Swine Flu and when pigs really dont fly

The number of swine flu deaths worldwide has now touched 700 people. It is a worldwide epidemic and can be very dangerous for the more vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the very young, the very old and people with certain respiratory conditions.

That is what we read about in the papers and Swine flu is just swine flu until it hits you. I had read about it for months and like many felt I would be in some way immune to it or it would gently pass me by in a soft sniffle and light dry cough. I would hear someone cough at the supermarket and wonder if they had swine flu, I would wonder if someone on the tube would pass it onto me. It certainly added to my paranoia and I had to remind myself often it was a thought and not necessarily true. Most people do not have swine flu.

That was not to be. Now I had swine flu. I had no idea where I had picked it up. I now had swine flu  and was amazed at how it felt. The pain in my joints and muscles were intense. Within a day or two of taking Tamiflu I noticed how the pains went away. If you don’t have swine flu and take Tamiflu you may start to have the symptoms of swine flu on top of the flu you may have.

Symptoms of swine flu can be pains in joints and muscles, a lot of sneezing, dry cough and feeling very, very tired. The tiredness was all consuming and I found I had to sleep anywhere and anytime. It was like a toddler in a push-chair who suddenly flops and is out to the world.

It is important if you do have swine-flu to be indoors and near a place of rest. Take lots of hot drinks (not coffee or tea) but drinks which help cleanse and keep up your hydration levels. Drink soup or something warming for the throat. Keep up with your meals and rest. Talking is exhausting and try to limit its use. Even reading a book was exhausting or concentrating on watching tv was impossible.

Another very important sign of swine flu is confusion. I felt very confused and forgetful. I found I could not remember things nor think of things in a logical and systematic manner. For example, making toast requires toasting the bread, then buttering it, followed by putting jam on it. It is a process we usually take for granted but with swine flu it becomes confusing and we have to remember to use a knife and plate and what order to put the condiments on it.

I always think getting ill reminds me how fortunate I am to have good health when I do. It reminds me of my blessings and the life I do have. It takes getting swine flu or falling ill to remind me of this. As a very normal human being; I can be ungrateful, no matter how many blessings I try to add in my day. For the time being, as when writing this blog, I am thankful for slowly recovering from swine flu. I am thankful to the universe. It does take quite a few weeks to fully recover from swine flu and each day does remind me of how blessed I am.

© 2009 Y