Get a Flu Shot!

I am sorry I haven’t written in a while. The holidays have kept us very busy, but that isn’t the only reason I haven’t been in touch, we have had some kind of awful flu!

Last Thursday started like any day in the Gilliland house. We got up and went to work. Unfortunately, that was the only normal part of the day.

While I was at work at Golden Oaks, I began to get a headache. Within minutes, the average headache was throbbing so badly, I wondered if I was having a migraine. I have never had a migraine before, so I wasn’t sure. I also began coughing a lot. Coughing isn’t unusual for a cold, so I thought maybe I was catching one. I took ibuprofen for the headache. It did help dull the pain, but it did not go away entirely.

I made it through the day and went home. I spoke with a couple of friends on the phone, worked around the house, took Shiloh, our rat terrier, out to play a bit and heated up leftover hamburger soup for supper. In this time, I noticed I was feeling worse. I had chills and body aches setting in.

I changed into my winter pajamas, slippers, my favorite fuzzy socks and a bathrobe. I curled up under my electric blanket on the recliner. I just couldn’t get warm.

Jeff walked in the door from work and said he had a sore throat! He was also chilled, but had been outside so he thought that was why until he couldn’t get warm. I am sure if anyone had walked into our house, they would have roasted! We had the heat turned up pretty high!

Our conditions only deteriorated as the next couple of days passed. Neither one of us could work Friday. We were either in bed or in our love seat recliners. We both had very bad coughs. I thought I was going to cough up a lung. My stomach and back muscles hurt badly from coughing so hard. I finally managed to cough up some phlegm. Jeff couldn’t do the same. It really didn’t seem to matter though, I kept coughing. Mucinex didn’t even help our coughs. That made me worry because it usually does help. I was terrified of contracting bronchitis again. I had bronchitis almost 5 years ago. I vividly remember how much that hurt! I didn’t want that back.

I did have diarrhea a few times one day, but luckily that didn’t last. We both hurt so bad all over, we could barely get up to use the bathroom or get something to drink. We stayed hydrated though. That is so important. We drank juice, water, 7 up or coke and ate grapes, oranges and soup. I have to say, soup didn’t seem to taste good. I ate a little and couldn’t finish it. Jeff never even tried it.

Jeff was doing a little better by Saturday morning, but he still hurt all over. He could get around better than me though. I was down yet. I coughed a lot less though, which was a huge relief. By this time, coughing brought tears to my eyes. My nose starting running though and wouldn’t stop! I went through two boxes in 24 hours! My nose is still raw.

Finally, this morning, we both felt much better. We still don’t have much of an appetite. I have avoided the recliner and the bed today. I just couldn’t handle laying down in bed or laying back in the recliner anymore. I have been sitting up today on the kitchen bar stools trying to get strength back too. I was sure I would have bed sores if I laid around another day. After a while, I just couldn’t get comfortable no matter if I laid on my back or my side.

I don’t remember ever being sick this long unless I had strep throat or bronchitis. I am not sure what we had. It wasn’t just the flu or a cold, it was a mix and it was very painful. Influenza A is going around right now. Maybe that is what we had. I looked it up and we had the symptoms, but we didn’t go to the doctor to be tested, so I can’t say we had it.

We didn’t get the flu shot. We won’t make that mistake again. We aren’t getting any younger. I never want to feel this badly again. So, from here forward, we will be getting a flu shot every year. I hope everyone gets a flu shot. I don’t know if it would have prevented us from catching this strain or not, but it maybe would have prevented it from being as severe.

I hear of those that die from the flu every year. A young boy from Beatrice recently passed away from the flu. God bless him. I have been keeping his family in my prayers.

When I hear of people dying from the flu, I never think it could be me. Until I was as sick as I was. No, I wasn’t go to die, or at least I didn’t think so. I wasn’t having breathing problems, thankfully. But, I did worry. Our symptoms were different every day. At one point yesterday, I was so miserable, I nearly went to the hospital. I have to be bad to consider that. But, thankfully, within a few hours, I began to improve so much! This morning when I woke up, I felt great! I still had a runny nose and a bit of a headache, but that was all.

We didn’t do anything today but rest. I didn’t want us to do much for fear of a relapse.

Please get a flu shot. Encourage your family and friends to do so too.

Life is too precious not to!