Returning to Almost Normal Life after Flu

Tweet

As I write this I'm at almost the end of my third week of Influenza A. My husband caught it first and I took him to the ER on a Sunday afternoon. He was diagnosed and treated with Tamiflu. That helped him get well faster. When I came down with the flu Monday night, no one was well enough to get me to the doctor to get Tamiflu for myself, so I got sicker and am taking longer to recover. I'm almost wishing I had gotten a flu shot, as my doctor advised. Why didn't I take her advice? I haven't had any virus in the past 20 years that's lasted more than three days. I have taken good care of my immune system and that has usually protected me. Even when I have gotten sick, it's been mild. I don't like shots because of the mercury, which is said to contribute to getting dementia. I suspect the reason my immune system didn't protect me this time is that my husband went to Costco and bought my favorite chocolate treat they were closing out of a couple of days before. When we came home from the ER on Sunday night, I'm afraid I pigged out on those chocolate covered coconut almonds. Sugar is very bad when you are fighting off a virus. Even though I was able to go for a 45- minute walk to see the river while waiting for Hubby's prescriptions to be filled at Walmart, by evening I was sick. My first week was terrible. I still have a lingering hacking cough, but I was checked out by a doctor a week ago. She said my chest was clear and there were not any bacterial complications. She advised me to stop taking a mucus relief pill I thought was helping me and instead take the antihistamine tablet I'd stopped taking when I got sick. After I followed her advice, I slept better. Rather than show you photos of us while we were sick, I'll show you a photo I took of the river just before I got sick. It's prettier. I was anxious to take my river pictures because most of the year you can't see the river. When I took these, it was after a series of heavy rains, with more to follow.