Isaias Mentado
March 12, 2013
Essay #1 Draft #1

A Terrible Flu Infection

In December, three years ago, I got the worst Flu I ever had in my life. It started with a cold, but unfortunately, it got worse and worse. It reminded me why the flu can be fatal for some people if it is not treated on time. I will never forget this terrible experience. 

The worst part of this illness was the pain I felt in my chest when I coughed. I felt like my chest would exploit or like if someone was pressing and hitting my longs so hard. Suddenly, my temperature increased. Once, it started elevating, I started shivering and sweating that it almost made me hallucinate. It was a rare feeling I ever had because I had a high fever and at the same time I felt my body so cold.

My throat was congested, so I had a sore throat and threw phlegm. I couldn't speak or even swallow any kind of food or drink. That was awful. Food was tasteless. When I tried to taste the food, it tasted like plastic. All of these symptoms made me lost my appetite and made me felt fatigued, tired, and exhausted.

Although I had no energy and wanted stay on bed, I couldn't sleep very well because I had an unbearable headache. My head was painful that it caused me felt nauseous. I threw up what I had eaten and the skin of my body became yellow like if I had made up myself in a Halloween costume. I looked so pale and I couldn’t do anything. I was helpless for myself.

After I went to the hospital, my doctor found what type of flu was it and gave me antibiotics. He said that I had become dehydrated, so he recommended me to drink fluids as much as I could. These antibiotics started working so quickly that at the next day I was able to speak and drink some tea. Rest, stay warm, and drink hot drinks were essential for my recovering. My cousin, who was a great cook, had been making me some chicken soup, so I slowly recovered my appetite and food became to taste again.  I felt much better when coughing and headache went away from me because those symptoms were killing me.        

Finally, I overcame this infection and  since that happened, I have been taking the flu shot every year even though each year could come out different flu virus. At least, I've prevented not to catch it again.  My full recovery took a process because I lost weight and my level of energy was too low. Now when I feel any kind of those symptoms I immediately drink some pills and visit my doctor right away. This disease can be dangerous if it’s not treated on time. Hopefully, I won’t catch it again.