The Cornells

Where we've been, what we're doing, and photos of the lot!

Oink!

Yep, as you might have gathered from the Twitter updates which run down the side of this page, or from my facebook updates, I've been floored with the infamous Swine Flu this week.

Note the lack of exclamation mark at the end of the last sentence. I've seriously had my eyes opened this week to the mass hysteria which seems to be circulating about what is at the end of the day JUST THE FLIPPING FLU!!!!!
Made up for the lack of exclamation marks there then.

Now lets start at the beginning; I was in Portugal last weekend on a Stag Doo (something which will I'll post about separately). Had a cracking weekend and actually felt quite well throughout, especially considering the amount of alcohol consumed! I kept myself right with at least 4 litres of water each day, Dave's Bananas (!)and not drinking alcohol during the day. Then on the flight home, about an hour outside of Newcastle I started to feel really ropey. I downed some more water (think I've been reading Meeshell's blog too much!) and just put it down to being over tired. Didn't feel much better by the time I arrived in the house, so after speaking to Jen for all of 20 minutes I turned in.

Now normally Jen doesn't work Mondays, but sods law this week we'd arranged that I'd have Abigail so Jen could attend a training course at work. Poor Abigail had to entertain herself for most of the day as I was still going downhill. We also had tickets on Monday for my old middle school to look round prior to them pulling it down (yet another blog post required for that). When Jen got in from work I foolishly made the decision that we would still go along, and I think it was that hour walking round which must have really finished me off. I came home literally feeling like death.

Early Monday evening I rang NHS Direct and was placed on hold for 20 minutes - 'high call volumes because of swine flu'!! Eventually spoke to an operator who noted down my details and symptoms before offering me no advice what so ever and saying a nurse would call me back. But of course 'all of the nurses are extremely busy at the minute so it would be several hours'! (I know they pay my wages and all that, but honestly sometimes I despair of them!)
Next morning arrived and still no phone call from NHS Direct. I felt worse again so rang the docs for an emergency appointment.

Arrived at docs at 10.20am on Tuesday thinking "for god's sake all I want is to see someone so they can assure me and my pregnant wife (oops, that'll be ANOTHER blog post then!) that I have not got swine flu". As I open the door to the waiting room, my eyes catch a sign that reads; 'If you think you may have Swine Flu, please immediately go home and call us for more information'.
ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH, now by this point I was past caring, and marched in anyway. Yep in hindsight I completely realise what a selfish, pig headed (sic) move this was. Luckily the book in system at my docs is fully automated. You book yourself in on an arrival screen and don't need to approach reception. The second I did this, the screen then flashed up for me to immediately go through to the docs room. i.e. I thankfully didn't have to even sit down in the waiting room.
It was a lady doc as oppose to my regular GP. As soon as I said "Well I've been away for the weekend to Portugal..." in my sniffly, hoarse voice, I could see her facial expression change and she began to lean away from me. I asked if she was ok and she embarrassingly replied "I'm just wondering if I should go and get a mask". Now increasingly aware of my mistake in attending the docs in person, I hastily agreed that she should get a mask. She returned donning a gown, mask and gloves looking ready to remove my spleen!!
My symtoms all seemed to tick the boxes and when I eventually remembered to mention that Jen had taken my temp the night before and it was 39.4 degrees that seemed to be all the confirmation she needed.

Now up until this point you've probably gathered how ignorant I was to Swine Flu, and when she said that in her opinion I'd contracted it, I began to think "right, here comes the blood test, trip to Hospital, blah, blah". Like the majority of the general population I didn't realise that docs are making a 'Clinical Diagnosis' based on the symptoms the patient presents with. I guess it makes sense given the sheer number of blood tests which could be involved if it were done any other way. She said that a) the fact that I'd been out of the Country, and b) have a pre-existing medical condition (the auld arthur'), that I was to immediately start on a course of Tamiflu.
I was instructed to rest, drink plenty and isolate myself away in one bedroom of the house away from my pregnant wife and 2 year old daughter as they are both classed as high risk. Now I was really, really, really starting to feel like some sort of Leprosy victim!! Finally I had to find myself a 'Flu Buddy' as I could not pick up the Tamiflu myself, and arrange for them to pick it up at the 1 distribution centre for our area, in blo*dy Byker!!

