I had the flu when I was 19. Two weeks acutely ill in bed or on the sofa, followed by two weeks of coughing. I had the high fever, body aches, etc, just as you described. Once you experience it you never forget it.
I used to work at City Hospital, Hon! Maybe we crossed paths in Balmer.
Hey dare Hon! : ),
No. I was never a patient at the old City Hospital in Balmer.
But I did have my tonsils taken out at Maryland General, a week after graduating from HS in 1979. That was back when doctors were treating tonsillitis with codeine and antibiotics instead of taking them out. But after years of getting sick all the time and having nearly constant sore throats and finally much difficulty swallowing, our GP finally recommended that my parents take me to an ENT. When he examined me he was appalled how it had been allowed to have gotten that bad and feared that I was on the verge of getting sepsis, said my tonsils were extremely infected and admitted me to the Maryland General a day later for surgery. I was miserable for a few days afterward but it was great as I stopped getting sick all the time and could finally swallow without feeling like I had two oranges lodged in my throat.
The old City Hospital later became Johns Hopkins Bayview.
Both my mom and my dad were patients there.
My mom was admitted on December 30th of 1995 for what at first was thought to be a heart problem but was soon diagnosed as acute pancreatitis. And I have to say while my mother succumbed to it, the doctors and nurses at Bay View were exceptional in every possible way. They did everything humanly and medically possible to save her life and were so compassionate and understanding to her and our entire family.
My mother was in the ICU when the blizzard of January 6-7 1996 hit and my husband and I dug out our 4WD pick up and made our way to the hospital and my husband volunteered for the next 24 hours to shuttle doctors and nurses and other staff who otherwise couldn’t make it back home after working triple shifts or other to get to work while I stayed at my mother’s bedside because the blizzard hit on her birthday and I wasn’t going to not be with her on her birthday, even though by now she was in a coma.
A year and a half later my dad was admitted to Bay View for what turned out to be bacterial resistant pneumonia. He was in the ICU and on a vent for 8 weeks. And again, while my father died, I have nothing but good things to say for the doctors and nurses.
Some of them remembered me from when my mother was in the same ICU and basically let me come and go, any time of the day or night as a pleased. I even used to come early in the morning and sit in my father’s room so I could catch the medical team when they came on their morning rounds.
At first I would just sit and listen and of course I never interfered with the staff in any way, but after a time, the doctors would engage me and let me ask questions. Several doctors and nurses thought I was in the medical profession because I asked such thoughtful and intelligent questions and was knowledgeable and conversant in medical terminology.
A few days after my father passed, in the mail I got a beautiful condolence card in the mail, personally signed by all the doctors, nurses and techs in the ICU. That really meant a lot to me.