The day we left Florida I felt miserable - the worst I'd felt. On top of that we had a direct flight home, which most people covet however a 4 hour plane ride was not what the doctor ordered (so to speak, of course). I'm sure the people on the plane were equally as excited to have me as a fellow passenger. I coughed, sneezed, complained, and whined for 4 hours. Justin, what a saint, as he held me and rubbed my back the whole way. We arrived in Albuquerque and my head was pounding, heart racing, body aching, chills ummm chilling, and fever raging. Death was certain. I turned to Justin (the irony of it all) and said, "What if I DO have the swine flu?" Instead of the eye roll I had given him a few weeks earlier I received an even more terrifying look. The look that said, "I think you DO!"
We rushed home to urgent care and after 2 hours or being poked and prodded I was dismissed. As I checked in I told them my symptoms and was immediately instructed to wear a mask. The doctor thought a possible minor pneumonia or viral bronchitis. I was, in fact, tested for the swine flu which was one of the most painful experiences to date. They stick what appears to be a think plastic pipe cleaner down your nose to the place where the nasal passage meets the throat and swipe and poke around. Both nostrils mind you. I had "Nurse Mel" who pretty much assaulted me when she stuck the swab down my nose as her 2 way radio blarred commands from her fellow nurses in my ear. Her gigantic cross necklace nearly took my eye out as she leaned over me so that she could swab more vigorously. However I was a trooper (Ok I started crying and I reacted to the pain and put my hand up to take the swab out and she hit it down).
I feel a million times better today and just have a slight cough and runny nose. We dont get swine flu results for a few days, however I was told that there's nothing to be done for it and it's not even as strong as the "regular" flu. So now when I tell Justin anything about the swine flu he rolls his eyes as we've now both "lived" through our respective swine flu ordeals and can "tell our tales" of survival. As Captain Jack Sparrow might say, "Dead men tell no tales!" ok...you can roll your
eyes now!
