It turns out my second emergency room visit was the point of no return. I was now severely sick. I had a hard time eating with little appetite, I was achy, sore, dehydrated, nauseous, weak, cold, and just plain miserable. It was 75F degrees outside and I was on the couch in a sweatshirt, sweatpants, with the heat on.

At the time of this event, I was 46 years old, extremely fit, an athlete, on the keto diet, fasting for a day a week. I only drank socially, and used caffeine as a tool. I didn’t have any major health issues other than a stinging insect allergy. By all accounts extremely healthy.

It’s now the end of the second week. I’ve lost a few pounds. I’m sleeping 16 hours a day. I can barely eat. My legs are now so weak that I’m not walking much, or leaving the house. My only exercise is letting my dog out the back door. I’m in a sweatshirt and sweatpants 24 hours a day with the heat on in the house. I notice my vision is getting blurry, and my skin is turning from a pale white to gray. When looking in the mirror, my only thought was, this flu is kicking my ass. What happened next changed my life forever.