For all the bloody fucking RM55 I paid the doctor yesterday, I didn't get any advice from the asshole. He didn't even tell me what I might possibly have.
I was the one who had to ask him, "Is my throat inflamed?"
"Yes."
"I don't really have a temperature now, but will it get worse?"
"Yes."
"What happened, really? Did the smoking scratch my throat and opened a way for bacteria and/or viruses to ge through?"
"Possibly."
"So should I cut down on smoking for now?"
"Yes."
"How much liquid should I drink per day? Would three litres be enough?"
"I think so."
"Should I stay out of air-conditioned rooms?"
"Yes."
Goddamnit, man. HE should have paid ME RM55.
So I decided to drink two litres of orange juice a day. Opened the windows of my apartment and is now on my third box of tissues.
Staring at a screen for extended periods of time is giving me a headache, so I'm switching to reading books and comics.
All the drowsy medication my doctor prescribed me are not really making me sleepy at all. I waltzed through two movies without even nodding off after I took 15ml of the once-oh-so-powerful Bernadryl.
I am not going out because I do not want people to be exposed to the virus.
Funny thing is, I read about rhinoviruses when I was 8 years old. In my father's Reader's Digest thing, published almost 5 decades ago.
I know that flu viruses should really kill. But for some reasons, after a few days or at most two weeks, they simply die out. No one knows why. At least, no one knew back in the 60s.
Things that kill rhinoviruses:
1. UV light. This is probably why my flu gets worse at night, but is more or less manageable during the day.
2. Swallowing lots of liquids. Since most of the virus is still centered around your throat, drinking stuff helps wash down millions of the thing. That's why chicken noodle soup and orange juice SEEM to do the trick, as you are forced to down more liquid.
Antibiotics merely help the immune system to fight off the thing. In this situation, your thymus is all-important. The thymus, situated on your chest, above the solar plexus and below your throat, is the general that dictates orders to your immune system. What kind of antibodies to produce, whether to raise or lower temperature.
The temperature of your body rises during a fever/flu because some antibodies work better in a warmer body. However, if it gets too hot, you might burn nerves in your brain, leading to blindness, KRAZINESS or even death.
That's why, if your temp increases by too many degrees, the nurses will give you an ice bath, to make sure you don't become a rambling vegetable.
Old wives tales such as not to bathe and keep under the covers is stupid, as a dirty, wet and warm environment may complicate your predicament.
I find that peeing and taking a dump as great ways to relieve heat as the excretions carry with them some of the heat.
"Feed a cold, starve a fever" is stupid. When you have a fever, your body would need more energy. And when you have a cold, force-feeding may induce vomiting.
Damn. I hope my flu disappears by Monday. I have a lot of meetings to go to, and some things to do at the office. Furthermore, if the flu doesn't go away after a week or so, I might have to consider the possibility of dengue.
Dengue is nothing. You just need platlets in plasma. Only thing is early detection and shit like that.
