Down for a week with the flu
It all started with a little muscle pain in my shoulder last Friday. I figured I had just hauled my bag around with me too much and was hurting from my general lack of exercise.
Saturday I felt the muscle pain spread all through my back from the top of my neck down to my kidneys. It's a heavy bag, so I wasn't concerned about the pain. I took Julian to swimming practice in the morning, so that also gave more credence to the sore muscle theory.
Sunday, I could barely wake up. Everywhere hurt. I was planning on going to the Japan Flower and Garden show at Makuhari Messe, but I couldn't stay awake for more than half an hour at a time. Aches and pains and chills left me huddled under my blankets while everyone else fumed about not being able to go. They ought to have gone. It sounds like a pretty cool show.
I figured by Monday that I would have reached a point where I was over the flu and could go to work. That plan fell apart when I was unable to eat anything for breakfast and the fevers were still high. I went to the doctor instead.
It turns out that I caught the Type A flu sometime last week. Probably on Friday when I was traveling all around on the trains, but it's difficult to pinpoint a specific encounter.
So doctor's orders: Stay inside and away from work for 4 days.
Today is the last day of that staying inside. I'm feeling much better, but I still have pains in some joints. I'm taking Tamiflu to mitigate some of the symptoms, but they still hit me pretty hard. Also, Tamiflu seems to have some bad press here in Japan due to inconclusive links between Tamiflu and strange behaviors and nightmares. Most of this Tamiflu "epidemic" is due to the over-prescription of drugs in Japanese medicine and to a tendency towards hypochondria. But that's not really relevant to my flu, in any case.
Hopefully I can get in to work tomorrow. I think I'm okay, but I took a short walk today and was exhausted when I got home. I will probably pick up some sports drink and carry it with me tomorrow, just in case.
Saturday I felt the muscle pain spread all through my back from the top of my neck down to my kidneys. It's a heavy bag, so I wasn't concerned about the pain. I took Julian to swimming practice in the morning, so that also gave more credence to the sore muscle theory.
Sunday, I could barely wake up. Everywhere hurt. I was planning on going to the Japan Flower and Garden show at Makuhari Messe, but I couldn't stay awake for more than half an hour at a time. Aches and pains and chills left me huddled under my blankets while everyone else fumed about not being able to go. They ought to have gone. It sounds like a pretty cool show.
I figured by Monday that I would have reached a point where I was over the flu and could go to work. That plan fell apart when I was unable to eat anything for breakfast and the fevers were still high. I went to the doctor instead.
It turns out that I caught the Type A flu sometime last week. Probably on Friday when I was traveling all around on the trains, but it's difficult to pinpoint a specific encounter.
So doctor's orders: Stay inside and away from work for 4 days.
Today is the last day of that staying inside. I'm feeling much better, but I still have pains in some joints. I'm taking Tamiflu to mitigate some of the symptoms, but they still hit me pretty hard. Also, Tamiflu seems to have some bad press here in Japan due to inconclusive links between Tamiflu and strange behaviors and nightmares. Most of this Tamiflu "epidemic" is due to the over-prescription of drugs in Japanese medicine and to a tendency towards hypochondria. But that's not really relevant to my flu, in any case.
Hopefully I can get in to work tomorrow. I think I'm okay, but I took a short walk today and was exhausted when I got home. I will probably pick up some sports drink and carry it with me tomorrow, just in case.
posted by Lauren Smith at
4:54 PM
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