How to Battle Swine Flu

Swine flu has been officially defeated! I've been fever free for two days now, and I even went to two classes! Now I just have to tackle the mountain of homework that is piling up as I write this...

But as the ancient Greeks loved to say PATHE MATHOS or wisdom through suffering. And since I can't get H1N1 again, I figured I would give you all a few tips for avoiding and/or surviving the flu, so someone gains wisdom from my suffering.

1. Anti-bacterial-- sounds simple to wash your hands and use a little anti-bacterial soap, but it's amazing how often we don't do just that. Remember being little, and washing your hands before dinner? Well the basic principle still applies and our hands are still dirty, but we don't wash them. Washing hand before and after meals is a great way to avoid spreading germs.

2. Stock up-- there is nothing wrong with having a full bag of cough drops and several extra boxes of kleenex around during flu season. Maybe if I had done this, I could have saved myself from using paper towel as kleenex after I finished two boxes.

3. Medicine only works if you'll take it!-- just a note for the Moms out there (particularly my own!) cough drops don't have to taste bad!! I have always had an intense dislike of cough drops, but Halls Naturals and Halls Citrus both taste really good and definitely work. The naturals even had a honey center, which is probably half the reason I feel better. Although I think I might forever associate the taste of honey with Swine Flu...

4. Two pillows-- this is a trick I learned from my Momma a long time ago, and it was a life-saver this week. Whenever you have a cough or a cold, prop your head up on two pillows while you sleep. It keeps everything running smooth even while you're asleep and gives you lots less coughs.

5. When you think it's over, think again-- Thursday night, I thought I was so much better, feeling great and I went out of the room for a few hours even. But in my sleep, I coughed so much I threw up for a bit, and I learned the lesson that you should always treat yourself as sick longer than you think. Also, I relearned lesson 4 in a very brutal way!

So that's all I've got: 5 ways to battle Swine Flu, and hopefully it is a helpful way of explaining exactly what I've been through this week. Now, off to work on that ever growing mountain of homework before it crushes me!