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Looking on the Bright Side when Surviving the Flu

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Last Updated on February 16, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster

I have been a bit absent on the blog for the last week because I am putting most of my energy into surviving the flu.  Apparently, I picked up the germ from hell sometime last week and it is wreaking havoc with just about every system of my body.  I bet you are wondering if I got my flu shot, right?  Well, no. I don’t get flu shots.  The last time I had the flu was 10 years ago and I just can’t bring myself to inject stuff into my body to prevent something that happens once every ten years.  No, I am not some crazed ‘anti vaxer’.  I am anti OVER vaccinating and try to focus only on the things that could kill or permanently maim me.  Flu stinks but I will survive.  While surviving the flu, I decided to try and look on the bright side of my miserable week of illness.  I try to be a ‘glass half full’ kind of girl!  So, if you are surviving the flu this week or any other nasty illness lovingly given to you by your children, here are a few positives to feeling like death warmed over:

Looking on the Bright Side when Surviving the Flu

(affiliate links included below to help you survive your own flu-like symptoms!)

Surviving the Flu

The flu is a great way to lose a few pounds: I have survived most of the last few days on soup and  Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care herbal tea. And Girl Scout Cookies.  Because those have magical healing properties.  But, for the most part, I have very little appetite and since my throat is killing me I am sticking to warm, soothing things like Amy’s Thai Coconut Soup .  This stuff is magical.  There is just a touch of heat (you can add a pinch of hot pepper to really kick it up) and it gets your nose running and your head clear.  The coconut milk makes it creamy and soothing.  A diet of soup and herbal tea is a sure fire way to lose a couple pounds.

I am working on some stellar ab muscles:  For days, I laid in bed with a fever.  I did nothing but alternate between shivering and breaking out in a cold sweat.  I liked that phase better than the phase I am in right now.  Which is unbearable head pressure and attempting to hack up a lung every three minutes.  I am pretty sure I am going to have to break down and head to the doctor soon for some kick butt cough medicine or I am going to pass out from lack of sleep.  Sucking on my kid’s inhaler from 2 years ago and eating bags of cough drops is not helping.  But boy, are the muscles in my stomach getting a killer workout.  I should have a 6 pack if I keep this up for a few more days.

Surviving the Flu

The rest of the family has to step up to fill mom’s shoes:  So, I have an awesome husband and two amazing teenagers.  Who, like many others, rely on mom to do just about everything.  Grocery shopping, making dinner, finding lost articles of clothing and magically making toilets clean with a wave of her magic toilet wand.  Are they totally capable of doing these things? Of course.  But, mom does them because that is what mom does.  But, surviving the flu means mom needs to rest and take ridiculously long showers so someone else needs to take over mom duty.  This weekend I sent the teens and husband grocery shopping and it was a mostly successful journey.  Yes, I still don’t have dishwasher liquid and I am pretty sure that a few not mom approved foods made it home but at least there is food in the house.  Even better, THEY are cooking it!  When dad makes dinner, we get things like homemade Asian dumplings which was way more exciting than the canned soup I was going to feed them all.

Surviving the Flu

Pajamas.  24/7:  Even though I work from home, I try hard to at least change out of pajamas in the morning and put on yoga pants and a bra.  To hell with such things when surviving the flu.  I am pretty sure I have been in pajamas since last Thursday.  They are different pajamas, of course, but I see no reason for putting on anything resembling clothing. Or, God forbid a bra.  I even drove the kids to school this morning in my pajamas and to hell with that principle who thinks moms should take the time to get dressed for drop-off.  When he spends 5 days living on soup and tea and attempting to hack up a lung he can tell me how important clothes are for the carpool line.

Ok, I have reached the limit of my energy reserves and I think I hear a hot shower calling my name.  And it is going to be a long one.  Because steam is therapeutic, right?  I will worry about short showers and saving the planet when I can breathe again. Right now, surviving the flu is my top priority because I am getting really sick of soup.

What are YOUR tips for surviving the flu?

2 thoughts on “Looking on the Bright Side when Surviving the Flu”

  1. I came across this blog by finding it retweeted on twitter. I could swear I wrote this article, lol. I’m currently on Day 5 of this flu with the exact symptoms. I would also add that every joint and/or bone in my body feels as though it’s been punished with a tire iron, then being thrown down a few flights of stairs. And ironically, I was wondering the same, being that i’m too ill to exercise, wouldn’t this horrendous coughing from within serve as an abdominal workout?
    I also haven’t had this in 10 years, am holistic, won’t do flu shots, but wow, I don’t remember it being this punishing, surely some people can die of this punishment.
    Nice to find your blog. 🙂

    D.G.

    Reply
    • So glad you found my blog but so sad you are suffering this horrid illness! I finally went to the doctor today because my herbal teas and supplements and saline just weren’t kicking it. Turns out I now have a sinus infection and bronchitis. yay me, right? So, now I am on antibiotics and steroids for a couple of weeks. So much for my clean living/holistic health choices this month. Hope you feel better soon and may this horrid germ go back to hell where it came from and stay there! Feel better!

      Reply

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