how long should you stay home with the flu

Why get a Flu test?

January 30, 2019

Rapid flu tests can tell you in about ten minutes if you have the flu; why don’t doctors use these all the time, instead of wasting your time with more questions or examining you?

POSITIVE flu tests are GREAT, and yes, they speed up our assessment. We STILL need to examine you to see, for example, if your cough is aggravated with wheezing in an asthma-like response (because that involves an additional, different treatment) or if it sounds like you have developed a pneumonia (either directly from the influenza virus or as a secondary bacterial infection)-again, different treatment.

A … Read more

Flu Without Fever?

June 20, 2018January 14, 2015

Can it be? Should you even wonder if you have the flu if you don’t have a fever? Unfortunately, YES. While it is true that the classic presentation of seasonal flu includes an often HIGH fever, body aches, fatigue, sore throat, cough and abdominal symptoms like nausea, pain or diarrhea, no single symptom is absolutely necessary for a diagnosis. Children under the age of 6 years frequently do not have fever and cough with their flu symptoms. This year in particular, I have seen more cases of flu with purely fatigue and stomach symptoms…including one in our family this week.… Read more