Respiratory
& Tummy Bugs
The
bugs that are going around at the moment are awful, and you really do have our
sympathy.
What
sort of symptoms are people getting?
One particular bug
makes you feel ghastly. You feel hot and sweaty, and have a dry, irritating
cough. You might cough up a little discoloured sputum when you get up. You
might feel a dizzy, and have indigestion. You feel awful, and your skin feels
as if it doesn’t fit. It lasts up to a week or ten days. Technically, this
is caused by a bug we call respiratory syncitial virus- RSV- a bad cold.
Another bug makes
people have diarrhoea, possibly nausea and sweatiness, and stomach cramps for
3 or 4 days. Again, you feel awful, and your skin doesn’t fit.
No,
it’s NOT the flu, not in it’s true sense of influenza, though, of course,
the media do love to hype it up, as ever! There is actually LESS flu around at
the moment than is normal for this time of the year.
Both
these illnesses are caused by viruses.
You’ll know that viruses are a particular type of bug smaller than a
bacteria. Anti-biotics don’t work
against viruses. They won’t help you to get better
from either of these bugs, but might just make things even
worse for you by causing side-effects, such as
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diarrhoea
sickness
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thrush
miserable
rashes
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And
when you do need anti-biotics at some time in the future for something
serious, you may well find that using them in the past has made you resistant
to them, and they don’t work when
you really need them to!
You
may need anti-biotics only
for the bacterial complications the
virus can encourage- chest infections, sinusitis, ear infections and the like-
see overleaf, “When you should see the doctor”.
So
what can I do about these bugs?
You
feel really awful- you don’t need us to tell you that!
The
first thing is- don’t take to your
bed! You’ll need to be moving around, to stop secretions pooling on your
chest, and possibly causing more problems.
You
can buy many things over the counter at the chemists which will act to settle
things down, to an extent. Here’s a few suggestions. Don’t waste your
money on expensive branded products- you’re only paying for the advertising
and the packaging. Buy the unbranded, equally effective product over the
counter. It’s important that if you are taking any other pills, you don’t
take anything else containing a similar drug, as it could all build up. The
chemist is the best person to advise you about this. Be sure to tell him about
any other treatments you are taking, and other problems such as asthma or high
blood pressure.
If
you have asthma,
and take a preventer inhaler such as beclomethasone (Becotide, Beclazone),
fluticasone (Flixotide) or budesonide (Pulmicort)- double your usual dose for
two weeks to prevent your wheeze worsening.
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Problem
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We
suggest buying:-
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Because
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Possible
side effects
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A
dry, hacking cough
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Codeine
linctus
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Cough
suppressant
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Constipation
Drowsiness
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Hot
and sweaty
and
/ or
Achy,
“skin doesn’t fit”
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Paracetamol
regularly, every six hours
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Lowers
temperature, kills aches
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Diarrhoea
or vomiting
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Clear
fluids only by mouth for 24 hours- frequent small sips of flat
Coke or lemonade, diluted 50:50 with water
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Replace
the fluid lost- best to avoid pills that just keep the poisoning bugs in
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Blocked
nose
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Decongestant
nose drops , such as xylometazoline
for a week maximum
Steam
inhalations
can add menthol & eucalyptus or Friar’s Balsam
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Rebound
nasal congestion when stop drops if used longer than a week
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Indigestion
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Maalox
regularly
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Neutralises
acid in stomach
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Sore
throat
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Gargle
with soluble aspirin in warm
water (over 12) , or salt water if under 12.
Lozenges
to suck- Bradsol or Dequadin
at the chemist’s
Difflam
gargle
and Strepsil throat spray
helps some people
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A
sick note?
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Self
certification medical certificates are available from your employer. A
doctor’s note is ONLY issued after the first five WORKING days
absence- ONLY a private sick note is issued before that, for which you
will have to pay.
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When
should you see the doctor?
$
if you start
coughing up increasing amounts of
discoloured green, yellow or grey sputum
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if you
develop increasing facial or ear
pain
$
if you become
short of breath
$
if you see
spots of yellow pus streaked on your swollen tonsils at the back of
your throat
$
if your
symptoms persist for longer than
a week to ten days
$
if you are otherwise
worried
You
may well be given an emergency appointment to see a doctor other than
you usual doctor, as obviously any doctor can sort out these viruses,
and recommend what you should buy at the chemist as above, without any
special knowledge of your background.
Do come to surgery
by appointment, if necessary by taxi,
so that we can do a good job for you, in well-equipped circumstances. It
is simply an old wife’s tale
that you should stay in with a fever.
Phone
your doctor in surgery for advice, if necessary.
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Summary
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Both the bugs going
around do make you very, very miserable
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There is no
cure the doctor can give you for the uncomplicated bug. You can buy
certain things over the counter to make you more comfortable
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You only need to
see the doctor in certain circumstances, as above
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A request for a
home visit is only necessary in certain unusual
circumstances. The doctor
will decide if that is necessary
Finally-
we wish you a rapid recovery from what we all know is a miserable illness!
