# is a respiratory illness running through your area? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950 "2010-10-31T03:14:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/1 "2010-10-31T03:14:59Z")
In Dearborn we have a chest congestion type illness that is running around. It is easily passed around. You feel crappy , cough a bit and cough up phlegm. I know 4 or 5 people with it, including me. I still play racketball and walk my dogs, but I am tired when I am done. I blow my nose a lot. I cough up and go on. Several of my friends have it worse. At night coughing detracts from sleep time. It might qualify as a cold, but is stays longer. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/2 "2010-10-31T18:21:17Z")
Here in Florida I had something similar. I only felt bad for one day though. The cough though, held on for over two weeks! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/3 "2010-10-31T20:20:31Z")
Moved to IMHO from GQ. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/4 "2010-11-01T02:24:58Z")
I came down with a cold the week before Labor Day, and it turned into pneumonia that weekend. A trip to the doctor and some time later, I’m better. Except for this !@#$% phlegmmy cough that won’t go away. On the plus side, while I was sick, I had about a two-week period where I had zero desire to smoke, and have been cold turkey on all nicotine and nicotine-substitute products (smokes, patches, gum, pills) since 9/4. ---
**Author:** ![Peeta\_Mellark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Peeta\_Mellark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peeta_Mellark)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/5 "2010-11-01T02:42:02Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Here in Florida I had something similar. I only felt bad for one day though. The cough though, held on for over two weeks! Same. The feeling crappy lasted for about a day, but the cough won’t quit. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/6 "2010-11-01T05:12:13Z")
In Ontario… picked up something similar about a month ago. Never really knocked me off my feet… just a few slightly off days and a persistent deep chest cough. Lost my voice for a week too. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/7 "2010-11-01T12:03:50Z")
I feel kinda crappy, but my friend Stu Redman feels just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/8 "2010-11-01T13:05:35Z")
Yes, and I just got into the throes of it yesterday. The one thing that nobody tells you about having a kid is that if said kid is in daycare, not only will he or she be sick constantly, but you will too. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/9 "2010-11-01T13:25:36Z")
We’ve got it here in the UK too. I had it, then got over it for a week, and now have it again. Felt so crap that I took a sick day (which I almost never do) about 12 days ago, then felt OK again despite the GI symptoms, which then cleared up. But today I feel completely crappy again, have greenies when I blow my nose, and am sneezing and coughing like crazy. Two or three of my colleagues have it too - one’s had the cough for three weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/10 "2010-11-01T15:10:26Z")
No, but when it does move through it usually does so in coughs and spurts. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/11 "2010-11-01T18:00:03Z")
mrAru started hacking and snorfling last wednesday, tried toughing thursday out, gave up and went to the doc on friday. I started snorfling and hacking Saturday. I am in full on green slime mode and have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning at 10 am. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/12 "2010-11-01T18:40:53Z")
I haven’t noticed it out here–in New Mexico respiratory illnesses, particularly flu and RSV, tend to peak in February. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/13 "2010-11-01T19:29:20Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Yes, and I just got into the throes of it yesterday. > > The one thing that nobody tells you about having a kid is that if said kid is in daycare, not only will he or she be sick constantly, but you will too. I and my kids had it a few weeks ago. But cheer up - the other kids who aren’t in daycare and their parents will get everything when they start school and you will be immune by then 🙂 You either get it now or later! ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/14 "2010-11-01T23:04:01Z")
I heard about one today in the office that I had last year - whooping cough. I hope I didn’t touch anything she did, b/c that sucked burro balls. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/15 "2010-11-01T23:16:43Z")
Quite common here in Minneapolis. And, where do people go when they get sick? To the doctor…who orders a chest x-ray. Yes, quite a few of us in Radiology have or have had this bug. It hasn’t bet my turn…yet. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/16 "2010-11-02T09:45:45Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > Quite common here in Minneapolis. And, where do people go when they get sick? To the doctor…who orders a chest x-ray. > > Yes, quite a few of us in Radiology have or have had this bug. It hasn’t bet my turn…yet. You guys can’t wear surgical masks–or do they not work? I never thought about people actually working in doctor’s offices getting more sick than others. Yet another reason I couldn’t be a doctor/nurse (besides the crappy hours early on.) ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/17 "2010-11-02T14:30:14Z")
My little girl was out of school all last week. Friday her doctor diagnosed strep with an ear infection. She said she’d seen a lot of it, but she based her dx on appearance without bothering to do a strep swab. Mostly we dealt with a lot of congestion with a LOT of drainage at the end. Her face has a rash from all the blowing and dripping and she still has a funky cough two and a half weeks from the start of her symptoms. Monday when I took my daughter back to school half her class was out, including the teacher. Something is definitely running wild through her school. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-respiratory-illness-running-through-your-area/558950/18 "2010-11-02T15:09:14Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > I feel kinda crappy, but my friend Stu Redman feels just fine. 🙂