears perked, watching me. I said, "Well aren't you just the cutest thing ever?" He perked his ears even more, almost bringing the tips together, and stopped chewing. It's like he said, "Well, yes. As a matter of fact, I am!" Then he continued chewing.

You should have seen it! It was SO CUTE!!

Update on the trip - Mike got word this afternoon. His sister's kids are sick. LOVELY! And, according to her, they have swine flu. Now, I believe they are sick, but she said they had congestion and were coughing up crud. If you have the flu, there is a dry hacking cough, but no congestion. So, she's bought into the hype and they "have swine flu!" Umm... no, they probably have a cold.

So, here's some information, just in case you're curious.

Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

Symptom

Fever
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.

Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

Stuffy Nose
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously
within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

Sneezing
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.

Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

Headache
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.

oh yeah - the only CONCLUSIVE way to verify that you actually have H1N1 (Swine flu) is by having a blood test.

3 comments:

Katharine Swan said...

I've heard that there have been many mild cases of H1N1, with much less serious symptoms. And actually, I'd read that cases have been so mild that doctors haven't been all that worried -- regardless of what the media says.

LOVE the cute story. Wish you'd gotten that on video.

Sally said...

H1N1 is complicated. For the most part, it's complicated by the media. It has taken many different symptoms and the problems arise with the "complications" from H1N1-most commonly pneumonia. A productive cough with H1N1, I have found, is not uncommon.
Sally CRT

Karen V said...

Sally - Those cases were proven to be H1N1 with a blood test?

See, I work for the US Government and support the regional Pandemic Response Coordinator and a productive cough is not a symptom I've heard about yet.

True - the media is complicating things, but there are a LOT of people out there with the sniffles, colds or seasonal flu that are claiming they have swine flu, which perpetuates the hysteria.