Healthy New Year?
I began 2018 with the twin peaks of a bang and a bust. One is planned, the other? Totally unplanned, unpredictable and I was unprepared.
Two weeks ago, I was wiped out by the ugliest flu of my life.
Not only did I cough up a storm and sneeze out my supply of Kleenex every hour, I had experienced stabbing body aches and cutting chills all over my arms and chest. They were sharp and unrelentingly. They came on the heels of a sensational two-week trip to Asia that took us from Tokyo and Kyoto to Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.
Throughout my travels, I had been painfully aware of the sound of coughing and sneezing around me from airport lounges to restaurants where some servers casually covered their coughs with their bare hands while clearing plates with and without food. That raised my hygiene alarm!
I began obsessively sanitizing my hands and yelling at Ken (my husband) every time he puts his hands in his mouth without first, sanitizing them. I even kept count every time we touched a handrail on an elevator, or inside the subway, or open the doors in public places. In the end, none of that stopped the wicked flu. I didn’t get a flu shot (I always dreaded the side effects), and the flu got me.
I called my doctor but couldn’t get through. A nurse coldly announced that the hospital was overwhelmed with flu patients. She methodically went through a checklist of symptoms with me and I had every one of them, including a fever.
“You have the flu. Don’t come in. The Infectious Disease Control Bureau advised flu patients to stay home to avoid infecting more people. Unless you have trouble breathing or can’t eat or drink, our doctor will give you Tamiflu since your symptoms appear in the first 72 hours.”
“Geez, it’s that bad?”
I had no strength to argue with her but accepted whatever it was that she told me to do. I was given more stern orders to sanitize my hands, cover my cough and sneeze and keep a distance from people in my family. Don’t go to public places. So, yes, I was quarantined in my house for a week.
While my husband Ken, the only family member, selflessly took it upon himself to go pick up my prescription, deliver my meals 3 times a day when I was bed-ridden, he was not immune even with his flu shot from last year. After catering to me for two days, he too succumbed to it.
During the few periods when I was awake and feeling better, I immediately checked my email and even started doing some work on the computer. I didn’t want to feel down. I wanted to rebound as quickly as I could. But here’s the thing with this nasty flu virus – (H3N2), it is unpredictable. It would wipe me out within an hour after I got up. My body would suddenly feel like a ton of bricks falling apart under a head of clay. I couldn’t see straight except to the bed!
During the weeklong confinement to my bed, I realized how little control I had over the battle between my body and the virus. The only thing I could do was to let go of control.
The complete stillness during bed rest restored my strength over time. Day by day, I saw my body shedding the weight of pain and fatigue not only from fighting the flu but also from dealing with jetlag. Even though the flu is far from my plan of starting the New Year, it awakens me to re-dedicate my top priority to my health and well-being. Without it, not only do I suffer, so does my husband
I never knew the potentially deadly consequences of the flu until after I read blazing headlines like these
At Least 30 Children Have Died From This Season’s Flu. Some of Them Were Perfectly Healthy
Here’s how the flu virus kills some people so quickly
Death of Teen Athlete a Reminder That Flu Can Kill Anyone
Suddenly it hit me that I could have been one of them! Perhaps like me, you too have been hit or spared. But one can never be too careful.
We’ve all heard about the flu vaccine, it’s not too late. Get it now. Or, wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Or, stay home and rest when you have the flu. Don’t go spreading it at work. Don’t be a hero.
As we begin this New Year, let us be grateful for our health and also vigilant about how we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.