About two million people in the US catch walking pneumonia every year. Most think it’s a bad cold and go about life as usual, assuming the symptoms will pass. That’s how the disease got its name!

While walking pneumonia isn’t severe enough to knock you off your feet, it’s quite contagious. It spreads easily in crowded areas such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. Even worse, while it can take two weeks for the symptoms to show up, you’re still contagious during the two-week incubation period.

How Can You Tell It’s Pneumonia?

Walking pneumonia is particularly hard to diagnose. What differentiates it from a bad cold is the duration and severity of the symptoms.

With pneumonia, the cough is worse, fevers are 102 or higher, shivers are accompanied by teeth chattering, and the mucus is rusty or green with specks of blood. Most people experience a sharp pain in the chest that’s made worse by deep breaths. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, nausea, diarrhea, and confusion, especially in older people.

If any of the above symptoms persist for more than 3-5 days, see a doctor as soon as possible. Keep in mind that pneumonia can get worse really fast, especially in kids.

How is it Diagnosed and Treated?

Your doctor will ask questions to determine if you’ve been exposed to pneumococcal bacteria, will listen to your lungs, and order tests to confirm the diagnosis. If you have bacterial pneumonia, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. However, if it’s viral, the doctor can only prescribe symptom-relieving medication and lots of rest.

Walking pneumonia sometimes goes away on its own if you have a strong immune system, but it’s not a good idea to wait it out; seek medical attention.

How to Prevent Walking Pneumonia

First, make sure to get your annual flu shot. A bad case of the flu can usher in other infections, so flu prevention is a good place to start.

Second, get the pneumococcal vaccine. There are two kinds available for different age groups; ask your doctor which one is best for you.

Sometimes, a cold is not just a cold, so always pay attention to the duration and severity of the symptoms. If the symptoms keep getting worse and refuse to resolve on their own within a reasonable time frame, see a doctor. Like mom always said, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

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Here’s why you felt weak and crummy after that cold, flu, or stomach bug. It’s because your body worked extra hard to fight off the illness.

It’s the job of your white blood cells to regenerate and repair the daily wear and tear of the muscles.  But when you’re sick or get an infection, they deviate from their regular job and work extra hard to fight off the virus or bacteria.  Meanwhile, the muscles become weakened because they’ve missed their regular repairs. 

Additionally, nasty bugs come with symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, runny nose, fever and more. Vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which continue wreaking havoc in your body after the illness has passed. Similarly, coughing can lead to pain in the rib cage and other areas, and fever can lead to general weakness.

Viral
infections are dangerous because they can cause post-viral fatigue syndrome.
Besides making you feel chronically weak and tired, this syndrome can cause
depression for weeks or months long after the viral infection has run its
course.

While
these symptoms tend to resolve on their own with time, there are things you can
do to get your energy back faster.

Drink, drink, drink! 

Water is
a hero when it comes to flushing bad stuff from your body, allowing your cells to
refocus on doing their regular jobs instead of working overtime to fight off
unwanted organisms.

Plus,
water keeps your lymph fluid circulating properly, which helps in the
distribution of white blood cells throughout your body to keep any leftover viruses
or bacteria from re-infecting you before you’re 100% better again.

Eat Right

If you’ve just fought off an illness, it’s probably not a good idea to go out and order a steak and a loaded baked potato for your first meal!  Eat foods that are easy to digest and aren’t hard on your stomach. 

The “BRAT” diet, which includes bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast – or foods that are more bland, higher in nutrients, and easier on the belly – is perfect when recovering.  Avoid processed, spicy, and sugary foods because they can make your body go into overdrive trying to digest them, which tires you out even more.

Get physical! 

An active
lifestyle repairs your body and replaces your energy faster than a sedentary
lifestyle.  Don’t push yourself too
hard. Ease back into it and exercise just enough to remind your body how to
produce energy!

Swallow your Pride

Sure, you’re the independent type. Even still, accept a helping hand when recovering, if offered. Allow friends and family to help out a little bit until you’re back on your feet.

Ultimately,
you’re the only one who knows your limits. So be kind and gentle to your body
until you’ve fully recovered.

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So, your workout has been going great and you’ve not skipped a day in a while. In fact, you’re killing it!

But then you catch a cold or stomach bug and get sick, and can’t decide whether to work out or take a break to give your body a chance to heal.

