Piggy death cough!

Could it be? Is it even possible? Do I have the flu? Not just the flu, but "THE" flu? I have researched as much as I care to about the signs and symptoms of said flu and I seem to have either a mild onset of an ordinary flu bug or the beginnings of the world's favorite pig by-product, second only to bacon, the swine flu.
According to the World Health Organization, this H1N1 strain, commonly referred to as the "Swine Flu" by our friends in the media, is responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic.
So essentially what is being said (in case you have been living under a rock) is that if you feel "flu-ish", you have H1N1. Ok, what now? The media has been beating the drum for months about the virus, especially since someone in Mexico died of the flu apparently within days of being around president Obama. As soon as it looked as though the health of the newly appointed leader of the free world might be compromised, it became an unstoppable monster in media markets all over the world. They even gave it a snappy title! I initially heard the term "Mexican Flu", but that was probably ill received considering the Spanish Flu(La Gripe Española)in 1918 that killed millions of people. The media needed something hipper, catchier, digestible and less "depressing" obviously. Along came Swine Flu. Regardless of who coined the phrase, pigs and piglets out there are catching a bad rap for this virus. I have read reports that pig farmers are selling pork chops at a loss. At a loss people! Oh what sort of world do we live in when the media has the power to stop people from eating pork chops?
The media's reach is long and their messages are powerful to be sure. In fact, all of the reports I see on T.V., read in the newspapers, online as well as the flyers my son brings home from school elevates the level of apprehension I have about the tickle I feel in the back of my throat and the occasional dry-hack of a cough that comes with it. I have been over saturated by a multi-media campaign designed to either raise my awareness or my paranoia. I haven't figured out which one yet. Ordinarily I turn my nose up at such sensationalized broadcasts that rarely amount to much more than making something out of nothing. Like everyone else, I am quick to judge the talking heads reporting on issues such as worldwide pandemics. I simply assume they are either trying to sell me something or force me to live in fear. It took a coworker of mine who suggested that perhaps I should see a doctor about this feeling that I am coming down with something. Like anyone else, credibility is perceived and I would venture to say that a large majority of people would listen to their neighbor over Don Lemon on CNN. It was because of my coworker's suggestion that I called my doctor, but my concern was based on the flood of negative news and my fear that perhaps Mr. Lemon was right. Perhaps this is worse than I had thought.
In my younger days, like a few months ago, I probably wouldn't have done much more than go home, drink plenty of juice, go to bed about an hour earlier than normal and go to work the next day. Now, quite literally, I feel as though maybe I should be quarantined until I can find out for sure. Apparently I am not alone in that thought. My wife was kind enough to bring home a face mask. Even my doctor told me over the phone when I made my appointment that if by tomorrow when I showed up I felt feverish or have body aches that I should use the phone directly outside the front door and someone will come out to me. I am assuming that whoever came out would be in a level "A" HAZMAT suit with a bag of Luden's Cough Drops and a note excusing me from work for a few days. Am I simply this ignorant or is the level to which this virus is being treated, both by medical professionals as well as by the media, warranted? Is it really that big of a deal?
Tomorrow, I will march right into that doctor's office, unless of course I have a fever or body aches in which case I will use the phone outside as directed, and request, no, DEMAND, my bag of Luden's!
The war between me and the piggy death cough has only just begun and I love the smell of cough drops in the morning! It smells like victory.
Until next time, enjoy the pure random.