A WEEK in bed with suspected swine flu is a sure fire way to find out how very caring people can be!

I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the number of very kind readers who’ve contacted me by letter, email, text and telephone to wish me well.

I feel privileged to have received so many good wishes.

Thank you so very much. They certainly helped and I now feel able to go back to work fighting fit!

I may never know if I had swine flu or just some other flu virus. My GP said they had stopped doing swab tests, but his advice to isolate myself was certainly sound. To have spread around what I had would have been far from generous.

What is strange is that when I heard I had to be in isolation, I was surprised! It probably stems from that common misconception that “It’ll never happen to me!” Yet, as part of the media I’ve been one of those giving out advice to seek help if you suspect it might have happened to you.

It was my husband who suggested I seek medical advice when I returned home from St Lucia feeling unwell. Tamiflu wasn’t an option as my GP said you have to get it into your system within 48 hours of the symptoms starting, so my virus had to run its course.

If you do have flu-like symptoms, don’t panic, just stay home and contact the swine flu helpline or your GP by phone.

Pam Royle, Middleton St George