Swine Flu and Me
Give it a couple of months and I’m sure this post will seem a bit worthless as most people will know somebody who has had this virus.
I blame myself, I honestly said to Pezza on Monday night that Swine Flu can’t be that big a deal as we do not know anybody who’s got it. I woke up on Tuesday morning with a bit of phlegm in my throat and got on with my day, by Tuesday night I felt awful and come Wednesday morning I was awakening in a pool of sweat. The doctor diagnosed me with Swine Flu later that day and prescribed me with the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu.
What’s all the fuss about?
In my case, not a lot. Although I definitely know I’ve got the flu, I’ve had worse. Wednesday was the worst day for me when I could barely stay awake and when I was awake I was sweating profusely and my body ached. The NHS call these Mild Symptoms. I agree. The last time I had the flu I couldn’t sleep and if there was a gun on the table I wouldn’t have even been able to get off the sofa to shoot myself.
However, normal flu just seems to just skim off the elderly but this one is killing middle class children so people are getting concerned. As a result, I’m not allowed to leave the flat until Saturday in case I come in contact with somebody who could get in real trouble from this.
Pezza’s been a great help. The doctor called her my Swine Flu Buddy and she’s been on hand to run out and pick up a thermometer, my prescription and various food parcels from caring in-laws. Aside from that she’s maintained a healthy distance. She stopped short of bringing home any alcohol gel, probably through fear I’d squeeze it on my chips.
I think the Tamiflu is doing the trick (it doesn’t kill the virus but it stops it multiplying giving your body a head start when producing antibodies) and I do feel slightly better today. I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that this isn’t going to kill me. Furthermore many say it’s best to get it now than in the autumn when they think it could really get going, at which time we’ll be wandering through such viral breeding grounds as Bangkok Airport and Ho Chi Minh.
At the time of writing 29 deaths in the UK are attributed to Swine Flu (12 in the last three days) and the government are predicting up to 65,000 will die in the UK alone.
I think that’s enough to call me a survivor.
Andy
*cough*
Of course, if Pezza comes down with it she will have – in female parlance – “a cold” and will in no way suffer as much as you’re claiming to
As a man I am well within my rights to milk this. Sadly, it wasn’t that bad – well worth a couple of days off work (if I had a job) but all the fuss that’s being made by the media & Andy Burnham is clearly directed at pregnent women and not me!
If Pezza does get it I’ll be telling her to pull her socks up.
Andy
PS, Thanks for the comment!
I have a relative who got the Swine Flu in Mexico. It is a good thing that he already recovered from this disease.