My recent brush with Man Flu brought me little sympathy from my pals in Cyberspace. As if to serve me right, Man Flu developed into something much closer to the real thing. You will be relieved to know I am slowly recovering.
As I felt so rubbish, I had to put to one side my aversion to medicines, mixtures and tablets. I am the first to criticise others for filling their faces with all manner of dubious concoctions that provide no obvious scientific basis for curing things, but when I am hanging myself, I will try just about anything. I felt so dreadful this morning, I might have welcomed Aromatherapy or Homeopathy. Yes, yes, I know they are forms of low level quackery, but when needs must.
Now my symptoms are easing, I am told that this is vindication of these store bought cure-alls. That herbal medicine has cured the cough, that paracetamol has reduced my temperature and the late night Metaxa worked better than anything. Except that the likelihood is that the virus went away of its own accord, like viruses do. My immune system may not quite be what it once was, but it’s still up for a decent scrap when needed.
I have even had to take a day off work. It was very different from the not very dear old DWP where illness is managed by disciplinary action. (“Cancer? Well, if you have any time off for chemotherapy, you’ll be on a final warning.”) My current employer was more concerned about my colleagues and me. “Please do not come in and spray your germs over your colleagues and make sure you look after yourself!” was the gist of it. I was gobsmacked. Where has the frosty verbal warning gone? That unfriendly word with the manager, the suggestion that you were swinging the lead? I was actually persuaded to stay away after I had said I would be going to work regardless of how I felt. I’m still pinching myself as to the change of culture, but I know which I prefer.
It looks like my annual flu jab missed this particular strain, if it was type of flu at all. I self-diagnosed on the internet and concluded that I definitely had the flu and not a mere cold. I believe the medical chaps calculate which strains are most likely to spread through the population and give us the appropriate jab. I am not sure they got it right this time, but, as I say, it might not have been the flu, probably something far, far worse. With us men, it is always worse.
