Sick report update... missed morning class.

[icarus]

I was too sick this morning to go to my first class, which I will probably be dropping at any rate.

Sick report:

The stages of this flu --


Initial 12-24 hours: runny nose, dizziness, inability to concentrate, persistant cough, shortness of breath, gradually worsening into day two with an increased fever. I've had nausea since day two, WG hasn't.

Day three is the worst. You just curl up under the covers, sheeting with sweat and shivering. WG was in a steaming hot bath and had goose bumps. T-shirts and sheets are soaked like sponges. No appetite, continued shortness of breath, physically weak. WG calls this the "just shoot me" stage.

Day four the fever breaks, some energy returns though you're still sleeping an abnormal amount. Appetite still nonexistent.Occasional shivers. Persistent cough continues. For some reason I have the sore throat from hell and WG doesn't. I blame this on my allergies compounding the flu. WG on the other hand had the headache from hell, which he blames on getting dehydrated.

Day five and six: Periodic bouts of fever; you wake with your t-shirt freezing cold and soaked with sweat. Weak and dizzy. Taking the stairs to do laundry is out of the question. Some appetite returns but there's little energy to fetch or prepare food (helloooo takeout). Concentration is better: can read and sit up for an hour or two. Judgement sucks. Little stupid things, like I poured orange juice forWG and then realized I was going to have to splash down the ice cubes. Oi. Persistent cough. Sore throat, thank god, is tapering off.

Day six and seven (today): New symptom. wildernessguru said, "I have a new symptom." I answered, "Ear ache?" He nodded. Mine started yesterday but I hoped it was, oh, my imagination. Bouts of fever sweats continue. I was able to eat last night w/o nausea. We're both very weak, which WG blames on our not being able to eat much. Reduced lung capacity. Able to sit up and do tasks (dishes, computer) for periods of time before having to lie down. In my mind I was hoping this was the point this illness would be wrapping up. Coughing continues. Runny nose almost gone.

Comments

[ursula]

You might want to call the consulting nurses at the health center?

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Oh, boy. I'm so sorry. Anything I can do for you that doesn't involve lots of typing?

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

That actually sounds like a good idea.

[jackie-brown.livejournal.com]

You poor pair, it sounds horrible, and it sucks both being ill at the same time , no-one to mollycoddle you. Get well soon.

Sick report update... missed morning class.

[maxinemayer.livejournal.com]

Hugs and mollycoddling from afar! Maybe you should take something for this? Or speak to a doctor? Love, max

Hope you get well soon

[mysticmcknight.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry your sick and I hope you feel better soon. I know what you're going through. I had the flu, got better in that I upgraded to a cold, then went and moved to bronchits and then back to the flue again...this was sept/oct. Now I have a chest cold...:>) it's going around.

As all mothers would say, rest, drink plenty of fluid and if you like eat chicken soup, it's been proven to help fight colds and flu. Thanks for the last update on the story, it was good even w/ errors. Just take care of yourself first. :>)

Re: Hope you get well soon

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Errors? I thought I fixed any errors....

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Hall Health is too expensive. It cost me $300 last time, not including the medications (another $200+). I haven't had insurance since 2002 and can't afford that.

WG and I were supposed to go to the clinic today but he just canceled on me at the last second because he "didn't think of it." I'd planned my entire day around driving him down there.

[ursula]

That's why I suggested the free phone consultation service. (Obviously if you want prescription drugs you will need to see a doctor, but the consulting nurses are perfectly reasonable for questions like "Do I need to see a doctor? When should this get better? What over-the-counter drugs should I take?")

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, okay. I'll look into that. I didn't realize they had a free phone consultation, thank you.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

OK, so I have the sore throat, incredible congestion (green goo--gross!) the headache (coughing is scary), and the fever and weakness. My ears already bothering me. The only thing that's not as bad is my cough. I have it, but it's under control mostly; I've been taking a suppressant. When I rest, it's sometimes an effort not to cough, but I can breathe enough to keep it in check.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

wildernessguru took Robitussin's all around flu remedy last year, and what happened is that it drove his cough "deeper." He went in to the doctor who took him off the stuff because he'd developed bronchitis.

WG's ear ache hung around for a while, but mine only appeared every now and then over a couple of days. It vanished for both of us.

We didn't get green goo, but that seems to indicate a bacterial infection? If it is bacterial then you're in luck -- doctors can do something about that.

I developed "athlete's asthma" -- which is a persistently irritated throat that just keeps irritating itself (you cough because you've been coughing). I controlled the coughing, breathing through it, and using cough drops to soothe my throat, and it finally went away.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

I haven't been taking large amounts of any of the drugs. I find that I get relief with half doses or children's doses.

I also have been switching depending on symptoms. I took the cough supressant when I couldn't sleep for coughing. I took a decongestant when I got a terrible sinus headache. And when I noticed the green goo, I started taking guaifenesin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaifenesin), which thins out the mucus so you can get it out of the body. That helps my chest and the cough. Now I'm coughing after getting up from a prone position.