It Can Kill You?

So, I have gotten the flu every year - the 24 hour kind. Miserable, body aches, fever, you know the kind, and then just when you think you can't be any more miserable - it's the next day and you weren't really even sure you had it.

Well, I never thought I would get the kind that could kill you!

This week I got the serious INFLUENZA - Type A. I got really sick Sunday afternoon - right after my primary meeting. The worst headache ever, body aches, stabbing back pain, and high fever, but chills that made me think I was going to freeze to death - and then top that with vomiting and diarrhea.

I suffered through the nigh with NyQuil thinking I would be ok in the morning - not so - if anything it was worse. John had to leave town so things were looking bad. Luckily, our down-the-road neighbor offered to take the kids. She has them from 11am-6pm and then my in-laws took the kids overnight.

I thought I was going to die. When I stopped throwing up enough to breathe I just laid in bed and cried. I tried medicine I could find - tylenol, advil, hydrocodone (worked with one dose that gave me two hours of relief), finally on Tues I had my dad call in a prescrption for Tylenol with Codiene - that made me so violently sick I vowed to never take medication again!

Anyway - luckily my in-laws kept my kids dressed, fed, and going to school. John kept asking if I had made a dr. appt. No - one because I was just too worn out to actually find a number and call, and two - what does the dr. do for the flu? Tell you you have the flue and send you home with medicine - which is what I thought I had been doing and it wasn't doing such a great job until then.

Well, by Thursday, John drove home by 3pm and had had it - luckily using my dad's name - we got a dr. appt for 4:50pm. Oh the wonder drugs at the actual dr. office!!!!!! The dr. said there was such a bad flu going around people were being hospitalized (what? for the flu?) even when they had had their flu shots. Back to the wonder drugs - I had to survive the brain-probing swab up my nose - twice! but got a postitive result so I got the heavenly nausea shot and the pain killer shot right in my derierre! Jacee couldn't quite giggling about that one.

Anyway, John knew I was in bad shape when I actually didn't say no to the shots. That night was heaven. I ate a little, drank a lot (the dr. told me if I didn't get fluids in me I would have to come the next day for a couple of rounds of I.V.s because I was so dehydrated and if you know me you know that wasn't really going to happen!)

The next morning I thought I should be good to go! I woke up and made the kids breakfast and this took everything out of me. Luckily, John was home, so I took some more medication, and slept all day again.

Today seems to be going ok. I am not nauseated and I think my fever is gone, but I am just weak and tired. The kids have been playing with each other and I've been able to nap on and off. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

Oh - BTW - this flu is so bad my entire family has to take the flu medication that cost a ga-zillion dollars so they won't get it either. My advice - if you start having flu-like symptons - just go to the dr. immediatly and save yourself some agogony and pain!