How to tell H1N1 from regular flu??? Help!

Post Reply New Topic

My mum has the flu. It started yesterday around dinnertime, and she has a sore throat, headache, shivers, aches, swollen glands, and a temperature of about 37 Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit). She's not sneezing/coughing very much at the moment.

She will be calling the doctor tomorrow at some point.

How can we tell if this is swine flu or just regular flu? (This isn't the time of year for regular seasonal flu.)

let me scare u a little more kiddo, HIV/AIDS manifests itself as flu symptoms in the first two weeks after initial infection.. has she engaged in risky behavior recently?

but really your mom has the regular flu and she will be fine. if the flu symptoms don't go away after two weeks, then she should get checked by a doctor. you really don't need a doctor for the flu as it usually goes away on it's own. just drink plenty of water, rest, and if the temperature is above 38.0 take a tylenol. but not too much because tylenol is heavy on the liver.

Your mom could not have gotten H1N1 because the virus is simply not found in the general population at this time.

You are correct that the flu season is over but it still sporadically returns. We had a few people get the flu where I live. It's not too unusual to see the flu here and there during the summer. It could aslo be a mononucleousis type infection which is harmless and also gives flu like symptoms such as a temp and enlarged lymph nodes. Just drink plenty of water, get enough sleep (don't stay up past 10pm), eat fruits and veggies, and enough calories and your immune system will fight of infections like a champ!

Tip: even if you do ever catch H1N1, (and you won't cause it's not "out" yet), if you did what I said above, your strong immunity can fight it off.

it's not really dangerous unless you're very young/old or have asthma or other long-term disease. just give your mom some aspirins and hot tea with lemons and she'll be fine in exactly 7 days

Thanks for the help so far.

H1N1 is around where I live (a few people in the neighbouring villages have it).

I forgot to add that my younger brother (and my best friend, but he lives in London so can't catch it off me) has asthma, and I apparently have a slightly weaker immune system than most people (I had chicken pox twice, and my science teacher said that's a sign of a weak immune system).

I'm in the Swine flu epicentre and got sick with something like what you describe, but the doctor said it wasn't pig flu. I had the worst headache, wicked chills, and I was sick for a month with all those symptoms. But I survived fine, and it's not likely she has it either so don't worry.

I guess it's better to contact your GP then, maybe they'll have you isolated or something. anyway, no need to panic, it's less lethal than the regular flu.

One more question: if it turns out my mum has swine flu, will me and my brother still be able to go to Turkey with our dad at the end of the month (Mum isn't going to Turkey with us anyway)? I've been looking forward to this holiday for ages.

Easy, Ordinary flu gives the symptoms that you described. H1N1 also gives you diarrhea. Providing your Mom isn't spending all her time in the smallest room she'll be fine in six or seven days.

Vanilla_Slice

if the Turkish authorities ask you on arrival if you've had any fever/cough/allergy/diarrhea lately just say "no!" to everything!

If you're concerned about a low immunity, take the usual precautions --
wash you hands often, don't touch your face...

I don't know why they're making such a big deal.
It's not a serious illness and it's not a pandemic.
I think they're just looking for an excuse to sell more drugs.
Personally, I will NOT be in that line for shots. That stuff will kill you faster than the flu itself.


Airlines to stop suspected swine flu victims from flying.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/ju ... ays-virgin

19 Jul 2009 -- Passengers with swine flu will be stopped from boarding flights, two major airlines confirmed today, as the Department of Health warned tourists who contract the illness abroad not to travel home until their symptoms have gone. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they had provided check-in staff and cabin crew with guidance on how to act if they believe a passenger is unwell. Medical advice would be taken to assess the condition of passengers exhibiting symptoms, including having a headache, sore throat, runny nose, and aching muscles. Virgin Atlantic said those suffering from the condition would be prevented from flying until they could provide a fit-to-fly certificate from their doctor or a hospital.

Update:

My mother has been prescribed oseltamivir (Tamiflu). I warned her about the side effects I have read about, but the doctor doesn't seem to think there will be a problem with adverse drug reactions, so I guess if there are any further problems I'll just call the doctor again.

She has started to feel worse than she did when I first posted this. She was feeling sick all through last night, but didn't actually throw up, and she was sleeping but couldn't seem to stay asleep for long.

It's likely that she caught the virus at a funeral she went to in Scarborough on Friday.

Who else is around? Do your grandparents or other extended family live near you?
Do you have a nurse or someone who is knowledgeable about such things?

I went there on my holiday last week.

Anyway, just like flu swine flu ends after a few days, there's too much hype over it all. Flu-swine flu=just the same, actually swine flu is the least dangerous out of the two anyway.

The only people in the house are my mother, my younger brother, and me. My mum's ex-boyfriend came round this afternoon to give her the Tamiflu, but he stayed outside and just handed it through the living room window. My dad (who lives in Thirsk) was in the house yesterday because me and my brother had been at his house over the weekend, and my grandma (who lives a few streets away) was here for Sunday dinner. So that's basically everybody who has been helping us over the last day or two.

The health services are in Scarborough itself, not in our village. So there isn't really anyone to get professional advice from, but luckily one of my main special interests is virology, so I know quite a lot about influenza, etc.

I wouldn't worry about it. My cousin got flu a week before she went on holiday with her school and she got better in only a few days. Oh and she still went to on holiday. She was given Tamiflu as well. My mum was a bit worried that we might catch it from her because I'm asthmatic and my grandad is quite old. The doctor said that the flu's everywhere now anyway so it doesn't matter if we came in contact with her. (I still stayed away though).