I am very sick. It was just a cough until Monday afternoon, when the fever and all-over body aches came on. It became painful to move or be touched in any way. By Tuesday night, I could barely breathe, I was coughing so much. The cough is a very deep, "croupy" cough. Wednesday, I went to see my doctor. He agreed that I have the flu. He prescribed an antibiotic and Tessalon pearls for cough. He also did a nose swab to test for Influenza A. If it comes back positive, he will prescribe Relenza to treat the flu.
Dr. Shah said that he has seen a lot of swine (H1N1) flu cases recently, and that it seems likely that I have it. However, the only way to confirm H1N1 flu is to be hospitalized, and wait in isolation while the test is sent to the CDC. This option was not offered to me, as it is unnecessary. H1N1 is a strain of Influenza A, and it can be treated with Tamiflu or Relenza. However, Dr. Shah uses Relenza, because it also treats B strains of the virus.
So, for today, I am waiting for my flu test result, to find out if I need Relenza. Apparently, it is an inhaler, so it won't cause digestive distress (yay!). Many people will never know if they had the so-called swine flu, because it isn't tested for most of the time. It's also only treated if it is a severe case, or if the person is at-risk for any reason. That is why I would need treatment if I the test comes back positive. My system is weak and not good at fighting off viruses. I'm continuing to get worse at this point.
My worst symptoms today are fever, cough, fatigue, body aches, and weakness. The cough has caused deep chest pain and a very sore throat. Dr. Shah said that my throat is really irritated (and that was after only one day of coughing). I also have a few sores in my mouth and throat. I'm not sure if these are related or not. All of this coughing has made my headache a lot worse, too. The assault on my body is also making my autonomic system act up: tachycardia, loss of balance, and vertigo. I'm stuck in bed, and no one is allowed to touch me, as it hurts so much to move.
I'm pretty miserable, but I understand that this will pass soon enough.
