Commentary

Disoriented, nauseous and three hours from home

by Will Weggel

I had first heard about swine flu, or H1N1, last spring, when the virus made news in Mexico and eventually spread to the United States. I never fully understood how widespread it could become until some of my friends at the University of Wisconsin-Madison got sick with it.

Students across campus were coming down with the virus. There were reports that football players had it, that swimmers had it. A few kids in my dorm caught it and went home until they could come back healthy.

But I was fairly confident that I would never catch H1N1. Almost every building in Madison has multiple hand sanitizer dispensers, and I used them. I loaded up on the hand gel every chance I got. Unfortunately, none of that mattered.

It started with a slight cough, a little tingle in the back of my throat. That developed into a runny nose, headache and body aches. The symptoms were annoying, but I didn't expect them to get worse. I went to my classes for the day and retreated to my dorm room for a two-hour nap.

Determined to kick whatever this was, I went to bed early and planned to wake up feeling top-notch. Instead I woke up at 3 a.m., freezing and curled in the fetal position.

This was a clear warning sign. My roommate and I are always hot in our stuffy dorm, even with four fans going at once. So I jumped down from my bunk, put on a sweatshirt and grabbed an extra blanket. Something was up.

Going to class was out of the question. I turned off my alarm and slept until my roommate woke up. I told him that I was feeling horrible and he went to look for a thermometer.

My temperature was 102.8 degrees. I had a fever, and now every symptom of H1N1.

Disoriented and nauseous, I went back to bed and called my mom to ask if she could drive the three hours from Eau Claire to pick me up. My RA stopped by to see how I was doing and asked about my symptoms. When he heard them, he said I'd have to leave campus and go home. I told him my mom was already on her way.

He gave me two sheets of paper, one describing precautions and planning for the flu, and one describing my circumstances and the university's expectations of me.

It said, "You will need to contact your family as it is our expectation that you go home to recuperate." I would have to wear a mask while in the residence hall and limit my access to public areas. My roommate was told to leave until after I was picked up. I packed my things and waited for my mom to arrive.

I had to go to the bathroom, so I fixed my mask on my face and walked down the hall. I don't get embarrassed easily, but wearing the mask was hard for me to do. Everyone in the hall stared at me.

My mom called, so I grabbed my stuff and met her outside. A disinfectant team was sent in to clean my room. My roommate wasn't allowed back into the room until after the team was finished.

Now I am riding out the week in Eau Claire, slowly getting better. I am allowed back on campus 24 hours after my fever subsides.

Will Weggel is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.