For several weeks Jane and I have traded an ailment that amounts to many of the symptoms of the swine flu, but a pale, pale shadow of it: exhaustion, nagging cough, dizziness, and shortness of breath. It’s been going around the rink. It seems to last a week or so, can be accompanied by a headache. They say if you had the swine flu’s last incarnation, back in the 50’s, you may be immune, or mostly so, so I dunno. Not the dreaded Hamthrax, but Piglet flu. I’ve been alternately stupid, dizzy, lethargic, and exhausted, with joint pains and such, and attempts to take the ice have not worked well. But today I got up feeling better, so off we both went skating. I found my feet, and skated for the first time with some speed, worked on my edges, even managed some fancy turns and curliques in my backward edges—but—I broke into a sweat, found my left knee complaining again, was panting like a steam engine, and had only lasted a little over half an hour. But I made it back, and I was solid, what time I was actually skating. Broke in some new tights—the other ones were getting disreputable. Heck, they’d made it to disreputable. And didn’t feel up to a waltz jump—just not that steady yet, but I’m gaining on it. Thirty minutes and I was definitely sweating.
But it’s worth it. I don’t want to be a couch potato. When we’re actively skating, we’re sharper, healthier, and mentally more acute. Sure, there’s a downside risk of accident, but that diminishes with practice, and physical health is far better. It’s about the same activity level as jogging (which I also tried for a while), but without the impact. And you get to stop and socialize on the sidelines. Going to be there tomorrow, OSG? Hope so.
Home from Missoula a week and sure as I bragged about no
colds for 20 years,I’m dull,headachey and a bit snifflish.
Hopefully it’s piglet as Hamthrax means incarceration in
local(15 bed)medical complex. Skating is extreme exercise
and I’m impressed with anybody who does it for 10 min.!!
Had my annual a week ago and my doctor wasn’t too worried about the swine flu at all — course we live in a smallish rural community of around 15,000 [including all the really little subdivisions scattered around the forest], but we get hoards of folk who drive thru here from the Phoenix area, so odds are good we’ll get it here. Anyway, he said someone my age [52] has almost certainly had it in some variety — and I said, yep, had a really bad case of the Hong Kong flu back in 1968.
Since I had a heart attack 5 years ago, I figured they would push me getting a vaccination, but he said totally up to me and wasn’t the least bit anxious that I said no. Hard to say, but it strikes me this is a lot like the peanut butter thing a few months back — millions and millions of people eat peanut butter, 600 people get sick and the media totally wigs out. Like the doc said, swine flu has been around for centuries if not thousands of years.
I’m almost as far from Spokane as it’s possible to be without moving into the Atlantic Ocean and am experiencing what sounds like the same virus. I personally have had no problems but it has been rampant among our residents ( I work with independent living developmentally delayed adults. ) Cough, general malaise, sore throat……some but not all have strep. I’ve become my OCD persona in recommending a strep test if conditions persist or seem to keep recurring. We had one poor resident whose symptoms were so low grade that he probably walked around with strep for three weeks before he got tested.
My doctor seems to be more concerned about my getting regular flu than anything else. We need a name other than something like Asian Flu. No vaccine to be found in this area.
Piglet Flu! That’s a keeper! 😆
Carolyn, I emailed Jane last night: no skating for me until next week. I have a Big Mtg at work today that conflicts w/ skating hours. waaaaa!
Oh well. As you well know, the ice will always be there. I’m SO, SO glad you are back! SQUEEEEE!
Talk to you later today — I’m off to work now.
We live in another international crossroads, and have been seeing variants of Piglet Flu on and off for about the last year: a low grade infection that isn’t really contagious, and isn’t severe enough to make you stay home from work for more than a day or two. However, it will linger for up to a month with coughs, sniffles, malaise, and occasional aches in various places. I’ve already heard one of our resident conspiracy theorists saying Piglet Flu was an early attempt by the Gubbmint to immunize the general populus against the more virulent H1N1. I’m more inclined to think it’s just Mother Nature stirring the influenza pot and seeing what cooks; a low grade flu that doesn’t kill off its hosts has an advantage over something that does.
My response to those conspiracy theorists who think the Gummint is responsible for Piglet Flu. Do you really think ANY AGENCY in Washington is that well organized? I’m with you chondrite…it’s Mother Nature. 😉
If Washington ever decides to launch a conspiracy, that’ll hit the news by 6. Hopeless.
Mother Nature brews these up quite handily on her own.
hope you feel better soon! h1n1 is hitting local elementary schools hard around here for some reason. there have even been some closures. its not so much lethal as easy to get, they say…