Every year the discussion about getting shots for whatever flu strand or superbug is out there is had. Every year I swear by the fact I hardly ever get sick and that I have never gotten the flu shot because of it. The fact is, despite what doctors and others say, I do not agree with needing to get the shot at my age.
Someone once said that another way to look at it was to get vaccinated as a protection for others. I still call BS on that. First, the flu shot does not vaccinate you from getting it. While it may claim to shorten the length of suffering, what difference is a couple of days to letting your immune system work out its own way of fighting it?
Last year, I avoided getting sick because I am generally obsessive about not touching the handles on the trains, washing my hands as soon as I get to my destination, and in general making sure that I am not around sick people.
Well, one sick masseuse coughing, sneezing and burping over me for 90 minutes changed that!
On Saturday, I felt it come on all of the sudden as we were leaving the cinema. While it could have turned out to be a sugar overdose, my aching body told me otherwise. Sure enough, by early evening, I was running a fever.
In Japan, they are very wary of influenza. Once certain that you have it, you are not allowed to return to work until at least two days after your fever breaks. Some companies require longer depending on the strain you’re diagnosed with. This is understandable given the population density in Tokyo, especially.
Therefore, as I refuse to go to the doctor since I know they’ll jab me, I am in quarantine this week from work and the outside world – though I will have to venture out once or twice for appointments, etc.
It does seem as if my fever has gone down after two days, but my headache is lingering. Plus, a tickle in the back nasal sinus and throat are threatening to move into a cough of some sort. So, I will not make light of this down time just yet.
The worst part of me getting fevers is the fever blisters that like to show up once I start to feel a bit better. The last time I got really sick from food poisoning, my entire mouth exploded. It seems this time, it’s a bit less, but still (sad-face emoji), they have appeared on three corners of my mouth. So, I guess staying home to hide my mouth isn’t a bad thing!
In any case, this does give me a chance to catch up on some work without distractions, watch a lot of TV, and in general reconnect to the things I enjoy doing since I will likely be going stir crazy by the end of the week! π
More to come ~
~T π
Sorry your sick. At age 77, I now have to take the super dupper strain of flu shot.