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April 19, 2007

Never Been Sicker

Wow, I'm just now getting over one of the worst sick periods of my life. I caught some sort of superbug from someone at work on Wednesday. I started feeling it Thursday and by end of classes Thursday night, I was sure I had something. I had a fever and a sore throat and pretty much felt crummy all around.

I decided to take Friday off, but Friday night was poker night. Now, I love having people over as often as possible. But I sort of wish the sickness and poker night hadn't coincided because just spending time with guests took more out of me than I expected. And I started feeling worse.

By Saturday, it had hit me like a freight train going 200 miles an hour. I was exhausted and barely able to sit up without getting dizzy. My fever had spiked to 101.7 and my glands felt like they were ticking time bombs in my throat. By the afternoon, I turned into a wallowing mess--Don, the healthy, logical-thinking one of us, thought to call John, my brother-in-law, to see if he could prescribe some antibiotics for me. He said I had an upper respiratory infection and possibly the beginnings of walking pneumonia. My sister (another doctor) seems to think I have bronchitis. I have no idea which it is. Anyway, Don picked up my meds. I took the first dose that evening and literally slept the rest of the day away.

Sunday I think is when the throat pain pretty much cleared up, but I was still feeling really crappy. I still had to sleep a lot, but I couldn't seem to buck the fever. Pam suggested to Don that I take Aspirin for it, then jump in the hot tub, then into a warm shower. But the way my body is, I know heat's not the best thing for breaking my fever. So I just took the Aspirin, but it gave me a ringing in my ears and I had to stop taking it.

Monday, I tried doing some work at home. I slept in till about 11:30am, but then logged onto my computer. I probably worked about 4 hours, mostly catching up on email. But by the end of the day, I was wiped out again. So I called my boss and told him I'd need another couple of days off. I called my sister to ask her advice again--I was worried that I might have to go to the hospital if this thing didn't turn around. But she told me that all they could do was admit me, and give me antibiotics intravenously. So basically, the end result is the same as what I was already doing, just that I wouldn't be at home. Boy, I can't TELL you how comforting it can be to have at least one doctor in the family! I was really getting worried at that point.

Tuesday, I just took it easy. I wasn't able to sleep as much which I think was a good sign. When your body needs something, it tells you. Plus, I was coughing up more material from my chest which I think was also a good sign that things were loosening up finally. But even though I felt like my body had finally turned the corner on this illness, I still was debating on whether to go back to work.

Wednesday morning, I got up and took a shower, leaving myself plenty of time since I knew I was going to be slow-going. I was still very tired from being sick, but I managed to get myself dressed and ready for work. Besides, much as I love my new house, I was getting tired of staring at my bedroom walls and lying in bed. I needed to get back out into society. When I got to work, I was barely ok to work, so I took my lunch hour to relax in my car after eating. That seemed to do the trick enough to get me through the rest of the day.

And today (Thursday), I'm even stronger and feeling less tired. The only thing I'm fighting now is really a tight chest and an annoying, lingering cough. I took my last dose of antibiotics yesterday, but the effects will last about 2 weeks. I just hope all of you are taking VERY good care of yourselves out there! Take your vitamins, take your zinc, and stay away from us sickies!

Posted by Amy at April 19, 2007 06:00 PM

Comments

I am feeling better, though I think I've had enough chicken soup for a long while. ;-P

Posted by: Priori2ude [TypeKey Profile Page] at April 20, 2007 03:19 PM

I'm glad that you're feeling a lot better! I hope the chicken soup worked!

Posted by: revjen [TypeKey Profile Page] at April 20, 2007 01:17 PM

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