Piggy Flu Strikes

Well - I got through the hyped up season of piggy flu last year when everyone was paranoid, but I didn't get through my own birthday party without it. 

Within two days of my 27th birthday party I was really sick.  In fact I got sick a whole lot faster than I usually do.  The initial coughing fits lasted until I threw up (which was unpleasant to say the least).  Initially my housemate and I went to a general medical clinic to hopefully get tested for whooping cough...  The GP wasn't overly interested in testing and instead handed us the antibiotics for whooping cough.  Being aware of the fact my own GP usually likes results I called and he left a naso-pharyngeal aspirate form at the front desk.

By the Tuesday morning I was calling my GP at regular intervals to say "I'm getting worse fast".  Then the call came through just after lunch to notify me it was swine flu and I should head to the hospital.  I was meant to be in the supreme court for that entire day, but swine flu had its own ideas. 

By the time I got home (40 minutes after the phone call), to pick up PJs etc, my temperature was a cozy 39.6 degrees.  I could barely think while packing and decided not to risk driving down to the hospital.  Amazingly the cab driver was a friend of mine from a volunteer organisationg I'd previously been with.  With that as reassurance I relaxed and slept for most of the journey.

Arriving at the hospital they took me in fairly quickly (to isolate the swine flu patient).  The nursing staff were great and eventually we brought my fever down.  There was some awkwardness when my admitting registrar turned out to be a classmate - but he was professional and is a genuinely nice guy anyway...

The Wednesday was my birthday, and by 1am on my 27th I was up on a ward in isolation.  Once again the staff were fantastic!

I spent just a couple of short days in hospital, but was definitely too dysfunctional to be at home during that period.  I will admit to feeling slightly jipped after being vaccinated 2 times for this swine flu strain.  I'm still coughing poast flu (but am no longer contagious). 

So now, hopefully after 2 immunisations and 1 active flu I might actually be immune.

=)