FLU!

Tweet

I woke this morning feeling run down. The blame was given to the fact that I woke several times in the night to blow my stuffed up nose. Called my doctor at 8:00 to get an appointment for today because I was certain I had a sinus infection. Let the scheduler at work know that I would see the first two clients, but doubtful I would be able to see the last client because I was run down. My appointment was at 11 and I left my last client early because I was so fatigued. I didn't want to stay and get her sick either. Once at the doctor's office, they gave me a nifty face mask to wear. I looked so lovely. The nurse weighed me, took my blood pressure, and temperature, and asked a million questions. Then she took a swab from my sinus cavity. The test she said would take 15 minutes. When the Nurse Practitioner came in, she went over my chart and the nurse's notes with me then went out to check the culture. The test was positive for flu. Now I had convinced myself that I couldn't get the flu because I had a flu shot in December. The NP told me that you could still get the flu even with a shot, but the symptoms wouldn't be as severe. I was prescribed Tamiflu, a decongestant, saline rinse, and told to use a neti pot to rinse my sinuses. I believe only Tamiflu is covered by my insurance. That will please my husband, because he is the one picking up the prescriptions. He will have to pay for them. So here I sit with a hot cup of tea, a box of tissues, and hand sanitizer. I am covered with a warm blanket to ward off the chills, with my feet up in the recliner, with my laptop to keep me company for the next 4 days. I cannot go back to work until I am feeling better. Monday is the earliest I can go back, but cannot have a fever. Practicing good hand hygiene is important. Getting a flu shot is also important. However, just remember that even with these precautions, you can still get the flu.