Before I begin describing my current bout with the swine flu (I still have it) I would like to mention two things.
One is the fact that where I work no one else has been out sick with this, and I have called in to my office today to see if that has changed which it has not. The reason I mention this is because I do not use public transportation, I leave my office and come straight home, and during the past few weeks have not been out aound people or in public places.
One notable thing does come to mind. My kids have not received the swine or regular flu vaccines. However, we do babysit a child in our sons class who is 6 years old, and after the fact we had learnt that he was administered the Flumist vaccine and was coughing and sneezing in my house. Does this mean anything? Who knows.
Secondly, for the past few months, for the first time in my life, I have been religiously taking vitamin D, B-Complex and other vitamins preparing for the flu season. Did this help? Who knows.
Also all this week I have been taken black elder berry extract which I feel did relieve some of my coughing and asthma symptoms, even if for a short while.
Why do I mention the above two events. Because one might expalin how I caught this, and the other might explain why my symptoms have not been severe.
The keyword to remember is might and I am not suggesting either played the role mentioned above but rather I am trying to give viewers a full picture of my swine flu story.
Lets begin.
So, today is Friday the 13th.
This past Monday I started having frequent bouts of asthma attacks and felt like I was coming down with something.
By Tuesday I had left work early as fatigue and shortness of breadth set in. I have had asthma since a child and my asthma was really giving me a hard time so I just wanted to get home to bed.
By Wednesday morning I was using my inhaler way to much and was having a hard time getting around, as if I walked more the 10 feet I was to short of breath and felt drained.
So I stayed in bed and over used my inhaler to get through the day/night.
Thursday morning came and I was still not able to walk more then a few feet, speaking was difficult, and my asthma was just not letting up. I used my inhaler again, and passed out from fatigue. When I woke up at 2:30 ish that afternoon I knew it was more then a cold and bad asthma, and actually thought I had Bronchitis, or maybe worst pneumonia. I had decided it was time to go to the hospital.
When I had arrived in the hospital, based on my symptoms and evaulation, I was told that I most likely had pnemonia and was immediately given treatment by I.V. for it. They also scheduled x-rays which occured about 2 hours later. Shortly after the senior doctor came in and told me not to panick but that the good news was that I did not have pnemonia but I actually had the swine flu!
Panic, I had told her that if this was the swine flu (other then my asthma conditions) that I would prefer it over all the other flu's I had in the past!
Why do I say this? Well for starters:
My fever never went over 102 (which I did not know I had a fever until going to the E.R)
No notably aches and pains, and especially no bone and joint pain which I have experienced with other flus
No vomitting (to me one of the worst things caused by the flu)
No diarrhea
No severe loss of appetite as I have had with other flus. I have been able to eat small frequent meals and drink lots of fluids
Here are my symptoms:
First two days - Shortness of breath (probably made much worst by my asthma), tiredness, and cough.
Third day - extreme loss of energy, inability to walk more then a few yards due to shortness of breadth and fatigue, frequent cough, and persistent asthma issues.
Fourth day - no change in condition from third day except that my asthma was becoming less manageable. Decided to go to the E.R. The treatment they provided me at the hospital was based on their assumption that I had pnemonia so they gave me antibotics and also administered anti inflamotory steriods used in asthma treatment. That definitely did the trick. They also prescribed me Tamilflu and prednisone.
Fifth day - I am home still from work, but am able to get out of bed, walk around, eat breakfast, and get on the computer to and add this post online. Still feel under the weather and have a slight cough. No fever (I think ) no nausea, no aches and pains, but now have some slight diarrhea due to the side effects of the Tamiflu I have been taking since last night. Also my asthma is much better and I can say it is now managable with regularly scheduled treatments. I also feel that I might be experiencing some other slight side effects from the TamiFlu I am taking like slight mood changes and slight difficulty typing ( loss of motor control? ).
All in all I can't compalin. If it wasn't for my asthma this would be the mildest flu I have ever had. I know that everyones expeience with any illness can be much different then my own, so I am not trying to down play any Flu or make others think that medical advise should be sought. It helped me. The purpose of this information I have posted is to give others an actual account of the symptoms and effects the swine flu had on someone classified as high risk due to a chronic underlying condition, and the treatments that I am currently going through.
That's it.
Hopefully I have made it through the worst of it and hopefully all of our viewers are fortunate enough to remain healthy and happy through the rest of this year and going into the next.
