Swine Flu Extravaganza

On Friday, I met up with my best friend, Jessie, for lunch just like we do four days out of every week, just to be greeted with a not to happy look. When I asked her what was wrong she told me she wasn’t feeling well. So just like I do when anyone else tells me they’re not feeling well I assume it’s just some beginning phases of a cold and nothing too serious to worry about.

Later that night Jessie and I went and met up with some friends, went to Squires to shoot some pool and had a good time. I could tell Jessie wasn’t feeling well or being herself and I even got annoyed at the fact that she didn’t want to chill more after pool. However, I got over my selfishness and realized it was probably best for her to get some rest and so we called it a night.

Saturday afternoon I awoke, realized I had slept for a long time, and the checked my phone just to see that Jessie had not texted me, which I thought was weird because by this time on most Saturdays she would be lunch or figure out plans for the day. So naturally, I called her and she picked up with a sad voice, apparently I had woke her up, which again was abnormal for Jessie to sleep in so late. She told me she wasn’t feeling well and I asked if she wanted anything to eat. I then stopped by Deet’s on my way to her dorm and grabbed us some breakfast and Jessie some hot tea.

When I walked into Jessie’s dorm I could tell there was seriously something wrong with her. We ate our breakfast as she explained to me how she was feeling. I asked her if she thought it could be Swine, both of us laughed at the idea, until she searched the Swine Flu symptoms and told me she had all but one. This was the first moment in which I began to take her being sick seriously. Then she told me that when she was in the shower she put the water temperature as high as it could go and she still had goose bumps. This really frightened me, then we found out that she Schiffert Health Center closes at 12 on Saturdays and is not open on Sundays. I felt Jessie’s head and a rush of panic came over me, I could tell just by the touch of my hand she had a fever.

This began the search, I had Jessie on her lap top looking for nearby doctor’s offices or urgent care centers while I was on the phone with her mom describing what was going on. Her mom wanted me to talk to her R.A. and find out if she knew of a place. I ran down the hall to find out her R.A. was in Cali. I came back and Jessie told me she found a place online, I called them and they told me they were a hospital. I then called back Jessie’s mom and she asked me to see if there was another R.A. I ran to the room of the second R.A. on Jessie’s floor and read her white board, saying “In Richmond for the weekend.” This infuriated me how could the only two R.A.’s on this floor both be gone, what if someone were to get hurt. I called again, Jessie’s mom and she was just as upset so she told me to find another R.A. and that she was going to all some friends in Blacksburg she knew. Jessie still had not found a place closer than 43 minutes away and she said she really didn’t want to go that far.

I than ran downstairs to find the hall office, when I couldn’t find it I asked someone who just so happened to be an R.A., I told him what was going on and he called VT Rescue, the ambulance service. I talked to them on the phone and they told me if they were to come they were going to take her to the hospital. In my quick decision making, I decided that taking Jessie should go to the hospital, I wasn’t going to have my best friend suffer all weekend just because the doctor’s office wasn’t open.

I returned to the room told Jessie not to panic but she was going to the hospital. I got on the phone and called both of her parents to let them know. While in the mean time I got a nasty text from Jessie’s boy friend wanting to know what was going on and why hadn’t I told him. I told him not to worry and that she was going to be fine that I just didn’t want her to go without seeing someone. The VT Rescue help showed up and took Jessie’s temperature which was a 101 and also told me she had a high blood pressure of 160. I responded with take her to the hospital. I then took my first ride in an ambulance as a non patient and texted more people at one time then I had in my life. Everyone was worried and wanted updates of what was going on. When we got to the hospital they made me wait in the waiting room for a good while, they then allowed me to come back in the room with her.

The nurse asked me to call her mom and find out what medicine it was that Jessie was allergic to, this surprised me I never knew this about my best friend. When I called her mom she told me Jessie wasn’t allergic to any medicine. I told Jessie she wasn’t allergic to anything and she said “O that nurse is gonna be mad at me, I told her I was allergic to a medicine that started with a “D.” I looked at her puzzled and asked if they had given her any medicine that would justify for her acting so strangely. She told me no and then said when the lady asked me if I had Tuberculosis I said Yes. I replied with “what” Jessie had never had Tuberculosis. I guess it was the fever, but either way Jessie was not in her right mind, so I had to set the doctors straight.

After a couple hours and some testing they came back to say Jessie most definitely has Influenza and that they were pretty sure she had the Swine Flu. It was crazy to think just a few hours ago we were laughing at the thought. The nurse then warned me that I might get it. So far I’m good and I know that if I am to come down with the Swine Flu that Jessie will be there to take care of me, just as I have for her.