I was at work at BC Ferries in the boat when I got the flu. I started to feel really ill and was unable to work anymore and I ended up going home. I took three days off of work thinking that I would feel better and would be able to go back to work. As the three days past, my sickness only got worse. I went to the doctors and they told me it was a flu and prescribed me antibiotics. My condition only worsened. About nine days later I went to the emergency. The doctors diagnosed me with bronchitis. My flu led to the development of bronchitis. I was in the hospital for two weeks and on bed rest for two weeks. My health still began to decline when I was at home so three days later my grandparents decided to take me to the emergency again, and the doctors then diagnosed me with pnemonia. When I was nearing the end of my bed rest, my body had gotten very weak. I could not walk up more than three stairs. I had lost so much weight and had became lactose intolerant. I was not able to function properly in life and I was not as active as I used to be. I could not get out of bed. I started to blame myself becuase of my self - weakness. So I tried to get out and play tennis and become active again. I had a shortness of breath, I heard myself wheezing when I tried to breathe and I felt very exhuasted. My brother is a pharmacist and he suggested that I try my grandpas bronchodilater because it would help open my bronchule tubes and help me breathe. When it did not work I went to the doctor again. After examinations, my doctor told me that my alveoli did not function and that I had aquired asthma. I have lost my belief in doctors due to misdiagnosis. When I had pneumonia, they diagnosed me with bronchitis and when I problems breathing they did not do any tests until almost a month and half later, where they told me I had asthma.
Influenza (flu) is an illness that is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. There are three different types of influenza viruses, Influenza type A, B and C. Influenza type A is the most common type and causes the most serious epidemics in history. Influenza type B also causes epidemics but is not as severe as influenza type A. Influenza type C causes mild respiratory infections which are also common colds. There are approximately 600 to 1500 deaths every year in Canada. These deaths usually happen around winter time. Influenza is caused by mutations through RNA. Another way is when a host is infected with the influenza virus which develops an antibody against that virus. As the virus changes, the first antibody stops recognizing the newer virus and then reinfection occurs. The first antibody might provide partial protection against reinfection with an influenza virus.
The symptoms of the influenza virus are high fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, muscle aches, nausea, diarrhea and fatique which can get quite extreme. It is necessary to take a vaccine every year due to the different influenza virus strains that circulate due to mutations. Another method to prevent influenza virus is antivirual agents that cause the big flu (infection caused by avian influenza type A in birds). Vaccination can prevent serious illness. Neuraminidase inhibitor is another method which also prevents descended virions from emergring from the infected cells. Influenza virus further leads to life threating illnesses like pneumonia and asthma.
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