So there you go, I arrived home at 11am on Tuesday with a clinical diagnosis of suspected swine flu. Now that's where the fun part starts (well not really)....
From those 6 words above in green, the majority of people seem to read / hear them and then output them as "HHHHOOOLLLLYYY SSSSHHHH****TTTT, REVE'S GOT SWINE FLU, AND THAT'S JUST LIKE THE BIGGEST THING EVER". It was nuts...!

Now I know it's mainly down to the way the press have reported the whole swine flu thing, making it sound like we're all doomed, but seriously, someone REALLY needs to get the message out there somehow that IT'S JUST FLU.

I won't deny it has completely floored me this week, but flu always does in my case. Some people will be unlucky and will suffer more than I have, but others I have no doubt will manage to shake it after a days rest. It isn't however going to help anyone fight it, if they are living in fear of something which they think is a lot worse than it is. That's the message I'm trying to get out of what is becoming the world's longest blog post here. I feel quite strongly about this having become aware of the amount of people who seemed to think I was one step away from meeting my maker this week. I know this isn't the world's most popular blog, but if you know anyone who's a bit panicky about the whole swine flu thing, please send them a link to this post you're reading.

On to some lighter stuff; So I duly locked myself into our bedroom (made sense given I'd slept there the night before) and Jen moved into the spare room. Jen's literally been calling me using the intercom facility on the house phones and txting me! The only times I've seen her was when she's brought food and drinks in, and until today, food has been the last thing I've wanted all week. Seriously wish the house extension had been finished so I could have made use of the en-suite rather than the family bathroom as that was in effect the only shared area.

After the docs I immediately txt the other 16 lads from the stag weekend to warn them, as I thought it was something I could have picked up on the plane. Rang the necessary family members and of course work to report myself as sick. Work advised that I had to stay away until I was 100% cured. The sickness self certification period has been extended from 3 days to 10 days during the Swine Flu outbreak, which I thought was a really good idea. (In case you missed that, that was me praising my employers in that last sentence!). Jen rang her work and was told to stay away for 7 days.
My Dad rang my Mam at work (she works in a care home), to explain the situation to her as I had been at their house the day before. As my Mam was on a training course he explained the situation to her boss. Her boss then immediately pulled my Mam out of the course saying something along the lines of; "I'm sorry Liz but your son Revell has been diagnosed with swine flu and as a precaution I'm going to have to send you home for 7 days". - Yep as you've probably guessed, she just heard the words swine flu like any Mother would and drove home with all sorts of images in her head of me in Hospital etc. Bless her.

Well it's now Friday evening and I've literally just polished off a geet big Ruby Murry complete with Chips and Nan! Apart from feeling still week as water and having a sore throat I reckon I'm just about back to normal. Weighed myself on Tuesday and also just before I ate tonight and thankfully I've only lost about 2lb this week. Sure I'll put that back on quick enough...especially once the alcohol starts again.
Came out of my bedroom quarantine at lunch time today, but still sitting across the room from Jen and sleeping in separate rooms for one more night. Abigail's been at Grandma's all day so also kept completely away from her, which brings me to my final point;

For me, I have to say the hardest part of this week by far has been not seeing the bairn. I've literally not been in the same room as her since first thing Tuesday morning. Being able to hear her downstairs playing with Jen and doing all the normal things has been really tough to miss out on. I know it's for Abigail's own good, but it's still been harder than I imagined.
Reckon I might end up with a week's worth of dirty nappies to change next week though.......!!

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