Feeling better....

Well,  I had not been sick like that for many years.

I had a low grade fever for 4 days, missed 2 days of work, and had a pretty rough week, all things considered.

I never got a high enough fever for it to be a concern.  I called my doctor's office on Monday to alert them that I was on day 3 of a fever that remained steady at about 2 degrees above my normal, had a scratchy throat, slight head ache, copious (but clear) sinus congestion, tickly cough, a clogged ear, and felt exhausted.

I had to leave a voice message, like usual, and said I was not overly concerned about it, because the fever was low, and there were no body aches, chills, or nausea.

With the flu season in high gear around here, I was probably dealing with a nasty cold virus.

The nurse never called me back, so I never felt the need to go to an urgent care.  It truly just felt like something that would have to run its course.

I'm very grateful that a nagging cough never developed, because that compounds the exhaustion.

I can't remember the last time I felt ill enough to miss two days of work, but, in my work place, this bug has been going around and knocking EVERYONE out for at least two work days....so I didn't feel guilty.  Even my area supervisor left early and was off the next day at the end of the week.

I went back to work on Wednesday because there was no fever when I got up.

Of course, the fever cycled up and down several times that day, but I made it through the work day just fine.

That night, however, 4 days of fever -and not enough fluid intake- resulted in one of the worst nights of leg cramps I have ever had.

I lost count of how many small ones there were.  There was not much sleep that night.

About a half hour before the alarm, though, I had the mother of all leg cramps, where my toes were pointed AND angled out (so it was the back of my calf AND the outside of my calf all spasming at the same time).

I almost fell when I jumped out of the bed to try to stop it, because I could NOT stop it.  I could not get my heel to release to the floor to unlock the cramp.

It was intense, and long lasting.

I'm still limping, and anticipate that there will be a bruise on my leg soon, as the tissue had to have experienced trauma.

My only explanation is that I slept so much during my time sick that I was not able to keep up with fluid intake.

On Wednesday evening, I had also drank a couple of shots of whiskey to ease my throat.  It wasn't much, but on top of already being dehydrated, it was probably a bad judgement call.

Anyway, I was exhausted at work on Thursday, but I've dealt with that plenty of times in the past, and know how to cope.

It was a beautiful day, so I took two short walks on my breaks to get out into the fresh air and try to begin to regain my stamina.  (the leg didn't hurt yet)

Friday was much cooler out, so I didn't walk on my breaks, and my leg was locked up hard anyway with pain from the cramp on Wednesday night.

It was so sore, it even hurt to touch it.

I felt better in every other way, though, by Friday.

The only lingering symptom I have is copious, clear sinus discharge, and crackly ear drums.

Yesterday, we ended up spending time with friends for most of the afternoon, so today, I have a little catching up to do, but it will still be an easy day.

I have used the weekend effectively to relax and continue to regain my strength.

Hoping to get back on the workout routine starting tomorrow.

Everyone have a good week!

It was inevitable

Everyone in my area at work has been sick over the past two weeks.  Everyone.

I have been using sanitizing wipes daily on all shared surfaces (copiers, fax machine, etc), but people wandering around not covering their mouths when they cough and sneeze is not something one can keep up with by using sanitizing wipes!

I woke up overnight Friday with a fever and scratchy throat.  The fever has stayed below 100, but I feel like crap.

If the fever goes above 100, off to urgent care we go.  Yay.

My employer imposes an absurd number of restrictions on our use of our earned time off.  As a result, people HAVE to come to work when they're sick, or risk disciplinary action.

As a further result, when it's a bad cold and flu season, like this year is, everyone gets sick.

It's really counter intuitive to punish us for taking care of ourselves, but that's how it is.

Folks have been let go because they used their sick time and earned too many "occurrences."

I currently am the only person who has zero occurrences.

If I still have a fever in the morning, I will get an occurrence, because I can afford to stay home.  

The single mom who sits next to me has been hit with 5 occurrences in the past couple of months because her kids have been sick.

She got written up for excessive absences, so  SHE could NOT afford to stay home, and had to come to work sick this past week.  She was the one who got me sick in December, too, for the same reason.

The other lady, who wanders around coughing on everyone, is trying not to use her time because she has an ailing father, and could need to go to Texas to care for him at the drop of a hat.

She also has occurrences from having to do that over the holidays. If she takes another occurrence for taking care of HERSELF, her time off request to go take care of her dad could be denied.

