“True is it that we have seen better days…” ~William Shakespeare (As You Like It, II, vii)
Things I hate: Spiders. Moths. All bugs. Slow drivers. When women wear too much perfume. Cedar trees. Cigarettes. And being sick. I hate being sick.
It’s been 5 weeks since my last post. I came down with a minor flu on Valentine’s Day, which couldn’t just be the flu for flu’s sake, but had to lead me down a germy path to strep-induced tonsillitis as well as secondary infections of both the sinus and ear. My right ear was clogged for two weeks and I got so fed up with it that I voluntarily elected to have my eardrum cut open and all the gunk inside vacuumed out by the ENT who now knows me on a first-name basis (due to 3 visits in as many weeks). At one point my tonsils resembled some weird avant-garde modern art painting of random squiggly bacterial white lines and patches. An intense coughing cacophony each night for three weeks left me with aching ribs and muscles and a permanent neck crick from trying to sleep at a 90-degree upright. And then after almost a month, when I was just starting to get better, the strep/tonsillitis decided to play a very unwelcome encore performance last week, so back on the antibiotics I went for a second round.
None of it was really that serious, just more annoying and tiring than anything. And certainly many people are dealing with much, much worse than me. I do seem to have pretty bad health luck around this time of the year though; if you missed my post from what happened last March when I called for an ambulance in the middle of the night, you can read it here. I get my flu shot religiously each year as soon as it’s available, so I was pretty angry it got me this year; luckily I didn’t have one of the serious strains that the flu shot protects against, but the flu is never nice no matter what form it comes in.
And that ear procedure was pretty squidgy. It’s called a myringotomy and it’s actually very common; my ENT said he’s done 3 or 4 a week, every week, for years now. Mostly on kids who need tubes in their ears, but also sometimes on adults like me who have mutant sinuses that won’t let us live normal lives (I didn’t get tubes). I’d never gotten to the point where I needed it before now, and I hope I won’t need it again. Let’s just say that if you’re afraid of needles or shots, you’re going to have a hard time if you need this procedure. Because they have to numb up your eardrum before they cut it open, and that means multiple SHOTS, with tiny but still-real needles, right INTO and THROUGH your eardrum. That’s what hurt like a heckamabob. I didn’t feel the cutting at all, but it was very weird to be able to hear (in extreme Dolby stereo) the slicing sound of the scalpel on the eardrum, and then the loudest vacuum sucking sound you’ve ever heard. Some pain about an hour later when the anesthetic wore off, but not much after that.
I pretty much don’t feel like doing anything when I’m sick, even if it’s just with “regular” illnesses like I just described. It’s why I haven’t written any posts for 5 weeks or really done much at all past just getting through the days and nights and trying to get well again. “Give people high-fives just for getting out of bed. Being a person is hard sometimes.” Words of wisdom from Kid President (if you haven’t watched his videos on SoulPancake, you’re missing out!). It is hard being a person sometimes, especially a contaminated and contagious one.
Our bodies do an amazing job of trying to take care of themselves, but when those tiny insidious virus and bacteria warriors attack, it’s incredible how much physical and mental energy they can zap out of us. Going to the grocery store and back feels like you’ve run a marathon and necessitates a long nap immediately afterwards. Laundry becomes the equivalent of a hard gym workout. I lost 8 pounds in the first week of being sick this time; I had absolutely no appetite and the only things I ate that week (the same thing every day) were minimal amounts of scrambled eggs, toast, and soup. (When the tonsillitis hit, I felt justified in buying frozen double fudge pops and ice cream to sooth my throat, thereby negating my flu-fueled weight loss…but very much worth it.) A pharmacist friend of mine said “bacteria will outlast humans” and I do believe she’s right.
I really wish I knew the secret behind those people who seem to have constitutions of steel and rarely if ever get sick. What are they doing? Or is it all just in the genes? My family genes seem to be riddled with susceptibility to allergies, acid reflux and thinning hair – we’re a very phlegm-y family. I’ve given serious thought to buying stock in Kleenex. We are allergic to everything. And on the GERD front, I’m pretty sure that just a handful of my family members could provide enough stomach acid (in a very short amount of time) to fill the vat that created the Joker.
It doesn’t help at all that we live in the worst city in America for allergy-sufferers. A day or week of bad allergies can be just as draining as the flu sometimes, and the resulting inflammation can make existing infections much worse. Cedar fever season is over finally, but now we have the joy of days filled with oak pollen – and there are just as many, if not more, oak trees in this city than cedar trees. As I write this, I had planned to be outside spraying weed and grass killer in my yard and pulling up the weeds that got a jumpstart on spring, but it’s so windy outside that I know I’d be suffering from oak pollen symptoms for days afterwards…and so once more I’m relegated to indoor confinement.
But again it’s all about perspective. I know there are so many people out there dealing with so much worse, so I feel pretty grateful that I’m able to go through this crud but then recover. There are some benefits to being stuck home sick. The fudge pops, of course. I’ve caught up on dozens of taped episodes of The Office that needed watching (and laughter is the best medicine sometimes). And I’ve discovered a surprising fondness for classical music – while app-wandering one fever-filled day I found a wonderful British classical station (Classic FM) and the music they play is so beautiful and invoking (and goes perfectly with a cup of English Breakfast tea).
But I’m looking forward to being well again. In the next few weeks (well or not) I’ll be lobbying our City Council for a code and ordinance amendment that would allow me to get started on the primary outlet of my flower business venture. It’s been a little slow going lately on the flower front, but I’m not losing hope. It’s not a race, and I have been gradually implementing aspects that will help me move forward. “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast” has been my mantra of sorts lately (Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet, II, iii).
I hope if you’re currently battling a bug that you feel better soon. Lots of fluids and frozen fudge pops is my recommendation.
À la prochaine!
Ant Kristi
operationUNunhappy 