In a flap about the ‘flu

I have had a full-on ‘flu since Sunday. I know people say “I have the ‘flu” when what they really mean is “I have a cold”, but I don’t do that. This is ‘flu.

I’ve tried to think of the dividing line between ‘flu and cold. I used to think that a cold is something you feel from the neck up and influenza affects your whole body, but a bad cold can make you feel pretty lousy, depending on your disposition.

Then I thought that a temperature indicates the ‘flu, but a bad cold can give you that too.

Another measure is how badly you need to stay in bed. Last night, I had the undersheet bed-heater on maximum (enough to singe skin after 20 minutes of constant exposure, really only necessary for trips to the Antarctic), I had three duvets, two layers of clothing, a wool hat, two pillows under my head and one on top of it. Thick socks too. I was still shivering like a gerbil on speed. “This is probably ‘flu” I thought.

You don’t have any appetite with the ‘flu. You really don’t feel like eating anything. Even the idea of water leaves you feeling nauseated.

Ultimately, I think the only true measure of whether you have ‘flu or not is this, but it only works for smokers. If you stop smoking completely, and don’t for a second think of a cigarette, then it’s probably ‘flu. Sad.

I’m a diabetic, I should have had the jab, but it’s a bit late for that now. I was just so annoyed with all the bird ‘flu hype. Give it a rest! How many people have died from this thing? And in the meantime, hundreds of thousands have died from hunger and lack of clean water. We all need that perspective, all the time!