SOUTHAVEN, MS (abc24.com) – Congested, stuffy, sneezing and coughing - if that sounds like you, you're not alone. There's plenty of nasty infections floating around the Mid-South right now.
“Well, my roommate currently has some kind of sinus infection or something,” Sarah Brubaker said.
“And my husband just got over some sort of cold,” said Jenny Lundberg.
Chances are, you know someone who is sick too.
“Well, there's a lot of everything going around right now,” said Dr. Victoria Lim from DeSoto Ear Nose and Throat.
From bacterial to viral infections, from bronchitis to laryngitis, it's all taking a serious toll on people's immune systems and many end up in the doctor’s office. And if they're anything like Dr. Lim's patients, “They basically say, 'Fix me,'” Lim said.
The final fix normally takes a few days at best, so what do you do until then? Work when you feel like crud?
David Herbers from Republic Coffee tells his workers to think twice about that.
“If you're contagious, obviously we don't want you in the building because we serve food, but there is a point where you have to work through some sickness,” Herbers said.
“If you have a deep cough, a wet cough, I would stay home,” Lim said.
You can opt for home remedies, but if the symptoms are really bad, get help.
“If you have a sudden onset of high fever, you just feel terrible, malaise, nausea and vomiting, I would probably go and be tested for flu,” Lim said.
With so much going around, Dr. Lim says if you want to stay healthy, start by keeping your hands clean, then stock up on vitamins.
“If you're sneezing or coughing, try to cough actually into your elbow, I know that sounds a little odd but if you cough or sneeze into your hands and touch something else, you're just spreading germs around,” Lim said.
