return of the crud
October 30, 2015

Well, as it turns out--it wasn't allergies that were plaguing me on Monday. I ended up with one of those secondary bacterial infections I sometimes get a couple weeks after having a cold. Even nastier than the original cold, but mercifully, not as long-lived. I was so bad on Wednesday that I had to take a sick day I don't even have--I'm completely out of "occurrences" AND paid time off for the year. But what are you going to do when you're just a big old ball of putrid green phlegm? (Fortunately, it won't be too bad in the paycheck, because this week is the third payday in the month, and check is a little fatter in the take-home department. I have a lot of twice-monthly deductions, so that gives me a boost.)

And I'm feeling much better, now. Spouse came home at noon on Wednesday, so he could take me to the in-store clinic at the drugstore. What a waste of time and trouble--and a copay. The NP there took my temperature, blood pressure & blood oxygen level, looked at my throat & ears, and listened to my lungs. And told me to go see my doctor. She also said I needed a chest x-ray, because it "might be pneumonia". Huh. Well it "might" be bullshit. It was Wednesday. If I could have gotten in to se somebody at my doctor's office, which is two blocks from my house, I wouldn't have bothered to drag my sick ass out in the cold and the rain and schlep all the way up to the north side! But Wednesday? When my doctor is out of the country on vacation? Fuggedaboutit. So we went to Meijer, picked up some decent OTC remedies (Bronkaid, Delsym, and Vapo-Rub) and went home. Spouse made me an egg sandwich on buttered toast, because I hadn't eaten all day. Then I medicated heavily, put Vicks on my feet and my chest, turned on the electric blanket, and went to bed.

And you know what? I got some rest, and some real relief. When I woke from my nap, Spouse made Marie Callendar pot pies (ahh, comfort food!), and I actually felt like eating, even though I couldn't taste much. I slept pretty fitfully in the night, though. Woke up every couple of hours. Got up feeling better, anyway. Went to work. Took it easy after, because the day took a lot out of me and because I think Spouse is coming down with something now. He stopped and picked up takeout for dinner, and we just rested and went to bed early.

Despite a remnant of the coughing and congestion, I'm feeling miles better now. Physically, anyway. Depression loves kicking me while I'm down, so there's that. But I actually got some sleep last night, and had a great commute this morning, so I'm feeling pretty decent. Gotta call my dad, though. Haven't heard boo in weeks, and today would have been my folks' 60th wedding anniversary. At least when the clocks go back this Sunday, it will be easier to call him. Two hours time difference really messes things up. One hour, I can work with.