Is The Flu Just a State of Mind?

Heard of the quademic? Apparently there’s a high incidence of four respiratory diseases circulating thru the populace. They are Norovirus, COVID, RSV, and an old classic: the flu.

The resident doctor on NBC’s Today talked about the flu recently. She used dramatic-but-classic language about how it should scare the bejesus out of you. It hits you quicker and harder than the common-cold virus. You can wake up feeling fine, then a couple of hours later, you want nothing more to do with life’s typical activities — including, heaven forbid — going to work.

I know a few people who claim they’ve never had the flu. Maybe or maybe not, but I’ve definitely had the flu several times. And here’s the thing: I’ve still functioned with it. That includes working, and working out.

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As a young adult still living at home, I came down with a bout of it. I was chilled, shivering, and dead-tired-enough to yearn for bed in the early afternoon. However, for one reason and one reason only, I forced myself to stay up late. There was just no way I was going to miss an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin.

You see, this was before the advent of On Demand TV, or even VCRs. If you missed a favorite show, you were s**t out of luck — with one possible exception. If fortune smiled on you, the network might repeat the episode in a summer rerun – but you certainly couldn’t depend on it. So I toughed out the flu to see the first-run show.

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Years later, on vacation in Curacao, I was doing what Caribbean vacationers typically do.

That included sedentary activities such as eating, drinking, lounging, and pretending not to notice the Dutch women who favored bare-breasted sunbathing.

But I also enjoyed nonsedentary activities, such as swimming and snorkeling.

About halfway thru the week, my wife suggested a trip into the city of Willemstad. There was plenty of colorful architecture, and plenty of tourist-trap shops. In spite of my aversion to shopping, I’m usually inclined to partake of exotic new experiences. But this time I demurred, citing an unusual fatigue.

The next day, I was back swimming at the beach, wading in the pool, eating at the restaurants, etc. … I even went snorkeling again despite feeling overtired. ?What’s better for that then floating your body using the buoyancy of deep water? I thought.

It felt great, until I got out of the water. Then I slogged up the sandy shore and flopped heavily onto a beach lounger.

After a couple days of this, it occurred to me that I wasn’t well. But what was it? Some tropical disease?

Fortunately — or not — I didn’t have to wonder for long.

My wife identified the malady as the flu. She knew that because she contracted it from me. And she was not happy. You know who else probably wasn’t happy? The guy who rented the snorkel after me. Oops! Sorry!

The point is, I had the flu for days and didn’t even know it. My refusal to believe that I could be sick on a tropical getaway probably sustained me. And it answered a question that I often asked myself whenever I got a virus: Can the worst effects of a cold or flu be muted if you’re swimming in the tropics as opposed to walking the frozen tundra? Yes, they can … until you realize you’re sick. Then it’s pretty miserable — especially if you’re dreading a taxing international flight in a few days.

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The flu is a state of mind. A good or stubborn attitude helps, but it’s not a cure — no matter where you are.

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The End

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