Flu Season and a Jogged Memory

Above, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart in The Shootist.

My "honorary sister" sent me this article on an unusual type of flu virus that is dominating this flu season.

Thank goodness I've already had my flu and pneumonia shots

While reading the article, it mentioned the B/Victoria flu. Although it has been a while since I heard of any kind of Victoria flu, it jogged a memory from 1976.

I emailed this reply to her:

Funny, they mentioned B/Victoria flu. Whenever I hear about a Victoria flu, it reminds me of 1976 when Paul Bannai's office told me they were trying to get John Wayne for a fundraising dinner. It was about the time he made "The Shootist" and he had to decline as he was down with A/Victoria flu. They had to shoot around him until he recovered.

It is interesting that some things bring back dormant memories.

Harpooning and Hungarian Goulash

Above, the sign advertising Hungarian goulash. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Most of today was spent in Gallup at my doctor's office for my annual check-up.

Last week, I was seen for a check-up by my cardiologist. Today's check-up was with my general physician.

This all entailed some lab work.

Above, inside Earl's Family Restaurant. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At the lab, I had to wait almost an hour to get blood drawn. After that, I ran into Nandoh in the lobby and sat with him until being called in for my flu and pneumonia vaccinations. He was there for a physical.

After I was done, he asked, "All done getting harpooned?" After which, Nandoh was called in for his appointment.

All this made me hungry. So I headed to Earl's Family Restaurant to have some lunch. When I walked into the restaurant, I saw their specials board advertising Hungarian goulash. I've been craving it and we recently had a discussion at Facebook about it. I haven't had any since my mom died, nearly 10 years ago.

Above, the Hungarian goulash lunch. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The goulash was good, although a bit thicker than I remembered how my mom made it. I'd go back for it again.

When I left the restaurant, I noticed that they were advertising it under their big sign. I didn't see it when I pulled in. I took a photo of it, at top.

After lunch, I headed homeward, but stopped at the Flying J to get my mail. I figured that I wouldn't be in the mood to cook tonight, so the lunch would also serve as an early dinner.

I was going to do some Jeep driving, but my arms are too sore from the blood drawing and the vaccinations. Maybe tomorrow.

The bandage on where the blood was drawn was wrapped very tight with some sort of tape at the bend of my elbow. If I didn't know better, I could swear the nurse used duct tape. 

Flu or Cold?

We've been hearing a lot about this year's flu season. It has been worse this season and has caused a number of deaths.

I came down with a cold or flu a month ago during the fires in and around the San Fernando Valley. I went to the doctor and the prescribed medication knocked it off in short order.

Last night, I was having bouts of sneezing and coughing, which continued on today. I don't know if this is another cold or flu or the same one from a month ago that decided to come back.

Fortunately for me, I have ten day's worth of Montelukast tablets left over from last month's bout. I started taking them last night.

If this is a new cold/flu, I suspect it came from when I went to the market or U-Haul last Friday. This came abruptly and at the wrong time since I have a lot of packing to do.

What's the difference between a flu and a cold? According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC):

Flu vs Cold

Signs and Symptoms	Influenza	Cold
Symptom onset	Abrupt	Gradual
Fever	Usual; lasts 3-4 days	Rare
Aches	Usual; often severe	Slight
Chills	Fairly common	Uncommon
Fatigue, weakness	Usual	Sometimes
Sneezing	Sometimes	Common
Stuffy nose	Sometimes	Common
Sore throat	Sometimes	Common
Chest discomfort, cough	Common; can be severe	Mild to moderate; hacking cough
Headache	Common	Rare

Flu Symptoms

Japan Hit By Influenza

Above, the Japan health ministry recommends wearing a mask to help check the
spread of the flu like the one the girl at right is wearing.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The flu season has been heavy here in the United States.  It even hit my household last week, but luckily I was spared.

RTT News is reporting that the flu has also struck Japan:

Japan is currently under a bout of influenza with the disease rapidly spreading especially among children, media reports from Tokyo said on Friday. 

According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, an estimated 1.4 million people have caught the flu in the week ended January 20. The average number of patients per hospital was over 22, which was 1.9 times more than that reported a week ago.

The Japanese health ministry recommends frequent washing of hands and wearing masks in public to help check the spread of the disease.

To read more, go here.