The Perks of Being a Flu Sufferer

It's the fourth day of the second flu I've had in two or three months! I usually am healthy and therefore don't get sick often, so maybe I should be worried now. But I'm not, because I know exactly why I have the flu (again), and it's not because of a weaker physique. Well, it is, but it isn't entirely that per se. It's mainly because of stupidity, curiosity, and an absurd desire to lose weight fast.

I used a sauna suit on two consecutive cardio workouts. Tsk, tsk! What a no-no that is. I was curious to learn how the suit would feel, and to know if it really helped to get rid of water weight fast. After each workout with the sauna suit (one was a run and the other was on the elliptical), I felt drained and literally on fire. My skin was feverish to the touch and I remember thinking this must be how Dante's inferno felt like. I happened to glance at the mirror and I looked very flushed. And of course, I was dripping buckets of sweat. To make things worse, I had to jump straight into the shower to get ready to go somewhere. I had zero time to cool down, and the extreme temperature swing must have wrought havoc on my system. As it happened, my daughters have been coughing and spreading cold viruses all over the house, and I became an easy victim to these nasty disease-spreading bugs.

And so, last Friday, after our usually tiring Thursday badminton games (yes, I've been an exercise freak lately) I had to concede to my body's demands to rest, stay put, and enjoy all the niceties of a full-blown flu.

Believe me, I'm the last person who'd say they enjoyed staying in bed all day long. If I had my way, I'd be moving about, running and playing badminton at all hours if that were possible. (Curiously enough, I also enjoy being the opposite of that--a couch potato--every now and then.)

But this time, I didn't mind having the flu so much. I learned from the last time I had the disease that there's nothing you can do about it, that bitching and moaning won't help. You just have to grin and bear it, and wait until the flu departs of its own volition.

I also had a rather pronounced weight loss after my last bout with flu, and I was secretly hoping that this time I'd see the same effect. (This is not happening, according to my weighing scale.)

But perhaps the main reason why I'm suffering the flu without any complaints is that I have someone to share it with. My eldest daughter, Jigme, is also sick with it. I told her to not go to school on Friday, so that she'd hopefully get well when she takes an important college entrance exam on Sunday.

When Sunday came, the two of us were still sick, but we had to suck it up for the college test (the USTET). Our bodies, however, were fortified with flu-fighting drugs and lots of Vitamin C, so we felt strong enough, if not a little dizzy and weak-kneed, for the task at hand. It surely was more challenging for Jigme, because she was the exam taker and I was merely the alalay. She said afterwards that she thought she did a good job on the exam. Thank goodness.

It's now Monday, and we're still recovering. A "fun" thing we've started as a result of having the flu is this ritual involving Berocca. Berocca is a tablet (very expensive too, if I might add) that you dissolve in water and drink to make your body stronger and more resistant to diseases. People have sworn it works to stop a flu before it even starts. (I learned about it from a friend after I already had the flu, so I don't know how accurate that claim is.) Anyway, we've been taking it for two or three days now, and it seems to be helping. The problem is, we don't like the taste of Berocca at all.

We start our ritual by getting three glasses of water: two for each tablet of Berocca, and the third as Jigme's "chaser." We drop two tablets on two glasses, and watch in wonder as they slowly dissolve and fizzle. Gradually, the glass of water would become orangey and effervescent. Maybe we are too easy to please, but we do find the simple process fascinating to watch.

Then comes the hard part. We'd take our first sips, grimace, look at each other, and put our glasses down. We'd then take turns urging one another to finish the drink. I usually finish faster than Jigme because I don't find the taste as objectionable as she does. Besides, Jigme uses a "chaser" of water, so she'd feel very full afterwards. But the last time we took Berocca, I made the mistake of mixing it with iced tea instead of water, and the taste was horrendous. I think Jigme and I finished our drinks at about the same time.

With a flu, I do have to stay in bed most of the time. I'm thankful that Manang is here to look after things while I'm indisposed. During the day, I really must take naps because I typically don't sleep well at night. I have weird dreams and must go to the bathroom every two hours or so. I do drink plenty of water at all times, hence the frequent bathroom visits. I need the water not just for recovery, but because I get dry mouth from all the meds I'm taking.

I'm now more open to the idea of taking flu shots to prevent future recurrences, but I'm not sure how helpful that would really be. I hear there are lots of strains of the flu virus, and a flu shot won't protect you from all of them.

In the end, should I become sick again, I'd dutifully do what needs to be done (resting and taking medicine), but I'll put in extra effort to make the experience relatively enjoyable. I'm learning that your attitude does count a lot. How you choose to act and think can ruin an otherwise enjoyable experience, or it can turn a miserable one into something that's actually fun, cool and even memorable. I know I'll remember our Berocca moments fondly in the years to come :-)