Monday, January 23, 2017

I've got the flu (and a Facebook rant)

Burning fever, chills, aches and congestion started Friday night. These led me to believe I had the flu. But because I'd had a flu shot on December 22nd, the doctor thought perhaps this was some other type of virus instead. The nurse did a blood test and a nose swab this morning, and it has now been confirmed. I have the flu.

Do they give refunds for defective flu shots?

The flu is rough on anyone, but they are especially concerned for me because my immune system has been through the wringer in the past couple of years.

I saw the doctor in time to benefit from taking Tamiflu pills. Have you ever had those? Rather quickly after taking my first pill, I developed nausea and then uncharacteristic incessant belching. Nice, huh? I hope this five-day round of medication does the trick. I have a trip to the U.S. coming up in less than three weeks. I need to get well fast.

While waiting for my lab work to come back at the doctor's office, I scrolled through my Facebook account and unfollowed anyone who had a political post. I didn't unfriend anyone, I just stopped following them, which means we're still friends, but my newsfeed won't show anything they post. I can change this at any time, and I can also still look on their Facebook home page to see what they've been up to.

Overall, this makes me sad, but I couldn't take the tension and negativity anymore. I'm halfway around the world and still it eats at me to read all of these online shouting matches that have escalated over the weekend. I do hope this is just a temporary thing and I can add people back little by little. I'm not opposed to people having or expressing opinions, I am just opposed to having unnecessary stress in my life and this is one small thing I can do to alleviate it without cutting myself off from the world completely.

I did not unfriend my mother though, of course.💗 She didn't have any political posts today, but even if she had, I wouldn't have unfriended her! Never. But everyone else was fair game.

Now all that's left on my Facebook feed are cat photos, how to make an old guitar into an overhead light fixture, recipes, quilts, baby announcements, and who has been Facebook friends with whom for the last 4 or 8 or 11 years (why does Facebook even do that...who cares)? I just want to see when people have babies, get married, pass through the pearly gates, have anniversaries, need prayer, and/or have something personal, interesting, fun or positive to talk about.

I'm in search of a better way to live, and although I'm not sure what I've done will help, it was worth a try.

And, now that I have better internet, I hope to spend more time on this blog anyway.

I hope this finds all of you doing well, and if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet, please consider doing so sooner rather than later!

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