Swine who?

Day one

It's one o'clock in the morning and I'm feeling a little more tired than I should on a Saturday night out but brush it off as old age and the fact that I'm not drinking tonight. The drive home was exceptionally long and tedious but I made it none the less.

Day two

When I woke up this morning, my muscles were super stiff but I put it down to that awesome Kayla workout i did yesterday, suddenly a bit more proud of myself. Must have pushed myself harder than I thought. Silent high 5. Drive off to family for tea and cake and after drinking my tea I don't feel like cake. Why? Why don't I want a piece of this extraordinarily delicious cake? Muscles getting a tad more sore as the day goes on but need to pull myself together, I have a week of prep to get through for my practical this week. Maybe next time I'll take it a little more easy on the workout. Get home and take out my laptop, search a couple pages and suddenly feel a monster headache on its way. Quickly take a grandpa. 


Smash on with the prep but only manage to plan one lesson and quite a poor lesson at that. Out of nowhere, there are tiny lead particles that weigh a ton pulling down my eyelashes, scraping my eyeballs as they go down. There's only one decision here. Bedtime. But after my shower I'm even colder than ever, no matter how many layers I put on. I'm lying here thinking, it's that Grandpa. everyone has warned me about it, and now its finally happening. This is it. I'm too young, I haven't done what I need to do. I haven't told all the people that I love how much they mean to me, I haven't said sorry to the people I've wronged and forgiven the ones that have wronged me. 

There is a fire inside my body but I've got goose bumps all over and shaking. I can't move, everything hurts. My head feels as if there's a clamp around it and each time my heart beats it triggers the clamp and gets tighter and tighter each time. My eyes feel as though they are about to pop out of my head. I pray for one more day. To see my family one more time. To see one more sunset. To see the sea one last time.  

Finally, hours and bucket loads of tears and sweat later, I'm overcome by sleep. 

Day three

I made it! I'm alive. I thank all the powers that be and promise that I'll be a better person from now on. And then I try get up. Overnight, those lead particles became giant metal boulders which found new homes on the hair on my head as well. My head alone must weigh 100kg, I'm sure of it. Somehow, probably still high on the adrenaline of being alive, I manage to get into the shower. Each drop is like a fresh razor blade piercing my skin. It's okay, I think. At least I'm alive. The next thing I know, I'm at school and everyone is looking at me funny. My mentor asks if I'm okay and I mention that I've definitely felt better and admit that if I could do my crit lesson sooner than later, I'd be ever so grateful. She agrees before I've finished my sentence, which I must admit, is taking very long to come out. 

The lesson is a little blurry. The kids are a little blurry. I've forgotten all their names suddenly but I carry on like everything's grand. The room does a couple turns but then settles again. Lesson done. A bit of a fail, I have to say. But done. I ask if i can go see the doctor and am pretty much pushed out the door. 



I don't make it to the doctor, my autopilot turned on and went straight home and into bed, clothes and all. Six hours and about 4000 calories burnt from shivering later I wake up. Doctor time. 

"It's Swine Flu" he says in his monotone voice and expressionless face. "Get Tamiflu and rest. And stay hydrated." I take the pills immediately. Now I feel ill, but I can't be sick cause I've just taken the meds. Just close your eyes. I open them again, and it's 3:49am. A pipe must have burst above me because I am sopping wet, from head to toe. I must get up and change these pj's and the sheets. So instead, I roll over the razor blades stuck to my body to the other side of the bed. 

Day four

8:30am, I'm awake and alive again! Everything hurts. My head, neck, back, arms, legs, fingers, eyeballs, inner ears, chest, throat, my teeth even hurt. I feed the dogs, gently lie on the couch and I'm out again. I try not to move too much, and when body parts start going numb I welcome that feeling. I hear Teen Moms in the background talking about trying for another baby and I pray for sleep again. I'm woken by an angry Anthony shouting at "Marq" (yes its meant to be a 'q') whose real name is Ferell. Anthony is mad! He told 'Marq' all his deepest darkest secrets and has just found out he's been Catfished after three years of 'dating' on facebook. Shock. Mom and Dad arrive with a fresh pot of homemade chicken soup. Best gift ever. When I wake again, it's dark outside. I have to eat something before the pills, else those stomach pains are going to come back. That provita. Longest meal in the history of meals. Back to bed. 

Day five

Repeat of day four, just this time with soup, no provitas. More not-so-shocking catfishes. Big asthma attack before falling asleep. A little scary, not as scary as night two. 

Day six

After waking up with what feels like the worst hangover that had it's own hangover for the fourth day in a row, but none of the fun from before a hangover, I'm getting a little tired. Drag myself to the couch and manage to watch slightly more intelligent shows than I've subjected my unconscious mind to in the days before. Find out that after elephants, penguins are by far my favorite animals. Try to sit up and do some school work and last 15 mins before I have to lie down again. Rest. Eat. Take pills. Phone call from Australia and doctor check up in one shot. Phone call from Mexico, dreaming of Cancun now. Sleep. TV. Sleep. Visit from Mom with bags and bags of food and treats. Tea and chats, some tears, some laughing (not too much or the coughing starts) A meal fit for the queen. If she had just had a gastric bypass. Not complaining. Sleep.

Day seven

Today the body pain has almost gone. Hangover headache however, still here. And the cough. Oh, the cough. Still, on a good note, I'm almost back to normal. Apparently it'll be a few more days before I am fully recovered. That's okay, the worst is over. It's true though what they say about having a brush with death (or what I thought was) and how you do the cliche run through your life and and suddenly realise how grateful you are for certain people in your life and who actually cares about you. I'm gonna be all preachy like now, but don't wait till the Swine Flu swoops in and scares the pants off you to take a moment to think of all the incredible people and moments in your life. Don't wait till then to regret the adventures you haven't yet been on. Go! Do what you love and don't stop to explain yourself to anyone. Okay, preaching done. 

So Swine Flu. You came. You scared the pants off me.  And now that you're on your way out I have just one thing left to say to you...