The Flu-Cold Support Center

Every person is unique, but when you face a challenge like the flu or a cold, you are never alone.  Countless men, women and children have faced the exact same diagnosis and have survived and thrived.  The following guide is designed to help you navigate your journey with the best information and resources that helped other survivors when they faced the same challenge.  

TSC has scoured the Internet and assembled links to the very best flu and cold resources: articles, blogs, forums and tools that can help you make better decisions and take action to overcome the range of physical, emotional and other challenges that you face.

As you’ll see, we always welcome your ideas and suggestions to make this Flu-Cold Guide even more helpful to survivors like you.    

JUST FOUND OUT  

Survivors Say: Best Resources for Flu and Cold

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Influenza (Flu)
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation: Flu and Cold Resources

The Big Picture

Though the viral infections known as flu and cold are quite common and often dismissed as being “not very serious,” they can be responsible for severe cases of pneumonia, taking thousands of lives in the United States yearly. Nearly every one of us has survived some type of cold or flu, and yet for many it's a struggle every time seasons change and the annual flu-cold season rolls around.

To better understand the most common signs and symptoms of flu and cold, be sure to visit:

FamilyDoctor.org: Cold and Flu

WebMD also has a great webpage on the differences between the flu and a cold.

WebMD: Cold and Flu Symptoms

Your Flu or Cold

Once diagnosed, it's important to be able to understand the specifics involved with your personal case of flu, as there are several different strains. For more information on what, exactly, a pathology report can tell you, visit this link:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The Influenza (Flu) Viruses

Your World

A positive outlook can help during sickness. There is a relationship between emotional health and physical health.

MindPowerSystem: New Brain Study - Emotions Directly Effect Immunity and Health

Flu and Cold Myths

• You Can Actually Get the Flu From a Flu Shot
• There's No Real Difference Between a Cold and the Flu
  
• Wet Clothes and Cold Weather can Lead to a Cold or Flu
  

Information and Recommended Links for Survivors

• WebMD Flu Guide
• Kaboose Cold and Flu Guide (for kids with the Flu)
• PandemicFlu.gov

Types of Treatment

Preventative Measures

The best way to protect yourself against the flu and the common cold is to use preventative measures like proper hygiene.

University of Wisconsin Health: 10 Ways to Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

Flu Shots

Flu shots are a wise preventative measure. The elderly, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are particularly advised to get the shot.

Medicare.gov: Fight Flu and Pneumonia

Prescription Medications

Unlike the common cold, the flu can be prevented -- and even treated -- with prescription medications.

ABC News: Are There Any Prescription Medicines I Can Take To Prevent The Flu?

Possible Treatment Side Effects

While treating your flu is generally the only way to feel better as you recover, some treatments may have mild side effects. To learn about what you should expect in terms of side effects for the most common flu treatments, specifically the vaccine, visit the following resource:

WebMD: Flu Guide - Flue Shot Influenza Vaccine and Side Effects

New Therapies

Through constant research in various areas and stages of flu, scientists and researchers have developed new therapies that could prove to be more effective than traditional therapies in curing flu. Educating yourself about the newest treatment options could give you some alternative options to discuss with your doctor when determining your treatment path, including vaccinations. This WebMD resource educates readers about the range of therapies for colds and the flu.

WebMD: Cold & Flu Health Center

Holistic Treatments

Natural Remedies

Because medications may have side effects, many prefer to treat or prevent their flu symptoms with natural remedies.

• HolisticOnline: Cold/Flu Infocenter
• Michigan State University: Dealing with colds and flu? Go natural, says MSU physician

Creating a Support Circle

• Set up your TSC Survivor Profile
• Join support groups of other survivors or set up your own
• Interact and provide updates on your profile or our forums

Health-care Providers Who Can Help

If your fllu symptoms persist and seem to get worse after a 48 hour period, you may wish to contact your physician. In addition to a general practitioner, you may end up seeing a pulmonologist, who specializes in diseases and disorders of the lungs. If you have been suffering for more than a week from flu symptoms, a doctor's visit is a necessity. If untreated, flu can rapidly evolve into pneumonia.

