Swine flu TOTALLY SUCKS

Hello, friends!

Well, it happened. I got the dreaded swine flu, and it succeeded in putting me so far behind that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to catch up. It happened 2 Saturdays ago during family weekend. My sorority had its annual family and alumni dinner to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. SO many people showed up, and we ended up raising an impressive amount of money! The food was good, too. My obnoxious coughing, however, was not. It seriously sounded like I had been smoking a pack a day for thirty years—but at that point I thought it was just allergies. I usually get a pretty bad cough this time of year, so I just decided to go home early and take a nap to sleep it off. When I woke up, though, I was in complete agony. My fever blazed at 102, my body hurt all over, I couldn’t stop coughing, and all the urgent care centers were closed. I had to suffer through the night, but the next morning I was able to get to the UTC to figure out what was wrong with me.
Funny story—after waiting in the UTC for 2 hours, they finally gave me the flu test (it was the most painful test ever! It was like shoving a small mascara brush up my nasal passages! OUCH). Then they sent me back out to wait some more. After about 10 more minute, though, this guy comes out with this obscenely huge mask and tells me I have to put it on. Then I got to wait there for another 45 minutes while everyone stared at me wondering why I had what looked like a diaper on my face. At least it added some humor to the situation. Needless to say, it was the swine flu, and they ordered me to be out of class for the whole week.
Now, that’s some of the scariest news a Transy student can get—having to miss a whole week of class. Our professors keep us pretty busy around here, and that means a pretty hefty work load. Also, classes are very heavily focused on discussion, so you miss out a lot when you have to stay home. Let’s just say that I did not worried as much about my health when I first got my diagnosis as I worried about how much work I would have to make up. Luckily, I had professors that talked some sense into me—telling me that I would never get better if I stressed myself out, and to take as much time as I needed to get better and make things up. I was able to make a fairly speedy recovery with their help, as I was able to actually rest and not worry so much about school for a few days. And, after 2 weeks, I’m fully caught up and back on track!
In college, you will get sick. It’s inevitable, especially if you live on campus (and, hey, I don’t even live on campus anymore, so I guess it’s just plain ‘ol inevitable). Fortunately, the Professors on campus will do everything in their power to help you in your recovery process. Not to mention, we have an incredible campus nurse who’ll take care of you if you get sick during the week! =D