Zombieflu
I have survived the swine flu.
I had a headache last Thursday and thought I was maybe getting a sinus infection. I got up on Friday and felt worse, so I decided to make a doctor's appointment. In the time it took me to call in sick to work and make an appointment, I started going downhill fast. By 9:00 am on Friday I was so cold I was shivering and thinking back on it I wasn't thinking straight either because I just never put it together that I was cold because I was sick. I used to work as a nurse's assistant, I know that you shouldn't wrap up in blankets with a fever. But I just kept piling on clothes and thought about turning the heat on.
Finally, finally I took my temperature and it was 102.2. I immediately took some motrin and left for the doctor's office. I had a very hard time getting there. It's less than I mile from where I'm living and I wasn't sure I could drive that far. I was shaking so hard because I was so cold, and I was having very dark thoughts. I was pretty sure I had the flu but I was scared to death it was swine flu for some reason and I was sure I was going to die if it was.
I got to the doctor's office and they treated me like I had the plague. They stuck me in the flu waiting room by myself, and everyone wore a mask around me and I had to wear a mask too, which was probably overkill. The nurse swabbed my nose and then I was left alone for what seemed like an hour but was probably about 15 minutes while the quick flu test resolved. The doctor came in for about 20 seconds, said it was positive, here's some prescriptions, bye, see ya. Out the door. The entire time I was in there I was sweating like crazy, I was so hot. I sweat all the way through my clothes. This was the worst of the sickness, while I was sitting in the doctor's office. By the time I left I was already feeling better.
My experience with H1N1 was that it hit fast and hard, but didn't hang around. I got better very quickly. I started taking Tamiflu right away and my temperature has hovered between normal and 100 all weekend. I was told not to come back to work until my temperature has been normal for 24 hours without fever reducers like tylenol. I thought I was in the clear to go back today, but last night before bed my temp went back up to about 100, so I'm home another day.
Tamiflu. Let me tell you about this stuff. Weird doesn't begin to describe it. It has very strange side effects. No one ever told me that Tamiflu did this, but for about an hour after I take it I feel very, very odd. I feel like I lose some IQ points. I'll get up to go do something or get something and just forget what it was I was doing. Now, that happens to everyone occasionally, but instead of just shrugging it off and sitting back down, I'll just stand there. Just stand there, not thinking about it, not trying to figure it out. I get caught in this moment of confusion and get stuck. It feels like forever but is probably just a few seconds longer than usual. But it's a weird feeling I don't like very much. My memory is also affected. It also makes me feel kind of light headed and disconnected from reality. And not in a pleasant, recreational kind of way. In a Flowers for Algernon kind of way. Because after an hour or so I feel back to normal again. Tamiflu is some weird, fucked up shit.
I should also tell you about the zombie death rattle. My lungs are incredibly congested. For a while on Friday I was wheezing on both the inhale and the exhale. It was very scary sounding. My doctor had me take mucinex, so it is getting better, but waking yourself up in the middle of the night because your lungs are making so much noise it sounds like you are sleeping with a basket of kittens is a pretty horrible experience.
Overall though, I have to say it has been a fairly mild bout of flu. I have definitely been sicker, for longer, with the flu on other occasions. I am still coughing, but I feel almost back to normal today. I'm pretty sure I'll be back to work tomorrow. From beginning to end, four days getting over the flu is not the worst thing ever. So don't be like me and freak out if you get H1N1, I think most people are having the same mild response. It's scary to think about getting it, but I definitely stressed myself out unnecessarily over it. And hey, now I don't have to take the H1N1 flu shot!
I had a headache last Thursday and thought I was maybe getting a sinus infection. I got up on Friday and felt worse, so I decided to make a doctor's appointment. In the time it took me to call in sick to work and make an appointment, I started going downhill fast. By 9:00 am on Friday I was so cold I was shivering and thinking back on it I wasn't thinking straight either because I just never put it together that I was cold because I was sick. I used to work as a nurse's assistant, I know that you shouldn't wrap up in blankets with a fever. But I just kept piling on clothes and thought about turning the heat on.
Finally, finally I took my temperature and it was 102.2. I immediately took some motrin and left for the doctor's office. I had a very hard time getting there. It's less than I mile from where I'm living and I wasn't sure I could drive that far. I was shaking so hard because I was so cold, and I was having very dark thoughts. I was pretty sure I had the flu but I was scared to death it was swine flu for some reason and I was sure I was going to die if it was.
I got to the doctor's office and they treated me like I had the plague. They stuck me in the flu waiting room by myself, and everyone wore a mask around me and I had to wear a mask too, which was probably overkill. The nurse swabbed my nose and then I was left alone for what seemed like an hour but was probably about 15 minutes while the quick flu test resolved. The doctor came in for about 20 seconds, said it was positive, here's some prescriptions, bye, see ya. Out the door. The entire time I was in there I was sweating like crazy, I was so hot. I sweat all the way through my clothes. This was the worst of the sickness, while I was sitting in the doctor's office. By the time I left I was already feeling better.
My experience with H1N1 was that it hit fast and hard, but didn't hang around. I got better very quickly. I started taking Tamiflu right away and my temperature has hovered between normal and 100 all weekend. I was told not to come back to work until my temperature has been normal for 24 hours without fever reducers like tylenol. I thought I was in the clear to go back today, but last night before bed my temp went back up to about 100, so I'm home another day.
Tamiflu. Let me tell you about this stuff. Weird doesn't begin to describe it. It has very strange side effects. No one ever told me that Tamiflu did this, but for about an hour after I take it I feel very, very odd. I feel like I lose some IQ points. I'll get up to go do something or get something and just forget what it was I was doing. Now, that happens to everyone occasionally, but instead of just shrugging it off and sitting back down, I'll just stand there. Just stand there, not thinking about it, not trying to figure it out. I get caught in this moment of confusion and get stuck. It feels like forever but is probably just a few seconds longer than usual. But it's a weird feeling I don't like very much. My memory is also affected. It also makes me feel kind of light headed and disconnected from reality. And not in a pleasant, recreational kind of way. In a Flowers for Algernon kind of way. Because after an hour or so I feel back to normal again. Tamiflu is some weird, fucked up shit.
I should also tell you about the zombie death rattle. My lungs are incredibly congested. For a while on Friday I was wheezing on both the inhale and the exhale. It was very scary sounding. My doctor had me take mucinex, so it is getting better, but waking yourself up in the middle of the night because your lungs are making so much noise it sounds like you are sleeping with a basket of kittens is a pretty horrible experience.
Overall though, I have to say it has been a fairly mild bout of flu. I have definitely been sicker, for longer, with the flu on other occasions. I am still coughing, but I feel almost back to normal today. I'm pretty sure I'll be back to work tomorrow. From beginning to end, four days getting over the flu is not the worst thing ever. So don't be like me and freak out if you get H1N1, I think most people are having the same mild response. It's scary to think about getting it, but I definitely stressed myself out unnecessarily over it. And hey, now I don't have to take the H1N1 flu shot!