For the past five days I've been pretty much laid low by some sort of nasty bug. Virus? Bacteria? I dunno. But decidedly awful whatever it is. I haven't been this sick, or felt so bad, in at least a decade. Muscle aches, chills, sweats, coughing, sneezing, runny eyes and nose, loss of appetite—everything but a fever, which probably rules out flu. Though no flu I've ever had rendered me as miserable.
I swear, even my hair hurts! I feel like I've been run over by a bus.
Of course I'm up and down all night, unable to sleep or even rest. But equally incapable of sitting up for very long. I'm writing this post during one of my short periods of suffered verticality.
The only good part about this ordeal is that I've not missed any nice days outside. Yesterday and the day before barely made it above freezing. Today, while mostly sunny, is still cold. I probably wouldn't be doing much outdoor work even if I were better…so I don't have to feel guilty over wasting time.
I'll let you know if I survive…
14 comments:
Saw this by accident almost - hope you are feeling better. Your Ladylove told me yesterday you were getting worse.If you are looking for extra sympathy/empathy, give me call or email. I imagine you missed my first expressions regarding your condition while you were laid low.
Later.
Moonmuser....
Don't need empathy or sympathy, just relief. While I'm not feeling much better, if any, neither am I worse, either, which is good because I've been going downhill almost by the hour up early this afternoon. Maybe I've finally hit bottom and will eventually improve.
Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow and you will start feeling good again. Hope so.
Hey, saw a little bird in Kroger Friday. They had shut down the store for a couple of hours and tried to get it to go outside the day before. A woman suggested making a trail of bird food leading to the front door. Don't know how it turned out.
Moonmuser...
I'm feeling better this morning. Not great, but sure an improvement over yesterday.
Birds in big box stores are normal nowadays with their open concept and often attached lawn and garden departments. If you watch for the, you'll see they're pervasive. Usually sparrows, they work the food courts and produce, nest in the exposed roof supports, and seem perfectly happy. Tolling one out with a line of crumbs is a silly idea. Might work on the resident mice, though.
Hope you feel better soon, Grizz. I'm reasonably confident that you will survive. Your very nickname, "Grizzled-But-Incorrigible," speaks of an indestructible resilience.
Sorry you are under the weather, Grizz. Meanwhile, it's a perfect excuse for enjoying some down time if possible. Netflix, hot toddies and a comfy couch come to mind.
Hope you are back in the pink soon.
Florence
George…
Thank you. I'm relieved to report the worst now seems to be over, and I'm feeling some better this morning—though so sore from the coughing that every breath hurts. Still, the brunt of the symptoms have lessened appreciably. I don't know when I've ever been so overall feel-awful sick. But I sure wasn't feeling very indestructibly resilient yesterday or the several days before.
Out To Pasture/Florence…
I appreciate the well-wishes—and the good news is I seem to now be on the mend. Netflix, toddies, and couch time were all tried, but the truth is, I was too sick to watch TV, couldn't stand food or drink, and lying down was pretty much impossible because it worsened my cough and sneezing. It was pretty much a sit up in the recliner and suffer deal...which is what made it so bad. But last night I managed five hours of sleep, with one coughing/sneezing interruption about midways. That's twice as much as any night previous since the middle of last week.
HI GRIZ - sending healing thoughts your way. I can feel your "ick" and it feels horrid just imagining how badly you feel. I am praying for your full and speedy recovery.
Love Gail
peace....
Gail…
Hey, I appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers sent my way! I think the worst is over. But my chest and diaphragm muscles are so sore from days of coughing and sneezing that the pain of doing so now brings tears to my eyes—plus I almost need help getting up out of the recliner! Of course my nose looks like it's been sandpapered, and feels like it, too. Nevertheless, I'm in way better shape than I have been in several days. I'm praying I'll be reasonably good to attend my beautiful granddaughter's first Easter service come Sunday.
Hi again - glad you re moving in the right direction and hopefully will be A O K for Sunday :-) A little trick for the soar diaphragm - if you wrap your rib section tightly with wide ace bandage it eases the pain to breathe and helps in the healing. Just a thought
Love to you - keep getting better
Gail
peace....
Gail…
Hey, hadn't thought of that, but I'm going to try it straightaway. Thank you! I'm so glad you wrote.
Once, in my younger, dumber days, when I decided to see if I cold live through a year of rodeo, I came off a bull and landed on my ribcage crossway atop a steel fencepost. That seriously hurt…and continued to seriously hurt for days afterwards. But I swear it didn't hurt as bad as coughing and sneezing does today. Though maybe I've just turned into a wuss.
Grizz: Two summers ago, I got an illness that left me the second-sickest I'd been in my life. Most of your symptoms, plus fever. My doctor said it wasn't the flu (not the right time of year, plus I'd gotten a flu shot). It turned out, after much medical testing, that I'd had mononucleosis or some closely related disease. Fortunately, during the course of the diagnosis, my doctors discovered that I'd had a cancerous tumor on my right kidney--something I'd never have known if I hadn't gotten so sick since the cancer presented absolutely no symptoms. So, I was really thankful that I'd contracted mono!
Scott…
My deal started out as a sore throat last Thursday and progressed from there. I've been, medically speaking, far worse a few time—i.e. nearer to dying. But I don't know if I've ever felt worse. And the aftereffects linger. I'm still coughing and hacking up stuff…which worsens if get too horizontal. Can't talk much without coughing, either. (Possibly a good thing.) Don't feel like eating. (Definitely a good thing.) And I'm ridiculously weak. But feeling a lot better, and improving symptomatically daily. So i'm probably going to live.
You were really fortunate re. that kidney tumor. What a blessing that mono turned out to be! I'm so glad you found it early and are now in the clear.
My longtime and dearest friend, Frank, whom I've written about a few times here on this blog, and who passed away several years back from Parkinson's, had the same thing happen…he was down in Florida on a visit, seemed to be having trouble walking through the airport, and at the insistence of a gal who was also a nurse, went to the emergency room for a check-up. As it turned out, his walking problem was probably the first intimations of the Parkinson's, though that didn't get diagnosed for years. But what did get found was a cancerous tumor on Frank's kidney, which saved his life. He'd had no previous symptoms, either. He finished his visit, flew home, and a few days later went to Columbus and checked into the James Cancer Clinic, where they removed the kidney—and where Frank returned several times for follow-up checks until deemed out of danger. I guess his tumor was at a stage where the doctors told him he'd not have made it more than a couple of years. Instead, he lived another fifteen.
I don't know if there a health/medical lesson in there, but it goes to show how our lives and futures can b forever altered by small events, a moment's change in plans, or what first seems like a burden but proves to be a blessing. Our days are so very precious…and we live to enjoy them on the narrowest of margins.
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