Flu Season

Every other month is flu season for my immune system, it appears. I had gone two good, productive years with minimal sickness - which I attribute primarily to being able to sleep without an alarm during grad school. Now, this has to be the fifth or sixth time this year. Absolute circus of an immune system, if you ask me.

Let’s go over the symptoms, as an exercise in bodily awareness. In order of most salient, we can begin with the eyes. A general irritation of the eyeballs, with eyelids seemingly carrying the full weight of my unfullfilled dreams. In turn, with sore eyes, the mind yearns for rest - I suppose this is the function of the eye situation, the body’s way of telling you to get the f*ck to sleep and stop moving around so much. I should listen to this signal more obediently.

Next, we have the throat. The anatomic epicentre of flu symptoms. Where they begin, and also where they typically end (lingering cough anyone?). A scratchy or painful throat usually provides a day’s notice before the rest of the symptoms hit. Like the first war horns blaring prior to battle. I’m not sure entirely what’s going on here. Is it that the body simply throws all of its defenses up prophylactically? Because it doesn’t appear that the virus is localized to my throat, perse. Or at least, it seems unlikely that this has been the case for the last 5-6 bouts of illness. Will need to check up on this at a later time.

And what would a flu be without some heavy congestion? The hallmark of any good virus, the pièce de resistance of our immune system. And of course, the most bloody annoying. For the span of 4-5 days, I become an involuntary mouthbreather - an inmou, if you will. The truest slime at the bottom of humankind’s barrel. The kind who’s mere presence, with their horrifying, laboured air passage, makes you simultaneously wonder if they’re okay, while also triggering a deep desire to to curl up in a ball, never to make contact with another lifeform again. But I digress. Minus five points to influenza for putting this one on us. Seriously uncool.

The last physiological phenomenon that I’ll comment on is general fatigue. Now it’s hard to separate the direct effects of immune response here, from the effects of being a complete bum, shut-in in one’s apartment for dozens of consecutive hours. However, as I mentioned earlier, our bodies are sneaky things. They’ll do whatever it takes to get their way. Conscious mind wants to go for a walk? Nah, you’re staying right where you are, sunk several inches deep into this sad couch. Oh, maybe I can finally get some reading in? No brother, I’m not letting you focus right now, are you flipping kidding me?

I suppose if there’s a silver lining in this all, it’s that this short period of manageable shittiness helps to provide some useful contrast for when the body is operating in its normal state. Can’t have the good without the bad, as life takes constant pleasure in reminding us.