Your Practical Guide to This Year's Flu Season

It’s that time of year. Everywhere you look, someone is sneezing, coughing, or both. Urgent cares are packed full of people with fevers, aches, chills, and fatigue. Moms are spreading the word of all the kids out of school and disinfectant wipes are in high demand.

Flu season is here and it’s bad this year.

Flu sucks but these tricks can help.

Across the US, confirmed numbers of flu cases are quickly climbing and with the addition of the super flu, Subclade K, it’s no wonder.

Not only is it flu season, but cold and RSV are still making the rounds, too. So how do you know which one you have and what to do about it?

Well, pull up a chair, pour a glass of tea, and let’s talk all things cold and flu, how to tell the difference, and simple ways to manage your symptoms from the comfort of your own home and maybe a little Door Dash.

As we all learned during COVID, the common cold is just the coronavirus. It’s not the COVID we all know and hate, it’s what we knew of before the pandemic: runny nose, sore throat, sinus headaches, coughing, and congestion. It may sound a lot like the flu but the tell-tell is the cold is slow and lazy. Your symptoms start small and worsen over a few days. Influenza, however, is ready to get to business.

Typically, with the flu, you’ll feel runover by a mac truck with congestion, fever and chills, fatigue, body aches, coughing, sneezing, and headache. The flu is fast, with an onset of symptoms sometimes within just 24 hours of being exposed. It’s not uncommon to feel great throughout the day and be down for the count within minutes of feeling “just a bit off”.

Every year you hear us providers say “have you gotten your flu shot, yet? Go get your flu shot”. We say wash your hands and wear a mask. As debatable as the masks were during the COVID years, flu numbers were down when masks were up. We were so diligent (initially) about preventing the spread of COVID, we had some of the lowest flu cases on record. Minimizing the spread is a key preventative measure – we don’t want you sick and we also don’t want you to get Grandma Gale with her weakened immune system sick either. Seriously, she’s over 70, drinks a glass of red wine every day, and sleeps during the day. This is a nurse’s worst nightmare.

Like COVID, flu is airborne. When someone with the flu sneezes, those fine, misty, snot droplets land on that box of allergy medicine you’re about to pick up. Then, after you put that box of Claritin in your cart, your nose itches and TA DA!! You, as a completely innocent bystander, have just infected yourself with the flu.

So now that you are a human incubator for influenza, here are some tips and tricks to help you feel more comfortable and help prevent that scary secondary infection.

Of note: I am not your healthcare provider. Any information you read in this article is purely educational and recommendations I would give my own patients. If you are concerned you have the flu or other infection, it’s important to make an appointment with your primary care provider for your personalized medical care.

Additional note: there is no cure for the flu. Tamiflu is not a cure for the flu. Medications made to treat the flu work to shorten the life of the flu virus in your body, not eliminate it. That’s just the beast of a virus; you have to ride it out. The best treatment we can offer is supportive care to make you comfortable while your body works to get better. This is what support looks like for the flu:

• Drink up! One of the biggest problems with the flu is dehydration. You’re tired, not drinking, and you don’t realize just how much fluid your body loses with a fever. Get that water in! Get in those electrolytes, too. Shoot for half your body weight in ounces of fluid intake a day. This doesn’t just include water and electrolytes, either. You can count jello, broth, and popsicles – anything that melts at room tempature!

• Rest up. Stay home, grab the blanket, and watch the last season of Stranger Things. Make a fort on the couch or in the bed. I’m sure your body will not feel like getting up and doing anything so don’t force it. Your body is telling you what it needs. Listen.

• Over the counter cold and flu medication. This is important and a soap box for me. Cold and flu medications have the combo powers. You have antihistamines, cough suppressants, and acetaminophen to help you feel better. This medicine will give you a few hours of comfort and you will need to take again. Because of that, put your allergy medicine on hold and don’t get the extra bottle of cough syrup at the pharmacy. It’s all packed into the cold and flu combo. Adding your everyday allergy medicine or taking additional acetaminophen on top of the cold and flu remedies puts you at risk of over medicating yourself. Keep the meds simple and just get the combo.

• Honey. Just because I’m saying to leave the cough syrup on the shelf doesn’t mean I want you to cough your head off. A spoonful of honey during a coughing fit works miracles to quell a cough.

• Normal Saline Nasal Spray. I love this stuff. There is no overmedicating yourself with saline spray. Help loosen up that mucus and get it ready to move out with saline spray every 4 hours.

• Flonase. Two sprays, twice a day. Fluticasone is great for drying up the sinuses and alleviating the pressure that builds up. Partnered with the previously mentioned cold and flu medications and normal saline, you’ll get some relief quickly.

• Afrin. I hesitate to mention Afrin because of how it works. While Afrin is incredibly effective to stop a runny nose on days 1-3, the rebound effects of taking this medication can start a vicious cycle of nose spray dependence. I would strongly discourage use of Afrin after 3 days, no matter how snotty you feel. The rebound snot is just not worth it. Useful but in moderation.

• Lemon ginger tea. This is a great trick to not only help increase your fluid intake and clear congestion but also recover a little faster with its vitamin C and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Humidifier. Moisture is key to help keep the mucous moving. It’s super important to clear it out and dry up the sinuses to help prevent a secondary infection. Humidifiers can help alleviate the stuffy nose and cough and minimize the spread of flu in your household by creating an uninhabitable environment for the virus. Bonus tip: add eucalyptus oil for extra congestion relief and natural disinfection!

• Chicken noodle soup (or veggies in vegetable broth, if you prefer). At the risk of beating a dead horse, you really can’t overdo it with the fluids during the flu. Broth helps sooth a sore throat, keep you hydrated, and sneak in some extra electrolytes. It’s nutrient-rich, giving you amino acids, magnesium, and potassium to help aid recovery. Add some carrots, onions, and celery for extra antioxidants and vitamins! Not to mention, how comforting it feels to hold a hot, steamy cup of delicious smelling soup and breathe deep.

All of the above are great tools to help you be more comfortable at home. There are, however, some signs and symptoms to be aware of that mean you need more than over the counter help. If you are high-risk or immune compromised, go ahead and call your doctor. A high fever after your symptoms start to improve, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, confusion, or signs of dehydration are all emergent signs that you need to get some extra medical assistance. Complications like respiratory distress or pneumonia from the flu can become serious fast so don’t ignore your body telling you to get some help. Otherwise, a good general rule to follow is if after 3 days your symptoms are the same or worse, go ahead and get checked out.

As with all colds and viruses, prevention is key. Minimize your risk with your annual flu shot. It will not give you the flu, it will help keep you from dying from the flu. Stay home if you’re showing any symptoms and wear a mask if you do end up needing to go the doctor or hospital. Disinfect high traffic surface areas and, for the love of God, please, wash your hands!

While flu continues to make its rounds this year, hopefully you can avoid becoming part of the statistics. It can be difficult to avoid but it’s not impossible. If you do get sick, hopefully these easy home remedies can help keep you comfortable and put you on the road to feeling human again in no time!

Stay healthy – and go wash your hands!

About the Author

Stephanie Pilkinton, RN, MSN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

Founder of Sweet Tea & Science | Nurse Practitioner | Writer | Wellness Advocate

Stephanie is a dual-certified nurse practitioner with a passion for blending evidence-based medicine with everyday life. She believes wellness should feel approachable, not overwhelming — and that a little Southern comfort and curiosity go a long way.

Follow her journey and join the conversation at Sweet Tea & Science.