I’ve had the flu since 2nd January, with a high fever of 39.7˚C, a chill, and body aches that continued for five days. I went to a hospital on the 6th and was tested for influenza and pneumonia. Luckily, the high fever was not a symptom of pneumonia but only of influenza. My doctor prescribed Tamiflu, and the fever has quickly gone down since then.
Today I am feeling much better, and my appetite is recovering as well.
Due to the flu, I had to cancel all my plans for Week 53: seeing some academics and my friends, making fieldwork plans, etc. Emotionally, my stress worsened. I know I should stay focused on my work and enjoy being in Japan, but I didn’t expect to feel so homesick for England.
Illness always teaches us things. My mum and Luca sent me messages every day, which was very reassuring. Especially, my mum sent countless messages, asking how I was feeling, along with some ‘Get well soon’ stickers. Luca gave me voice messages.
My goals for Week 54
- arrange dates for my first observations
- start a systematic literature search
- prepare for focus group discussions
