Describe a time when you were ill

I'd like to talk about a time when I came down with a severe flu, about two winters ago. It started on a Monday morning, when I woke up feeling under the weather, with a sore throat and a slight headache. I thought it was nothing serious, so I went to work as usual. By the afternoon, I was shivering, my head was pounding, and a colleague said that I looked terrible and should go home.

By the evening, I was running a high temperature of almost thirty-nine degrees, and I could barely stand. The next day, I visited a doctor, who diagnosed flu and told me to rest for at least a week, drink plenty of fluids and take the medicine she prescribed. I did exactly that. For the first three days, I stayed in bed almost all the time, sleeping and watching series on my laptop. My mother came over and made her famous chicken soup, which helped me feel better.

It took about ten days for me to recover fully. During that time, my daily life was completely different. I couldn't go to work or the gym, I couldn't meet my friends, and I had to ask a colleague to take over one of my projects. I felt weak and a bit lonely, and I became frustrated because I'm used to being active.

The illness taught me not to take my health for granted. Now, I try to sleep properly, eat well and rest at the first sign of illness instead of pushing through. Being healthy is something we only appreciate when it's gone.