*GASP* Swine Flu!

As I last reported, my recovery from the revision surgery was going smoothly. I spent about 3 days in bed, I was completely exhausted, but came around pretty quickly after that, although I really didn't leave my parents' house all week. I scheduled my plane trip home for Sunday, October 18, and was planning to spend the day with my mom and sister on Saturday. Lo and behold on Saturday morning I woke up with a really dry, scratchy throat, and my lungs felt dry, for lack of a better description. I couldn't quite figure it out but within a few hours the fever hit and I was in bed, miserable. Turns out your truly had contracted the much dreaded swine flu.

Honestly, swine flu doesn't scare me. More people die every year of the regular flu than the swine flu so I'm really not sure what the craziness surrounding it has been about. I just loaded up with Tylenol, Mucinex, and 7-Up and hunkered down. The flu is nasty, I won't lie. I don't remember ever feeling that sick. My temperature got up to 104 degrees at one point. But...such are the symptoms of the flu.

I of course had to stay in Chicago, and call my boss telling him I'd probably be gone another week (thank god for my flexible job and understanding boss). But what really irked me is I couldn't figure out WHERE I'd picked up the flu. The incubation time is 3-5 days. My symptoms started Saturday. I had gone out with my sister on Friday, but there's no way that was the origin. The ONLY other place I'd been all week besides my parents' house was the hospital on Monday, when I had a post-surgical visit with my doctor. I was in the hospital for all for 20 minutes but I guess that was enough. I must have been worn down enough from surgery that I was susceptible.

I know swine flu really has nothing to do with migraines or occipital nerve stimulation, but I do have a point for making this post, so bear with me here. My point is to remind you how much surgery takes out of you physically, that it makes you more susceptible to infections and disease, so remember to take extra precautions to stay healthy while you are recovering, even though it seems hard and might even sound pointless.

I'm healing well from the revision surgery. I'm flying home on Sunday (knock on wood), and I should get my staples out on Monday. My battery incision looks great and I already feel relief from having a looser wire in my neck. Swine flu and all, I still say the revision surgery was worth it. I'll take some pictures when I get home on Sunday...I don't have my digital camera here with me in Chicago and that kind of newfangled technology is beyond my parents. Shh, don't tell them I said that!