Influenza

Les and Betsy's chicken soup

 Judy ached all over, and her prolonged coughing fits made her feel like she was drowning.  I could see the fear in her eyes. She even asked timidly if I would drive her to the doctor's. (I always go with her to the pulmonologist's, but never to her primary care doc's.  Sara and Judy worked together at the Old Town Clinic, and I don't hover over those appointments. ) A swab test confirmed that Judy had the flu. Sara made her lie still for quite a while in a darkened room until her heart rate slowed.  Then she considered whether to send Judy to the hospital.  "There's a 50- 50 chance you will end up there"  Sara said, but she ultimately decided that Judy was experienced enough to spot danger signals early.  She talked to me about ambulances and which hospital to head for.  She sent Judy out to the car in a wheelchair, and questioned me carefully about how far it would be from the car to the bed once we got home.
    Sara prescribed Tamiflu, an antiviral, for both of us. She described the cough medicine she prescribed as "the real deal," containing something to calm Judy and subdue the hacking.  It worked well; Judy spent the next two days sleeping. On the third day she sat for a few hours in her recliner, and then spent a little more time upright each day. She can't speak much without coughing, and doesn't have the attention span to watch movies. Short animal videos on Facebook make her smile. She mostly reads and pets Mutt Leigh. Today, the twelfth day since she came down with the flu, is the first time she has ventured out of the house.  Her ukulele/lunch buddies were thrilled to see her this morning.  Judy is a long way from her pre-flu strength, and we have to be on guard against pneumonia, but she is coming back. She has just today begun to give me some lip about the liquids I push.

Sally's portrait of Mutt Leigh

     Family and friends have been wonderful.   Frequent phone calls sustained me and reassured me.  I had a milder false of the flu, and I worried that if it got worse I wouldn't be able to take care of Judy.  Two minutes after I sent out an e-mail red alert to family, Tina called and offered to come from Chicago to help.  Betsy and Les made chicken soup with matzo balls and special powers, and drove out from the city to leave it on our doorstep.  Sally delivered a portrait of Mutt Leigh that captures her quirkiness and makes us laugh.  Midori called from Arizona to play a song for Judy on the flute.
    Thanks to all of you who have been holding us up in this hard time.