Yes. Seriously.

So, you see, it was inevitable that I would eventually get sick.  Again.

Last winter in our office was really good. Not many people got the "crud."  This year, not so much.

The good thing is that it hit me on the weekend, so chances are, I will be in pretty good shape tomorrow.  We'll see.

It's supposed to be a cloudy, gloomy day, and that will improve my chances of being able to get some extra sleep.

I've been pretty restless the past two nights with this fever.

Nothing much else to report.

Busy week

Lots of stuff  this week.

Dave's birthday was on the 8th.  We had planned to celebrate it, along with Valentine's day, at a nice restaurant.

However, on Thursday night, we found another flea worm on Pete, so we had to re-allocate the money we had wanted to spend on a nice date to the vet bill we knew we would incur.

We thought their problem was allergies.

We've changed their food.  We've stopped using any scented detergents, softeners, and hand soaps.  We've had the air ducts cleaned.  We've done everything we know of to eliminate potential allergens....

Yet, Annabel is still grooming herself bald, and Pete has a lesser degree of over-grooming on his belly.  

It's February.  It's supposed to be winter (it was 88 degrees yesterday).  Our cats are indoor-only cats.  

They're not supposed to get fleas!

Yet, it seems, they have fleas.

This is Oklahoma, and we are surrounded by feral cats, and we haven't had much winter weather this year....so fleas are, apparently, a constant.  

Even though we see no evidence of fleas anywhere, except when Pete gets the worms that come when cats ingest flea eggs that they've groomed off of their fur.

Sigh.

We've heard that the anti-flea and tick yard spray works really well, but that you have to reapply after rain.  

We're also probably going to get some diatomaceous earth, and learn how to use it.

Anyway, we got a vet appointment for yesterday.

We got there, and a tech came out to the lobby and took the cats to the back, without us.

We looked questioningly at one another.  

After a couple of minutes, I said something to the girl behind the counter, and we realized that there was a miscommunication.  

Apparently, they thought we were just there for a tech to give the cats anti flea worm pills, as we had done in the past.  When we had done this in the past, however, we were in the treatment room with the cats.

(side note: I am an expert pill-giver when it comes to cats, and I CANNOT get either of these two cats to cooperate....this is why we take them to a pro when they have to be pilled.  Our vet doesn't charge us for this wonderful service. We only have to pay for the medication)

Unfortunately, it was too late.

They said that Pete had done fine with being taken out of his carrier and given pills without us being there to hold him.

However, it seems that Annabel, being back there without her people, had freaked ALL the way out, and would not be taken out of her carrier.

She shit all over herself, and also expressed her anal glands, so that the stink was overwhelming and nauseating.

Since they didn't know we had wanted to see a doc, to discuss what else we can do to get rid of fleas year round, and make our babies more comfortable, it was not such a good visit!  

All we can do is hope that Miss Annabel doesn't have flea worms. They said that we can bring Annabel back and they can sedate her so that she can be examined and given meds. 

I am thinking that is not likely, and I am also thinking that every trip to the vet for the rest of her life is now going to be a major undertaking.

We got them home, and released Annabel in the bathroom, in hopes that she would clean herself up.  All she did was track shit all over the bathroom and cry.  So, we let her out, and cleaned up after her for a couple of hours, while what she didn't get off of herself just dried to a crust.

There's still some on her back foot this morning.

So... they charged us for Pete's pills, and then they sold us expensive flea collars to try.  They swear that these things are extremely effective.  For $85 each, they fucking well better be!!

(Dave just looked them up on Amazon....they retail for $40 each...grrrr)

We've had to treat the cats multiple times for fleas, even though we've only ever seen one actual flea.  Maybe these collars are going to be the key to success at long last.

On Thursday, I saw the doc, and had my monthly labs and injection.  

All went well, and doc has changed my schedule to see him and get labs to every other month.  That was nice before, and I am sure glad to see it again!

On the months that I don't have to see him or get labs, all I have to go for is my injection, and that takes 5 minutes.

My right thumb continues to be completely healed after the cortisone shot in December.

My left wrist, not so much, and now the right wrist is about even with the left.  

I am thinking that the wrists will probably require surgery to go back to normal.

I am willing to give it a little more time, though.  It's only been one month since we withdrew the injected hormone blocker, and went back to the pill.

The pain varies in intensity, and sometimes, there isn't any at all.  

