the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

i'm here already....

Just, you know. Life gets demanding sometimes. No...REALLY!

I got the flu last Saturday, for real. Did I have my flu shot? Of COURse......

not.

There's a story here, as you might imagine. So last autumn, see, when I was reading all that SCARY STUFF about the swine flu et al, I had occasion to go to the Air Force Academy Hospital for something or other. While I was there, I had the bright idear to pop over to immunizations and get a flu shot.

My motivation

I had the flu--the REAL flu--bad in January 2000. Until that time, I thought the slight aches and pains and general under-the-weatherness I'd experienced in the wake of flu vaccines was "the flu."

That was because I'd never had the flu.

That all changed after New Years, 2000. As I remember, we'd invited Phil and John (a Welsh and Scot friend, respectively), to come spend New Years with us in Georgia. For the New Year's Bash, we all went downtown, watched the celebrations, watched the fireworks, then.... when we were walking back to our car, Phil and John visited a British tradition upon us. We were to kiss everyone Happy New Year.

It's kinda a fun tradition, I must admit.

It's also dangerous, as I learnt.

By the time I drove them to the airport the next day, my throat was a bit scratchy. Within a couple of days, I was bedridden as I'd never been before.

Until this point, I just thought I knew what "the flu" was. Alas. I was an ignorant lass.

My temperature went to about 103 and stayed there for days. I was so feverish that I couldn't sweat. My skin was hot to the touch, tight and dry. I'd been doing a couple of hours of martial arts workout and running five miles a day up to then, but when the fever was upon me, it took all my strength to crawl, on all fours, to the bathroom, 15 feet from the bed. When I got there, I was too exhausted to return. I'd pee, then lie on the floor to gather energy, then crawl back.

No, I'm not exaggerating.

After a few days of this, I took aspirin (upon recommendation, as I'd thought that fever was nature's way of killing the infection, so stopping it would simply prolong the infection) and broke the fever.

I've never seen sweat like this.

I'd lie in bed and sweat through my night shirt and the sheets and blankets. When I got up to use the bathroom and drink some water (unbelievably thirsty, I was), I'd literally wring out my shirt, then fetch towels to pad the bed. Every two hours, I'd wring them out and replace them, along with my shirt.

That's probably what kept me weak for so long, all the wringing. That's hard work.

After I was relatively back to normal (about five days later?), it was another month before I could run five miles, even at a trot.

I never understood how a fever sucks your energy until then. Now...I get it.

So you see, when I popped into the Academy hospital and sought the H1N1 (etc), I seriously wasn't kidding. I know what "the flu" really means. You know what they said? They said, "Sorry. We only have the H1N1 nasal spray right now, but we don't have much. We're limited to the young, the elderly, and the pregnant."

Ah. Ok. You see, I don't have a problem with this. I've been following how the flu works, and current threats, and I have no problem with them taking such precautions to protect the most vulnerable.

But then they said, "Your unit will let you know when we get the new shipment in, and you can come in for it."

I said, "Um. That won't happen."

I knew they were functioning on the assumption that I was, you know, regular active duty, since my ID card said so and all.

My unit contacts me for nothing. Don't get me wrong, by any means. There's a blessing here that I shouldn't have to spell out, even for the most underinformed. But I guess there's a drawback to being so off the charts (which I enjoy).

So I went away, thinking...damn. I need that shot. I'll probably not think of it again until it's too late.

And that's exactly what happened.

I had fever, aches, pains, gastrointestinal problems (ahem), stuffy head, and a vicious sore throat Saturday morning. My fever spiked, everything ached, the usual... I staggered around, whined appropriately, etc.

By Monday I was...better. Still not good. I've watched others and learnt that "somewhat good" is not equivalent to "good."

I emailed my instructors yesterday that I'd be out this week, even if I thought I "got better." (I've already learned that the immediate recovery is not to be confused with the full recovery; returning to work when one only thinks one is feeling better is asking for a relapse.)

That was yesterday. Come this morning, I awoke with....what the HELL.

I couldn't get comfortable. I kept switching from side to side, from back to front, and nothing helped. Finally, I got up and went to the living room La-Z-Boy. I brought with me a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. I wiggled down in a snuggie (they're BRILLIANT!), and poured some in my ear.

AAAAaaaaahhhhhhhh. It was cool, and oddly soothing,* and I admit thinking for a while that it would  cure what was the matter.

* It was cool, as I mentioned, and it bubbled deliciously in my ear canal with no resulting pain. What's not to like?

It helped only as long as the HP was in my ear, sadly. I called the AF Academy Urgent Care Clinic* at about 5:30. They gave me a 7am appointment. Bless them!

* USAFA, like so many other Air Force bases, lost their funding to maintain a fulltime emergency room. Sadly.

So I just...you know...deal until 7am, of course. As it turns out, I saw a doc I saw before (Dr. Frazier). I acknowledged as much (and he seemed not upset to see me again), and he checked my ears.

"Yeah. That's quite an infection you have there."

"Why, thank you."

It's almost like we were on a date.

He gave me ten days' worth of antibiotics, about as much of anti-inflammatories (800 mg Motrin, which is always welcome), some Mucinex to take care of the congestion, and put me on quarters, which is the military way of saying, "Stay home, and don't you dare go anywhere."

And here I am. My left ear has, over the last few hours, popped and crackled, and made odd ringing noises. When I spoke earlier, I could hear my voice in my left ear, only in a flat tone. Odd. And Surreal.

Now I know what "ear infection" really means.

Cheers, all!

d