Happy Labor Day, I'm sick. Going to New Orleans

Happy Labor Day. I hope those in the States had a great long Labor Day weekend. I didn't. I went to the emergency room at my local hospital after I woke up with a swollen throat (read. difficult breathing). Deciding that it would be a silly death to ignore such an obvious sign of illness, I whisked my self to the hospital. Turns out I have a "virus". That's about all the doctor said. Along with "drink plenty of fluids", "and there''s a lot of it going around", he didn't say much else. Given my heart condition, there were a few additional tests run to check for step which can lead to rheumatic fever. No Step. Yeh. I didn't feel much better when I left other than knowing I wasn't dying. At least I can breath.
Oh, and I might be going to New Orleans or thereabout. I'm working with a few people in Whirlpool (my company) to organize a Red Cross rotation to help the people devastated by this disaster. Some number of us would be heading down after being trained by the Red Cross in South Bend, Indiana. I have no idea when I'm going or for how long. According to the Red Cross' website, a two week rotation is the shortest one they'll accept right now, so I'll be going for at least a few weeks. I'll keep in touch through this site as long as I'm able. As I learn more, I'll post here before I travel and during best as I can.