That can change suddenly, though, and with devastating consequences.  (sudden, sharp pain while doing normal, every day tasks... yeah.  I haven't managed to break anything yet, but HOLY SHIT, that hurts when it happens).

After my appointment, we did all of the errands because I had signed up for an on line meditation class, of sorts, that was to take place Friday night (we usually do our errands on Fridays after work).

I got all settled in to do the class, and the cable internet went out RIGHT as soon as the class started.  

This has never happened before...and the timing was beyond aggravating.

Of course, service was restored after about a half hour, but that was too late for me to jump back in and know what was going on.

Fortunately, when I paid for the class, I got access to a recording of it.  I missed the experience of taking it, live, at the same time as a thousand other people all over the world, but I can play it back and do it by myself.

Which I will probably do today.

In other news, my friend Rebecca is making me a dance costume from scratch.  I will need to have any costuming custom made for the rest of my time doing dance.

We started on the base for the costume yesterday, and I think it's going to be great!  I can't wait to see it.  

She's doing all of the shopping, and I will pay her back, and then I will give her a massage to pay her for her labor (when my wrists aren't hurting).

Our next recital is at the end of March.

We tried roasting a whole chicken on the grill yesterday. 

The weather was so hot, we didn't need the oven to be on for 2 hours.  And, gosh, I had not looked at the forecast when I planned my menu! Imagine that!

It's February, after all...it's not supposed to be almost 90 degrees.

Anyway, the bird was supposed to be spatchcocked, but Dave lost his nerve, and was not able to take the shears to the bird to open it up.  Said it gave him the willies.

We already knew I could not do it... I can't handle raw meat. It gives me the heaves.

SO....tried roasting it whole, and it didn't work.  We had to turn the oven on anyway.

That sort of just fit in with all of our other thwarted plans this week.... No date night, no meditation class, no successfully outdoor-roasted chicken.

Whatever....

Dave is going to go take care of his Dad's grocery shopping today, and, while he is gone, I will make a trip to Trader Joe's to get a few items.  The cats really like the food we're getting from there.

(Did I mention in a previous post that their regular food started making them vomit? We got a bad batch.  Dave called the company, and they sent us coupons for the same food... um... no thanks!)

I will also put on my gloves and strip the chicken carcass, make soup, and do another cooking project for tonight's dinner.

Off to the shower.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Friends

There was very sad news last Sunday.

Late in the day, I received word that a dear friend had died, suddenly, on the previous Friday.  I still do not know any details about how this happened.

I was very close to my friends Jim and Ann for a long time, several years ago.

I'd met Ann first, when she came to the chiropractic clinic where I was working as a massage therapist.  She was my client first, and then Jim, and we became good friends over the course of my years working with them.

When I left the clinic to start my own business, Jim was my first client.

Ann eventually joined the dance troupe I was in, and we danced together for a few years, too.

Jim even helped with my dad when he was dealing with cancer.  If we three kids and our spouses were busy with work,  Jim would take Dad for his treatments so we didn't have to miss too much work.

Dad had daily radiation treatments, and it took several people taking turns to get him to all of his treatments.

There was a time, after Dad died, when I was very, very sick.  My husband at the time could not be bothered to take off work to take me to the doctor.  Jim took off work instead, and got me up off of the floor, dressed, and to the doctor.

There were many times when Jim and Ann were my life line after my divorce.

They knew my entire family, and joined us for parties and other gatherings.... like funerals.

They had my back when I was having trouble with a neighbor at the condo.

Jim and Ann moved to California before I moved to Oklahoma, but we never lost touch.

I can't even image what Ann must be going through.  Though they worked as missionaries for decades, and had a very strong belief in going to meet their God at death, there is still the vast sense of loss she must be feeling.

I was pretty devastated by the news, and didn't really have the chance to deal with it until Monday after work.

As a result, I was too much of an emotional mess to go to dance class, so I stayed home.

Fortunately, our teacher wasn't there anyway, so it wasn't really a class I had to attend in preparation for the next recital.

Nothing much else to report.

I am in the midst of my week off from taking the chemo pill.  I always look forward to that.

We got a gift card for a favorite restaurant, and met up with friends there on Wednesday evening.

Then, last night, we went to visit our friends from Switzerland (and their 3 dogs and 3 cats) at their home, and tonight, my friend Jules is coming by.

After the loss of Jim, and these visits with friends, I am reminded of how precious true friends really are.

They are our family.