Man Flu 🤧

I’m not feeling well. A few weeks ago my husband woke up with a sore throat. Said his head felt like cottonwool. I came back from a dance class and found him slumped over the dining room table. Feeling quite concerned I suggested he ring the doctor.

‘What’s the point?’ He mumbled, bleary-eyed. I’ll be better by the time I finally get an appointment!

I couldn’t argue so suggested he visit the local pharmacy. We have been given instructions that pharmacists should become our first port of call if we have a list of symptoms. A sore throat is on the list.

My husband returned with a bottle of TCP. He was told that whooping cough and a summer virus were doing the rounds. The pharmacist suggested he buy a decongestant. TCP is his go to medication for sore throats but did get a box of decongestant tablets as well.

The following day was even worse. Unshaven, he slumped onto a chair and told me that he had no energy and could hardly move. I didn’t comment but secretly thought that he should man-up!

‘Bad case of man flu?’ I couldn’t resist! ‘Please don’t share. We’re meeting the family in London in a few days. Think you will last that long?’

But he did share!

Ten days before our trip to London I woke up with a sore throat. Day one was ignored. My throat seemed to ease during the day but I had a headache. Pain pills came to the rescue. I did housework, shopping and soldiered on. Day two was different. I could hardly move my head off the pillow and felt as if my throat had been scoured with a wire brush.

By this stage my husband was on the mend. With a croaky voice I informed him that I had his lurgi! ‘Thanks for sharing!’ I whispered.

The sympathy I received was ‘you are woman, you are strong!’

Really? That was it? No breakfast in bed, or even a cup of coffee?

So, while I dragged my aching body around the house to the mantra,’you are woman you are strong’ I have to truthfully say that, barring COVID, I have not felt so ill for a long time! For two days I wore no makeup. Makeup can really disguise how I feel but I needed to share this discomfort he’d inflicted on me!

‘I look as bad as I feel’, I told him on day three.

‘I feel very sorry for you,’ my husband showing sympathy?

‘You must be feeling absolutely awful!’

As I’m sitting writing this I am still not feeling 100%! We spent a wonderful few days in London with my children and extended families. There were no hugs on the first day but by the second day I was feeling much better.

I can only presume that I had ‘man flu’. I’m not usually as pathetic as I felt a few weeks ago. All this wokeness must has created a virus gender crisis. Flu has become the latest victim! The male flu virus is now identifying itself as female! Us girls will have to fight back! If we could give men a tiny taste of childbirth perhaps that would rebalance the status quo!👠