But it did give me the idea for this blog - the ways in which I get better, some standard, some a bit strange.
So Thursday saw a scratchy throat, and by Friday I felt and looked a mess. I was due to go to my works Christmas lunch so I dressed up in my Christmas skirt and had planned to look like I did at the tiki Christmas party a few weeks ago
Because I woke up at four unable to sleep I did my hair and make up, I was hopeful... I was foolish
It was touch and go, to be honest I was going to go home, but I went to the lunch, ate my food that I couldn't taste, I had a rather lovely hot toddy that the wonderful bar lady made me and went home to bed uncharacteristically early.
I slept for four hours and woke up sweating through my bed sheets and have spent the last two days in bed either freezing my arse off or kicking off the covers and all the time wondering how I would get to the loo without falling down the stairs, yep it was bad.
The ballet dancers I hallucinated did provide some of the entertainment so at this point I'd like to thank the Royal Lemsip Company for their performance.
So here is what I did to feel vaguely normal today...
1. Drugs - don't listen to all that "the more you take the less effective they are" when it's this bad just take them and take them regularly. I've been scarily delirious this weekend but whenever I look a dose I took a screen shot of my phone so I could remember the time - handy flu hint!
2. Food - don't worry about what you are eating and don't listen to anyone who says you should starve a fever, you have to eat but you won't feel like it. My rather impressive shopping list consisted of...
Essentials-
Cold and flu tabs
Ibuprofen
Cough mixture
Hot toddy ingredients (not to be mixed with the above)-
Lemon juice
Honey
Mini bottle of whiskey
Soft/sugary things-
Pot noodles
Jelly fruits
Marshmallows
Ice lollies
Aero bubbles
Ingredients for death row dinner
Instant mash
Gravy
Peas
Yorkshire puddings
Alternative drug of choice-
Vimto squash - drink as much of this crazy sugar high inducing shit as possible.
The death row dinner is just that, if it was your last ever meal what would you eat, and that is mine, I had it this afternoon once I could stand at the cooker and it warmed the cockles of my heart. Choose anything that reminds you of your mum basically.
Hot toddies are only for the night time and only if there has been a break in your medication (I'm not a doctor but mixing the two is a bad idea) it will help you sleep but only have one otherwise you'll just be shit faced with the flu and life will be much worse.
I've not got through all this of course but had I not been feeling better today I would have survived a few more days in bed with my food stash, you only want to go shopping once!
Things to do-
If you are anything like me you will be bored, don't actually try and do anything though. I can be my own worst enemy in this way. I found a 1940's movie channel on YouTube and proceeded to watch some good old fashioned movies, some I snoozed through but the background noise was welcome in my slumbers.
Don't try and read or do anything productive, what are you hoping to achieve?
Don't speak to anyone but trusted people, your delirious and not making much sense so don't speak to anyone important, it's like being drunk - no matter how bad it feels and how much you are crying texting your ex will not help!
The aftermath.
Clean your ill sheets, I have fresh linen all ready for tomorrow because I'm still a bit sweaty and dizzy at the mo. But tomorrow I'll love that I can get into non infected sheets. Boil wash the ones you've been sleeping in, they've seen some things now, they need 90 degree therapy.
Have a nice bath, if you are drinking your hot toddy in the bath like me then don't have it to hot or it will make you dizzy and you don't need to sweat any more than you have. I got some radox muscle therapy bubble bath (although it says for men, unsure when bubble bath became gendered?!)
Wash your hair cos it's gross, you know it, I know it.
The main thing will be your skin, you'll probably have dried up like an old prune in the last few days, moisturise but also use a face mask if you have one. I get psoriasis which has flared up because my body has been busy fighting the flu so my face is red and tight and dry. It's a good look.
I decided to try Starskin from Behind The Scenes TM which I had stashed away for just such an occasion.
It's a face mask that has a serum all over it and is like a burn mask in a way (that's what the design is based on) it's like a jelly consistency which was really cooling and soothing on my skin which was itching like mad.
Yes you will look ridiculous! Ha!
You don't wash your face afterward you just take off the mask and rub the remaining serum in. It feels really nice, I'll have to assess tomorrow if the redness is any less.
For £8.50 I would use this product again and would try some of the other versions available as they have a few different masks in their line.
I also did a deep conditioning hair treatment to help my brittle hair which, despite all the water I have been drinking, felt like straw.
So there you go - eat, drink and watch many many films, then scrub up a little to feel a bit more precious. That's my flu survival guide without a chia seed or smoothie in sight.
I hope you all stay healthy this winter and hopefully next week I can bring you some vintage loveliness!
Much love
Lucy
ACHOO!!!
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