Have you been hit by the flu bug yet this winter? You can鈥檛 miss it. It comes at you like a Mack truck, flattening everyone in its way.
I likened it to the plague when I was walloped with it last week. Between a high fever, aching bones and muscles, and a cough so relentless it actually rendered me breathless 鈥� I truly felt the worst I鈥檝e ever felt.
Raising a four-year-old, who was so kind as to share his germs with me, I wanted some sort of relief and fast, because moms can鈥檛 get sick.
So, sheepishly, I did what I know you aren鈥檛 supposed to do with a flu. I went to the walk-in clinic, huddled myself into the deepest corner I could find and coughed incessantly into my sleeve of my ski jacket for 1.5 hours.
As always in sick season, the waiting room was full of fellow flu victims. I dared not look them in the eye, for fear I might catch yet another virus.
When I did get to see the doctor, he told me what I already knew 鈥� 鈥渘ot all bugs need drugs.鈥�
He then told me 90 per cent of the patients he has seen during the last two weeks have been in because of this very flu.
At least, I wasn鈥檛 alone.
His advice to me had me on the floor laughing (OK, in my mind). He told me to rest.
(Clearly, he doesn鈥檛 know I鈥檓 a mom). He then wrote a prescription for cough medication. Instead, I asked for Tamiflu because I felt like I had SARS or maybe bird flu and cough syrup wasn鈥檛 going to cut it.
He patiently said he normally only prescribes that to seniors and doesn鈥檛 really believe it works, but if I wanted he would comply.
Yes, I wanted. Even if my flu could be shortened by one day, it would be worth the $50 prescription.
While I was tucked in my bed shivering with a temperature of close to 103 degrees, my nurse friends couldn鈥檛 resist wagging a finger at me 鈥� via text, of course, so I couldn鈥檛 infect them 鈥� telling me I should have had a flu shot.
Media reports last fall indicated that this year鈥檚 flu shot wasn鈥檛 going to cover the majority of viruses headed our way, so I made the decision not to immunize myself. But now I鈥檓 thinking otherwise.
Hindsight, head, throat and muscle ache and all that.
Thousands of Canadians (mainly elderly ) are hospitalized and some die from influenza and its complications each year. It鈥檚 actually the major reason clinics and emergency rooms are clogged this time of year.
So if it is that serious, why do we always say, 鈥渋t鈥檚 just the flu?鈥�
Immunize BC says everyone six months of age and older should get the flu shot. The flu shot has been around for decades but still isn鈥檛 the go-to for most of us who don鈥檛 have compromised immune systems.
Perhaps it鈥檚 because we question its effectiveness. Maybe it鈥檚 laziness, indifference or fear.
Anyway you slice it, sign me up for a jab if it means avoiding this doozy of a flu.
To the rest of you going through the runny eyes, sniffling, shivering hell that is this year鈥檚 flu, rest up (unless you are a mom), don鈥檛 bring it to work and take it from me 鈥� get your flu shot.
