Flu

After reading about the eerily similar symptoms of flu and common cold, we concluded tentatively that we had contracted the flu of the year 2018! 🎉

We had been very stressed, mostly worrying about the future. Then life also played tricks on us. How we yearned going back to research mode for good. However there is little opportunity of growth here and everyday we have to spend so much time fighting the air/vacuum/aether, worrying about the consequences and coming to the revelation that whatever we do is futile. People were herded towards having fun and making trivial of the important things.

Then somehow we fell ill. Initially we felt only mild discomfort in the lung and some fever. Then it escalated into severe coughing and sneezing. We produced horrible-looking phlegm that looked like something that had been dead for 1000 years. We dehydrated very fast. We could barely keep up finishing our cup, pouring hot water into the cup and getting up to boil water. This race kept us so busy that not even watching TV was feasible. Meanwhile, our whole body ached and our head was heavy. Finally we slumped onto a bed and started our 48-hour long sleep. We did get up from time to time to drink water and to have food. Towards the end, we felt very cold as we had burnt away almost all energy, so we were forced to get up and eat.

We got much better though sunken in severe fatigue. The burning in the lung was gone. After singing a bit, we noted that we could not produce two of the notes and conjectured that this may be caused by phlegm attached to vocal chords. We tried to speak but our speech was interrupted by uncheckable coughing. We walked a bit, but this seemed to be too much exertion for our heart. We tried to have a big meal, but our stomach was not prepared. (Well, at this stage, watching TV was possible! 🎉) We remained in this debilitated state.

Yet worry never goes away. It assaulted us whether we were weakened or not.