Talking to a nurse or other medical professional can help tailor your recovery plan to you. A medical professional can also recommend a particular medicine or even call in a prescription to a pharmacy for you. Do not hesitate to go if your symptoms include a high fever (over 101°F or 38.3°C), chills that make you shake, an inability to keep down food or drinks, and bloody phlegm or mucus. Any of these elements will require more help than you can give yourself at home. If she gives you a prescription, fill it and take it as long the doctor recommends. If she wants a follow-up visit, schedule it. Even if you think you are feeling a lot better and don't need that medication or other visit, trust that your medical professional is recommending it for a reason. Don't hijack your recovery.
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One-sentence summary -- Call your medical provider's help line for more tips. Visit the doctor for extreme flu symptoms or if your cold doesn't improve. Take the steps your doctor or medical professional recommends.


Technology can be very distracting, both for you and grandma. Turning off your alerts and putting away your electronic devices will show her that she has your full attention. Have grandma do the same by saying something like:  "Hey grandma, I don't want any interruptions today while we're hanging out, so I thought we could turn off our devices and do something else." "Grandma, you've been using your iPad for quite a while. Is there a game or an activity we can both do together?" You never know when you and grandma might have something in common. You might both have a deep love of music, art, sports, reading, and so on. They only way to find out is to ask. Tell grandma about your interest, and ask about hers as well saying things like:  "My English class has been reading the book Of Mice and Men. Do you like that writer, John Steinbeck?" "I joined the dance team last week, and I'm having so much fun. Do you have a favorite dance? Could you teach me how to do it?" "Grandma, today I want to do something we can both enjoy. Maybe we could play a board game in the park or go bird watching. What do you think?" If you think some of grandma's hobbies and skills, like sewing, crocheting, baking, and so on, are too old fashioned for you, you could be missing out on fun without knowing it. Give these activities a shot. At the very least, your grandma will likely appreciate you taking an interest in the things she does.  Many of your hobbies will be too difficult or strenuous for your grandma. By picking up one of her hobbies, you'll both be able to have fun doing something together. Puzzles and tabletop games, like cards or board games, will be less physically difficult for your grandma and can be a lot of fun. Some common skills your grandma might be able to teach you includes things like making jam, writing shorthand, mending, and more. Your grandma probably has a daily routine that doesn't change very much. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doing something different could be exciting and fun for both of you. Ask your grandma if she'd be interested in:  Going on a photo safari. Use your camera or phone to hunt for interesting pictures, like a red bird, a three-legged dog, or a bird wearing a bread crust necklace. You could even turn your safari into a competition. Visiting a local museum or art exhibit. Many museums have kids sections, so if you're younger, there will be something fun to do for you and grandma both. Heading to the library or community center for local events, like movies, game nights, book clubs, and more.
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One-sentence summary -- Put your technology away and set it to silent. Discover and share mutual interests. Try your hand at grandma's hobbies or learn a new skill. Suggest a change of pace.


Asking yourself some pre-reading questions can make it easier for you to retain what you read. Before you start reading a text, determine what you need to discover from the text.  Some instructors will provide students with a list of questions to help them stay focused as they read. You might ask your instructor about good questions to keep in mind as you read. You can also develop your own questions. For example, you might simply ask, what is the focus of this chapter? Give yourself plenty of time to read and take breaks as needed. It is better to go slowly when you read a text than to rush through it and have to re-read it later on. Make sure that you provide yourself with plenty of time to read and understand what you read. For example, if you have to read 40 pages of a book by Friday, start reading on Monday and just read 10 pages per night. Don't put off reading until Thursday night. Making notes in the margins whenever you encounter something important is more effective than highlighting or underlining the passage. Try reading with a pen in your hands instead of holding a highlighter. You can write key words in the margins, ask questions, or comment on something that just happened. Writing summaries of what you just read can help you to commit the information to memory as well. After you finish reading a chapter of a book or a short story, take a minute to write a brief summary of what you just read.  In your summary, don’t worry about including every little detail. Instead, try to provide a nice overview of the action. You also might want to include a paragraph where you discuss your ideas about the reading. For example, if something surprising happened in the chapter, you might talk about how you reacted to it and why. Summaries are also a good place to record information about symbols, themes, and characters. For example, you might note that the author uses nature symbolism to describe certain characters. There are many online guides that you can utilise in order to better comprehend the literature that you’re assigned to read. Websites like SparkNotes and CliffsNotes provide summaries, character analyses, interpretations, helpful hints, essay tips and more for many different books. Read these after completing your reading assignment to feel more confident in understanding the material. Don’t rely solely on reading SparkNotes or CliffsNotes. Reading only these guides will usually not give you enough information to be successful. Teaching someone else about the text that you have been reading is a great way to commit the information to memory as well. Try telling a classmate or friend about the chapter you just read.  When you tell someone about the reading, try to summarize the main ideas and explain anything that might be difficult to understand if you have not read the book. Make sure that you explain the reading in your own words. Don't just repeat parts of what you read word-for-word.
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One-sentence summary -- Ask questions before you begin. Take your time. Write in the margins. Summarize what you have read. Use online study guides after reading. Tell someone about the reading.


If you have continuous constipation that lasts more than one week, you should call your doctor right away. You should also call your doctor if you have any other drastic changes in your bowel habits, such as bloody stools or bleeding from your rectum. These symptoms may indicate a serious problem that requires medical treatment. Some people experience negative side effects and mild allergic reactions to psyllium husk. Discontinue use of psyllium husk products and call your doctor if you have any of these mild side effects. Some of the side effects that you should watch for include:  gas stomach pain diarrhea constipation nausea runny nose headache backache cough In some cases, an adverse or allergic reaction to psyllium husk may create a life-threatening situation. If you experience any severe symptoms after taking psyllium husk, you should call 911 or go to an emergency room right away. The severe symptoms that you should watch for include:  flushing severe itching shortness of breath wheezing swelling of the face or body chest and throat tightness loss of consciousness chest pain vomiting difficulty swallowing/breathing
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One-sentence summary --
Call your doctor if your constipation does not improve after a few days. Call your doctor if you experience mild side effects as a result of using psyllium husk. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience severe side effects.