James O'Brien

I’ve just had my first proper meal in almost seventy-two hours. I’ve been sick, you see, with this terrible flu that’s going around at the moment, which has already affected a few people I work with, putting one of them in hospital. And since I hadn’t eaten in that long, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I was drawn to the incredibly tasty combination of bacon and baked beans.

It all began Tuesday morning with a dry cough which I didn’t think too much about, and treated only by undoing my top button and loosening my tie. By the time I had decided to leave work early, I was already feeling my temperature rise. By Tuesday night, I had a really high temperature and my bones ached, both of which I treated with a series of baths and sleep. Yesterday was much the same.

Walking in to the doctor at about lunchtime today, I became consciously aware I was surrounded in the waiting room by people with the same dry cough. Cough, splutter, but no phlegm. So yes, it really was the flu and not just the usual annual cold, the doctor told me. “Not a lot I can do for you”, he told me, “It seems viral, and the best thing is for you to rest up and keep up your fluids”.

ALMOST one in five workers are on sick leave in some Sydney workplaces as a flu epidemic takes a heavy toll on productivity.

I would write about other things in my life, such as going to the Helpmann Awards on Monday night, but I just don’t have the energy, so I will save it for another time.