I'm all swine flued out. Yup. Apparently, I got swine flu. Thank goodness the fever, cramps, headaches and endless trips to the bathroom (say no more) are all but over. I have a lingering cough which is nasty, but at least I am up and about.
Only the week before last, I was saying to my friends how over-hyped swine flu is and that it's just like any old flu and I couldn't work out what all the panic was about. Unfortunately, as one doctor explained to me, the media has a way of creating panic amongst people over such illnesses which only causes stress amongst people and puts strain on hospitals and health workers. I couldn't agree more. The doctor also explained that the course of treatment for a suspected case of swine flu doesn't vary whether you have a "normal" flu or the "swine" flu; hence taking the test for the swine flu makes no difference upon your treatment and only adds to the statistics being counted by the health ministry.
I don't ever recall having the normal flu before, so for me, this was the mother of all flu's. The exhaustion and coughing was, for me, the worst part of it. Last week I could just shuffle from my bed to the couch and back again with my hand placed endlessly over my mouth. On Satruday when we realised I wasn't making the miraculous recovery we hoped for, my husband insisted he take me to the hospital. With a furrowed brow he told me how worried he was at my lack of energy and general lethargy. After a few hours in the hospital and a couple of litres of fluid in me, we headed home. The doctor insisted I try and get some food in me and to keep up my fluids and to get lots of vitamin c in. After leaving the hospital, husband dropped me at home, and then headed to the supermarket and stocked up on a kilo of oranges, a kilo of grapefruit (or greyfruit as it's known here), random cruciferous vegetables, and an electric juicer and squeezed me up a litre of vitamin c goodness along with lentil and rice soup and a plate of steamed vegies to boot. I was most impressed by the perfectly steamed veg, not to soft, not too hard, all layed out nicely on a plate. Bless.
At least the worst is over, but even today as I type this I can feel my wrists and fingers slow down and my brain work in fourth gear as opposed to revving in first. My concerntration is shot and I can't stare at the screen as I usually can. I'm tired and it's way past my afternoon nap.
So, I'm going to call it an early day today and head home for the comforts of fresh sheets & pj's and a cup of linden tea in front of the telly.
At least the worst is over, but even today as I type this I can feel my wrists and fingers slow down and my brain work in fourth gear as opposed to revving in first. My concerntration is shot and I can't stare at the screen as I usually can. I'm tired and it's way past my afternoon nap.
So, I'm going to call it an early day today and head home for the comforts of fresh sheets & pj's and a cup of linden tea in front of the telly.
