I'm writing about my experiences being infected with Swine Flu so that it may be of help to others. Anything which anyone can glean from what happened to me that can help them survive this scourge will be a good thing.

The Saturday that I contracted N1 H1 I went to my dentist to schedule an appointment because the telephone line was always busy- which isn't surprising in Gotham. It was June 16th and it had rained most of the month which was very unusual for my area. It was always cold and wet and this day was no different. It started out cold and dry, and as I started home from the dentist it began raining again; I had left my umbrella home and I got wet.

The next morning when I woke up it felt like someone was sitting on my neck and had each of my lungs in the palm of their hands squeezing them like grapes. As a result of this my breathing was labored and every inch of my body ached. In fact just thinking seemed to hurt me.

I took my temperature and it was elevated -99.2- high for me because my normal range was from 98.2-98.6. This was too much for me to bear so I went into denial and told my mind that it was just a cold; Denial is not unusual for anyone dealing with an illness or impending death. It was as though I had entered a long, dark tunnel-my thoughts were a complete blank.

My breathing became so bad that I used my asthma pump more than I had used it in eight years. I became asthmatic right after the World Trade Center bombing as I worked in the area and had to endure eight months of smelling the debris which was burning where the buildings once were.Regardless, it was a mild case of Asthma and some years I never used the pump and when I did it was for no more than 4 times a year.

I finally made it to the emergency room feeling like I had been shot out of a cannon, and breathing badly as though some invisible hands were squeezing the life out of me. The emergency room was not as crowded as it had been in May, but still there were people who were very sick, presumably with the Swine Flu.

I was given Tamiflu, a pat on the back and sent home. I calculated that if I made it past 11 days without dying then I was home free; which is not the case.I took the Tamiflu for the first three days of the five dosing day and .I continued to have labored breathing and used my asthma pump like it was no tomorrow.

I made it through the 11th day only to be left with inflamed sinuses and on the next day congestion on the lungs which can only be described as pleurisy*. This virus lingered for one month until I finally felt whole again.

However, at the beginning of my illness as I didn't know if I would live or die, I felt as if I was at the edge of a cliff looking at the bottom which was the end of my life. It was then as my body withered away to nothing that I connected with my soul, my spirit and looked over my life as it unfolded like a novel that needed a just ending for the previous pages. And it was then that I realized that if I survived this malady that it would be my second chance and hence I would give life a second chance. Thus this is how I thrived by connecting with my inner person and keeping things in perspective and not taking life so seriously, but enjoying it.

I also came to terms with the demons who seem to be lurking about at every place that is trying to reek havoc in society and resolved to carry on despite whatever destructive force is in the way.

This is a mean, nasty disease that zaps all the energy out of you and lingers for weeks. But what helped me along with the advice in my other hubs about H1 N1 Swine Flu was the following:

1. I increased my daily intake of Vitamin C from 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg along with taking my regular vitamins
2. Ate plenty of chicken soup
3. Stayed in a quiet place full of love.
4. Took my temperature on a regular basis
   

* Pleurisy-Inflammation  of the lining of the lungs