Down for the Count

My first aid station for the weekend.  Keep them all within reach.

Just as I was restarting my attempt to blog every day I was struck down with the flu.  I think it's been a long time since I had the actual flu.  I felt odd beginning Tuesday evening and again Wednesday morning.  I was bound and determined not to come down with the dread disease that seems to be making its way through the population.  Even before I went to Hawaii I was taking Emergen-C and drinking a lot more fluids than normal.  And Wednesday morning I took my first break at work to go to the pharmacy and stock up on prevention tools.

I think I lost my fight around noon when I started to get cold.  Now I am normally always cold but this was down to the bone, teeth chattering cold.  I had class that night though and since I had already missed two classes and you can miss three without penalty I was not going to miss class. So I sat in my art class with my coat on, zipped all the way up and shivered.  When I finally made it home the first thing I did was get out my thermometer.  I can't tell you how many times I have felt like garbage, been freezing, and could swear I had a fever only to pull out that thermometer and find out my temp was just fine.  Not on Wednesday - 100.3.  I have never been so happy to have a fever in my life.  It felt like vindication of some sort.  (Don't ask, I was feverish and you don't think clearly when you are feverish.)

The next four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) consisted of me laying on my couch watching hour after hour after hour of Netflix.
On Thursday afternoon my mom brought me a care package.  I had called my parents on Wednesday night to check and see how they were doing.  They have been battling the same thing for two weeks now and Wednesday my dad had actually gone to the doctor and he never goes to the doctor willingly. In our conversation I told them that I had secumbed.  So it was nice when mom dropped by Thursday with a complete care package and I mean complete.  Powerade, Ginger Ale, Cough Drops, Alka Seltzer Plus, Kleenex with fancy lotion, and a homemade batch of chicken soup.  I don't care how old you are, when you are sick the only thing that can make you feel better is mom.

So that was my weekend.  For the most part I feel better although I have entered the hacking cough stage of this thing.  I feel fine then suddenly a tickle then I cough but it's never just a cough or two.  No, this is a 5 minute hack out a lung cough-fest.  Once the cough-fest is done I'm good for another half hour or so.  I feel for the poor people who live above me and have to hear me hacking.  Another interesting thing about the cough is that this whole time my nose has been clear.  My sinuses have felt plugged but my nose has been clear.  Except when I cough.  After a coughing fit I always have to blow my nose so even though I haven't had a runny nose this whole time my nose is still raw.  Not fair.  At least I have fancy lotioned up tissues to try and keep it under control.