nov 23 2012151 in the first few hours every time a sick person coughs she expels some 2000 virusladen droplets if you inhaled any of those or touched a door handle coated with them and then rubbed your nose or eyes they have floated through your nostrils and are burrowing into your airways cells unlike colds which attack the nose and throat the flu virus can travel into the lungs your immune system goes on the offensive immediately it begins churning out antibody and t cell soldiers that latch on to and destroy the virus had you been vaccinated against this particular strain youd have antibodies stockpiled still on the fence about vaccination why you should get the flu shot for the next day or two youre unaware that the virus is now using your bodys cellular machinery as a copy machine swollen with rapidly multiplying flu the infected cells in your body begin bursting like water balloons spewing virus everywhere you are now contagious hence you should always sneeze into a tissue or cough into your inner elbow by day four your immune system cant keep up with the furious flu spread symptoms hit you like a freight train you can go from feeling peppy at lunchtime to being bedridden by 5 pm beset with fever chills headache and crazytender muscles taking a few ibuprofen can help ease the aches its not the virus that makes you feel like crap the misery stems from inflammation the result of an immune system in code red all of your bodys energy is being used to slay the flu you can hardly muster the energy to walk to the bathroom once you recover upgrade your diet with these 8 energy and healthboosting superfoods to keep dead cell debris from clogging up your lungs you develop a dry cough your throat starts to ache from the irritation which can trigger a release of mucus a saline nasal flush might help more from womens health for the next three to five days the only things that can really help you now antibodies and t cells are locking on to their targets youre stuck in bed if you started taking prescription tamiflu right away you might recover a bit faster otherwise dont bother with vitamin c or other otc fixits stick with tons of fluids and rest experts have recently cast doubt on the antiflu drug find out why tamiflu might not work if youre really unlucky normally harmless throat bacteria have descended into your lungs to feed on dead cell remnants putting you at risk for pneumonia after about a week assuming youve escaped pneumonia your immune system finally stamps out the flu virus whew your inflammation slowly subsides as do your symptoms but you may still be contagious for a day or two moreand it may take another week to feel like your normal healthy self moving forward wash your hands its the single best way you can fend off a