On one hand, you’re worried that working out could make your symptoms worse or make your recovery take longer. But, you’re also concerned about losing your momentum and progress if you skip a few days or a week.

Three steps forward, five steps backward.

How Bad Are Your Symptoms?

Whether you should work out when you’re sick depends on the severity of your symptoms.

Generally, it’s safe to work out if your symptoms are above the neck but consider reducing the length and intensity of your workout.

On the other hand, if your symptoms are below the neck, you should probably wait until you’re feeling much better.

Exercising When You Have a Cold or Flu

If you have a runny, stuffy nose, minor sore throat, sneezing and, any other symptoms that are indicative of a mild cold, it’s probably okay to workout.

If you don’t have the energy for your regular workout, stick to low or moderate intensity exercises. Listen to your body during your workout and stop if you start experiencing chest tightness, lightheadedness or muscle aches.

The major downside of going to the gym with a cold or flu is that you might be contagious. You could infect other people, especially if you’re sneezing or blowing your nose constantly. So be sure to spray and wipe down the equipment before and after use.

Alternatively, you can choose to go for a walk outdoors to further reduce the chances of infecting other people.

If you have a hacking cough or chest congestion, working out could make you even sicker. Physical activity increases your heart rate, which can lead to shortness of breath.

Exercising When You Have a Fever

Fever weakens you and lowers your stamina for physical activity. Even worse, it decreases your muscle and tissue strength, making your body more prone to injuries.

Working out under these conditions could raise your body temperature, making your fever worse and maybe even cause dehydration and fatigue.

Exercising When You Have a Stomach Bug

If you have stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, take a break from your workout routine. Working out could make you feel more nauseous and increase your heart rate, leaving you extremely tired.

Sweating can also drain valuable minerals and fluids from your body and cause dehydration.

When it comes to exercise and illness, it’s better to do what you can and leave what you can’t do for another day.

In the grand scheme of things, a few missed, or lighter days, isn’t a big deal, especially if you’re able to recover more quickly. The last thing you want is to compromise your long term health for a few minutes of exercise.

The post Should You Workout When You’re Sick? appeared first on Lifestyle.

However, certain symptoms should never be ignored because they could be warning signs of a medical emergency. In these cases, timely treatment can be the difference between life and death.

Chest Pain and Shortness of Breath

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Every year more than 700,000 Americans have a heart attack, so it makes sense that chest pain is one of the main reasons why people go to the ER.

Chest pain is one of the hallmark symptoms of a heart attack, especially when it is accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating and pain that radiates into the jaw, neck and arms. Sometimes the pain is quite subtle and feels like an uncomfortable pressure in the chest or like the worst heartburn of your life. Head to the ER if you experience these symptoms together.

Worst Headache of Your Life

About half of the world’s population suffers from frequent headaches and migraines. This makes it difficult to determine which headaches are a medical emergency.

A sudden headache that is more intense than normal and accompanied by other symptoms, such as dizziness and vomiting, points to an aneurysm or stroke. Other symptoms include an inability to think clearly, and problems with speech, vision and swallowing.

Severe Abdominal Pain

Severe abdominal pain can be the result of serious conditions such as appendicitis, ovarian cysts or kidney stones, or less serious ones like constipation, food poisoning or IBS. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you are doubled over in pain, or the pain keeps you from sitting, walking, eating or drinking.

You should also seek urgent medical attention even if the pain is not so severe but persists or recurs, and is accompanied by queasiness or loss of appetite.

Head Injury

Getting hit in the head can cause a concussion or brain bleeding. A head injury that is accompanied by loss of consciousness, vomiting, a bad headache, dizziness or balance and vision problems warrants immediate medical attention. You should also go to the ER anytime you are knocked out, even if you feel fine afterwards.

High Fever

A high fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher is a good reason to go to the ER. Similarly, a low-grade fever of around 100 degrees that persists for several days with no obvious cause also warrants urgent medical attention.

While fever itself is not a disease, it is part of your body’s infection-fighting mechanism and can be a sign of a serious condition such as pneumonia, meningitis, kidney infection or sepsis.

All the above symptoms warrant a trip to the ER.

Don’t go to an urgent care facility or your family doctor because they are not equipped to handle these medical emergencies. It’s also not a good idea to drive yourself. Depending on how serious the symptoms are, call an ambulance, take a taxi or get a ride from a friend or family member.

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