It found me...

WARNING: Graphic details follow. Read at your own risk.

I'm sick. I was doing so well, too! Last year, my first year of teaching, it seemed that I was in a constant state of sickness. Colds, stomach viruses, etc. This year, however, has been much better. A couple of weeks ago, I got a little touch of some bug that kept me home for a day and a half. I thought that that got me out of the woods. I was actually naive enough to believe that I would escape the clutches of the flu epidemic that has been torturing Monticello for the past weeks. After all, I did get a flu shot, and I've been very careful about washing my hands and such. Boy, was I wrong.

Actually, I don't know what I have. Yesterday, I felt kinda bad all day. I thought it was because my blood sugar was high, but apparently, I wasn't feeling sick because my sugar was high. My sugar was high because I was getting sick. All day long, I checked my sugar every couple of hours, and every time it was over 200, which is bad. One time it was even over 400...which is REALLY bad. Anyway, we went over to Clayton and Mandy's yesterday after Suzanne's baby shower, which was at my house. (If you get sick, you can blame me...sorry! I didn't know!) Around 9:30, I started feeling really crummy. (Strangely enough, though, this is when my blood sugar leveled out.) My throat started hurting REALLY badly. We got out of there, because I had a bad feeling. I barely made it home before I started throwing up. I checked my temp- 100.8. So I got ready for bed and hoped for the best.

At 2 I woke up again. I had to use the bathroom, and when I got out of bed, I started shaking. Like, violently shaking. I was SO cold! It was pretty scary. I got the thermometer out of the cabinet, and I could barely hold it in my mouth because my teeth were chattering so hard. I went back to my room and started throwing up, and I stayed up pretty much until 5, getting sick every 30 minutes or so. I checked my temp about every hour during all this - 101.3 was the highest. (My blood sugar, which was thankfully still back down to normal, didn't get above 120 all night, which is excellent.) Finally, I fell asleep. I haven't gotten sick since then, but I feel like I might any second. ( I just read some of Jeff's blog about their last day at Disney, and I had to stop. The descriptions of the rides and Sam feeling sick...it was too much. I almost lost it.)

Here are my symptoms: TERRIBLE headache (it feels like someone is chiseling a sculpture out of my brain). Fever (100.9 currently). Body aches - I'm not sure if this is from the strain in my body from getting sick so much last night or what. Dizziness. Plus, I have a super sore throat and a stuffed up nose.

So, what do I have? Those of you who have been unfortunate enough to be struck by the sickness - were these your symptoms? Or do I have some rare disease that would require me to visit the ER immediately? Let me know what you think. Should I go to the doctor tomorrow, or just wait it out? I guess for now I'll just keep sipping Diet Sprite and nibbling on a piece of bread that I've been trying to get down for 4 1/2 hours. Oh well, it could be worse!
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I just looked online at WebMD (I love that website!) And this is what I found. (The parentheses at the end are me.)

The symptoms of influenza (flu) appear suddenly and often include:

Fever of 100 °F(37.8 °C) to 104 °F(40 °C), which can reach 106 °F(41 °C) when symptoms first develop. Fever is usually continuous, but it may come and go. Fever may be lower in older adults than in children and younger adults. (CHECK)
Shaking chills. (Umm...CHECK. That was scary!)
Body aches and muscle pain (often severe), commonly in the back, arms, or legs. (CHECK)
Headache. (DOUBLE CHECK)
Pain when you move your eyes. (1/2 CHECK)
Fatigue, a general feeling of sickness (malaise), and loss of appetite. (CHECK)
A dry cough, runny nose, and a dry or sore throat. You may not notice these during the first few days of the illness when other symptoms are more severe. As your fever goes away, these symptoms may become more evident. (CHECK)

I guess I got my answer.