Memorial ER director in Owosso lists flu signs that need the ER

Most people who get the flu this winter will get through it at home with rest and fluids. Memorial Healthcare's emergency medicine director published a list Monday of the symptoms that shouldn't wait — and the people in the county most likely to end up seriously ill.

Dr. Renee Patsy, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and medical director of emergency medicine at Memorial Healthcare, wrote that medical care is warranted for "prolonged fevers that are not controlled with appropriate over-the-counter medications, particularly if the fever lasts more than three to four days." Dehydration severe enough to cause weakness or an inability to care for yourself is another, she wrote, and "altered mental status or confusion should always be taken seriously."

The signs of dehydration she listed are plain ones a family can check at the kitchen table: less urine than usual, dry or cracked lips, a dry mouth, and — in infants and young children — no tears when they cry. Confusion, severe weakness or symptoms that get worse fast mean emergency care, she wrote.

Four groups face the highest risk of complications, according to the guidance: adults 65 and older, children 5 and younger, pregnant patients, and people with chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease or certain metabolic conditions. Pregnancy changes the immune system and puts extra demand on the heart and lungs, Patsy wrote. For all of these groups, she wrote, "prevention is particularly important."

The piece also sorts out the three illnesses that look alike in October. Influenza tends to come on abruptly — people describe getting sick "all of a sudden" — with heavy fatigue, fever and body aches. A cold builds gradually and mostly stays above the neck: sneezing, congestion, sore throat, cough, usually without fever. COVID-19 can bring fatigue, sore throat, congestion, cough, chest congestion and shortness of breath, with loss of smell also associated. Because the symptoms overlap, Patsy wrote, testing may be the only way to tell, and for younger patients with mild symptoms and no significant underlying conditions, urgent care or a primary care office may be the right place to get it.

That squares with what the hospital told patients earlier this month. The Current reported Oct. 7 that Memorial's walk-in clinics on East Main in Owosso and East Lansing Road in Durand handle minor illness but send chest pain of any kind, major trauma and auto accident injuries straight to the emergency department. The Current also reported Monday that abdominal pain was the single most common complaint at the Owosso emergency department over the July-through-September quarter, according to Patsy.

On prevention, the advice is unglamorous: sleep, water, food, hand washing — especially after being around someone sick and before eating — and a conversation with your primary care provider about the influenza vaccine, which is reformulated each year for the strains expected to circulate. One specific worth noting as the furnaces come on: Patsy recommends a humidifier and an indoor humidity level around 40% to 45%, because cold, dry air dries out the nasal passages that are the body's first barrier against airborne viruses.

What happens next: the guidance does not say where in Shiawassee County to get a flu shot, what it costs, or how much flu is circulating here yet. Memorial's main number for appointments and guest services is (989) 720-2273; the hospital is at 826 W. King St. in Owosso. We have asked before about emergency department volume and wait times in Owosso and have not been given figures; that request stands.