Sick Week

I need to write a post about my latest trip back east, which occurred over the last week and a half of March, but that will have to wait for later. Part of why it has to wait for later is because I spent much of last week sick.

I actually felt myself getting sick Friday March 29, the day before I flew home. Saturday I was definitely feeling sick and knew that the flight home was not going to be wonderful. Debbi convinced me to get some cold meds while I was waiting at the airport, and I think they helped. The 1-hour delay because of a fuel spill at the refueling truck at our plane didn’t help. However, I did make it home, feeling sick and exhausted. We grabbed dinner on the way home and then collapsed into bed around 11pm (2 am east coast time – I’d been up for 18 hours!).

Sunday Debbi got up and I told her I’d be getting up soon myself. In fact I slept for another 2 hours, and then stumbled downstairs. Debbi kindly made breakfast for us, but I was a zombie, and soon fell asleep on the couch until early afternoon (during which time Debbi went grocery shopping and took care of the cats). In the afternoon I felt considerably improved, and expected to go to the work on Monday.

And go to work I did! I wasn’t 100%, and I knew I’d run out of gas late in the day (which I did, leaving a bit early), but I had a pretty normal and productive day (for the first day back from being away for a week and a half), and expected to feel better the next day.

In fact I woke up in a fog on Tuesday. I went to work anyway, figuring I’d just shake it off, but after lunch I just could not concentrate, so I went home and promptly slept for about three hours. I had soup for dinner and mostly sat quietly in the evening (albeit working as best I could to finish a birthday gift for a friend of mine which needed to get mailed the next day). We watched Star Trek: Nemesis and went to bed early when it was done.

Wednesday I felt no better – if anything I felt worse. I took care of the morning routine (mostly giving Newton his meds, scooping the litter, and giving the cats food). I went upstairs and was so exhausted I fell on the bed and dozed for an hour and a half. I got up and had lunch, sat on the couch and read for a while, then slept for another 2-3 hours. I was tired, and sore, and developing a nasty cough. When I woke up, I finally started to feel better.

Thursday I went back to work, perhaps just a little early, as I was still tired, and the cough had turned into something where any amount of activity – like walking to the bathroom – would result in a terrible hack. Catching my breath and sitting down were the only cures.

But that was – finally – the worst of it. All the symptoms but the cough were gone by Friday, and it was getting better. It’s still with me even today, but by Saturday it had improved to the point that I could do some chores around the house (like unpacking the furniture I shipped from my Mom’s house to put it together, and mowing the lawn Sunday morning). I discovered that Robitussin cough+cold was the best thing for it, to the point that like clockwork the cough would come back 4 hours after my last dose.

Today I am medication-free, though, and even had coffee for the first time since my flight home. So I’m just about better.

I don’t know whether flying home while sick kept me from getting over the cold, or if I caught one cold on top of another one, but it was a pretty nasty week last week. Hopefully not one I’ll repeat for a few years.