Overview
Since this is my first time contracting influenza, I’d like to record it on Midori‑san’s HP.
What is Influenza
Reference: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/kenkou/kekkaku-kansenshou01/qa.html
- The difference from a cold lies in the presence of systemic symptoms or the possibility of severe progression.
- Fever, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, general fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, cough.
- The virus is shed from the nose or throat from the day before onset up to 3–7 days after onset. ([FastDoctor][1])
- Under the School Health and Safety Act, you must stay away from school for 5 days after onset and 2 days after fever subsides. ([FastDoctor][1])
Reference: https://grandclinic.or.jp/column/1608/
- Type A: Infects both humans and animals. Stronger symptoms. ([オンライン診療ならウチカラクリニック - オンライン診療ならウチカラクリニック][2])
- Type B: Infects only humans. Weaker symptoms, though seems to last longer. ([FastDoctor][1])
Progress
- Day before onset: “I feel something bad is coming…” At night, my temperature is normal but I sense heat in my body. I start to get cautious.
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Day 0 (onset): “Recalling the memory of COVID‑19.” 37.0–38.0 °C. Despite my vigilance, I am bedridden.
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Just general fatigue all over from the fever.
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Day 1: “VICKS drop attack.” 38.2 °C. Dry cough.
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I heavily focus on throat pain and keep sucking on VICKS drops.
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Day 2: “Go to doctor.” 37.1 °C. Slight runny nose, a little joint pain.
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On this day I was diagnosed with Influenza A and was prescribed Calonal and Inavir.
- Inavir was the inhalation type medicine — a first experience for me.
- But at this point my fever was already going down.
- Day 3: “Calonal not needed though.” 36.8 °C. First day after fever.
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Day 4: “Calm before the storm.” Normal body temperature. Since it's the first day after fever, going out is prohibited.
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I totally let my guard down.
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Day 5: “Even though normal temperature—hellish headache.” Normal body temperature. It's the second day after fever, so still no outings.
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I’m hit by an extremely bad headache. Shocked, I take Calonal even though I’m no longer feverish.
- The headache causes nausea, and because I blew my nose too much I even got a nosebleed. Even eating is tough.
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Day 6: In the morning I wake up, my heart pounds expecting another headache… but nothing. Is it gone…?
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No flags raised, and it ends safely.
Thoughts
What I recall most is my experience with COVID‑19, but…
Looking back, I spent about 10 days bedridden. COVID was definitely in another class—it was really tough. The fever lasted around seven days.
But this time too, compared to a mild everyday sickness, it was by far worse. Well, the worst part was the headache at the end. I mean, once you’re off the fever you’d think it’s over, right?! Even with COVID, when the fever ended I only had a dry cough left!
From that COVID experience I learned the single most important thing: “The worst part is the sore throat.” So I used povidone‑iodine gargle (Isojin), VICKS drops, and throat spray heavily so as not to worsen my throat. I used Isojin once whenever I woke up after a long sleep. I sucked a VICKS drop at the slightest throat discomfort. Thanks to that, I think my throat didn’t deteriorate too much.
Like this, I was able to leverage past experience. Well, except for the headache—nothing could help that!
This time, I felt a déjà‑vu because the onset day felt similar to COVID. The reason was: last time and this time both happened on a Saturday; and there was a play plan long before for that Saturday, and I asked myself “Well I might manage to go…? No no, it’s not about whether I might make it — if this is an infectious disease, can I take the risk of passing it to my friends?” And then I contacted them last minute to cancel.
