It won’t be long until it is cold and flu season (I am trying to ignore the fact that I have already suffered my first snuffles of the winter!) At this time of year school children are the most vulnerable to colds, flu and every other sickness that happens to be doing the rounds in the classroom, so we must do our best to make sure they (and us) stay as healthy as possible through the long winter months.
We can’t avoid getting sick and getting sick is actually good for building up a strong immune system, but having a family that suffer with asthma in varying degrees, I do my utmost to try to keep those potential asthma attack inducing illnesses to a minimum. Give me a dicky tummy over a chest cold any day!
When the children went back to school after the summer holidays, I gave them the usual chat of how to minimize the risks of getting poorly; by washing hands when they get home from school, eating healthily (my children are teenagers and I do my best!), drinking enough water and getting enough sleep.
Believe it or not I am not obsessed with them not getting ill, it is inevitable that at some point during the winter they will get ill, but when either child gets ill and it goes to their chest, it takes along time for them time for them to come right again, so I call it damage limitation.
And it can take something as simple as the common cold to render me breathless and reliant on inhalers too, which I hate.
My #WotW is Jabs…
Because this week we had our flu jabs.
Flu Jabs…
Flu jabs are recommended to people with lowered immune systems or who have a lung condition. And also the very young and very old.
Flu jabs can and do save lives!
My husband who is fit, healthy and suffers no chest problems was struck down with the flu a few years ago (not man-flu, but full blown proper flu!) and it knocked him off his feet. He looked grey in colour, his chest was really bad and he lost more than six kilograms in weight; I was seriously worried about him, but was thankful that me and the children had gotten our flu jabs in plenty of time that year. Back then he never had the jab.
The Importance of Getting Flu Jabs In Plenty Of Time…
The Doctor always advised us to get our flu jabs done in October/November time, in plenty of time before the expected flu season (which I do believe is January). That way if it starts doing the rounds early we are still covered.
Another thing the Doctor told me was that even though the flu vaccination is updated every year – to be able to fight the strain that is expected that year – it still offers a certain amount of protection against other strains too. So if we catch a strain of flu different to what we have been vaccinated against, we would probably get ill, but the symptoms would be greatly reduced, in which case reducing the risk of developing lung complications.
Do You Need A Flu Jab?…
If you are unsure of whether or not you you would benefit from getting a flu jab, then it won’t hurt to have a chat with your Doctor or ask at the pharmacy. Me and the children used to have our flu jabs done at the Doctors every year, but now rather than take up the Doctors precious time, we have ours done at the pharmacy. Okay, so we have to pay €6 per jab, but it really is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Don’t put it off, go and inquire this week, it maybe that you are strong and healthy enough to go without (my husband thought he was, but since having a serious dose of the flu he now has a yearly flu jab!). Don’t forget to remind any elderly friends or relatives to get the jab too. I’ll be reminding my Mum, who also gets asthma,to get hers in the next week or so.
Well that’s my Word Of The Week, what’s yours? Why not pop over to Jocelyn Readings blog – The Reading Residence – and check out some other #WotW’S!
© 2014, Debbie. All rights reserved.
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