I never thought it could happen to me, but three weeks ago I contracted the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu. My step-daughter had it and while we were nursing her in our house, my wife was very careful - wearing a surgical mask constantly, washing and then sterilizing her hands constantly - while I had some delusional, cavalier attitude that I could not catch it and was very loosey-goosey with my hygene. But, I most certainly did catch it. Upon the first symptom, my wife took me to the clinic, though I protested I was fine. I was diagnosed immediately and given 4 medications and quarantined to my bed immediately. I will tell you, the disease is as nasty as you have heard! I am a big, strong, (normally healthy) guy and this thing shook me around for a dozen days like a rag doll in the mouth of a pit bull! I can understand how the elderly, the very young, the weakened by waiting too long to seek medical attention or those experiencing pregnancy can be at risk to die.
I have survived fully, feel fine and am now in the process of rebuilding my strength - there is some degenerative thing that happens to muscle tissue while fighting this flu. (I walk a bit further everyday and have started some exercizing with weights.) There is also a complete sloughing off and rebuilding of the lungs that takes place with this disease. Therein lies the after-effects for cigar smokers.
I have never inhaled cigar smoke and over the past 5 months had been cutting back my smoking to about 3 sticks spaced out over an entire weekend, just for the sake of economizing to control expenditures and the desire to find out if I was in control of my smoking, as opposed to it controlling me. The waiting for the weekend has also had a bonus effect of helping each smoking experience to be a bit more enjoyable and precious than when I smoked everyday and kind of took it for granted.
This past Saturday I felt well and healed enough to smoke my first cigar in a month. The weather was great, I felt good and I really looked forward to my first one after my comeback from swine flu. I selected one of my favorites, a Dannemann robusto. Used to its complexities and evolutionary nature, I was quite disappointed at the single dimension of this smoke. I can usually detect nuances easily, but all I was getting was "tobacco" the entire way down. The following day, I decided to smoke a Montecristo Edmundo I had been saving for over a year. I knew one of my all-time favorites would tell me I was "back from the grave." But to my horror, all I got again was "tobacco" the entire length of the smoke. I felt as I had when I first started to smoke cigars, lost as to "getting it."
I came to the conclusion that I just might have to start all over again with palate and olfactory discirimination through multiple experiences with different cigars, as a result of contracting the disease. It seemed as if I lost my "cigar memory banks." I do know that while I was fighting the flu, any and all aromas, turned me off drastically. I had no desire to eat because everything smelled horrid to me, even crackers and jello. Plus the constant dry cough that came over me about every 10 minutes and never allowed for a decent night's sleep, which after 10 days turned into a loosening cough that basically precluded the renewing of the lining of my lungs. I suppose I will have to retrain my palate from scratch. I will know more after a few more cigars next weekend.
Was curious if any of my brothers have experienced this flu and the ultimate results for you concerning your cigar smoking. I do want to share with my brothers this one thing; AVOID THIS FLU AT ALL COSTS!!!
I have survived fully, feel fine and am now in the process of rebuilding my strength - there is some degenerative thing that happens to muscle tissue while fighting this flu. (I walk a bit further everyday and have started some exercizing with weights.) There is also a complete sloughing off and rebuilding of the lungs that takes place with this disease. Therein lies the after-effects for cigar smokers.
I have never inhaled cigar smoke and over the past 5 months had been cutting back my smoking to about 3 sticks spaced out over an entire weekend, just for the sake of economizing to control expenditures and the desire to find out if I was in control of my smoking, as opposed to it controlling me. The waiting for the weekend has also had a bonus effect of helping each smoking experience to be a bit more enjoyable and precious than when I smoked everyday and kind of took it for granted.
This past Saturday I felt well and healed enough to smoke my first cigar in a month. The weather was great, I felt good and I really looked forward to my first one after my comeback from swine flu. I selected one of my favorites, a Dannemann robusto. Used to its complexities and evolutionary nature, I was quite disappointed at the single dimension of this smoke. I can usually detect nuances easily, but all I was getting was "tobacco" the entire way down. The following day, I decided to smoke a Montecristo Edmundo I had been saving for over a year. I knew one of my all-time favorites would tell me I was "back from the grave." But to my horror, all I got again was "tobacco" the entire length of the smoke. I felt as I had when I first started to smoke cigars, lost as to "getting it."
I came to the conclusion that I just might have to start all over again with palate and olfactory discirimination through multiple experiences with different cigars, as a result of contracting the disease. It seemed as if I lost my "cigar memory banks." I do know that while I was fighting the flu, any and all aromas, turned me off drastically. I had no desire to eat because everything smelled horrid to me, even crackers and jello. Plus the constant dry cough that came over me about every 10 minutes and never allowed for a decent night's sleep, which after 10 days turned into a loosening cough that basically precluded the renewing of the lining of my lungs. I suppose I will have to retrain my palate from scratch. I will know more after a few more cigars next weekend.
Was curious if any of my brothers have experienced this flu and the ultimate results for you concerning your cigar smoking. I do want to share with my brothers this one thing; AVOID THIS FLU AT ALL COSTS!!!
