Its just the flu Yesi!

About a month ago while walking past my coworker's office I noticed he was really pale. I knew he had the flu since Monday, but now Wednesday he looked worse. I told him that maybe he should go home, since he didn't look well. He said he was okay and was going to work through it. I didn't think much of it since I had been feeling well for quite some time now. Yet, by Thursday I started to feel tired and by Friday it hit me. The next week when another coworker had to call in sick I gave my coworker, Mr. M, the evil eye. Jokingly, I told him he got us all sick. He responded, "It was just the flu, Yesi!"

Not getting any better I went to the doctor. During the exam the doctor jokingly told me, "First he goes to Hawaii, and then he gets you sick. Don't you just hate him?" She was referring to my sick coworker. I just laughed and agreed to a slight degree. After discussing my situation with another doctor they were gravely concerned since for us Lupus patients having flu symptoms is not a good sign. Highly concerned he ordered an x-ray of my lungs because he he wanted to make sure I didn't have pneumonia. When he said this, I felt a little scared. I didn't realize that my simple flu could get that bad. I started to regret not taking Vitamin C to boost my immune system sooner. Luckily the results were normal. I was so relieved because the last thing I would want was pneumonia.


Perhaps I spoke too soon, because even though my lungs didn't have any fluid, I started to feel even worse. Extreme fatigue, swelling, and severe pain; sadly, these symptoms were all to familiar. My evil eye to Mr. M, which started as a joke was now almost true. Starting to feel this sick succumbed me to think back to over a year ago, when was the last time I experienced a Lupus flare. While Mr. M was now better than ever as if nothing ever happened, my body on the other hand was on slow downward spiral. Moments such as these give me a slight feeling of envy. Not only are most people able to bounce back from a flu quickly, but they are able to lead normal lives in the process.

For us Lupus patients it is not that easy, while our immune systems are sensitive not only because of the disease, but also because of all of the medication we need to take; the worst part for us besides all of this is that we have to deal with the mental anguish of having to put our lives on hold to recover. While I have mentally learned how to deal with my pain, the tough part is that I have to force myself to rest and cancel all of my plans. Unlike Mr. M's simple flu which he can work through going about his day even though he is spreading all of his germs in the process, it is just physically impossible for me to do that. Simple things like walking or getting out of bed are daily painful tasks, but getting the flu virus exacerbates my entire situation.


Dealing with envy is simple for me, but at times I do admire "normal" people and I appreciate those days when I come close to feeling that way. That is why I enjoy every moment and spend my time wisely, since my physical activities are limited. This has me made me sensitive to those around me that are sick and I sympathize with them and try to help if possible. My rundown is that if you do feel sick with something as simple as the flu, take a day off of life not only to get better but also so you prevent spreading your germs to those around you that might not be as lucky as you in the recovery process, because for some of us, its just not as simple as the Flu.