It had been awhile since you've had the flu, but you managed to catch it again this winter. It always seems to come as a shock all the stages you go through, so let me just document them for you for next time so you'll know exactly what to expect:
Day 1: Slightly sore throat.
Day 2: Razor blades in your throat followed by fever, chills and body aches - don't even think about being anywhere but in bed.
Day 3: More fever and body aches...that part is almost past though...but now your nose is getting in on the action. Oh, and everything on your inside wants to be on your outside.
Day 4: Is your nose runny or is it stopped up? It's hard to tell...all you know is that you're blowing it a lot and you can't seem to breathe out of it. Oh yeah, and good luck sleeping without sitting upright or else taking some Nyquil to knock you out.
Day 5: See day 4. Except now you can't taste anything, so this day will not even have the enjoyment of food. No more happiness.
Day 6: OK, your nose is definitely running now...bring on the hacking and feeling like you can't take a deep breath.
Day 7: More runny nose...who knew that much stuff could come out of your face?
Day 8-15: Though the drainage and cough linger, you are mostly well...but still just sick enough to do something stupid like talk to yourself online for the world to see...
Here are some tips for next time:
1. PREVENTION IS KEY: in the winter, when you are prone to getting sick, get your vitamin C, don't get sleep-deprived, eat right, and don't give into all those sugary sweets taunting you at every corner - before you know it, your body is dragging, your immune system is down, and BAM, you have the flu.
2. Take some lysine every day...with your immune system down, you will more than likely get a fever blister just to add insult to injury.
3. Salt water nose spray (boil water, add salt and a pinch of baking soda) to help unclog that nose is your friend.
4. Drink orange juice as soon as you get the sore throat.
5. Hot tea and hot soup...steam helps clear your head and the warmth feels good on your throat.
6. Nyquil helps you sleep.
7. Stay home from work as long as it takes...going back too early just annoys your co-workers.
8. Drink more water than you can imagine...what you thought was a lot of water was actually not and you now realize that a ton of water would have helped immensely.
9. Don't expect to keep those 2 pounds off that you lost...as soon as your taste buds and appetite are back up to their full capacity, you will want to make up for lost time. Trust me.
Sincerely,
Your (mostly) well self
megan - you are such a good writer! despite having been through that exact cycle, I read it eagerly. Guess I need to do a note to self too;)
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