It Couldn’t Happen to Me

AS I LAY bedridden in the emergency room (ER) just days after Thanksgiving, an IV in my arm and an oxygen mask on my face, I had to concede the H1N1 virus was a force to be reckoned with. The pandemic-grade flu bug had literally knocked me flat on my back, so I had plenty of time to think about the decisions and circumstances that had landed me there.

It started as a tickle in my throat. As I sat down at my desk that November morning, I felt tired. Thanksgiving was just 48 hours away, and my to-do list was only half completed. By 10 a.m., I was starting to cough a bit, and on my way to the printer I suddenly felt weak. As body aches and fatigue set in, so did a low-grade panic. “Tell me I’m not getting the flu!” I thought. But it was too late for positive thinking. By the time I left work an hour later, I already had a fever. H1N1 had struck again. Looking back, I see now that things could have been different.

Despite many opportunities to get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, I had intentionally opted out. My decision to forgo vaccination was rooted in common excuses: “I never get sick.” “I’m not sure flu shots work.” And, “How bad could it be? I’ll take my chances.” This is where the story gets embarrassing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that as of January 2010, only 20 percent of the U.S. population was vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, but the fact that I was in the 80 percent majority provided little comfort. The thing is, I’m a staff writer for FFF Enterprises, “the nation’s largest and most trusted distributor of flu vaccine” and the publisher of this magazine. Which means, I’d spent the better part of 2009 writing articles, press releases and marketing materials that explained how important it is to get the 2009 H1N1 flu shot.And, I didn’t just write — I researched. I knew the statistics. I even knew that as an adult with asthma, I am in a high-risk group especially vulnerable to serious flu complications. I still thought the odds were in my favor, so I decided to roll the dice.

Initially my flu symptoms were somewhat mild: low fever, lots of body aches, chills and fatigue. Lousy, but no big deal until about day five, when I began wheezing and was unable to catch my breath, quite suddenly in desperate need of medical assistance. Although my condition was stabilized after four hours in the ER and did not require an overnight hospital stay, not everyone in my family was as fortunate.

All in the Family

One month almost to the day that I contracted H1N1, my husband, Jeff (who also avoided a flu shot), began coughing. It was Dec. 22, and our planned flurry of holiday parties and outings came to a screeching halt. Antibiotics, bed rest and chicken soup helped ease the symptoms, but 10 days into his ordeal, Jeff was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He is not in a high-risk group and has no outstanding health problems. Since he was fit, active and highly health-conscious, you’d expect him to bounce back fairly quickly; it was three weeks before he fully recovered and started to feel “normal” again.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Is there a moral to this story? My obvious point is to encourage others not to make the same mistakes we did. But I’ve read these kinds of personal accounts too, and I know it’s not easy to motivate change with a magazine article. Still, I would ask those who have resisted getting flu shots out of habit, ignorance or belief systems that no longer serve them to please reconsider.When I was sick, my lowest moment was not in the ER. It was sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table and realizing I had exposed my young children and my 80-year-old parents to a disease that I would likely fight off, but which could prove deadly for any of them.My husband works with young children and families; who knows how many people he exposed to the virus? I suddenly saw our decision to avoid vaccination as not merely personal but purely selfish. It’s a perspective worth considering.

They say experience can be a harsh teacher. This is one reluctant student who has learned her lesson well.