I wasn’t supposed to get the flu.  I got my flu shot in September and it has always worked for me in the past.  I don’t know what happened.  We went to Chicago last weekend for a wedding.  It was cold.  It was windy.  It was snowing.  I could not warm up all weekend.  We came home Monday night to much warmer Los Angeles and two days later it hit me!

I woke up with a cough on Wednesday and thought it was just a cold.  By Wednesday evening I could not move.  Chills, fever, headache, all the usual symptoms.  I think the last time I had the flu was 25 years ago.  I got it first and because the incubation period can be as short as two days, the rest of my family and a houseguest fell like dominos within a week.  One right after the other.  There was no test for the flu and no Tamiflu to ease the symptoms.  This time I went to the doctor and was tested for the flu.  The next morning I got an email stating that my results were positive for Influenza A.  I called my doctor, got Tamiflu, as did my husband as a preventative.  No more domino effects.  This was so easy.  I think that it has definitely shortened the duration and lessened the severity of the flu for me.  I might even get out of the house tomorrow after only 4 days.

So the big question is how this will play out with Parkinson’s.  The good news is that the cough hasn’t been too bad, so I have not had to worry about decongestants that interfere with my PD meds.  But I miss my exercise routine and I think it will be a while before my energy levels return to normal.  At least I got out to walk the dog this morning.  In the warm SoCal sunshine.  Yay!

On a separate note:  My abstract for the Poster Display at the World Parkinson’s Congress has been accepted.  The topic is Living Well With Parkinson’s Disease.  My abstract is titled “What are the most important factors for living well with Parkinson’s Disease? An informal survey from a women’s Parkinson’s FaceBook group”.  More info to follow once I figure out what I am actually putting on the poster.  #wpc2019  @WorldPDCongress