Swine Flu is Scary, by Heidi Helman

So it turns out that Mother Nature's relative, Uncle Pestilence, has come up with a great thing to STRESS out pregnant ladies -- Swine Flu.

I consider myself a healthy gal; good pulse, great BP 108/67, high-ish but okay cholesterol, etc. I am a tad high on my prenatal screen for glucose tolerance, so I may be at risk for gestational diabetes, but that is temporary since it is based on placenta hormones and regularly I am not diabetic. I am a bit fluffier than I would like, but that is the way the it is and by all accounts I am a very healthy pregnant gal. Or am I?

According to the CDC: anyone who is overweight, pregnant, diabetic, asthmatic or suffers from heart problems is at risk to get the living tar kicked out of them by the Swine Flu. I can't help but notice that I can use three of those adjectives on myself. DAMN IT! So now I have these horrible fears of me and the baby catching the Swine Flu and keeling over from delivering in the middle of the winter flu season. I know this is a useless worry to dwell on because all I can do is take good care of myself, wash my hands often, avoid eating out as much, stop licking door knobs and hope for the best. No amount of worry will make me any safer from illness, if anything the stress of worry weakens the immune system.

I have had the flu once, I was a year out of college, and it was the worst I had ever felt in my entire life. I missed a whole week of work and I was living in a apartment by myself with my little dog Lexxy. I laid on the couch and moaned and little Lexxy laid on my chest and snuggled my cheek. After 3 days my fever of 103 broke and I began to want to stand upright again. By day 7 I was back at work.

Considering I pulled through that one flu within a week, I guess I should be comforted by the fact that my body knows how to kick some influenza tush. Maybe even if I do get Swine Flu, everything will turn out okay. I just have to make sure to keep taking good care of myself -- and not listen to the media.