What's going around?

Illness #1: Starts with a tickle or tiny cough. Patient thinks must've been exposed to perfume, smoke, cat, smog, or perhaps a minor illness. Within hours to two days, patient develops sore throat, hoarseness, and a cough that is painful, compelling, deep, possibly productive of small amount of yellow guck. Body feels toxic, aching all over and fatigue so severe that patient debates with self whether or not it's worth getting up to bathroom or perhaps better just to hold it. No one wants to be around patient, including doctor.

Illness #2: Rather abruptly develops deep cough, body aches, chilling, fever, headache. Maybe sore throat. Eyes are glassy and no one doubts patient is ill. No one wants to be around patient, including doctor.

One illness is probably croup, the other influenza. Both are nasty and highly contagious. The flu shot, as you may have heard, was not a good match for the circulating strains of influenza this season. The viral part of these illnesses lasts for a week or more, the cough lingers for weeks (or even months in Denver's cold, dry, dirty air). While we can sort of take the edge off the misery with codeine cough syrup and Advil, antibiotics won't help a bit.

Getting better involves a slow return of energy. Remember, the cough may well outlast the illness by weeks. If you succumb to one of these bad actors, look out for phase 2 of the illness. If a week or more into the illness, you feel worse instead of better, and that which you cough or blow out is colored and disgusting, you may be developing bronchitis or sinusitis. We can talk about antibiotics.

If this onslaught keeps up, I may start wearing a mask during close encounters of the contagious kind. Please don't take it personally!