Pandemics Are No Fun
September 11, 2009
My wife just reminded me that I have always wanted to be a part of something big. My response was a wheezy chuckle. A Pandemic is just about as big as you can get. This isn’t what I wanted, but beggars can’t be choosers.
H1N1 Influenza Virus (courtesy CDC)
The first hint that something was up, came late last week. Just a feeling really. Then a random cough over the weekend. I worked my usual morning shift for First News Weekend, then spent the days at the Kansas City Irish Fest. By Sunday night I was very tired, having been up since 2:30am and on my feet all day working at the Fest, but still didn’t feel “bad”. That came in the morning.
I woke up feeling a bit blah, thinking I had a cold. My morning ritual changed that assessment. How does one put this delicately? My intestinal system decided to evacuate everything. Several times. That will do. And the cough had picked up. By the time I arrived at work for an evening shift I couldn’t control it. It was persistent and hard, doubling me over in fits and spasms. After returning from covering a plane in a lake in Higginsville, Mo., I knew I’d have to go home. As I left I could feel the fever coming on.
Fortunately, my sick chamber had been prepared for me, the downstairs pull-out with medicine at the bedside. That’s where I spent one of the worst nights. I collapsed with a 101-degree fever after taking some generic all-powerful knock-out medicine which did indeed knock me out. Until I coughed. Which was every couple of minutes. Sometimes every breath I took. So it was deep sleep, cough, pain!, deep sleep, try to breath, cough, pain!, deep sleep, ad nauseam. When I awoke in the morning I was exhausted and my abdomen was in great pain from all the overnight crunches. I’d been meaning to do some but not like that. Then the fever rose and the aches began.
The last time I felt this bad I was in a hot motel room in Maracaibo, Venezuela suffering cold sweats and diarrhea from a bad empanada.
We first called the Clay Co Health Department, thinking I’d go get a test to confirm that it was H1N1, but they said they stopped doing the tests since that strain of flu went pandemic. Plus, being that it’s not “seasonal” flu season yet, more than likely it is the H1N1. The CDC backs that up, noting 97% of all flu reports recently are the H1N1 virus. The virus just hasn’t gone away.
Bedside Medicine Chest
When sick, I usually try to tough it out without a visit to the doctor. Not this time. I had to go. The doctor confirmed what I already knew, that I didn’t look very good and sounded awful. He sent me off with prescriptions and orders of liquids and rest.
Though I’m feeling better than that first day, the fever came back for a while, so did the cough, and fighting the virus has left me drained. I’ve been in my isolation room for three days… wish I had cable or satellite TV.
Dan
I am Dan’s wife and would like to add my two cents. I prepared my husband’s “sick room” as he said and made him some cinnamon toast and hot tea. I plied him with zinc and over the counter medications and next day when his fever rose to 102, called the doctor and insisted he go. Meanwhile, I have been armed with a can of disinfectant spray and have proceeded to spray down everything he touched, breathed on, or even thought about touching or breathing on.
Like most of the world, I do not have time to be sick. Just can’t seem to fit it into the busy schedule. I have banned our son from any form of contact with his father (though he has sneaked down to see him taking care to stay far away from the continual stream of coughing. He misses him. And I can understand. I miss him too). However after such visits, I force the boy to scrub down and my own hands have become raw from all the washing. I doubt very seriously that my efforts will prevail but one can only hope and do what one can to detour this vial disease.
Thankfully we are all in good health so this will hopefully run its course like any other flu. Our son and I had the good old fashion flu this past winter. I’m hoping that we built up enough of an immunity to keep this one at bay. We will let you know.
For you ladies out there who have ever had your man taken down by a virus, I’m sure you can empathize. lol! He did take wonderful care of me when I had the flu and it’s my pleasure to return the favor. It’s almost funny though. I hold my breath when I bring him Jewish Mother’s homemade chicken soup (had to have his mother make it, I flunked chicken soup), hot tea, or whatever else he may need (he texts me his list, gotta love modern technology), toss it too him and then run from the room heading straight for the sink to wash my hands with antibacterial soap.
And while we don’t have cable or satellite, he does have a tv down there. He has his computer too. So don’t feel too sorry for him
Hey! Does anyone know how to disinfect a computer without ruining it? I somehow don’t think our antivirus ware will kill this one.
Hey Dan you’re not alone. My husband brought the little buggers home from work. He was down on Saturday and I was bitten by Monday. So far our daughter has been spared. I spray Lysol on everything. Including the computor key board and mouse, phone, bathroom et al. Sudafed has helped with the cough but sleeping is almost impossible. The way I see it is that at least I’ve will have gotten it over with. We have a trip to Hawaii planed for November so at least I can have a nice vacation to look forward too. I understand you can’t get it again. I’m just glad I’m pretty healthy over all. Wouldn’t want someone with a weak imunne system to get this. I hope you’re well soon. My fever is down to 99.1 so I guess I’m in the home stretch!
sell it on craigslist. A good execuse to buy new one!!
Dan, so sorry to hear that you are sick. My wife loves to watch the news on Shabbat as we get ready for services. My wish for you, today, Shabbos, is that you have peace and health and that you get better son. Baruch Hashem
Jon Dahl
olathe
We use those disenfectant wipes at the Library where I work. In fact, we use them SEVERAL times a day, what with all the people using the public computers.
I work in IT and you can clean a keyboard (unplug it first) by wiping it down with alcohol. Q-Tips work best for getting underneath keys and in all the little nooks and crannies. Alcohol evaporates much faster than water and is much less likely to damage electronic hardware. You can also wipe down the mouse, and other peripherals this way. A word of caution: some monitor screens can be damaged with harsh chemicals but most (as in, all that I’ve ever owned) are fine with a light and infrequent rubdown.