'Flu - its not just us

I have been writing about the family and I having a nasty dose of 'flu. I am up at this time of night because I can't sleep because I can't breathe well enough. Nothing seems to help, and the inhalers the Dr has given me have caused raw, painful thrush in my mouth, throat and gullet. I had one square of chocolate and I was burning from my mouth right down into my stomach for a good hour afterwards. I thought the family was unlucky to get such a virulent bug so close to Christmas until I saw this article.

It seems it has gotten out of hand. Volunteers from the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance have been called in to help as the NHS groans and creaks under the burden. I wanted to see the Dr again tomorrow because my breathing is even worse and the thrush that burns and is so dry makes me feel ill too. But I wonder if that is the right thing to do? I have already been seen once and if the service is so overstretched, perhaps I should hold on a bit longer so someone in more serious need could see a Dr. I will think this through a bit more. The thing is there is no real treatment they can offer and I surely don't need sympathy and a consoling pat on the head. What I would like is to be able to breathe. Other people want that too. Lots of other people. My case of course is important - just like everyone elses.

Michelle has to work tomorrow as they have staff off sick and some who need to go off sick, but she took her temperature just after 1am and it is still up.

And those kids think we can do Christmas on Thursday. Do they have any idea of recuperation times and the demands of Christmas? Not really. I think its asking for trouble, personally.

Here are a few other links, which are rather worrying:
A & E admissions rise due to winter health crisis.

Worst 'flu outbreak since 2000

Health Secretary forced to deny that the NHS can't cope with winter illness

If you have 'flu, you don't want others to be infected, so the bottom line question is how long 'flu remains infectious. I searched the Internet, and Netdoctor came up with this answer:

You are still infectious until all your symptoms have gone. However, the infectivity declines by the day. In other words, in the first few days you are highly infectious, then as every day passes you get less so.

Try taking a two week course of Echinacea - it has a good reputation as an herbal treatment for helping reduce the length of infections.