Even though we proactively got flu shots in the fall, my wife came down with the flu on Tuesday evening.
I got it Wednesday evening.
Alec is showing symptoms as of Thursday afternoon.
It turns out that in 16% of flu seasons, the flu shot does not cover all flu variants. This is one of those years. (link)
I last got the flu 11 years ago. It was awful–I was laid up for several days, barely able to function.
This time I have Tamiflu. Probably thanks to this drug, both my wife’s and my flu have been comparatively mild. I’ve been somewhat productive on computer work, something I can’t do during a regular cold.
Since we started my son on Tamiflu before symptoms began, he may escape with little more than a runny nose and a little fever.
Tamiflu works by blocking a viral protein function, thereby preventing flu virus reproduction. All the virons already in me will still live, but they are unable to reproduce. Supposedly this reduces the disease’s severity and duration.
So far I have been able to abide by my Lent fast, but I am very tempted to indulge in some ice cream. Normally when I am sick like this, I have little appetite, so I go for foods that are calorie-dense.
I can’t wait for this to be over! I can’t believe I am saying this, but my work team and I are in the middle of a lot of bog, influential projects, and I hate having so many unplanned days away them.