NORMAL LIFE: An Adenovirus Strikes

Last Tuesday, I left work feeling weirdly tired, and even more weirdly off my food. I woke up on Wednesday morning, well enough to go to work, but within minutes of arriving, I started to shiver. I hugged hot cups of water in between emails, but the advancing fever showed no signs of abating - it was all too reminiscient of last year's A Virus attack (read about last February, here). I knew better than to stay in the office and infect my colleagues so I left for home.

The bus journey felt like an eternity as my body made everything feel like a misery. By the time of my arrival, I was slick with sweat so I showered, put on a new change of clothes and slept restlessly the whole day. When Bree came home, we took my temperature which was 38.6C. A restless night followed and, the next day, my temperature peaked at 39.4C. With Bree away at work, I was pretty helpless to do anything so I just lolled on the sofa, trying to read, but unable to: my eyes hurt, my limbs quiverred, my back ached, endless floods of sweat poured from my upper body.

That night in bed was perhaps the worst I have ever known. At 3am in the morning, I started to shake violently, my body trying desperately to rid my body of the virus contained within. I stirred, I shook, I vibrated, literally shaking the bed. As such, Bree was awoken and he tended to me: he took my temperature, bought me water, piled blankets on top of me, rubbing me gently to comfort me. The uncontrollable shivering lasted for hours and, the next morning, my limbs and buttocks were all bruised from the convulsing. Gradually, on the third day, an ear infection, sore throat and a mild case of cystitis formed.

It was only today that I managed to get down to the doctors. After blood tests and saliva samples were analysed, it was confirmed that I had what was known as an Adenovirus. She reprimanded me for not coming to the hospital sooner because Adenovirus' can kill those who have low immune systems. Based on my blood test results, however, my body was in good shape so I was able to 'fight back', but I was forced to ask: why do I keep catching these things?

She explained that my age group are the most social - we go to work, we have families, we travel more than children and the elderly. All this 'interaction' with society puts us at greater risk because we come into contact with more and more microbiological threats. That is why, if Bird Flu finds a way to jump from humans to jumans, people in their twenties, thirties and forties will drop like flies. Doesn't bear thiking about, does it?