Influenza

My throat is sore, my nose is stuffed and runny, cough.. cough.., last night with the heater close to full blast, I still shivered under 3 layers of clothes and a thick blanket, moaning involuntarily. Curling up like a shrimp, I couldn't keep my icy hands warm. I don't know how I fell asleep, but thankfully I did. In the middle of the night, I felt my eye balls heating up, my body temperature rising, even though I still felt cold. I don't know how long afterwards, I uncovered my blanket and started peeling off my clothes until I had just one layer left. I was baking hot, my head throbbed miserably. It was a relief when I felt drops of perspiration escaping my body.

I woke up this morning and felt like an old woman, my back was hurting greatly, I couldn't stand upright. My movements were slow as a tortoise, taking small steps at a time to minimise the overall pain I felt all over my body.

I prepared the boys' breakfast in agony, in slow motion. Every move I had taken for granted when I was well becomes a tormenting strain on my weakened physical state. Bending down to clear the dishwasher felt as wrong as putting the milk in and out of the heightened microwave oven.

I have to lie down on my back on the floor.

Welcome to Germany, my first seasonal influenza, the flu that peaks annually in autumn and winter in temperate regions.