It’s Cold and Flu Season – A Quiz and Some Tips on Creating a Comforting Sick Room

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Vicks Ambassador Network and as such, receive compensation for sharing my personal experience with Vicks products like #NyQuilSEVERE or #DayQuilSEVERE . All opinions are my own and I only recommend products or services that I believe offer value or quality to my readers.

Winter has arrived in the Midwest!  While my daughter is enjoying the snow, not everyone is joyfully greeting the arrival of the white fluffy stuff, cold temperatures and strong winds.  My Facebook news feed is full of friends sharing their misery of suffering from colds and flu.  (EEK, you can’t catch the flu from Facebook, can you?)  This sent me googling flu and cold and making up a little quiz on information I found.

Test your knowledge of cold and flu.

1.  Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S.

a.  between December and February

b.  between October and May

2.  If you don’t touch a person who has contagious flu symptoms, you won’t get sick.

a.  True, you should avoid shaking hands or any other physical contact with anyone who has the flu and you won’t get sick.

b.  False, although flu germs can be passed through physical contact, they can also be transferred through the air.

3.  Antibiotics will help if you have a cold.

a.  True because antibiotics kill germs.

b. False because the common cold is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not help it get better.

4.  Over-the-counter medicines are recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to fight cold and flu symptoms.

a.  True.  Over-the-counter medicines may help relieve symptoms such as runny nose, congestion, aches and fever.

b.  False.  Over-the-counter medicines do not shorten the length of time you are sick.

5.  If you have a fever, you should stay home from school, but it’s okay to go ice skating.

a.  Now, although my daughter may answer this one as true

b.  I think y’all know the answer to this one is “Um, no.”

Answers:  1.  a; 2. b; 3. b.; 4. a AND b are both correct; 5.  b

Number 4 was a bit of a trick question.  According to the CDC, over-the-counter medicines are recommended to help relieve the symptoms of a cold or the flu.  Even though they won’t shorten the length time that you are sick, they will shorten the amount of time that you feel sick.  Which is what matters to me! Over-the-counter medicines like Vicks NyQuil and Vicks DayQuil help relieve my worst cold symptoms and let me get on with life.

If you, or someone in your family, comes down with a bad cold or the flu, the CDC recommends over-the counter medicines and if you can stay at home, that the sick person stay in a separate room.  Here are some tips on how to make a comfortable room, that’s also effective in stopping the spread of cold and flu germs.

What makes you feel better when you are sick?  

If you are like me, (said in my best dramatic voice) “I want to be alone.”  Let’s face it, being sick is not pretty and it doesn’t put you in the best mood.  In this case, misery does not want company.  “

Sometimes, chills can be one of the symptoms, so the room should be warm and there should be extra blankets available for when the chills worsen.  The softer and comfy-er the better!

Air quality can not only make the patient feel better but will actually make it easier for the congested patient to breathe.  A humidifier puts tiny drops of water into the air and the extra moisture is helpful.

Bedside supplies should include tissues and lots of them.  A wastebasket with a disposable liner close enough within reach will help limit the area of used tissue contamination.  Hydration is extremely important, so water should always be handy. Putting the water in a squeeze bottle or closed bottle with a straw will make drinking easier for the patient and lessen the chance of spills.  A flashlight is always good to have on hand, but especially if the room is dark, it should be within the patient’s reach.

Keep a thermometer to check for fever, over-the-counter medicines Vicks DayQuil Severe and NyQuil Severe a notebook and pen, in the room. Keeping track of temps and when medications were administered is very helpful.  It seems like you will remember at the time, but it’s easy to lose track.

A clock, a radio or television, soft music or reading materials will help the time awake pass more quickly and comfortably.  And don’t forget a cell phone or a bell, so the patient can call for assistance if necessary.  I remember the “sick bell” in our house when I was little!

The CDC also recommends that, if possible, the patient use a separate bathroom than the rest of the family with their own drinking glass, washcloth and towel.

At the doorway of the room, you may want to stock a supply of facemasks for the sick person to wear if they do leave the room.  Washing hands is the best way to clean them, but you also may want to put an alcohol-based hand sanitizer at the door to use when entering or leaving.

If you read that and say, “It’s fine for the rest of the family but I don’t have time to be sick” then Vicks will come to your rescue. The over-the-counter medicines that our family turns to, are DayQuil and NyQuil Severe. .  Especially for mom, who never has time to be sick, Vicks DayQuil and Vicks NyQuil provide relief for my WORST cold symptoms and help me to power through my days and get the rest I need at night.

Vicks DayQuil temporarily relieves common cold and flu symptoms:

• Nasal congestion
• Cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Minor aches and pains
• Fever

No other non-drowsy medicine relieves more cold/flu symptoms than Vicks DayQuil Severe*.

Vicks NyQuil Severe delivers maximum symptom-fighting ingredients to relieve your WORST cold symptoms at night*.

• Nasal congestion
• Sinus congestion & pressure
• Cough due to minor throat & bronchial irritation
• Cough to help you sleep
• Minor aches & pains
• Headache
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Runny nose & sneezing
• Reduces swelling of nasal passages
• Temporarily restores freer breathing through the nose
• Promotes nasal and/or sinus drainage.

No other nighttime medicine relieves more cold/flu symptoms than Vicks NyQuil Severe*.

*Among OTC Cold & Flu medicines

Wash hands frequently and avoid people who are sick,

but if you do get the cold or the flu,

turn to Vicks to

relieve your cold/flu symptoms

and let you get on with life.