ArticleSnatch: I Have The Flu...When Should I Call My Doctor?

Books Survivors Recommend

• Flu: Alternative Treatments and Prevention
  
• What to Do About the Flu
  
• The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Cold and Flu: Guerilla Tactics to Keep Yourself Healthy at Home at Work and in the World

What Survivors Wish They’d Known

Communicating with Your Health-care providers

• Bring a friend or family member with you to your appointments not only to provide support but to lend an extra ear to understand everything your health-care provider has to say and to think up any more questions you may not realize are important at the time.
• Don't be afraid to ask any questions you feel you need the answer to, even if you may be scared of the answer. Ignorance won't help you fight this illness - emotionally or physically.
• Write down any questions you may have ahead of time and the answers to those questions as your health-care provider walks you through them.  Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on anything.

Dealing with Flu: Information and Recommended Links for Co-Survivors    

How you can help

• Assist your friend or family member with their day-to-day duties or chores, but be sure to find a good balance so as not to throw off their pattern of living, which may increase their stress as they may feel they are becoming a burden.
• Preserve your friend or family member's daily activities. It's normal to feel protective, but excluding patients from activities or decisions you don't see them as fit enough to do or make contributes to feelings of helplessness.
• Involve your friend or family member with others, while still taking precautions to prevent transmission of the cold or flu. Don't focus exclusively on their disease and treatment plan when interacting with them. Talk to them about yourself or make future plans to visit friends and loved ones. A survivor involved with others has a better chance of avoiding feelings of abandonment.

What to say    

• “I'll help you any way I can.”
• “Don't lift a finger, I'll get that for you.”
• Choose to say things that offer comfort, and allow the survivor to rest and recover.

What not to say

• "It's only a cold."
• "Whatever you do, please don't get me sick!”
• Avoid statements that are selfish, or might make a survivor feel worse than they already do.

Things you can do for a survivor every day

• Make a run to the store for simple cold and flu remedies.
• Ensure that the cold or flu survivor is drinking plenty of water. If at all possible encourage them to drink one-half or one full ounce of water per pound of body weight. This will help the body function at an optimal level as it enters its natural healing process.
• Hang out and chat, watch movies and share some time with the cold and flu survivor.

How to build a support network

• Set up your TSC Co-Survivor Profile
• Create a support group for your friend or family member.
• Interact and provide updates

After recovery, assess and share with others how you feel emotionally, mentally and spiritually. By telling your story, you can not only put into perspective your thoughts and feelings but you can provide hope to others who are going through a similar journey themselves, whether it be with flu, cancer, or a completely different disease.

Remission / Recovery / Recurrence

If you find that you get repeated colds or cases of the flu over the course of a few weeks or months, take a closer look at your sleeping and eating habits. A lack of sleep or a vitamin deficiency -- like that of vitamin D -- may be compromising your immune system.

BBC.com: Lack of sleep raises cold risk 

CNNhealth.com: Vitamin D May Protect Against the Common Cold 

Give Back

What helped you while you were dealing with the diagnosis, undergoing treatment and realized you had recovered? Take a look back at your journey and share with others what helped you and what you wished you would have known/done during your flu experience. You can create a profile, reach out to other survivors, join support circles or share your story by following the links at TheSurvivorsClub.org.

Sometimes a common cold or “touch” of the flu can escalate into more severe illnesses. Pneumonia is the true concern for those suffering from the viral infections, and many have had to learn the hard way that colds and flu are precursors to serious illness. If you slip into a stage of pneumonia, consider The Survivor's Club Pneumonia Crisis Guide for additional information.

For those who might have contracted a more serious flu strain such as Avian Flu, there are methods of treating the differing strains of the virus.

NY Times: Dealing with Avian Flu