Member-only story
Have You Heard of Flu A?
Let me tell you
I don’t know what it’s like in your area, but down here in North Carolina, this Flu A is running rampant. The hospitals and ER’s are full.
I get a flu shot every year, and until this year, I’d avoided getting sick. I couldn’t have chosen a worse year for it not to work, but it wasn’t really a choice. The shot every year is a “guess” about which strains are likely to circulate that year. They guessed wrong this year.
Now, I’m a lousy sickie. I’m immediately convinced that I’m going to die, which sort of makes sense in my 70’s, but I felt the same when I was in my 20’s. I’m also convinced that nothing is going to make me feel better, and I get so I’m afraid to move for fear of making it worse.
Flu A (I think the A stands for “assassination”) is the regular flu on steroids. Trouble breathing? Double that. Loss of appetite? Nothing sounds good to eat. Body aches and pains? My eyelids hurt. Forget finding a comfortable position to sit or lie down. My most comfortable chair was impossible to get comfortable in. Getting up to go to the bathroom was an enormous effort, and once sitting on the throne, the idea of getting up again was almost overwhelming. Weak? Blinking seemed like too much effort.
And, again, it may be better where you live, but here, if I call the doctor’s office, I cannot…
