Wednesday 13 March 2013

Sweet dreams


For a devout optimist, I am quite a hypochondriac as well. I felt ill all day yesterday, and went to bed around 8.00 pm, having eaten nothing but kid's cereals - which I never normally eat - and having drunk nothing but water and orange juice. My bones ached and I seemed to be developing flu-like symptoms.

Incidentally, as I opened the first, small box of chocolate 'flavoured' cereal, I noticed that the brightly coloured image on the box seemed to depict a large, cartoon rabbit, ravenously eating great mouthfuls of stuff which looked exactly like rabbit-shit. That cannot have escaped the awareness of the designers, who must have been appealing to the highly-developed sense of humour of the average 6 year-old, surely?

Have you noticed that, whenever you try to find out the tell-tale symptoms of potentially fatal diseases, they always begin with 'flu-like symptoms' as an initial pointer to diagnosis?

Although - at most times - there is only me in my rural workshop, I do share it with others all year round. Rats. Well, rats and mice, to be precise.

Maybe it was the footnote on yesterday's post about rats arriving in the Crimea carrying fleas that put me in mind of Weil's disease, but Weil's disease is never far from my mind when I am out at the workshop anyway, together with the little detail about the lives of the rats which spread it - you know, the one about how they have no control over their bladders.

On many occasions, I have tried to look up the symptoms of Weil's disease, just in case I should ever contract it in the future, through spending too much time in the company of rats. Main initial symptom: Flu-like aches and pains.

Aching joints - tick. Stiff neck - tick. tickling cough - tick. General feeling of lethargy - tick. Actually, the last symptom seems to be all year round these days, so it doesn't count.

A few years ago, my German friend caught me reading one of those 'Home Doctor' books which list the symptoms of most known (and some rare) diseases, and as he looked over my shoulder he said, "It's a wonder we are still alive at all, eh?"

I aroused myself at 2.00 am and went downstairs for a drink of water - I had a raging thirst to add to my list of symptoms. My heart-rate had not subsided from when I first went to sleep hours ago, and seemed to be about 120 BPM. My joints ached even more as well.

As I drank the water, it occurred to me that some ibuprofen might help with the general pain of the whole business, so I swallowed three with the water. Before you accuse me of drug abuse, let me tell you that the Head of Pain Management at our local hospital is a mate of mine, and said that all these household analgesics work very well - so long as you take enough. I am quite large, so I do think I can survive more than the average child's dose without doing myself too much harm.

And they did - I went back to sleep quickly, and I feel a bit better this morning - well enough to drag my sorry arse to work today.

I think that the outcome of untreated Weil's disease is liver (and other organ) failure. Too much ibuprofen will also destroy your liver. Too much alcohol will destroy your liver as well, but you didn't need me to tell you that.

1344 - 5 year old Erik Magnusson is appointed heir to the Swedish throne by his father, against the wishes of the people.

27 comments:

  1. You've probably got man-flu.

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    1. No, it's worse - I have woman-flu, the one where you don't really talk about it, but still try to carry on cooking, like I did for H.I. last night.

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  2. I am still ill following my bout of flu.....
    I am convinced I am on my last legs...
    It's pretty normal
    We are all neurotic underneath our bluster

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    1. Oh, I thought you said 'blusher' for a minute.

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    2. P.S. - I like your new translator gadget. I think I might get one myself. Does it do Palari?

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  3. Hahaha - if I weren't to feeble at the moment, feeling flu-like symptoms - (though I haven't been sick for the last six years, knock on wood - I'm toughing myself by riding underground - igitt, if you see what people are doing there, you need no rats, and you could only enclose yourself in a zipper-bag, having none I enclose myself in a zipper-bag of clear white light - and it works, knock...) - so, I felt feeble and woke-up at three o'clock in the morning - taking two aspirins... I felt better this morning, but having a vivid and slightly hypochondrial imagination (not in every case one has to be a man to have that, though it helps) I read your post and suddenly felt dizzy again (as we do Lent that excludes alcohol). Have to look up Weil's disease... :-)

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    1. Yes, I carried on as normal today, but am now getting dizzy again - must go, I have to cook for the women!

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  4. Not man flu then?
    Joking apart this present bout of flu is very long-lasting (sorry to be a Jonah) - the farmer had it for weeks - so Easter will probably see the end of it with any luck. Whisky, lemon and honey in hot water makes it slightly more bearable.

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    1. I had it for weeks over Christmas, so it is not good to get something else now.

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  5. And, to add to the general good advice--wear wellies in the shop. Rat pee proof, you know. Hang them upsidedown from the rafters when you leave and the little bugger won't pee in them. Or nest, either.

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    1. My feet are the worst of the problem - I am a hands-on worker who seldom washes them, especially in the cold weather in cold water. I think alcohol hand gel is the answer - not drinking it, rubbing it.

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  6. Get well soon, Tom. The world is falling apart and we need you...

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    1. It's ok, we have a new Pope now. He'll take over.

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  7. Oops - maybe I've read your post in a hurry this morning. I got the impression that you are well again - now I wonder. If you are sick: sorry, and of course get well soon! If you are well: really nice endearing photo - the tiny rat in the bed :-)

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  8. It does sound like flu Tom, man or otherwise.
    But you have made me feel a lot better about exterminating some of our own cohabitees.
    Get well soon. Jx

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    1. I could kill them forever, and I still wouldn't get rid of them - a bit like bankers.

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  9. I thought I was over being sick, I developed a bad sinus headache last night that just won't go away. I think we all have blogger's flu.

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    1. 'blogger's flu' - now there's a thought. A virtual virus, That's it - I'm blocking all comments to quarantine.

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  10. So, the end is near then? Dang shame!

    Seriously, though, I hope that you will feel better soon! When in doubt - pull the covers over your head and stay put.

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    1. I'm thinking about doing just that, but I am busy and the sun is shining...

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  11. You were suffering from great anxiety caused by yer popes defection; suspect you are feeling better now after all the argie bargie etc.
    Now that you have a new pope from Argentine - might help you with the Falklands ? but I doubt it :)

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    1. I believe that during the last argie bargie, the Irish offered to lend a hand; and bombed Falkirk.

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    2. dey were using fly-on a wire and the French string broke

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    3. It's a good job that Mise has taken a sabbatical.

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