Background:
Before we left for Florida, I was psycho-careful about not getting sick. With 26.2 miles between me and my vacation, I knew there was no way I could afford to come down with anything. I washed my hands so much the week before we left, that by the time we got to the airport on Friday my hands were chapped, red, and stinging. Thankfully there was nobody hacking up a lung on our plane and we were sure to hand sanitize frequently during the trip. Florida is actually yellow on the map of flu outbreaks, so we knew there were less cases there. We were also surrounded by runners who are healthier than your average person because of how much exercise they get! So I was feeling good when by Saturday I did not feel sick at all.
We made it through the race just fine- no sickness, no injuries, and we proceeded to enjoy our vacation.
Wednesday January 16th:I woke up with a sore throat but I assumed that was from the copious amounts of red wine I had indulged in the night before. I shook it off and took some Sudafed (or cvs alternative) that I’d tossed into my toiletry bag. (One can never be too careful! I’d also packed cough drops, thermometer, etc.) Throughout the day, I noticed my throat hurting and even though Joey said it would probably go away, I felt like it wasn’t going to. I drank cold drinks to no avail, and while it was still lingering by the end of the day, it didn’t really ruin anything for me.
Thursday January 17th:
Throat was still sore when I woke up, although seemingly less so. I took another Sudafed and some advil because I was still getting over sore legs before we went to the park. We were only at the park for a bit and then came home, ate lunch, took a nap, and had a really chill day. Looking back, I probably had less energy than I realized and was starting to go downhill, but at the time I was just chillin watching Stacey on TV talk about the “Disney Must Do’s”.
Friday January 18th:
We were scheduled to go drinking around the world today at EPCOT! So when I woke up I only took 1 advil because I didn’t want to ruin my stomach lining forever. Joey and I headed over to the park early to get some lunch before we were supposed to meet up with the other people. I started to feel pretty crummy shortly after we ate. I think this is probably when my fever started, but I was just all around not feeling good. I briefly considered just going home, but going around the world is so fun so I stuck it out. I was feeling cold, so I got some tea and then we went out of the rain into a self serve restaurant to grab a table and wait for the other people since their plane had been delayed. By this time I was feeling even more miserable. I just wanted to get the drinking started!!!
I decided that I should go to the medical area and get some Tylenol, since I could take that and drink at the same time. The nice lady gave me two doses of extra strength- one for now and one for later. Took that and went for my first beer. I perked up in no time.
Fast forward a lot of drinks and hours later, and my Mom met up with me near the end. I was feeling crummy again and Joey made her take me home. When I got back to the villa, Mom made me drink about 4 bottles of water before I was allowed to take any medication. By then it had really escalated and I was feeling awful. The good thing about traveling with your Mom is a) we were in a 2 bedroom villa which is basically a 2 bedroom apartment. B) Moms know how to deal with EVERYTHING!
She gave me some Contac (cold/flu medicine) and I took my cough drops and tried to get some sleep. I had the worst night of sleep ever. This paired with the fact that there were 3 automatic fans in the bathrooms, so every time I got up they went off and one had a bad motor and it was SO LOUD.
Saturday January 19th:
This was the worst day by far. I woke up feeling completely congested and crummy. Luckily there were no plans for today except going over to watch the Masonettes in semi-finals at the Wide World of Sports. Joey and I had been having such a chill vacation so he didn’t mind laying around the room with me watching TV. By now I had become extremely vigilant about when it was time to take more medicine. I was watching the clock like a hawk because it usually wore off 2-3 hours before it was time to take the next dose. So that was miserable. Also, I noticed that about 45 minutes after taking each dose of Contac, my fever would spike. Since I’m psycho and brought a thermometer, I knew I was running a low fever of 98-99 degrees.
I forced myself to leave the room to go cheer for the team. I met up with my Mom and sister at the event, but I barely said a word to anyone. I was so congested and just feeling like crap. I cheered for the girls, talked with my coach for a minute, then grabbed a cab back to the hotel room. The cabbie told me to drink something called “rhum” with honey and lemon… ummm thanks.
Joey and I had dinner reservations that night at a seafood buffet. We had been really looking forward to this one so I sucked it up and went with him. Took my temp before we left and I was at 100.4. My Mom let us use the rental car so we’d be out of the house for as little time as possible (bus transportation at Disney is free and convenient, but takes FOREVER).
I ate one plate of food at dinner but my fever was high and I was feeling awful and just wanted to go get back in bed. I tried to be a good sport and Joey was eating fast- although he went back for more crab legs three times…. By the third plate I was ready to cry. But he deserved to enjoy dinner!! I felt so bad after dinner I started to cry. It was definitely bed time.
Another long night of waking up a zillion times to blow my nose and counting down the hours until it was safe to take more medicine. Also? I had the most sore throat I think I’ve ever had in my LIFE.
Sunday January 20th:
Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up completely drenched. I had to change my clothes. My fever had obviously broken and I was happy about that. The next morning, I felt like a whole new person when I woke up. I’d been operating at about 10-20% for the past two days, and this morning I felt like about 70%!!!!
From then on, I did not run another fever. I was (and still am) dealing with residual stuffy-ness and coughing, but thank goodness the worst was over. I think my marathon-running probably helped my immune system fight this nasty thing off more quickly. Sunday night I was able to go out to and enjoy our last dinner in Disney, so I really only lost 1 day of Vacation in all of this.
Recommedations?? Get the flu shot. If you do get the flu, start pushing fluids immediately. Get some good medicine (maybe not Contac), cough drops, and take motrin for the pain. Something I did not know is that motrin will make your sore throat feel better. This flu is accompanied by possibly the worst sore throat I’ve ever experienced. Be sure to take motrin for that!!!!!
Sadly, even though my Mom did get the flu shot, she did end up coming down with it after caring for me L I felt pretty awful knowing she had it because of me. She went to a Doctor, and that is how we confirmed it as the actual Flu. Joey has yet to come down with it (knocking on wood)…..
Please try to stay healthy!!! And remember, if you are going to get sick, Disney World is a pretty magical place to do it J
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